Johnathon Stunkel threw a one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and Putnam County executed two squeeze bunts in a 3-0 win over Mendota on Friday.

Putnam County Junior High Volleyball Award winners for the 7th and 8th grade teams are announced

Senior standout Casey Etheridge swept the hurdles and took part in the winning relays in the 4x100 and 4x400 relay, the latter setting a new meet record. His efforts helped lead the Tigers to a first-place finish over runner-up Kewanee by 24 points, 193.5 to 169.5.

Putnam County’s Shannon Jenkins has coached volleyball on many levels. Over the weekend, she added her first All-State Classic to her resume. The event is a collection of some of the top junior high volleyball talent around the state held Saturday and Sunday in East Peoria.

The Putnam County baseball team has holes to fill, but coach Chris Newsome said the Panthers have a good nucleus of returners and newcomers eager to step up.

Putnam County Junior High School won its own eighth-grade regional volleyball championship, defeating Seneca 25–22, 25–8 on Thursday, March 12, in McNabb. The Lady Pumas (17-6) will meet Wethersfield for the sectional title at 6 p.m. Monday at Seneca.

The Putnam County softball team has a small, young roster but the Panthers "have the potential to do some really good things" with most of their starting lineup back.

The Putnam County seventh-grade volleyball team defeated Oglesby Washington 25-23, 15-25, 25-20 to capture their own 2A regional championship on March 5. The Pumas (15-9) will play Kewanee Wethersfield at 6 p.m. Monday in the Seneca Sectional.

St. Bede fell behind 11-4 but used an 11-0 run to take a 33-21 halftime lead on the way to a 58-45 regional quarterfinal win over Putnam County.