Basketball season is almost here, and WMMC is kicking things off in style!
Tune in to WMMC 105.9 FM or stream online at WMMCRadio.com at 10am on Saturday, November 22, 2025 for the High School Basketball Coaches Preview Show with Joey O’Rourke, broadcasting LIVE from Gypsy Queen Coffee in Marshall, Illinois.
Joey will sit down with head coaches from across the area to talk rosters, expectations, standout players, and what fans can look forward to this season.
Featured coaches include:
Marshall Lions — Logan Eitel
Martinsville Bluestreaks — Gary Hall
Casey-Westfield Warriors — Tom Brannan
Paris Tigers — Chase Brinkley
Grab a coffee, grab a seat, or grab your radio — just don’t miss it. High school hoops are almost here, and WMMC has your inside look.
On Friday, October 17th, the Marshall High School football team hosted Mount Carmel High School in a Little Illini Conference game at Bush Field on the campus of Marshall High School. The Lions came into the game with a record of 4-3, while the Golden Aces came in with a record of 3-4.
On a scenic autumn evening, Marshall celebrated all the senior class members of the football team, cheerleaders, Marshallettes, marching band, golf teams, and cross-country team. With a senior class of 84, a total of 39 members of the senior class were recognized along with their parents/grandparents. When you include the four senior class members of the Marshall volleyball team, you will see more than half of the senior class is involved in fall sports in some way or another, which in today’s world is noteworthy.
The Lions entered the contest needing one win in their final two games to become playoff eligible for the first time since 2016. When the Lions football program last qualified for the IHSA state playoffs, members of this year’s senior class were in the first semester of the third grade. Looking back on the 2016-2017 school year, this year’s seniors were still trying to navigate their way around North Elementary School.
Facing the Lions in this game was a team that had to win out to qualify for the state playoffs to maintain their impressive streak of postseason appearances, including a Class 3A championship game appearance two years ago. With a loss at home against Casey-Westfield during their previous game, the Golden Aces were faced with missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade. The Lions were going to have to be ready to match the urgency the Golden Aces were going to be playing with.
With Marshall receiving the opening kickoff, Mount Carmel tried a pooch kick. Marshall’s Tevin Cribelar made a nice play to gather in the directional kick at the Lions 40-yard line. After running back Lucca Giannavola ran the ball on first down and was tackled by 5 defenders, Lions quarterback Luke Brodie faked the handoff on second down and ran a bootleg around the left side for a Marshall first down to the Mount Carmel 48. The Lions offense kept moving the ball on the ground, picking up two more first downs while entering the red zone. With the Lions gaining a first down at the Mount Carmel 13-yard line, the Big Red offense was clicking on all cylinders. On the next play, however, the ball fell to the turf and Mount Carmel recovered the ball to end an inspiring drive by the Marshall offense.
Lucca Giannavola (40) went over the 2,400 career rushing yard playeau against Mount Carmel
The Golden Aces began their first drive after the Marshall turnover on their own 13 with 8:04 remaining in the opening quarter. Mount Carmel moved the ball steadily down the field on the ground and through the air, scoring a touchdown with just under a minute left on the clock in the first. After the extra point was good, Marshall trailed 7-0.
The Lions began their next drive at their own 34, and just like during their first drive of the ballgame, the Lions moved the ball on the Golden Aces. Facing a couple fourth downs and short yardage, Marshall got enough push to get first downs. When the Lions were inside the Mount Carmel 30, the drive stalled, and Mount Carmel took over on downs at their own 27 with 7:24 to go until halftime. Mount Carmel then chewed up yardage as well as the clock as they went on a 73-yard drive which ended with another touchdown. The extra point was good, and the teams went to halftime with Mount Carmel holding a 14-0 lead.
The second half was a mirror image of the first half, with the Lions being able to move the ball, but they had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. As a matter of fact, Marshall did not punt the ball all night until there were just over three minutes left in the ballgame. Meanwhile, Mount Carmel kept pounding the ball throughout the second half, scoring three more touchdowns to win the game by the score of 35-0.
Silas Dean (6) and Lucca Giannavola (40) combine to bring the Mount Carmel ball carrier to the ground.
