Midwest Central High School - Home of the Raiders

The Midwest Central High School Band wrapped up its final performance of the school year on May 9 with our Concert in the Park. We were fortunate to have beautiful weather, a supportive audience, and a great turnout from the community. Thank you to everyone who came out to listen and support our students and music program throughout the year.

During the concert, two senior band awards were presented.

Lilly Danner received the Director’s Award in recognition of her dedication, leadership, musicianship, and positive contribution to the band program.

Kamden Garman received the John Philip Sousa Award, the highest honor a high school band student can receive, recognizing outstanding musicianship, leadership, character, and service to the band.

Congratulations to both students on these well deserved honors, and thank you to all of our band students and families for a successful year.

Nurse Denise had the opportunity to work with students in Mr. Heberer’s 4th Hour Health class today using new equipment purchased through the Forman Valley Community Grant.

Students were able to learn and practice important lifesaving skills using the new CPR manikins and AED simulator. These hands-on experiences help prepare students with valuable real-world knowledge and emergency response skills.

Thank you to the Forman Valley Community Grant for supporting opportunities like this for our students! #MCRaiderNationProud

Congratulations to Mrs. Kelly Schmidgall on her retirement!

Midwest Central Varsity Raiders Surge Past South Fulton Thanks To Big First Midwest Central Varsity Raiders defeated South Fulton 13-3 thanks in part to eight runs in the first inning. Grace Meeks doubled, scoring two runs, an error scored one run, Alyssa Gauwitz drew a walk, scoring one run, Emma Junkin singled, scoring one run, Kenzie Doty grounded out, scoring one run, Ayla Charlton grounded out, scoring one run, and Meeks singled, scoring one run. South Fulton got on the board in the first inning after J Markley drew a walk, scoring one run. Mckenzie Gale homered to right field, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second for the Midwest Central Varsity Raiders. Lexi Wood earned the win for Midwest Central Varsity Raiders. The righty surrendered three hits and three runs (two earned) over five innings, striking out six and walking eight. Meeks, Gale and Ava Warner each collected two hits for Midwest Central Varsity Raiders. Meeks and Gale each drove in three runs for Midwest Central Varsity Raiders. Midwest Central Varsity Raiders had a strong eye at the plate, piling up eight walks for the game. Wood and Julia Rasmussen led the team with two walks each. Grace Meeks broke the season record today for stolen bases with 28. Lexi Wood tied the season record today for walks with 23.

Raiders victorious on Senior Night! The Raiders made Senior Night a memorable one for the Raiders line senior Dalton Johnson, defeating Peoria Heights 4-1 in a well played game by both sides. The senior dazzled on the mound Monday night, firing 6 innings and allowing no earned runs on 2 hits and a walk to go with 4 strikeouts. The Raiders defense gave him some help with a couple but caught stealings from Colton Watts and a huge 6-4-3 double play from Ryan Terrill and Zayne Hill in the 7th to help seal the game for Joe Proehl, who picked up the save for Midwest Central. The Raiders struggled to get going offensively until Ryan Terrill broke the scoreless tie in the third with a 2 RBI single. Jaxon Tumilty then gave the Raiders some much needed insurance with a perfectly executed safety squeeze that gave Midwest Central the support they needed. The Raiders conclude their regular season on Wednesday with a home matchup against Dee-Mack. On a special note, the coaching staff wants to personally thank their senior, Dalton Johnson, and his family for all the love, support, loyalty, and dedication to the Raiders baseball program. He will be greatly missed. We wish him nothing but the best as he begins his new career away from the baseball field!

Attention Student Athletes & Families

A Manito Medical Associates is offering FREE sports physicals for students preparing for the upcoming school year and athletic seasons!

Please see the attached flyer for dates, times, eligibility, and additional details. Thank you to our local healthcare partners for supporting our student-athletes! #MCRaiderNationProud

Celebrating 15 Years of Leadership – Rodney Norris

After 15 years of dedicated service to Midwest Central, we congratulate Rodney Norris on his retirement as our High School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director.

