Triad Knights 2022-2023 athletics season in review
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
Runners race towards a hill during the start of the annual Triad Cross Country Invitational. A total of 193 boys and 163 girls participated in the fall event. (Photos by Anthony Jones)
By Anthony Jones
sports.times.tribune@gmail.com
Another successful season of Triad athletics is in the books.
Triad baseball was the final team playing this season, as they faced off against Effingham in their sectional semifinal on May 31. The Flaming Hearts won that matchup enroute to a fourth-place state finish.
Earlier in the postseason, the Knights dispatched Taylorville and Highland for a regional crown for the third consecutive season. The Knights also won their third consecutive Mississippi Valley title with a 9-1 mark.
Triad baseball empties their dugout to celebrate pinch runner Isaac Ackerman’s walkoff run against Mascoutah. Ackerman scored the winning run in unusual fashion, as he was sent home on a balk.
The diamondmen finished 26-12 overall and 16-3 at home. Their three home losses came against state champions Edwardsville, third-place finishers Jackson and sectional finalist Mt. Vernon.
Lady Knight soccer also made a lengthy playoff run, claiming a regional and sectional title. They fell to Glenwood in the super-sectional round on the Titans’ home field. Glenwood went on to win the state championship.
Triad finished 15-8-3 overall after a 3-5 start. Three of those losses came against eventual state champions: Glenwood, O’Fallon and Fort Zumwalt South.
The Lady Knights also won an outright conference title with a 9-1 record.
Laney Harshany balances herself on the ball while performing her signature flip throw. The senior standout and captain for Triad girls soccer still performed several of the athletic throw-ins while donning a knee brace.
Triad softball also caught momentum after a slow start, finishing 15-12 overall and winning 11 of their final 15 games. The Lady Knights tied Jersey for second place in the Mississippi Valley standings with a 5-5 mark.
Their postseason ended in a 5-3 regional semifinal loss to Civic Memorial. That contest was hosted by the Eagles in Bethalto.
Senior Sam Jarman slides into home plate just in time to avoid a tag from Mascoutah’s catcher. Jarman scored three times in the Lady Knights’ 13-8 victory over their conference foes.
Boys track and field also finished second place in the conference in their spring campaign.
The Knights also finished tied for eighteenth place at the IHSA State Finals after tallying seven total state qualifications in shot put, 800, 1600, pole vault, high jump, 4×100, and 4×200. They reached finals day in the latter four events.
With a splash in the sand, Ian Dempsey lands himself in second place for long jump at the Misssissippi Valley Championships. The sophomore won the triple jump at the meet as well.
Parker Friederich’s state qualification in the pole vault marked the tenth consecutive season Triad sent at least one boy or girl to state in the event. The junior finished twelfth overall in his debut at the season finale meet.
The team’s best finish at the state meet was second place from the 4×200 meter relay squad of Tristan Darby, Tashon Crockarell, Cory Warren and Louis Yohannes with a time of 1:28.09. The same lineup took fourth place in the 4×100 meter relay with a 42.28 second performance.
Crockarell also finished in tenth place in the high jump at the state meet.
The high jump was also a top event for Triad’s girls track and field squad.
In the bar jumping event, sophomore Makenna Witham finished tied for second at the IHSA State Finals. The Lady Knight scored the team’s best finish at the statewide meet with a height of 1.66 meters.
Triad qualified for the state meet in three other events. Sophomore Kennedy Bowman did so in the 3200 meter and alongside Chloe Gough, Mikayla Niehaus and Abigail James in the 4×800 meter relay. Abby Kesterson also qualified for the Charleston-based meet in the shot put.
Earlier in the season, the Lady Knights took second place overall at the Mississippi Valley Championships. Triad also finished fourth as a team at the Civic Memorial Sectional.
Makenna Witham clears the high jump bar with ease during the Civic Memorial Sectional meet. The sophomore finished her postseason by tying for second in the event at the IHSA State Finals.
Boys’ tennis also contributed to a successful spring for Triad, finishing seventh overall at the IHSA State Finals. Their finish marked the highest in program history and their total of 15 points was only three off tying for a third-place trophy.
Marc Froidcoeur and Dillon Henderson finished sixth overall in doubles play, the highest finish in Knight history for either single or doubles play. They also scored the first medal in program history.
Taking thirteenth overall, Jake Stewart tied Triad’s best singles finish ever at state. Andrew Carter and Ethan Stewart added points for the Knights in doubles action and Joe Cass also competed at the state meet.
During the winter season, boys’ basketball finished with an overall record of 28-7. This surpassed the previous program single-season win total by four victories.
The hooping Knights also claimed the Jersey Regional title, their first plaque in 20 years. They ultimately fell in the sectional final to East St. Louis, who went on to finish third in state.
Triad also took sole possession of the Mississippi Valley crown after ending a two-year reign by Mascoutah. Other highlights include sophomore Drew Winslow being the first Knight named to the Prairie Farms Holiday Classic team in 18 years and senior McGrady Noyes drawing the MVC player of the year honor.
On the girls’ side of hoops, Triad finished with a 5-23 season. Their roster featured only two seniors with Sam Hartoin and Alexa Holley, while junior Maddie Hunt was the team’s only other upperclassmen.
With a full-capacity Highland student section to his back, sophomore Drew Winslow keeps his eyes down court during Triad’s visit to their rivals. Winslow scored 20 points to fuel a 50-37 Triad victory.