The Lions have some solid accomplishments to take away from this game. The high-powered Mount Carmel offense did not have a play from scrimmage that gained more than 19 yards all night long, so the Lions defense minimized the big play. Senior running back Lucca Giannavola eclipsed the 2,400-yard mark for career rushing yards on Senior Night, which is a tremendous accomplishment and wonderful memory. Giannavola ended up with 65 yards rushing on 17 rushes. Luke Brodie was 6 for 11 through the air for 68 yards. Gavyn Boden caught two passes to lead the Lions with 32 yards.
Marshall (4-4) now turns the page to Friday night’s regular season finale at Newton. The situation is simple: win the game and you become playoff eligible for the first time in 9 years. Lose and your season, and for this year’s group of seniors, your high school playing career, is over. For all intents and purposes, the game in Newton represents a playoff game for the Big Red – win and advance or lose and go home. After not winning a game during their freshman season, to one win during their sophomore season, to two wins last year in their junior season, to now being one win away from the playoffs, these kids have a chance to make history. Kickoff in Newton is set for 7:00 PM. Be there and watch the Lions bring home a playoff berth.
The Marshall Lions host the Mt Carmel Golden Aces at Bush Field on SENIOR NIGHT – October 17, 2025! Catch all of the High School Football action with pregame show and play-by-play commentary by the Voice of the Lions, Joey O’Rourke! The Central State Pregame Show starts at 6:30pm; Kickoff at 7pm Central Time.
Richland County Tigers at Casey-Westfield Warriors
Two UNDEFEATED teams come together on the gridiron on SENIOR NIGHT at Sinclair-VIdoni Field in Casey, Illinois, on Friday, October 17, 2025! Catch all of the Friday Night High School Football action with pregame show and play-by-play commentary by the Voice of the Warriors, Patrick Tullock!
On Friday, October 10th, the Marshall High School football team played host to Lawrenceville High School at Bush Field on the campus of Marshall High School on a picturesque evening in east central Illinois. The Lions came into the contest with a record of 3-3, while the Indians came in with a record of 1-5. The Indians’ record, however, belies how they have started games in four of their previous five outings. Beginning with a 22-point win over Carlisle five weeks ago, Lawrenceville experienced early leads in their games versus conference-leader Olney as well as Paris and Robinson before falling behind in those games. Marshall’s mission tonight was to start fast and prevent the Indians from garnering any momentum in this Little Illini Conference clash as the Lions make a playoff run for the first time since 2017.
Boston Rollings (54) leads the way around the edge for Marshall against Lawrenceville. Photo by T Ray Henry.
Lawrenceville won the opening coin flip and elected to defer to the second half, so the Lions elected to receive the ball. Silas Dean caught the kick at his own 2-yard line and brought it back to the Marshall 26 where they began their opening drive. On the first play from scrimmage, Marshall ran a counter with Liam Keim over the right side, and Keim brought the ball out to the Lions 34-yard line where they had a second-and-2. On the next play from scrimmage, Marshall’s Lucca Giannavola took the handoff and ran the ball through the right side while carrying a Lawrenceville defender all the way to the Indians 45 for a first down. With that 21-yard run, Giannavola went over the 1,000-yard mark in rushing on the season.
After the Lions were brought back to midfield, they faced a third-and-14 from the 50. A handoff to Lucca Giannavola went up the middle for 41 yards to the Indians’ 9-yard line and a Marshall first down. Giannavola then plunged the ball down to the 1 before quarterback Luke Brodie ran it in for a Marshall touchdown. After the two-point try was good when Lucca Giannavola ran it in on the right side, and with 8:31 to go in the first quarter, Marshall led 8-0.
Lawrenceville began their first drive on their own 32 after the Marshall touchdown and two-point conversion, and the Indians went three-and-out. Marshall’s Gavyn Boden made a nice fair catch on a wobbler at the Lions 32-yard line where they began their second possession of the game. Marshall mixed it up in the running game to work the ball down into the red zone through the end of the first quarter into the start of the second, but the drive stalled at the Lawrenceville 9-yard line where Marshall turned the ball over on downs.