Throughout his time at MCHS, Mr. Norris has been a steady leader, a supportive presence for students and staff, and a familiar face at countless games, events, and everyday moments that make our school special. From early mornings to late nights, he’s been there—cheering on our Raiders, solving problems, and somehow keeping it all running smoothly.

While we’re excited for him to enjoy a well-earned retirement, it won’t quite be the same without him in the halls (or on the sidelines). His impact on our students, programs, and community will be felt for years to come.

Thank you, Mr. Norris, for your years of commitment, leadership, and care for Raider Nation. We wish you all the best in this next chapter—you’ve more than earned it. 💙

#MCRaiderNationProud

Speech Pathologist Appreciation Day – May 18

Today we celebrate our speech pathologists who help students find their voice and build confidence in communication.

Your patience, expertise, and encouragement make a lasting impact on our students’ success—thank you for all that you do!

#MCRaiderNationProud

⚾ Raiders HS Baseball ⚾
📅 Monday, May 18, 2026
🏠 vs Peoria Heights
🎴 Senior Night
🕒 4:30 PM
📌 910 S Washington St, Manito, IL 61546

🥎 Lady Raiders HS Softball 🥎
📅 Monday, May 18, 2026
🏠 vs South Fulton
🎴 IHSA Regional Quarterfinal Game
🕒 4:30 PM
📌 1099 South East Avenue, Manito, IL

Today we celebrate the Midwest Central High School Class of 2026! 🎓

Check out the official graduation program as we recognize and honor this outstanding group of graduates and their accomplishments.

A special thank you to Allegra Marketing Print Mail for designing the beautiful cover of this year’s program and for generously donating a significant portion of the printing costs. Your support of our students and school community is truly appreciated.

Congratulations, graduates! #MCRaiderNationProud

⚾ Raiders HS V/JV Baseball ⚾
📅 Saturday, May 16, 2026
🛣️ @ Monmouth United
🎴 Non-Conference Game
🚌 8:15 AM
🕒 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM
📌 1905 100th St. Monmouth IL 61462

🏃‍♂️‍➡️ Raiders HS Boys Track 🏃
📅 Saturday, May 16, 2026
🛣️ @ El Paso Gridley
🎴 Boys Only Meet
🚌 7:45 AM
🕒 10:00 AM
📌 600 N Elm St, El Paso, IL 61738

The Raider Ladies Track & Field squad competed at the Tremont Sectional last evening. The Raiders put together several strong, season best performances, along with one state qualifying performance. In our field events Mackenzie Doty hit a season personal best mark in the discus with a throw of 22.99 meters. Katie Parkin got Midwest Central on the team scoreboard by placing 6th in the high jump. Nevaeh Cunningham added to that total with a 7th place finish in the long jump. Nevaeh's mark was also a season best for her at 4.53 meters. In our running events the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams (Emma Markle, Katie Parkin, Julia Rasmussen, Nevaeh Cunningham) both just missed out on state qualifying times. The 4x200 team posted another season best time, shaving off over 12 seconds of total time this season! Nevaeh Cunningham finished 6th place in the 100m dash with a season best time of 12.88 seconds. That time was also a state qualifying time! Nevaeh will now run at Eastern Illinois University next Thursday (May 21st) in the IHSA 1A Girls State Track & Field Championships. The running events for that meet will begin at 12:00pm. The races will be streamed live on the NFHS Network. Tickets for the meet can be purchased at this link: IHSA Girls Track & Field State Championship Tickets

Now Hiring @ MC — Come Be a Raider!

Midwest Central High School is proud to announce the winners of the Mary Beth Peplow Above and Beyond Award. This year's winners are Alexcia Wood and Dalton Johnson. The award is given to a senior male and female athlete that the coaches feel have gone above and beyond.

⚾ Raiders HS Baseball ⚾
📅 Friday, May 15, 2026
🛣️ @ Brimfield
🎴 Non-Conference Game
🚌 2:30 PM; Dismiss athletes @ 2:15 PM
🕒 4:30 PM
📌 Brimfield Community Park, Galena Ave, Brimfield, IL 61517

Nevaeh Cunningham has qualified for the IHSA State Track Meet next week by running a qualifying time of 12.88 tonight at the Tremont sectional. The Raider Nation is proud of you.