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Final-four teams at Jacksonville were Maroa-Forsyth, St. Joe-Ogden, Forreston, and Highland, MO. Other top teams and who they defeated were:

Forreston- defeated Griggsville-Perry, St. Anne, Neoga, Keokuk IA, lost to Maroa-Forsyth in the semi's.
Highland MO - defeated Alwood, West Central, Watseka, Warrensburg-Latham, Bismarck-Henning, and lost to St. Joe-Ogden in the semi's.
Warrensburg-Latham - defeated Farmington, Robinson, Abingdon, and lost to Highland MO.
Tolono-Unity - defeated Calhoun, Tri-Valley, Lewistown, lost to St. Joe-Ogden.
Pittsfield - defeated Fulton, Galva, Orion (in sudden death OT), and lost to Maroa-Forsyth.
Decatur St. Teresa - defeated Roxana, Columbia, Jacksonville Routt, Fisher, and lost to St. Joe-Ogden.
Keokuk IA - defeated Kewanee, Lexington, Jacksonville JV, and lost to Forreston.
Fisher - defeated Pleasant Hill, Donovan, Pleasant Plains, and lost to St. Teresa.
Bismarck-Henning - defeated CPCI, Pawnee, Porta, and lost to Highland MO.

The Braidwood Shootout was an extremely competitive and well run event. The shootout was won by a very tall, athletic, and aggressive Farmington Farmers team. The Farmers defeated West Carroll 53-39 in the championship game

First, my sincere thanks to Scott Thorson (Reed-Custer Fieldhouse Director) and Nate Spriggs (R-C head coach) for inviting IHSS up to cover this event. Reed-Custer Fieldhouse is a top-notch facility and Mr. Thorson and his crew put on an organized and well run event. A quality field of Class A teams, full 40 minute games for everyone, 5 courts to play on, very informative programs, excellent hospitality room, and a level of professionalism and class displayed by all the R-C folks that is second to none. I'm glad I drove four hours to cover this high-quality summer shootout, as the games I saw were top-notch.

Farmington's front line is their strength, as the Farmers return two double-digit post players in 6'4" Sr. Matt Goedecke (12.9 ppg) and 6'6" Sr. Josh Watzenauer (12.3 ppg). Goedecke is workman-like, getting loads of offensive and defensive rebounds, while using his strength and court-savvy to position himself for high percentage shots around the basket. Watzenauer is more athletic and shows flashes of very solid footwork and post moves, scoring with either hand, even though Josh is predominantly a left-handed scorer. The Farmers have an very good guards in #12 & #30(names?) who both do a great job running the offense and distributing the ball for Coach Tom Wierzba. The Farmers overwhelmed a highly-regarded Fieldcrest team, 63-46, in the semi-final game, after beating QND earlier by 12, 52-40, in a very physical quarterfinal contest.

Second-year West Carroll head coach Josh Knuth, has a high-quality Class A team in his Thunder, led by a super-athletic 6'4" Jr. combo forward, Chris Anderson. Anderson is VERY athletic, as he runs and jumps better than several all-state players. Chris can slash to the basket with ease and uses his athleticism to rise above opponents when he finishes in the paint. #4 6'2" Sr. Zach Brehm is also an athletic forward for the Thunder who blocked several shots and used his defensive intensity to slow down St. Anne's star player, Jr. PG Cliff Fleming, in WC's semi-final win over the Cardinals. #15 Sr. guard Travis Prowant is also a key contributor for the Thunder. With several talented young players on the roster due to three schools consolidating a year ago, watch for Coach Knuth to develop a few shooters to knock down the outside shot, then look for West Carroll to make some noise the next couple years. One thing is certain, Chris Anderson is officially on our radar and is now listed as an IHSS player to watch for 06/07 and 07/08. Anderson will make some D-II or D-III college coach look very smart in the future.

Putnam County competed very well in this tourney, despite missing their D-1 standout, SIU-C recruit Carlton Fay, who was at the Reebok ABCD camp. With Fay playing, Putnam has had an impressive summer and could easily be considered by many as a top 16 ranked team for next year.

Herscher was without the services of 6'6" all-state candidate, Rob Winnicki, for part of the day Saturday as Winnicki was sent home after the 11AM West Carroll game, which Herscher lost 48-46. Illinois Wesleyan coaches were there to watch Rob, but a quarrelsome exchange during the WC game and ultimately being sent packing for the day didn't do him any favors in his recruiting process. An unfortunate situation that Herscher Coach Ron Oloffson described as embarrassing for all involved, one he hopes that Rob can learn from and come back better than ever. I was disappointed not getting a chance to see Winnicki play, as he was mentioned by many as one of the top players at this shootout. Herscher competed very well against Reed-Custer in their next game without Winnicki. Coaches I spoke with expect a dog fight between Herscher, Seneca, and Lisle for the I-8 conference title. Seneca's Griffin Callahan and Herscher's Rob Winnicki were mentioned by several coaches as the two best players in the league.

St. Anne head coach Rick Schoon has his Cardinals playing hard, as they continue to impress many with their young but aggressive team. St. Anne sports one of the better Class A PG's I've seen this summer in 5'10" Jr. Cliff Fleming, who can get to the basket and finish against nearly anyone. Fleming also has a nice shooting touch from outside, sees the court well, and can deliver the pass where its needed in transition. With a little more development, St. Anne could surprise some folks in the post season.

I had an interesting and affable conversation with Fieldcrest coach Matt Winkler, concerning several emotional topics such as 4-class basketball, the multiplier, the 30-mile radius for private schools, and the results of the changes last year. Like many public school coaches, Winkler is adamantly opposed to 4-class basketball in Illinois and thinks the multiplier has done what it was intended to do thus far. I know many who would disagree with his opinions, but don't count me as one. My informal polling of coaches at summer events is not an exact science, but the overwhelming majority of them like the IHSA two class basketball system the way it is. As one said, "Change isn't always change for the better." Fieldcrest made the final-four of this event with strong guard play, superior 3 pt shooting, and causing turnovers by trapping and double-teaming the ball. Returning seniors, 6'2" guard Jake Martin and 6'3" center Logan Park, lead the way of four returning starters for the Knights, who are coming off a 26-2 season last year, eventually bowing out to Maroa-Frosyth in the Bloomington sectional semi-final. Jake Martin has a sweet stroke from outside so opposing teams better keep track of this bomber.

If there were three better underclassmen at this event than Seneca's Seth Evans, West Carroll's Chris Anderson, or St. Anne's Cliff Fleming, I didn't see them.

The top teams I saw play at this event were:
Farmington, Seneca, Fieldcrest, West Carroll, St. Anne, CPCI,
Putnam County, Herscher, Lisle, and Quincy Notre Dame

Check out ahighlight video of St. Anne's outstanding Jr. PG, Cliff Fleming from the Braidwood shootout.

7 on 7 Football Passing camps -

The Rochester football team traveled to the University of Notre Dame to compete in a 7 on 7. There were teams there from IL, MI, In, CA, PA, OH, and KY. IHSS's own RocketMom was there to capture the event with her digital camera, and what high-quality pics she got! Incredible work!