After Lawrenceville couldn’t get anything going on their next drive, they punted the ball back to the Lions. A carom on the punt hit the turf, and Kaiden Sanders jumped on the ball for Marshall to prevent a costly turnover. With 9:20 to go in the first half, Sanders prevented Lawrenceville from capitalizing and looking for the equalizer. After a short gain, Marshall quarterback Luke Brodie launched a deep pass down the left sideline to Kaiden Sanders, who was draped all over by Lawrenceville’s 6’4” Jacek Mickiewicz. Sanders jumped up, twisted his body to shield the defender, and caught the pass for a big gain down to the Lawrenceville 14. Three plays later, Lucca Giannavola ran it in from 7 yards out. After the two-point try was no good, Marshall led 14-0 with 7:35 to go until halftime.
Bryer Jansen strips the ball from the Lawrenceville ball carrier. Photo by T Ray Henry.
On the ensuing drive, Lawrenceville looked to start throwing the ball. On first down, Marshall’s Bryer Jansen sacked Lawrenceville quarterback Blayton Gossett for a loss. A penalty on the Lions moved the ball to midfield, and a pass play to the Marshall 37 gave the Indians a first down. A tackle for a loss by Bryer Jansen, followed by an unsportsmanlike penalty on Lawrenceville got the Indians behind the chains back to the Lawrenceville 45. On the next play, Lawrenceville tried to get a big chunk of yardage back, but Marshall’s Kaiden Sanders intercepted Gossett’s pass at the Marshall 36 with 4 ½ minutes to go in the half.
With the Lions facing a third-and-3 from the Marshall 43, Luke Brodie took the snap with an empty backfield and lofted a pass downfield to Bryce Griguhn, who caught the ball and ran all the way to the Lawrenceville 37. Kaiden Sanders then ran a jet sweep down to near the red zone. A couple catches by Gavyn Boden brought the ball down into the red zone. The Big Red then ran behind their offensive line, first with Liam Keim, then with Lucca Giannavola into the end zone from one yard out. With the extra try no good, Marshall led 20-0 with 21.6 seconds to go before the half.
On their first possession of the second half, Lawrenceville went on a touchdown drive which took 5:01 off the clock in the third quarter, and with Marshall leading 20-7, the Lions took over on their own Lawrenceville 42 after a big kickoff return by Gavyn Boden, who caught the kickoff at the Marshall 21. Luke Brodie scrambled to the Lawrenceville 30 on first down to give the Lions a first down. Lucca Giannavola then took a handoff on the next play, and he broke two tackles before carrying an Indians defender into the end zone for a touchdown. Marshall now led 26-7 with 6:03 to go in the third quarter.
The Lions stopped Lawrenceville on the next drive, and the Big Red took over at their own 10-yard line. A 58-yard catch and run by Liam Keim got the Lions out from the shadow of their own end zone. On the next play, Lucca Giannavola rushed off tackle on the right side inside the red zone. A change of pace at running back with Silas Dean tested the perimeter defense of the Indians, and Dean rushed the ball into the red zone when he outraced the Lawrenceville defense to the pylon from 2 yards out. On the two-point try, Luke Brodie connected on a pass to Kaiden Sanders, and with 2:42 to go in the quarter, Marshall led 34-7.
From that point on, the Lions were content to chew up yardage and the clock, and in a fast fourth quarter, no more scoring by either side brought the clock down to zeros. The final score was Marshall 34, Lawrenceville 7.
The Lions dominated in all phases of the contest, outgaining Lawrenceville 440-145 in total yards, and they never punted. Senior running back Lucca Giannavola rushed the ball 26 times for 208 yards and three touchdowns. He now has 19 total touchdowns on the season, 17 of them on the ground. On his first carry from scrimmage, Giannavola passed the 1,000-yard plateau in rushing for the season. Sophomore quarterback Luke Brodie was 5 for 9 through the air for 129 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Lucca Giannavola led the team with 10 tackles, while senior linebacker Liam Keim finished with 9.
For this year’s senior class, which began their collective high school careers in 2022 by going 0-9 during their freshman season, they won Marshall’s first game in over four years during their sophomore season, then they won two games last year, these Lions are now one win away from playoff eligibility with two games to go in the regular season, which is a remarkable turnaround.
Marshall (4-3) returns to action Friday night, October 17th, when they host Mount Carmel at Bush Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Prior to the game, Marshall senior athletes from the football team, cheerleading squad, Marshallettes, marching band, golf team, and cross-country team will be recognized along with their parents beginning at 6:30. Win or lose, after the game, Marshall’s football players will participate in the traditional class walk from end zone to end zone as part of the Lions’ Senior Night activities.