The youthful Lady Knights tied the Panthers for fifth place in Mississippi Valley Conference standings after splitting their regular season meetings. Jersey parlayed home field advantage into a win over Triad in the opening round of the postseason.
Both boys and girls bowling had successful postseasons during the winter campaign.
In boys’ action, the Knights finished fifth overall at the Salem Regional to finish one spot away from sectionals. Senior Andrew Neumann did qualify for sectionals as an individual after finishing sixteenth at the meet.
Lady Knight bowling finished third as a team at the regional, which qualified their entire team for the sectional round. Triad finished eleventh as a unit at the Belleville East Sectional.
The winter months also saw impressive performances from the wrestling mat.
Triad regained their crown as Mississippi Valley Conference champions. Their title avenged a second-place finish to Civic Memorial the prior season that ended a 14 year reign for the Knights.
A total of 11 grapplers qualified for their respective sectional meets, with three advancing to the state meet. The three Triad representatives at the season finale were Colby Crouch, Koen Rodebush and Aidan Postma.
Crouch reached the state championship match with a 31-0 season record and was well positioned for his second consecutive state title after leading the entirety of the first two rounds. An injury suffered at the end of round two would force the junior to forfeit however and take second place at the state meet.
Rodebush brought home another medal after finishing sixth overall and Postma finished in the top eight as well.
At the IHSA’s cheerleading state championships, Triad took home fourth place honors in the medium division after taking third at their sectional meet. The Lady Knight cheer team also took third place overall at ICCA State.
Triad dance secured another top finish after taking ninth in IHSA Class 1A at state. The Lady Knights entered the finals having taken twelfth in the preliminary round and fifth in their sectional.
They also took home fourth place honors at the IDTA State competition. Their top-four finish came in the 2A jazz division.
Triad’s highest team finish at IHSA State came during the fall, when girls’ tennis took third place. This marked the program’s highest finish ever and the first team trophy in the history of Triad tennis.
Jocelynn Carmody led the way to this finish after scoring four wins at the state meet. This placed the senior ninth overall in singles play.
Also taking ninth place was the doubles team of Karen Speer and Sam Hartoin. McKinley Saffel and Caty Burton state qualified in doubles competition as well, while Logan Looby competed in singles play. All four of the team’s entries added to the team total of 18 points.
The Lady Knight tennis squad won every other meet during their season, leading to a conference and sectional title.
Boys’ soccer also scored hardware for the Knights in the fall, winning a regional and sectional plaque. Their 20-4 campaign ended against Glenwood in the super-sectional round, who went on to finish second in state.
The soccer Knights also finished with an outright league title. Their lone Mississippi Valley loss came against Waterloo, which ended a 15-game winning streak.
Triad’s football team placed high in the conference standings as well, finishing in second place. Their lone loss came on the road to league champion Highland.
The Knights finished with a 7-3 record after falling in the first round of the playoffs to Centralia. Their playoff qualification marked the seventeenth and final for head coach Paul Bassler with the program, who stepped down after the season.
Colin Qualls readies a stiffarm on his way to score the first touchdown of Triad’s fall 2022 season. The jnuior back scored twice in the Knight’s 41-22 season opening win over the Mattoon Green Wave.
Girls’ cross country also locked up a second-place finish in the Mississippi Valley, finishing only behind Waterloo. The Lady Knights also took second place as a team at the Highland Regional behind Waterloo, advancing the team to the sectional round.
At the Glenwood Sectional, the team finished ninth overall. Senior Blaire Cunningham led the team with a forty-seventh place finish.
In boys’ cross country, the Knights finished third as a team at a tight conference meet. Their highest finisher, Drew Pace, finished third individually.
They opened their postseason with a fifth-place finish at the Highland Regional after losing a tiebreaker with the hosts. This proved sufficient to advance as a team.
Finishing tenth overall in the sectional round, the Knights did not qualify for state as a team. Drew Pace and Drew Twyman did state qualify individually however, taking eighth and fourteenth place respectively.
Girls golf also tallied two state qualifiers in their fall campaign. Junior Emma Hill tied for sixteenth overall at the state finals, while fellow junior Makenna Jensen missed the cut for day two.
They reached the state finals from the O’Fallon Sectional, where the Lady Knights placed seventh as a team. They previously took third at the Collinsville Regional, finishing behind Edwardsville and O’Fallon.
Triad’s girls’ golfers also claimed the Mississippi Valley Conference championships. The Lady Knights outpaced second place Waterloo by 20 strokes.
On the boys’ side of golf, Triad finished in fourth place at the league meet. Their score of 338 placed them just four strokes behind second place Mascoutah and Civic Memorial.
The Knights teed off their postseason with a third-place finish at the Taylorville Regional. This earned them a spot in the Waterloo Sectional, where they finished in thirteenth place.
Finishing with a 14-23 overall record, girls’ volleyball also had a solid campaign. The Lady Knights finished 3-7 in league play, earning them a fourth-place finish.
Triad volleyball opened their season with a three-set victory over Highland, ending a 17-game winless streak against their rivals. They took Mascoutah to three sets in the regional final, marking the first time the Indians dropped an MVC set all year, but ultimately fell in the final set.
Sophomore swimmer state qualified for Triad in the 100 yard freestroke division. The pool standout finished in thirty-fourth place at the IHSA State Finals with a time of 54.62 seconds.
She qualified by winning the same event at the Edwardsville Sectional meet with a time of 54.37 seconds.
