Staab on Sports

The crew at Renaissance Coliseum begins to tear down after Wednesday's game against Kansas City. PHOTO / ALEX STAAB Peoria, Ill. - The Bradley Braves (1-1, 0-0) got a big lift early, when it was determined that junior Lasha Petree would be playing in the game, and in the starting lineup as well. That coupled with Morton product Brandi Bisping on the opposing sideline gave this one quite a few notable headlines already.  Alas, after eight ties, 13 lead changes, and 52 fouls called, the visiting Milwaukee Panthers (2-0, 0-0) prevailed by a 65-60 score.  The game got off to a very slow start for either side, with both teams narrowly eclipsing double figures.  Bradley knew going in how physical of a team Milwaukee can be, and that was evident, essentially, right from tipoff.  The Panthers would get to the boards early and often, edging Bradley 14-11 in that department. Ironically, that was also the score after 10 minutes.  Both offenses were even a touch slower in...

  The Metamora varsity and sophomore girls basketball teams meet in a distanced huddle after practice on November 16th, the IHSA's first day of official practice. An IHSA decision on the timing of a season is anticipated sometime on Thursday the 19th. PHOTO / ALEX STAAB Metamora, Ill. - An important decision is coming from the IHSA on Thursday, but that hasn't phased the Metamora girls basketball team yet.  Monday was the first day of official practice. That's the timeline right now. It's not concrete when games will happen, but practices can happen, while being guideline-compliant.  Monday's practice for the Lady Redbirds, poised for one of the best seasons in program history, was a good one. They made they most of what they had.  Non-contact drills, socially distant "huddles", it was all there. That's basketball in 2020.  The mentality, senior forward Alana Terry says, is most important.  "Just taking it day-by-day. In the meantime, we're ju...

  File Photo / ICC Athletics East Peoria, Ill. - As we await the start of competition for athletes within the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), the organization came out with some big news on Thursday afternoon.  Per a release from the NJCAA, their Board of Regents voted that "all 2020-21 NJCAA sport seasons will not count towards student-athlete eligibility".  The organization's move to allow such breathing room for current student-athletes at institutions like Illinois Central College follows similar moves at the NCAA level.  In the release, NJCAA President & CEO Dr. Christopher Parker feels this decision was made while keeping the student-athlete in the forefront. "The Board of Regents feels this decision is best for the success and well-being of our student-athletes and member colleges at this time," Parker said. Troy Tucker is the chair of the NJCAA's Eligibility Committee. He says that it wasn't the easiest of decisions, but...

Katie Lalumandier and Ian O'Laughlin run during Saturday's Runnin' Red Invite PHOTOS / ALEX STAAB Metamora, Ill. -  It wasn't exactly the most convential way to run the 44th Annual Runnin' Red Cross Country Invitational at Metamora's Black Partridge Park, but with the COVID-19 pandemic still active, the races found themselves split into two days. Once Saturday came around, it was finally the turns for the Lady Runnin' Red and Runnin' Red to take it to their home course.  For the girls side of things, once the race got into a comfortable spot after the start, a group of three began to pull away, featuring two girls from Eureka and one from Bloomington. Beyond that was Lady Runnin' Red junior Katie Lalumandier.  After being in that position when the groups first became visible in the central area of the course, those places essentially stuck. With Lalumandier having more space between her and that pack, she says it can be hard to truly determine whethe...

Incoming junior Kayla Pacha wins the opening tip for the Lady Redbirds, who'd go on to defeat East Peoria in their opening scrimmage, 40-13. PHOTO / ALEX STAAB METAMORA - Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the Metamora Girls Basketball team met as a group for the first time since a frustrating regional final loss to #7-ranked Kankakee. You could see the beaming joy on the face of 7th-year head coach Brianna Morrow when she entered the gym, as was the case for nearly everyone inside Toepke Gym. "Today was like a Christmas again. We're super excited to be back in the gym." The Lady Redbirds have been on hold waiting to tip off their summer season, after the COVID-19 pandemic began and step-by-step, slowly shut all sports down. When the State of Illinois moved to Phase 4, and not too long after - the IHSA moved to Phase 2, it allowed groups of 50 and sport-specific drills, clearing the way for things like Wednesday night's scrimmage. Coach Morrow says it'...

PHOTO / IHSA GERMANTOWN HILLS - IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson doesn't exactly have the most open schedule among the people of Illinois right now, but he was gracious enough to take time to talk on Wednesday morning. Below is our Q&A with Anderson from Wednesday's chat. How are you? "Yeah, well, I'm hanging in there. I get a lot of support from our (IHSA) staff. They're great to work with. We bounce a lot of ideas off of each other. At home, dealing with my sons, who are home from school, one of which wanted to play baseball this spring as a sophomore in high school. While this is stressful and making these difficult choices, I get to be home with him, and I'm also working him (son) through the disappointment of what he's facing this spring. I'm doing fine. A few sleepless nights, wondering what direction we should be taking, knowing that we're really challenged during this time. I think about, personally, the impact this has ...

The new Head Football Coach, Jared Grebner, applauds his defense's efforts during his time as defensive coordinator during the 2019 season. PHOTO / CHRISTOPHER LEE METAMORA - Not since the fall of 1989 has the Metamora Redbirds had a head football coach other than Pat Ryan. That has changed. This past Thursday evening, pen was put to the paper to officially name defensive coordinator Jared Grebner as its next head coach. Grebner, a 1997 graduate of Metamora High School, has been making contributions to the Redbird football program in multiple facets. It started as a player, when he was both a quarterback and safety. After a collegiate football career at McKendree University (Lebanon, IL), Grebner returing to Malone Field as an assistant coach, eventually becoming the defensive coordinator in 2010. When asked about what it means to hear his new official title, he says it's a fulfulling of a goal. "It's definitely a dream come true. I just feel very fortunate...