Dee-Mack breaks through in nailbiter to clinch first state berth: ‘Fills your heart and overflows’
- Caden Sexton
- 10 hours ago
- 5 min read
MANLIUS — As the final buzzer sounded in a 32-minute thriller in Bureau Valley, Joni Nightingale and the Dee-Mack Chiefs realized one one of their biggest dreams had just come true.
The Chiefs have had a state berth on their mind ever since winning a Class 2A sectional title in 2023. After years of hard work and back-to-back sectional title losses, Dee-Mack has now done what others before them could not.
The Chiefs defeated Kewanee Wethersfield 45-43 on Monday night at the Class 1A Bureau Valley Super-Sectional to advance to Thursday’s state semifinals.
“It was like a blackout, honestly,” Nightingale said of when the final buzzer sounded. “In one second, you have all the hard work these girls have given to it, the dream they’ve had for years, the discipline they’ve had to make themselves better, the incredible teammates that they are, the fact that they play for each other, all that together fills your heart and overflows.”
Want to read more?
Subscribe to clutchsportsil.com to keep reading this exclusive post.