Carl Sandburg College

Sandburg runners compete at NJCAA championships

Carl Sandburg runners Finn Martin left, and Andew Peterson faced wintry conditions at the NJCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Championship Nov. 8. (Photo courtesy of Carl Sandburg College)

Faced with wintry conditions, Sandburg’s Andrew Peterson and Finn Martin raced at the NJCAA Division II men’s cross country championship Nov. 8 at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Peterson finished 151st with a time of 30:04.3, while Martin completed the 8-kilometer course in 36:57.4, placing 328th. A blanket of snow covered the course, which left some runners slipping and falling in spots.

The meet ended a strong first season with the Chargers for Peterson, who was runner-up at the Arrowhead Conference meet and seventh in the Region 4 championships.

Martin competed in the open-entry race after finishing one spot away from earning all-conference and all-region honors. He was sixth at the conference meet and 16th in the Region 4 championships.

Cowley’s Esteban Boisseau was the national champion with a winning time of 26:15.8. He beat Lansing’s Nate Carmody by just under 13 seconds. The field included 343 runners.

Lansing easily won the team championship with 32 points. Des Moines Area was second with 110 points.

Sandburg men’s basketball starts 3-0

The Sandburg men’s basketball team maintained its perfect start to the season with wins at the Black Hawk Classic Nov. 7-8. The Chargers opened with a 66-63 victory over Lake County, then beat Oakton 61-47 the following day.

Nov. 7 – Sandburg 66, Lake County 63

Trailing 63-61 after a Lancers 3-pointer with 1:30 to go, Gavin Grothaus splashed in the go-ahead trey with 1:05 to play.

Grothaus’ triple came from the left wing off a pass from Ralph Wires, who had a career-high 22 points and handed out six assists. Wires, a sophomore point guard from Quincy, was 9-of-13 from the field and connected on two of his three 3-point tries. Wires’ previous best was 20 points in last season’s Region 4 quarterfinals at Madison.

Freshman Ashton Grieves scored 14 for the Chargers on 5-of-11 shooting. The Metamora High School product also tied Keauntrey Barnes for the team lead with six rebounds and added two assists.

Freshman Rylan Carton knocked down a pair of foul shots in the final seconds to seal the victory and finished with 11 points.

Sandburg shot 52% (25-of-48) from the field and was 7-of-18 from long distance.

Nov. 8 – Sandburg 61, Oakton 47

Sandburg (3-0) stymied the Owls, holding Oakton to just 22 points in the first half and 35% (17-of-48) from the floor for the game.

Carton, a graduate of Sherrard High School, had a team-best 19 points in the victory. The freshman forward was 8-of-13 shooting, hit two of four from beyond the arc and had three assists.

Barnes nearly had a double-double, posting 13 points and nine rebounds. The sophomore from Farmington was 6-of-10 from the floor and matched Grothaus for the team lead on the glass.

Wires also had 13 points in the victory. He made five of six foul shots and dished out a team-best four assists for the Chargers, who led 33-22 at the break.

Shaffer named to All-Region 4 second team

Sandburg’s Abigail Shaffer was voted to the All-Region 4 Division II District B second team. (Photo courtesy of Carl Sandburg College)

Sandburg volleyball player Abigail Shaffer was voted to the All-Region 4 Division II, District B, second team after a standout sophomore season.

Shaffer, a 5-foot-7 outside hitter from Southeastern High School, was named to the team by district coaches after putting together an impactful year offensively and defensively for the Chargers.

Appearing in all 38 matches and playing 132 of 136 sets, Shaffer led Sandburg in kills (279), kills per set (2.1), total attacks (1,156), attacks per set (8.8) and points (324.5).

Shaffer showed her versatility by also finishing second among Chargers with 499 digs, 3.8 digs per set, 32 aces and 74 assists this season.

Knox College

Lake Forest spoils Knox football Senior Day, 63-0

The script for a Senior Day upset never materialized as visiting Lake Forest College scored early and often in a 63-0 shutout of Knox College on Nov. 8 at the Knosher Bowl.

Lake Forest (6-3, 6-2 Midwest Conference) amassed 499 yards of total offense while holding the Prairie Fire (2-6, 2-5 MWC) to just 53 — their fewest in more than 20 years.

After returning the opening kickoff to the Knox 43, the Foresters scored less than three minutes into the game, then again late in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead after 15 minutes.

On the first play of the second quarter, Lake Forest scored the first of four touchdowns before halftime, including a 77-yard run and a 33-yard touchdown pass before taking a 42-0 lead into the locker room.

The Foresters added two touchdowns in the third quarter and another on a 39-yard run in the fourth.

Knox’s three seniors — running backs Cole Gino and Kierre Turner and quarterback Reese Miller — were recognized before the game for their four-year contributions.

