Collin Thomey leads Spartans in win over ALAH at Toyota of Danville Classic

Ryker Lockhart comes up with a loose ball
St. Joseph-Ogden's Ryker Lockhart and Tim Blackburn-Kelley try to grab a loose ball during their team's season opener at the Toyota of Danville Classic on Monday.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden opened their season in commanding fashion Monday, defeating Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 77-33 in the Toyota of Danville Classic. Led by senior Collin Thomey’s 20-point performance, SJO utilized decisive scoring runs to overpower the Knights and showcase their explosive offensive сapabilities.

Collin Thomey
With ALAH's Kendall Schrock guarding him, Spartan Collin Thomey slashes to the basket. The senior led all scorers with 20 points.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

The Spartans (1-0) jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Will Hilligoss put ALAH on the board, setting the tone for the game. A six-point run midway through the first quarter, highlighted by strong interior play from Tanner Siems, pushed the score to 22-11. Another six-point burst in the second quarter stretched the lead from 22-14 to 31-14, creating a cushion that the Knights could not overcome.

SJO’s dominance peaked in the third quarter with an 11-point scoring run out of the halftime break. Siems fueled the charge with back-to-back buckets before Thomey scored three consecutive baskets to put the game out of reach at 53-21.

SJO’s offensive firepower was evident, with four players finishing in double figures. Thomey led all scorers with 20 points, converting six of seven free throws. Siems contributed 13 points, including pivotal moments during the Spartans' runs. Lane McKinney provided a spark off the bench with 11 points in the fourth quarter, while Tim Blackburn-Kelley added 10 points in limited action.

SJO's Tanner Siems swats a shot attempt by ALAH's Will Hilligoss during the second half. The senior finished with 13 points in the team's first game of the season.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

The Spartans’ defense stifled ALAH (0-2), holding the Knights to just five points in the third quarter and forcing numerous turnovers. Nate Hale led ALAH with 11 points, followed by Hilligoss with eight, while Brennon Hutson and Kendall Schrock chipped in four apiece.

SJO faces Watseka tonight at 6:30 PM in the Main Gym after ALAH's 5 PM matchup against Charleston, who also seeks redemption after a 59-44 loss to Triad last week.



Published on

Christie Clinic Shootout returns in January: Unity, Monticello, SJO are back

The 2026 Christie Clinic Shootout tips off Jan. 10 at SJO, featuring six top varsity matchups and a full day of basketball excitement.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Monticello's Ike Young tries to dribble past Seneca's Grant Siegal. The Sages return to the Christie Clinic Shootout without Young in January 2026.

by Clark Brooks

Sentinel Sports
ST. JOSEPH — The calendar may have just turned to a new year, but the competition is already heating up on the hardwood. Just ten days into 2026, the annual Christie Clinic Shootout at St. Joseph-Ogden High School will tip off, marking the unofficial midway point of the IHSA basketball season and for many programs, a perfect midyear measuring stick. The Shootout has grown into more than just a series of basketball games, it’s becoming a midseason tradition for teams gearing up for a deep postseason run.

The one-day showcase on Saturday, January 10, features six varsity matchups between some of central Illinois’ most competitive teams, beginning at noon in the main gym. A full JV slate will also take place in the practice gym starting at 10 a.m., giving fans a chance to settle in for a complete day of basketball.

St. Joseph-Ogden, Unity, and Monticello will once again represent the Illini Prairie Conference, and all three are looking to repeat the sweep they pulled off at last year’s event. The Spartans handled Warrensburg-Latham 59-49, Unity outpaced Fieldcrest 77-68, and Monticello edged Seneca 62-56 in a thriller.

Collin Thomey
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Collin Thomey snags a rebound for St. Joseph-Ogden in the 2025 Christie Clinic Shootout. SJO will play Tremont in the shootout finale on January 10.

Mt. Zion returns to the shootout after a narrow 65-60 loss to Moline in last year’s lineup, while Bismarck-Henning also comes back following a hard-fought 68-62 victory over Normal University earlier this season. Between these returning programs and the IPC contenders, fans can expect fast play, defensive grit, and more than a few highlight moments.

All JV and varsity games will feature eight-minute quarters, with roughly 12 minutes between contests for warmups.

Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students with valid IDs. One ticket grants access to the entire day — a chance to see six competitive varsity games and an equally engaging lineup of JV contests.

