The following is the schedule for this weekend's sixth annual Raider Classic:
Thursday's varsity schedule
East Peoria trounced visiting Kewanee to win its first girls tennis match of the season.
The East Peoria volleyball team is anxious to see how its offseason effort translates now that regular-season play is commencing.
“The girls are practicing really well and adapting to my way of volleyball,” first-year EPCHS head coach Julie Burk said.
There does not appear to be much of a drop-off at Geneseo.
The East Peoria football team saw that firsthand when it played one of Illinois’ decorated programs Friday in the season opener at Clatt Field.
Geneseo, the Class 4A state runner-up a year ago, scored 28 second-quarter points en route to a 42-7 non-conference victory.
Three-time defending Mid-Illini Conference champion Washington was too much for the East Peoria boys golf team Aug. 24.
The East Peoria Girls Fastpitch Association Golf Outing, hosted by East Peoria Express Softball, will be a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Oct. 3 at Quail Meadows Golf Course.
A hidden gem among the various clubs East Peoria has to offer, the Peoria Skeet and Trap Club allows its roughly 250 members access to registered shoots throughout the year.
The goal of skeet and trap shooting is to hit tar targets, which are shot into the air. The club uses only shotguns in their shoots and a chip on the disk counts as a hit.
In skeet shooting, the targets are shot into the air crossing the line of sight, while in trap shooting the disc is shot as an outgoing target.
Thursday's varsity schedule
Fans should not be surprised if the scores of the East Peoria girls golfers are dramatically better this fall.
The players worked hard at their games in the offseason after their inaugural campaign in 2009.
An encouraging sign for the program was all six members of last year’s squad came back and two more non-seniors were added.
“Most of them have worked over the summer,” EPCHS head coach Ashley Ricca said. “They’re excited about the season.”
The East Peoria girls tennis team is seeking a climb up the Mid-Illini Conference ladder this season.
After a sixth-place result in 2009, the Raiders will discover if they have the right combination for a higher finish this fall.
“It will be interesting to see what we do this year,” EPCHS head coach Shane Smith said. “Players will have to step up and fill the top spots.”
The East Peoria boys golf team placed 20th in the competitive Raider/Redbird Classic Aug. 17 at Weibring Golf Club.
The only thing the East Peoria football team lacks at this point is experience.
The Raiders will have a vastly different look in 2010 after losing all 11 starters on defense and seven on offense.
But after back-to-back playoff appearances, East Peoria is not reducing expectations this fall.
“We have good kids. That’s a talented class there,” fifth-year EPCHS head coach Doug Martin said of this year’s seniors. “Our Achilles’ heel is simply experience.”
The coaching staff tried in the preseason to get the players mentally and physically ready to play on Friday nights.
Wednesday's varsity schedule
Monday's varsity schedule
The following is the tentative schedule for the 22nd annual East Peoria Community High School Maroon and Gold Night Friday at EastSide Centre’s Clatt Field.