Despite having nearly 10 more minutes of possession, Knox managed just four first downs while Lake Forest had 18.

Knox concludes its 2025 season at noon Nov. 15 at Monmouth College (8-1, 8-0 MWC) in the annual Turkey Bowl.

Knox men open season with win

Galesburg native Carl Dortch hit a jumper with 3:15 to play — two of his 10 points — giving Knox College the lead for good, and the Prairie Fire held off visiting Westminster College (Mo.) for a 68-65 season-opening victory on Nov. 8.

Carl Dortch, who scored 10 points, provided Knox with its final, game-winning lead. (Photo courtesy of Knox College)

Sophomore transfer Noah Campbell led Knox (1-0) with 16 points in his first game for the team, while junior Josh Stewart recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The balanced scoring helped Knox withstand the 3-point barrage by Kolton Garner, who hit six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 20 points for the Bluejays (0-1).

Campbell shot 6-of-12 from the floor with two 3-pointers, three steals and two assists.

Knox won the rebounding battle 43-40, though Westminster held a 13-9 edge in second-chance points.

Knox travels to Blackburn College for a 7 p.m. tipoff Nov. 11 at Dawes Gymnasium.

Luther holds off Knox women’s rally for 86-81 win

Playing its second game in as many days at the Wartburg Tip-Off Tournament, the Knox College women’s basketball team couldn’t complete a second-half comeback against future Midwest Conference school Luther College, falling 86-81 on Nov. 8 at Levick Arena.

Junior Bria Medina poured in 31 points for the Prairie Fire (0-2), while Abigail Panka led 10 Luther players in scoring with 18 points.

Medina opened the second half with a basket before the Norse went on an 11-0 run to take their largest lead at 65-43. Knox trailed 69-52 entering the fourth quarter.

The Prairie Fire responded with a 16-0 run — including 12 straight points from Medina — cutting the deficit to 77-74 with 3:21 remaining.

Sophomore Izzy Robinson hit a 3-pointer to pull Knox within 84-81 with 10 seconds left, but Luther’s Katie Hardtke sank two free throws to seal the win.

Knox travels to Aurora University (2-0) for a 7 p.m. tipoff Nov. 12.

Knox volleyball season ends in loss at Lake Forest

The Knox College volleyball team pushed the second and third sets beyond regulation but couldn’t secure either in a season-ending 25-18, 26-24, 28-26 loss at Lake Forest on Nov. 8.

Sophomore Maria Jabor Jahn led Knox (3-26, 1-7 Midwest Conference) with nine kills, while Ireland Van Stone paced the Foresters (5-16, 2-6 MWC) with 10.

Playing in her final match for Knox, senior Sam Black led all players with 18 digs — double that of anyone else on the court. The Prairie Fire served up 12 aces, one shy of their season high.

Lake Forest has won the last 11 meetings between the two schools.

Knox women’s basketball opens with loss at Wartburg Tip-Off

In Friday’s opener at the Wartburg Tip-Off Tournament, the Knox College women’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with the host school — ranked 14th among Division III schools in the preseason coaches poll — for the first half, but was unable to keep up after intermission in an 84-61 loss Friday evening at Levick Arena.

The Prairie Fire (0-1) offense was on fire in the first quarter as they took a 23-21 lead, thanks in part to converting all nine free-throw attempts in the stanza with junior Bria Medina providing 11 points.

Nayeli Nidez Acuña produced 15 points and six rebounds against Wartburg in the season opener for Knox College. (Photo courtesy of Knox College)

Wartburg took control in the third quarter, outscoring Knox 23-5 as the Prairie Fire hit just two field goals and committed 10 turnovers. The Knights extended the lead to as many as 27 points in the fourth.

Medina finished the contest with 23 points on 8-of-19 shooting and 7-of-9 from the foul line. Senior Kylee Callahan produced a double-double with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, plus dished out five assists, leaving two shy of breaking the Prairie Fire career record.

Nidez Acuña was the other Knox player to score in double figures with 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws. Senior and Galesburg native Carly Smith hauled in 10 rebounds and had the lone Prairie Fire block in her first game for Knox.

On the schedule

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025
• Knox men’s basketball at Blackburn College, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025
• Carl Sandburg men’s basketball at Spoon River College, 7:30 p.m.
• Carl Sandburg women’s basketball at Spoon River College, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025
• Knox cross country at NCAA Division III Midwest Regional, 11 a.m.
• Knox football at Monmouth College, noon
• Carl Sandburg women’s basketball vs. Madison College, 1 p.m.
• Carl Sandburg men’s basketball vs. Madison College, 3 p.m.
• Knox men’s basketball vs. Franklin College, 3 p.m.