2026 Christie Clinic Shootout Schedule

Varsity (SJO HS Main Gym)

12:00 PM: (SW Locker Room) Eureka vs. BHRA (NE Locker Room)
1:30 PM: (SE Locker Room) Metamora vs. Mahomet-Seymour (NW Locker Room)
3:00 PM: (SW Locker Room) Peoria vs. Mt. Zion (NE Locker Room)
4:30 PM: (SE Locker Room) El Paso-Gridley vs. Monticello (NW Locker Room)
6:00 PM: (SW Locker Room) Warrensburg-Latham vs. Unity (NE Locker Room)
7:30 PM: (SE Locker Room) Tremont vs. St. Joseph-Ogden (NW Locker Room)


Junior Varsity (SJO PRACTICE GYM)

10:00 AM: (SE Locker Room) Eureka vs. BHRA (NW Locker Room)
11:30 AM: (SW Locker Room) Metamora vs. Mahomet-Seymour (NE Locker Room)
1:00 PM: (B103) Peoria vs. Mt. Zion (B106)
2:30 PM: (B102) El Paso-Gridley vs. Monticello (B105)
4:00 PM: (B103) Warrensburg-Latham vs. Unity (B106)
5:30 PM: (B102) Tremont vs. St. Joseph-Ogden (B105)


More Christie Clinic headlines

TAGS: Christie Clinic Shootout 2026, St. Joseph-Ogden basketball, Central Illinois high school sports, Illini Prairie Conference showcase, SJO athletics news

Published on

Sideline view: Spartan football kicks off next week on the road

Collin Thomey boots a kickoff after at St. Joseph-Ogden touchdown
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

MONTICELLO - St. Joseph-Ogden kicker Collin Thomey puts the ball in play after a touchdown in last fall's season opener on the road at Monticello. Delayed on Friday due to a large line of thunderstorms passing through central Illinois, more than 500 football fans enjoyed a beautiful fall day of high school football. The Spartans, who will be without Thomey, who graduated in May, open this year's campaign on the road at Prairie Central on August 28. After rolling past the Sages, SJO won nine more contests to finish conference play undefeated on the way to a 10-1 season.

After the wake-up call against the Spartans, Monticello reeled off seven straight wins before their next loss to Unity. The Sages exacted revenge four weeks later to seal a spot in the state title game, winning the Class 3A semifinal against Unity in a 23-20 thriller.

While there was plenty of action on the field, here's a look down the sidelines, and candid moments from St. Joseph-Ogden's 40-28 win at Monticello.

Will SJO win their opening game against Prairie Central? Give us your prediction and the other Illini Prairie Conference games for Week 1. Click here for details.
Published on

Area soccer teams get season underway

Collin Thomey goes up for a header during SJO's road match St. Joseph-Ogden's Collin Thomey tries to head the ball away from University High's Luca Zepeda-Flores during their non-conference soccer game on Thursday. The Spartans were limited to a first-half goal before the Illineks scored three unanswered goals on their home field for the win, 3-1. SJO is back in action on Monday at Schlarman Academy in Danville, while Uni-High will host twin-city rival Champaign Central on Tuesday.

(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Published on

Sports Page | Last second shot swipes tournament title from Spartans

BLOOMINGTON - The St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team suffered their second loss of the season after a brilliant third-quarter at the State Farm Holiday Classic on December 30.

Like the team's earlier loss to Beecher, the sweet taste of victory was yanked from their grasp in the last seconds of the game. With 1.8 second left to play and down by two on the clock, El-Paso Gridley made an inbound pass and got the ball to an open Chanceaye Maxon, Jr, who tossed the ball from 20 feet or so to the basket for a three, giving the Titans a 49-48 advantage at the buzzer to take the Small School Division title.

The Small School Division champions in 2022, the team went 3-1 in the tournament and were this year's runner up. Tanner Jacob was named to the All-Tournment team.

Senior Luke Landrus led SJO's scoring effort with 19 points. Coy Taylor finished with 11 points, and Jacob sank nine for the top three scorers. Jacob and junior Tanner Siems were the team's leading rebounders, collecting four boards each. Landrus hauled in three, and Collin Thomey snagged two in the title game.

The Spartans (12-2) include Ryker Lockhart, Tanner Jacob, Kodey Mckinney, Coy Taylor, Logan Smith, Luke Landrus, Tanner Siems, Logan Lackey, Will Haley, Kendrick Johnson, Asher Pruemer, Parker Fitch, and Collin Thomey.

"A picture is worth a thousand words."

In a time not long ago, before the popularity of online photo galleries and dwindling advertising revenue, newspapers routinely told stories and reported on newsworthy events through photo pages. If The Sentinel could publishing in print like the good ol' days, this is what our sports page would have looked like today in today's paper. The full-size 22x17 page is available for matting and framing. Order yours here.
Want to see more sports stories like this?

If you enjoy our photos and stories about our area high school sports programs, the Sentinel can really use your help.

We need the help of passionate sports fans like yourself to help us cover more games, feature more athletes, and give recognition to the hard-working athletes who deserve it. There are several ways you can help.

You can help us by sharing our stories and photos on social media for your family and friends to enjoy. Having more readers helps us convince businesses to advertise with us. The more advertisers we have, the greater our local coverage.

