Before we fully flip the calendar to 2024, WRMJ Sports is looking back at the year that was 2023 on our airwaves.
We were fortunate to cover Rockridge softball break the IHSA record for consecutive wins and become the third team in state history to win three state championships in a row, Rockridge boys basketball advanced to the state tournament for the second straight year, and many other memorable moments.
Below is a look (and listen) at our top ten sports broadcasts from 2023, compiled by WRMJ’s Ty Taylor
Thank you to the great schools, coaches, and kids we cover, our loyal advertisers, and incredible listeners for making our job so easy. We are lucky.
Happy New Year!
#10 – Rockridge softball breaks IHSA-record winning streak by defeating Galesburg, 10-0, to win 70th straight game
March 29, 2023 – Rockridge made IHSA softball history with a 10-0 win over Galesburg in late March. The win marked Rockridge’s 70th straight win in softball, breaking the previous state record of 69 set by Casey-Westfield in 1997-98.
Payton Brown hit two home runs in the win. She would go on to set an individual IHSA record with 27 homers in a single season.
Kendra Lewis picked up her 400th career strikeout in the game.
There will be more from the Rockets sensational softball year later in the list.
#9 – Sherrard girls basketball wins regional title, beating Mercer County, 51-31
February 17, 2023 – Sherrard continued its local dominance in girls basketball in 2023 by winning another regional championship, this time defeating Mercer County 51-31 in Aledo.
Addison Pickens scored a game-high 15 points for the Tigers. Kyla Elsbury was also in double figures for Sherrard with 11. Molly Hofmann led Mercer County with seven points in the loss that night.
Sherrard (22-7, 11-1 TRAC West) also won a conference title in 2022-23 and ended the season with a loss to Eureka in the sectional semifinals.
#8 – Sherrard football scores in final seconds to rally to beat Orion, 27-26
October 6, 2023 – Sherrard rallied late to defeat Orion 27-26 in Week 7 of the 2023 high school football season in a game where both teams were playing with their playoff hopes on the line.
The Tigers drove 98 yards in the final two minutes to score the game-tying touchdown with five seconds left on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Holland Anderson to Cyrus Hoke. Noah Fender’s PAT kick put Sherrard ahead.
Orion led 12-0 at the end of the first quarter. Sherrard then rattled off 20 straight points to take a 20-12 lead before Orion scored 14 consecutive points to retake the lead 26-20 in the fourth quarter.
Sherrard quarterback Holland Anderson was 26-46 for 294 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball 13 times for 31 yards and a touchdown. Carter Brown had 11 catches for 113 yards and touchdown. Noah Fender carried the ball 23 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Orion quarterback Kale Filler completed 14-20 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns to go along with one interception. Owen Voorhees reeled in 7 catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
Sherrard’s game winning drive is below. More from a classic Week 7 on WRMJ later in the list.
#7 – Rockridge boys basketball claims sectional championship by trouncing Princeton in sold-out Geneseo High School, 64-46
March 3, 2023 – Rockridge won their second straight sectional championship, defeating Princeton 64-46 Friday in front of 1,700 fans at Geneseo High School in this one. The Rockets led by as many as 25 points in the second half. The win gave Rockridge their fourth sectional championship since 2015.
Jase Whiteman scored a game-high 27 points. Carson Klemme was also in double figures with 10. Rockridge made 11 three-pointers in the game.
Princeton entered the sectional championship game with a 32-2 record. More March Madness fun with Rockets is coming up later.
This game wins the award for best atmosphere of the year.
#6 – Sherrard baseball scores late to beat Princeton in Regional Championship, 3-2
May 20, 2023 – Sherrard came from behind to beat Princeton, 3-2, to win the IHSA 2A Baseball Princeton Regional Championship.
Sherrard trailed, 2-0, entering the bottom of the fifth inning, before Holland Anderson scored a wild to pitch to cut the deficit to 2-1. In the bottom of the sixth, Broc DeHamer delivered a two-out two-RBI single to put Sherrard ahead, 3-2.
Maddux Harksen was the winning pitcher for Sherrard, throwing a complete game. He allowed one earned run on five hits and struck out 10 Princeton batters.
The Tigers (25-7) advanced to the Sweet 16 and saw their season end with a loss to Hall in the sectional championship.
