Macomb Junior High is in sports news again, this time in wrestling. The state meet is being held this weekend up in Dekalb, Illinois and the Mustangs are sending three athletes up to compete. Jeb Benson at 65 pounds, Dylan Willey at 126 pounds, and Kolt Lawyer at 95 pounds have all won the right to go to state last weekend at the sectional meet.

Benson went an astounding 26-1 this year and ended up winning the title last week. Benson is to get a first round bye this week and is one of the favorites to go home with hardware. Despite going just 14-16 last year, Benson has bulked up ten pounds and has gotten better by facing off against bigger opponents to get stronger.

Another story of great turnaround comes from teammate Dylan Willey. Willey went 9-24 last season. A … Read More »

The Leatherneck Men’s Basketball Team has managed a 20-7 overall record this season and is just three wins away from a national tournament birth. The team has had a season filled with ups and downs, but the Leatherneck’s outlook has never been brighter.

            This season the Leatherneck’s started out rocky with a 3-3 start and averaging just 46 points per game in losses. Then the tides turned in late November with the opening of Summit League play. The team went on a tear and rolled with an 11 game winning streak. They saw the return of two-guard Remy Roberts-Burnett to add some stability on both sides of the floor.  At this point the Neck’s were running on all cylinders right when the quality of opponents started to pick up. Western ended the season tied for The Summit League’s best conference … Read More »

The Western Illinois Leatherneck Men’s basketball team battled through every moment against Cleveland State, but it was not enough. The team started hot right out of the gate with an unusual fast paced start. Within the first minute of the game senior Jack Houpt felt queasy and would not see another minute in this game. Later on to end the first half, Cleveland State’s Charlie Lee began to get hot and made it a two-point game at the half.

The Vikings continued with momentum into the second half. Both Remy Roberts-Burnett and Terrell Parks went down with leg injuries. Western scrambled to make it a game but lacked the firepower to do it.

Head Coach Jim Molinari has never been a coach to go deep into his bench. He’s gone the season normally rotating in Jordan Foster, Michael Ochoreobia, and Don McAvoy. … Read More »

The Macomb High Bomber boy’s basketball team ended its season this past Wednesday against rival Monmouth-Roseville. The Bombers played a foul ridden first half and could not rebound in a 64-43 loss. The Bombers disappointing season is looking up however, after a strong second half.

The team started the season losing 11 of their first 12 games. But the team rebounded to go 6-7 the rest of the way. Head Coach Jeremy Anderson seems to have the Bombers going in the right path. The team won its regional playoff opener against West Central before losing to the Titans. Strong play coming from non-conference opponents to start the season crippled the Bombers.

After a let down season like this, the only direction is up. While regrouping and turning the season around during conference play the team finally found its identity. The team brings … Read More »