Waller, Smith invited to play in annual All-Star football game

Logan Smith and BraxtonWaller
With the St. Joseph-Ogden way up in the fourth quarter of their first-round playoff game against Carlinville, Spartan lineman Braxton Waller (left) and quarterback Logan Smith give thumbs up while chilling on the bench in the fourth quarter. Smith, who received Class 3A All-State honors, and Waller helped lead SJO to an 8-3 finish in 2023.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

BLOOMINGTON - The two teams for the 50th Annual Illinois High School Shrine Game were selected by the ILHSFCA at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Two members from the St. Joseph-Ogden football were among the 126 high school seniors to play in the annual charity event for Shriners Hospitals for Children. Logan Smith and Braxton Waller received invitations to pad up again and play on June 15 at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. Kickoff is slated for 11am.

Instead of being teammates, Waller will be a member of the Blue squad and Smith will play on the Red team.

Cully Welter will have one more game to coach his son, Trey, in a prep football game. The Monticello head coach picked by the coaches' association to lead this year's Blue Team. He will go head-to-head with Chicago Hope Academy's Chris Malette.

Other players from the 217 that received invitations include:

RED TEAM

David McGehee, Southeast HS
Drew Paben, Camp Point Central
Kani Carson, Lincoln Community
Jack Gallier, Mahomet-Seymour
Jack Barnhart, Centennial
Brayden Daily, St. Teresa
Parker Lyons, Rochester
Reese Frericks, Quincy Notre Dame
Kameron Beckman, Springfield
Kaiden Maurer, Maroa-Forsyth
Ki'on Carson, Lincoln Community
A.J. Sypherd, Litchfield
Noah Bass, Clinton
Austin Cummings, Tuscola


BLUE TEAM

Burke Wilkin, Sacred Heart-Griffin
Jack Dettro, Corner Glenwood
Josh McClain, Sacred Heart-Griffin
Aidan Archibald, Charleston
Chris Flachs, Quincy Senior
Cameron Schroth, Mt. Zion
Connor Sullivan, Casey-Westfield
Cory Craig Jr., Athens
CamRon Mitchell, Jacksonville
Tristin Potts, Clinton
Brady Clodfelder, Villa Grove
Ayden Ingram, BHRA
Trey Welter, Monticello

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St. Joseph-Ogden baseball team notch 20th win

St. Joseph-Ogden's Jack Robertson tries to beat a throw to home plate in the bottom of the third inning. Robertson was called out on the play.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


ST. JOSEPH - Maddux Carter went 3-for-3 at the plate and scored twice in St. Joseph-Ogden's home game against Westville on Wednesday. The Tigers led for two and a half innings before Carter and the SJO bats ignited and fueled a 7-3 non-conference victory at Meier Field.

After Carter reached first on a grounder to left field, Luke Landrus followed up with a line drive to the same outfielder putting runners on first and second for the Spartans. With no outs, Jared Altenbaumer stood his ground against Westville pitcher Cade Schaumburg on a 3-2 count and walked.

Bases loaded, first baseman Adam Price put Schaumburg's third pitch in center field scoring Carter and Landrus for two of his three RBIs on the day.

Price scored the team's third run after Braxton Waller doubles out to right field for the go-ahead run. Two batters later, Coy Taylor drove in Waller and Taylor Voorhees to pad the score at 5-2.

The Spartans picked up two more runs, one in the bottom of the 4th and another in the bottom of the 6th to secure the squad's 20th win of the season.


Sophomore Nolan Earley hurls a pitch in the fourth inning for the Spartans. Earley threw 54 strike while on the bump giving up five hits and three runs after 98 pitches across six frames. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden - 7

Luke Landrus 4-1-2-0-0
Jared Altenbaumer 2-1-0-1-2
Adam Price 4-1-2-3-0
Taylor Voorhees 3-1-0-0-0
Braxton Waller 2-1-1-1-1
Nolan Earley 2-0-0-0-1
Coy Taylor 3-0-1-2-0
Tanner Jacob 3-0-0-0-0
Maddux Carter 3-2-3-0-0

ab-r-h-rbi-bb
Total     26-7-9-7-4


Westville - 3

AB-R-H-RBI-BB
Mcmasters 4-1-0-0-0
Russell 4-1-1-0-0
Wichtowski 2-0-0-0-1
Haurez 4-1-2-1-0
Schaumburg 3-0-2-1-1
Barney 3-0-0-0-1
Maddox 3-0-0-0-0
Darling 2-0-0-1-1
Smith 3-0-0-0-0

ab-r-h-rbi-bb
Total     28-3-5-3-4


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Spartans sweep Grey Ghost in conference home stand