On Tuesday, October 7th, the Marshall High School volleyball teams traveled to Bridgeport to play the Red Hill High School Salukis in a non-conference doubleheader inside the Red Hill Junior High School gymnasium. Marshall’s varsity squad came into the match with a record of 18-6, coming in off a big win in straight sets over Westville the night before. Red Hill came in with a record of 3-16. The Salukis were coming in off a win over Union Dugger the night before in three sets.
From the opening serve by Red Hill when Marshall’s McKenzie Davis scored the first point of the match with a tip winner over the net, Marshall started a 9-0 run to start the opening set as Harper Richardson served four aces during that span.
McKenzie Davis scores early against Red Hill. Photo by T Ray Henry.
Marshall would stay comfortably out in front and build on their 9-0 lead throughout the middle portion of the set. Three kills by Lilly Ross, a combination block by Lilly Ross and Ellie Delp, a kill by Delp, and a kill by Harper Richardson gave the Lions a 20-4 advantage heading into the final stretch of the first set.
From that point, the Lions coasted to finish the first set on kills by Harper Richardson and Ella Mattas, an ace served by Lilly Ross, and a tip winner by Ellie Delp. With Marshall winning the first set by the score of 25-7, the Lions looked to the second set to work on their net play, passing, and setting.
During the second set of the varsity match, a kill and serving ace by Harper Richardson pushed the Lions out to a 2-0 lead. Red Hill, however, responded by scoring three straight points to take their first and only lead of the match with the score 3-2. A tip winner by Richardson evened the set at three apiece, then Marshall went on a 10-3 run to take a 13-6 lead midway through. During the run, Lilly Ross scored two kills, while McKenzie Davis and Ellie Delp each scored a kill. Lilly Ross also served an ace as Marshall continued to put pressure on Red Hill’s defense.
Tip winners by Harper Richardson and Lilly Ross, as well as a kill by Ella Mattas, maintained Marshall’s seven-point lead with the score 17-10. After a side out in favor of Red Hill to make the score 17-11, Marshall’s Lilly Ross scored again for the Lions when she smashed a kill from the middle of the front row.
Ellie Delp wins the point at the net for Marshall against Red Hill. Photo by T Ray Henry.
With the score Marshall 18, Red Hill 11, Ella Mattas stepped up to the serving line for Marshall, and she served the Lions all the way to match point with the score 24-11. Mattas served three aces, and Lilly Ross scored on a kill. Red Hill got a side out and scored three points to make the score 24-15, but Marshall’s Lilly Ross ended the match when she scored a kill to end the set with Marshall winning by the score of 25-15. In the end, Marshall defeated Red Hill in straight sets to improve their record to 19-6.
In the junior varsity match, Marshall’s young Lions could never generate any momentum throughout the match, and for the first time in weeks, Marshall struggled with passing, communicating, and setting. All three sets were close, but in the end, the junior varsity squad fell to the Salukis 25-22, 21-25, and 15-12.
The Lions return to the court this Thursday night when they host Newton in a pivotal conference match inside McNary Gymnasium. With both squads tied in the conference standings, this match will go a long way in deciding the conference title. Junior varsity action begins at 6:00 PM with the varsity match to follow. Let’s get a big crowd to McNary Gymnasium and cheer on these student athletes!
Join Kirchner Building Center and Milwaukee Tools for a Pregame Tailgate Party on Friday, October 10, from 5 to 7pm. Get in the game-time spirit with a FREE hot dog, chips, cookie and drink!
Check out their Milwaukee Tools display and register for your chance to win one of several Milwaukee Tool items to be given away!
Kick off the excitement early with WMMC at our Friday Night Football Tailgate Party at the Lions practice field parking lot! Host Joey O’Rourke will broadcast live from 5 to 7 p.m. with lots of great giveaways!
Thanks to our sponsors – Casey State Bank, Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce and WMMC, we’ll be giving away footballs, can koozies, hand fans, tickets to the Terre Haute Children’s Museum, and FOUR – four ticket family paks to Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari!
Can’t make it to the game in-person? Don’t worry! You can listen LIVE on WMMC Radio 105.9 FM, online at wmmcradio.com or WATCH LIVE on our YouTube Channel with exclusive interviews with Marshall Lions Head Coach Steve Weber and play-by-play commentary by Joey O’Rourke and Derek Eitel.