#5 – Rockridge football takes control of TRAC West race with thrilling final-minute win over Morrison
October 6, 2023 – The second of our two classic games in Week 7 saw Rockridge come from behind in the fourth quarter to hand Morrison its first loss of the season, 14-7.
The game was scoreless entering the fourth quarter, before Morrison opened the scoring on a 44-yard touchdown run by Brady Anderson to put the Mustangs up 7-0 with 9:50 to go. The Rockets answered on a touchdown by Alex Zarlatanes with two minutes left in the game but the PAT was blocked, which allowed Morrison to hold on to the lead, 7-6.
Rockridge got the ball back and capped an 81-yard game-winning drive on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Cullen Schwigen to Landon Wheatley with 18 seconds left in the game. The Rockets converted the two-point attempt to win 14-7.
Rockridge held Morrison to just three first downs in the game.
Zarlatanes carried the ball 21 times for 170 yards and a touchdown. Wheatley added four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
The Rockets (9-2, 6-0 TRAC West) went on to win the conference and advance to second round of the IHSA 2A football playoffs, before being eliminated by Seneca.
Below is Rockridge’s game-winning drive.
#4 – Mercer County wins first-ever softball regional title, beats IVC 3-1
May 19, 2023 – Mercer County defeated Illinois Valley Central, 3-1, to win the first regional championship in program history at the IHSA 2A Brimfield Regional.
Freshman Elsie Cook (17-4) was the winning pitcher for the Golden Eagles, allowing one run in seven innings. Mercer County scored all three of their runs in the third inning on an RBI single from Madi Frieden and two-run home run by Gabriella McPeek.
The Golden Eagles (26-8) ended the season in the sectional semifinals with a loss to Rockridge.
#3 – Rockridge football fends off Sherrard in instant classic, 31-28
September 15, 2023 – Rockridge scored in the final minutes to defeat Sherrard, 31-28, at Clifford King Field.
Connor Deem’s two-yard touchdown run with 2:01 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning score. It was set up by a 60-yard run by Rockridge freshman quarterback Cullen Schwigen. Schwigen carried the ball 17 times for 195 yards and a touchdown in the win and was 4-6 passing for 72 yards and a touchdown. The Rockets rushed for 304 yards.
Sherrard held a 21-17 lead at the end of three quarters. Tiger quarterback Holland Anderson was 19-28 passing for 342 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Carter Brown caught nine passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.
#2 – Rockridge boys basketball returns to State Tournament with 60-59 Super-Sectional win over Rockford Lutheran
March 6, 2023 – Rockridge earned a trip to the IHSA 2A State Finals for the second straight year after holding off Rockford Lutheran 60-59 in the 2A Sterling Super-Sectional.
Rockridge trailed by five entering the fourth quarter. The Rockets tied the game twice in the fourth, 53-53 and 56-56. Rockridge took the lead for good on a lay-up by Landon Wheatley in the final two minutes.
Landon Bull netted 24 points in the win. Wheatley added 11 but was injured on the game-winning basket. Walt Hill, Jr., poured in a game-high 28 points for Lutheran.
Rockridge (28-6, 12-0 TRAC West), ended the season finishing fourth at the state tournament.
#1 – Rockridge softball wins third straight state title, beats Beecher 7-1 in championship game
June 3, 2023 – The Rockridge Rockets (38-1) rolled to their third straight Class 2A softball state championship with a 7-1 victory over Beecher in Peoria.
Rockridge jumped on top 3-0 in the first inning, the big hit being centerfielder Kori Needham’s two run triple. Beecher closed the gap to 3-1 in the top of the fourth but Rockridge quickly answered in the bottom of the fourth with two runs coming in on Morgan Hofer’s double. The Rockets tacked on two more runs to push the final margin to six.
Needham, Hofer, and Cierra Bush drove in two runs for Rockridge. Taylor Dietrich had one RBI.
Kendra Lewis (25-0) went the distance to get the win giving up the one run on six hits. Lewis finishes her junior year 63-0 overall, while being the winning pitcher in each of the Rockets three state championships.
The Rockets became the third team to three-peat, matching Alleman (1992-94) and Cobden (2008-10). Rockridge closes out the season riding a 30-game winning streak and now have a 102-1 record over the last three seasons. The Rockets have won 22 straight postseason games.
Nothing beats a state title on local radio!