Braxton Waller tags out Ryan Adler
St. Joseph - St. Joseph-Ogden's Braxton Waller tags out Illinois Valley Central's Ryan Adler on a play at home during Game 2 of their doubleheader on Saturday at Meier Field. The Spartans swept the visiting Grey Ghost 15-0 in the first game and won the second in a 12-6 decision. Hosting Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley tomorrow, SJO improves to 6-0 in the Illini Prairie Conference and 21-2 overall. More photos from this game later this week.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
St. Joe-Ogden Athletics

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Round 1 and movin' on, Spartan determination sacks Carlinville

St. Joseph-Ogden's Braxton Waller
ST. JOSEPH - Braxton Waller celebrates his sack in the second half after putting Carlinville quarterback Rex Reels into the turf at Dick Duval Field on Saturday. After a slow first half, St. Joseph-Ogden rallied in the second putting four additional TDs on the scoreboard to win their first-round playoff game, 38-15. "I thought our defense did a tremendous job adjusting as the game went on," said head coach Shawn Skinner. "They did a super job." The Spartans advance to the second-round and will travel to Roxana to take on the Shells at 3pm. More PhotoNews photos from this game coming soon.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
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Photo of the Day | April 19

Junior Luke Landrus with teammate Braxton Waller
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph - Junior Luke Landrus (right) celebrates his three-run homer in the fourth inning with teammate Braxton Waller on his way to the dugout at Meier Field. St. Joseph-Ogden tallied at least three runs in four of their five innings against visiting Normal University High School last Friday to win 17-7. Landus, who appeared at the plate three times, drove in five runs on three hits. SJO plays its next two contests on the road, starting with Pontiac on Thursday and a doubleheader at Illinois Valley Central on Saturday.


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Photo Gallery: Three-game win streak, SJO clobbers BCC for Homecoming

SJO cheerleaders Alexis and Emily
Ready to enjoy another Homecoming tradtion, cheerleaders Alexis Taylor and Emily Jeffries share a pregame smile before the start of the St. Joseph-Ogden's homecoming game against Central Catholic. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Ethan Vanliew
Ethan Vanliew slaps hands of fans as he runs down the tunnel during team introduction for the Spartans. Vanliew would intercept a Bloomington Central Catholic pass in their end zone and run the ball back for a one-hundred yard pick six in the second quarter. He also caught three passes for 25 yards in St. Joseph-Ogden 33-0 shutout on Friday. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden head football coach Shawn Skinner shares a big smile with assistant coach Nick Bialeschki before the opening kickoff between his Spartans and visiting Saints from Central Catholic. About two and half hours later, Skinner had an even better reason to smile with the homecoming win in the books and the program record improving to 3-3 on the season. "Defense was phenomenal from the very beginning," said Skinner, who pointed to the tenacity of his defensive backs and their attention to detail. SJO picked off two passes, one that was returned 100 yards for a TD in the second quarter. "We had a good scouting report, but our kids had to execute it and they were fabulous."

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Lineman Conrad Miller and linebacker Alex Funk

Spartan lineman Conrad Miller and linebacker Alex Funk bring down a Saints' ball carrier during first quarter action. In their best performance of the season, the SJO defense held BCC scoreless and just 144 yards in total offense. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Evan Ingram hurls a pass to an open receiver in the first quarter. The senior signal caller completed eight of 17 passes for 63 yards against the Saints.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Seniors Conrad Miller (77) and Keaton Nolan (8) explode off the line while playing defense in the second quarter for the Spartans. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Peyton Sarver, Keaton Nolan and Ramsey Primmer celebrate

A game official signals touchdown while Spartans Peyton Sarver, Keaton Nolan and Ramsey Primmer celebrate the score in the west end zone after teammate Ethan Vanliew ran an interception back 100 yards for a TD in the second quarter. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Ramsey Primmer breaks up a pass play for SJO
St. Joseph-Ogden defensive back Ramsey Primmer breaks up a pass play to Central Catholic receiver Nick Mardis during the second quarter.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Jett Morris

Spartans' Jett Morris fights off Central Catholic lineman Michael Mier while battling in the trench during second quarter action. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden student fans in the Maroon Platoon section catch comemorative footballs tossed into the stand by cheerleaders. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

SJO Cheerleaders perform at halftime
SJO cheerleaders perform a stunt for during their portion of the halftime show. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Baritone saxophone player Wyatt Loghry and members of the Spartan marching band perform their competition piece during Friday night's halftime show. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Eri Shimada performs with the SJO Marching Band
Eri Shimada performs with the St. Joseph-Ogden High School Marching Band during halftime.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Coby Miller carries the ball through the Saints defensive line during the second half. The senior tallied up 178 yards in game six of the season on 20 carries. He also caught one pass for three yards in the Homecoming game. Miller and the Spartans play at home again in two weeks against Rantoul and will celebrate senior night at the last regular season home contest of the season. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Braxton Waller plays offense for SJO
Sophomore Braxton Waller looks to pick up a downfield block while playing on the the offensive line in the second half of the game.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Spartan linemen Mitchell Wright and Austin Cotter move with the flow of the play while playing on the defensive line during the fourth quarter. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

