Ones to Watch:
Our I70Sports staff has picked four young athletes who took big steps forward in the 2025-2026 school year and could continue that trend and have even bigger years in 2026-2027.
Isaac’s Picks:
Carson Milleville, Altamont: After bursting onto the scene during the spring of his freshman season, Carson Milleville broke out this past season, helping to provide both innings and solid defense on the diamond for the Altamont Indians during both the fall and spring baseball seasons. While an injury held him back in the fall, Milleville still made his mark, appearing in 17 of the 21 games the Indians played, contributing with a .286 BA, .348 OBP, .681 OPS, 12 H, 9 RBI, 12 RS, 6 SB, and an impressive .825 fielding percentage, primarily holding down third base. During the spring, Millville increased his batting average to .295, good for third on the team, while adding a .326 OBP, .633 OPS, 26 H, 16 RBI, 13 RS, and 7 SB. He was also cleared to pitch in the spring, giving Altamont 51.1 innings, going 6-3, with a 2.59 ERA (third-lowest on the team), while striking out 47 batters and holding opposing hitters to a .248 BAA. With Altamont losing three starters this past spring, Millville is primed to take a step forward on the diamond for the Indians. While he didn’t get much playing time this winter, Millville was a guy who could be trusted to play spot minutes when needed and is expected to make a big impact this year. With his length and quickness, Carson Millville will be a guy who can do a lot of things on the court that can help the Indians continue their winning ways.
Ethel Stuckemeyer, CHBC: After getting her feet wet at the varsity level, CHBC’s Ethel Stuckemeyer broke out in a big way her sophomore year. On the volleyball court, Stuckemeyer stood out for the Lady Bobcats, leading the team with 18 blocks, while finishing third in aces with 29, third in kills with 82, and fourth in digs with 159. Her ability to do everything on the court helped lead the Lady Bobcats to some big wins down the road and kept the team improving throughout the season. Coming into her junior season, Stuckemeyer will be a player that the Lady Bobcats will be looking to have a big season this upcoming fall. On the basketball court, Stuckemeyer continued to make improvements. Stuckemeyer saw her role increase from her freshman season. Her 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game ranked second on the team, while she led the Lady Bobcats in steals with 4.4 per game. With CHBC returning a majority of their team from last season, Stuckemeyer will once again be looked upon to continue her strong play on both sides of the ball, as well as provide strong leadership as an upperclassman.
Erica’s Picks:
Paddy McDowell, Vandalia: The sophomore started to really notch his place in VCHS sports as he had three seasons in the 2025-2026 school year that built on strong starts from his freshman year. On the football field, McDowell worked his way into several Varsity games in 2025 and is a player who was and can be used in multiple ways. McDowell served as a defensive back tallying 11 solo tackles and 10 tackle assists for 21 total tackles and also spent time at quarterback late in many of the Vandals big wins and picked up 53 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. With several key pieces for the Vandals graduating after last year, McDowell could see a significant step up on both sides of the ball. As the Vandals return a record setting quarterback, McDowell could see more time as a receiver with his size and quickness able to help fill holes left by receivers like Kohnor Depew, Jordan Colburn and Brenton McCarty while those same players leave spots to be filled on defense in the secondary as well as the Vandals will again look to build one of the top defenses in the SCC. On the basketball court, McDowell came off the bench as the Vandals sixth man and was a key part to the Vandals as a defensive specialist so to speak but can also be an offensive threat. With the Vandals returning three top scorers, McDowell will not be thrust into a top scoring role net season but opposing defenses will have to prepare for his breakaway speed and ability to see the floor, spread the ball and again move the ball quickly in transition. The combination of McDowell, Andrew Casey, Qwentyn Stombaugh and Lucas Bowers on the floor at the same time will be sure to create coverage issues for opposing defenses. On the track, McDowell continued to get faster putting on impressive showings in the 100m Dash, 200m Dash and serving as a key leg in both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays. McDowell finished in the top 3 in 10 of his 14 100m races, 10 of his 14 200m races and 21 races across the 4×100 and 4×200 relays. He served as the third leg of the 4×200 team which took 2nd place at the Newton Sectional and went on to finish 24th at the IHSA State Finals. McDowell continues to get stronger each track season and with the graduation of several seniors, will look to continue that progress in the coming 2027 track season as the top 100 and 200 sprinter for the program.
Alyssa Ruholl, Altamont: Ruholl was called upon to fill key spots for both Lady Indians basketball and Lady Indians softball in her debut high school seasons. Ruholl began seeing time on the Varsity level for Lady Indians basketball early in the season and with two starts going down to season ending injuries, that time would tick up exponentially. Ruholl finished the season third in scoring averaging 5.2 points per game and tied for second in rebounds per game with 3.1 while also snagging 1.9 steals and 1.1 assists per game. With the Lady Indians returning so many players with experience and working with a year under their belt in Coach Holly Borah’s system, Altamont will look to take a step forward in 2026-2027 and Ruholl should be expected to play a major role for the Lady Indians. Her speed is an asset on defense and also helps her be aggressive and score off the dribble drive and move the ball in transition if the Lady Indians can work to get the ball up the floor quickly. On the softball field, the Lady Indians relied on the speed and quickness of Ruholl to advance their baserunning. Serving as a courtesy runner or pinch runner for a good portion of the season, Ruholl was able to score 16 runs for the Lady Indians and steal 10 bases. Later in the season, Ruholl was called upon to get more work in the outfield and hit .323 BA going 10 of 31 with 2 RBI. As she continues to adjust the high school level, Ruholl could become a major dual threat for Altamont as her speed as a lefty batter seen in the small sample size her freshman year or her ability to swipe bases as a runner could be a boost for scoring for the Lady Indians with strong bats behind her to move her around the bases as well. In the field, her speed again would be an asset allowing her to cover a lot of ground in the outfield and quickly get to balls in the gaps or run down deep shots. With a strong freshman year under her belt, Ruholl is sure to take a big step forward on the court and in the field for the Lady Indians.
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