Piatt's OT: Central vs Centennial is the best atmosphere around

Jan. 18—A few days ago, I woke up and couldn't feel my toes. Then, I looked outside my window and learned why. There was a blanket of snow on the ground, and the temperature had dropped from the mid-30s the day before all the way below zero.

It reminded me of snow days when I was in grade school.

Draped in countless layers and a facemask, I'd meet up with a good friend of mine at our neighborhood park with a football after learning school was canceled, and we'd take turns seeing who could make it farther across the field before getting tackled.

The weather led area schools to cancel numerous athletic events during the last week. Here's what stood out to me.

A look back

What an atmosphere

Remember last week, when I said the Unity-Tuscola boys' basketball game at the Rocket Center was easily the best atmosphere I've seen this season?

Well, it has company now.

I walked up to Champaign Central High School's front doors last Friday night, and administrators were turning people away.

The Maroons were hosting crosstown rival Centennial, and the varsity game sold out before halftime of the JV game. I was worried I wouldn't even get in for a moment.

When I did finally make my way down to the court in Combes Gym — the most old-school, Indiana-style gym I've seen in the area so far — I looked into the crowd and smiled.

The junior varsity game was in the fourth quarter, and there wasn't an open seat in the venue. Some fans even stood shoulder to shoulder, cramped in front of the band along the south end of the court.

Students took up the entire lower section across from the team benches, with the Maroons having a blackout theme and the Chargers wearing all the jerseys they could find. As a former student section president myself — shoutout to The Den at Northrop High School — I loved seeing the kids go back and forth all night long.

It was exactly what high school basketball, specifically rivalry high school basketball, is supposed to look like, and the game itself matched the atmosphere. The Maroons and Chargers traded baskets all game before Centennial finally made a couple plays in the final minute to seal the 61-52 win.

Centennial sophomore Jadin Schilb said it was the craziest and loudest game he's ever played. Central coach PJ Keaton and Centennial coach Tim Lavin both said that night is what high school basketball is all about, and I couldn't agree more.

I've had similar feelings this season, like Unity-Tuscola last week and Central-Urbana in early December, but that game Friday was something else. I'd be shocked if another regular-season atmosphere tops it, but I'd love to see it.

A look ahead

New Athlete of the Week format

As our vice president of news, Jim Rossow, put it, "This week will make the last of the old ways."

Powered by a new sponsor, Copper Creek, we're changing the process in which we select our Athletes of the Week to give you — the readers — a say. Instead of me sitting down and scouring every high school sports statistic once every seven-day period and stressing about which two athletes to choose, I'll narrow it down to a few athletes and let you guys decide from there.

Each Monday online (Tuesday in print), The News-Gazette will feature four boys and four girls as candidates for Athletes of the Week, and readers will be able to vote for who they believe deserves the honor during the following couple days. The highest vote-getters on each side will be named Athlete of the Week and highlighted in The News-Gazette that Saturday. The voting platform will be hosted on news-gazette.com.

This week's athletes have already been picked through the now-old process — congrats, you know who you are — and you can read about them in this Sunday's Weekend Extra.

The change will go into effect soon, so be on the lookout during an upcoming Monday for our first poll so you can help us with this new process.

Shoutouts

Joe Morrisey

The Tri-County girls' basketball team improved to 15-6 on the season last Thursday with a 78-15 win over Villa Grove, which was coach Morrisey's 300th career victory.

Aron Varga

In a swim meet against Normal West, Centennial and Bloomington last Thursday, Mahomet-Seymour's Aron Varga broke the team's 50-yard freestyle record with a time of 22.78 seconds, a record previously set in 2017 by Andrew Smith (22.83).

Emmett Kearns

Two days after Varga broke the Bulldogs' 50 freestyle record, Kearns one-upped him with a time of 22.48 seconds at Centennial.

Owen Kearns

Another Kearns broke another M-S swimming record in the last week, as Owen set a new team mark of 57.40 seconds in the 100 backstroke last Thursday, beating his own team-best time from earlier this season.

Matthew Kirby

Kirby was the fourth Bulldog swimmer to help break a team record last week, as he joined Varga and the Kearnses Saturday to set a new M-S-best time of 1 minute, 33.79 seconds in the 200 freestyle relay, 41-hundredths of a second faster than the previous record set in 2017.

Dan Sheehan

According to a National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association release, Monticello athletic director Dan Sheehan has been recognized as a certified athletic administrator for demonstrating the "highest level of knowledge and expertise" in his position. Sheehan, the Monticello AD since 2017, is now part of an "elite" group of athletic administrators nationwide.

Ike Young

The Monticello junior scored a career-high 21 points in the Sages' 58-53 win against Bloomington Central Catholic last Friday night that helped the Sages improve to 2-0 in Illini Prairie Conference games.

Jordan Quinn

Teutopolis stopped the game last Saturday night to let Tuscola fans honor senior Jordan Quinn for scoring his 1,000th career point. He scored 14 points in the 59-52 road win by the Warriors in a nonconference matchup of two small-school powerhouse programs.

Arcola boys' basketball

With a 56-37 victory over Central A&M Saturday, the Purple Riders earned the 1,000th win in the program's history.

Jacey Kessler

The Arcola senior turned in a career-high 32 points Monday in the Purple Riders' 61-21 win over Okaw Valley, drilling a school-record nine three-pointers.

Kollin Asbury

Despite two losses to start Armstrong-Potomac's Vermilion County Tournament, Trojan senior Kollin Asbury was the star of both games. He scored a game-high 26 points against Hoopeston Area this past Saturday and a game-high 31 points against Oakwood on Tuesday night. Asbury is back in action at 5 p.m. Thursday against Georgetown-Ridge Farm in A-P's final pool-play game of the county tournament at Mary Miller Gym on the Danville Area Community College campus.

Macie Russell

The Salt Fork multi-sport standout — who plays basketball, volleyball and softball for the Storm along with running cross-country and track and field — won't have to worry about some of those sports in college. But she will continue her athletic career at the Division I level. Russell signed last week with the Eastern Illinois track and field program, where she'll specialize in distance races for the Panthers.