SJO's Alex Funk

Junior Alex Funk takes a well-earned drink on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of the game. Funk was a key figure on defense and finished the game with 5 receiving yards and 20 rushing yards. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

SJO players and student fans sing the school fight song together after the school's big homecoming football victory. St. Joseph-Ogden, improving to 3-3 on the season, needs just three more wins to quarantee a berth in this year's IHSA playoffs. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Looking for photos of a specific player from either team? Email us at photos@oursentinel.com with the athlete's name and jersey number for details.
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St. Joseph-Ogden 2nd-quarter Honor Roll

St. Joseph-Ogden High School Honor Roll This week, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the second-quarter Honor Roll and High Honor Roll recipients. To receive honor roll recognition at SJO students must earn a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Students whose GPA soared above 3.74 are recognized as High Honor Roll students.

High Honor Roll

Freshmen

Sophomores

Juniors

Senior

Honor Roll

Freshmen

Sophomores

Juniors

Seniors

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Photo gallery: Friday night football is back

Coby Miller (left) and Isaiah Moore lead the St. Joseph-Ogden football team to the field
Coby Miller (left) and Isaiah Moore lead the St. Joseph-Ogden football team to the field before the start of the first home football game of the season. The Spartans opened the season at home against the Monticello Sages. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
SJO coaches
SJO coaches (left to right) Dalton Walsh, Marshall Schacht and Ben Gorman along with head coach Shawn Skinner and longtime assistant Bob Glazier observe a moment of silence in honor of former head coach Dick Duval. Duval, who compiled a record of 251 wins and 75 losses during his 28-year tenure, passed away on August 26. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Griffin Roesch and Evan Ingram
Seniors Griffin Roesch and Evan Ingram run through the team banner during team introduction. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Keaton Nolan slaps hands of students
Keaton Nolan slaps hands of students as he runs through the team tunnel. Nolan, a senior, went on to carry the ball 18 times for 80 yards against the Sages. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
SJO linebacker Bryson Helfrich
SJO linebacker Bryson Helfrich (left) fights his way past Monticello's Ashton Wassom into the Sages backfield during first half action. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Senior Ethan Vanliew flows with the ball
Senior Ethan Vanliew flows with the ball while playing on defense for the Spartans. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Maroon Platoon student fans cheer for the Spartans during first quarter action against Monticello. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Keaton Nolan takes a hit and stopped in his tracks
Driving forward, Spartan Keaton Nolan takes a hit and stopped in his tracks by outside linebacker Blake Mcduffie. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
SJO head coach Shawn Skinner yells instructions
With assistant coach Ben Gorman looking on, SJO head coach Shawn Skinner yells instructions to players on the field between plays. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Taylor Hug tallies stats for the Spartans
Taylor Hug tallies stats for the Spartans during the first half of the game. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Spartan Peyton Sarver goes nose-to-nose in the trench
Mask to mask, Spartan Peyton Sarver goes nose-to-nose in the trench with Sages' Kaleb Reid. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
SJO student fans cheer for their team during the first half. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Running back Isaiah Moore is wrapped up as he crosses the goal line for the first SJO touchdown of the season. Moore also finished his first game of the season with six yards on seven carries. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Jett Morris celebrates SJO's two-point conversion in the first quarter. Unfortunately, it would be the last opportunity the Spartan would get the ball in the end zone. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Finding a lot of open grass, St. Joseph-Ogden quarterback Evan Ingram sprints down the field for a 64-yard run against the Sages. Ingram finished the game with 71 yards rushing and completed six of 14 passes for 35 yards. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Playing on the offensive line, Bryson Helfrich picks up an incoming block during first half action. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Sophomore Braxton Waller comes up to block after snapping the ball. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Members of the 2020 St. Joseph-Ogden Hall of Fame pose for a photo during their recognition ceremony at halftime. The 8th class to be recognized by the school include (left to right) Gary Garrison, Amy Scharlau-Lewis, Greg Knott and Ron White. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Members of the SJO Marching Band perform during halftime. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Austin Cotter (left) and Robbie Huson, a junior, goes over their position assignments before the next play during the second half. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Spartan linebacker Luke Allen slips into the Monticello backfield looking to make a tackle. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Trying to stay hydrated, SJO's Robbie Huson drinks water while on the sidelines. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Five Monticello lineman stuff a hole to prevent Spartan running back Justice Wertz from getting past the line of scrimmage. Wertz finished the night with 33 yards on 11 carries. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
SJO's Peyton Sarver fights to get into the Monticello backfield. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
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