And there are even more ways you can help. We'll tell you about those here.

With no paywall on our site, every contribution helps our readers enjoy our sports and news coverage. Contribute today. It only takes a minute to help make memories in our community last forever.

Published on

Photo Gallery: Spartan soccer season ended at regional semifinal

Senior Jared Emmert dibbles the ball early in the first half in the last game of his prep career. Emmert and the Spartans fell 7-0 to the Monticello Sages in their regional semifinal game. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Collin Thomey, Charles Schmitz and Brennan Haake form a line of defense for the St. Joseph-Ogden as Monticello's Will Trimble pushes the ball toward the sideline. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Spartans' Jackson Greer and Sages' Biniam Lienhart collide while going up for a header. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Logan Mills dribbles the ball

Logan Mills dribbles the ball in the first half. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Monticello's Ben Williamson

Monticello's Ben Williamson steals the ball from the control of SJO's Collin Thomey. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Brennan Haake pushes the ball across the field

Brennan Haake pushes the ball across the field during the first half. Soon after, the Sages went on a two-goal scoring spree before the break. Monticello followed up with five more goals in the second half to win, 7-0. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Will Childers shields the ball

Will Childers shields the ball while Monticello's Biniam Lienhart flies past him during first half action on Wednesday. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Keeper Hunter Ketchum lunges unsuccessfully at a ball heading toward SJO's goal by Dylan Ginalick. Ginalick's ball found net for the first score of the game. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Jackson Greer and Monticello's Trevor Fox collide while going up for header. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Hunter Ketchum

SJO keeper Hunter Ketchum deflects a shot on his goal as Monticello midfielder Cohen Neighbors and striker Malachi Manuel move in to finish their attack in the second half. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Carter Turner

With teammate Brennan Haake trailing, SJO's Carter Turner tries to pass the ball down the field to Owen Baltzell. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Spartan Owen Baltzell

Spartan Owen Baltzell pursues Sages' Tucker Williamson and Cohen Neighbors as they dribble the ball down the field in the second half. 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.
Published on

St. Joseph-Ogden first quarter Honor Roll

Earlier this week, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced their list of students who earned high honor roll status during the first quarter.

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

Seniors

Honor Roll

Freshmen

Sophomores

Juniors

Seniors

Published on

72 freshmen at SJO earn High Honor Roll recognition

St. Joseph - Earlier this week, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the third quarter Honor Roll and High Honor Roll recipients. This year's freshman class labored to produce 72 scholars who earned High Honor recognition.

St. Joseph-Ogden High School Honor Roll 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 is above 3.74 are recognized as High Honor Roll students. Below is the list of this semester's students who achieved High Honor Roll recognition. Follow this link to see the names of students who made the Honor Roll.

Seniors

Alyssa Acton
McGwire Atwood
Kaytlyn Baker
Olivia Baltzell
Cara Blanchard
Taylor Burch
Tyler Burch
Maddux Carter
Yamilka Casanova
Ariana Chambers
Madelynn Cook
Morgan Cramer
Aiden Cromwell
Zachary Dahman
Aleah Dial
Emily Elsbernd
Leah Finley
Joselyn Frerichs
Jessica Gadbury
Brent Golladay
Kennedy Greer
Kylie Greer
Andrew Guelfi
Mikyla Haley
Hayden Henkelman
Maya Hewkin
Taylor Hug
Shayne Immke
Emily Jeffries
Peyton Jones
Cameran Kelley
Jade Kelley
Jacob Kern
Aaron Lane
Collin Livesay
Haleigh Maddock
Kyle Meccoli
Teagan Miller
Courtney Myren
Ava Northen
Madeline Osterbur
Allegra Pearman
Ty Pence
Jack Robertson
Kirsten Schaefer
Johanna Schmitz
Jack Setterdahl
Isabel Sexton
Paige Siegmund
Payton Vander Logt
Taylor Voorhees
Alayna Wagle
Emma Ward
Maggie Ward

Juniors

Edward Alewelt
Logan Allen
Aden Armstrong
Owen Baltzell
Samantha Beetz
Chloe Burkhalter
Payton Carter
Rachel Divan
Sadie Ericksen
Addison Frick
Grace Getty
Chloe Harper
Rachel Harris
Brody Hausman
Annabelle Hueber
Tanner Jacob
Kya Jolley
Helene Jones
Lauren Lannert
Hayden Lewis
Quinn Lewis
Taylyn Lockhart
Addisyn Martinie
Shannon McMahon
Talan Miller
Isaiah Mock
Caleb Ochs
Macy Reed-Thompson
Addison Roesch
Addison Ross
Daniel Santiago
Addison Seggebruck
Lucas Skelton
Logan Smith
Dylan Smoot
Drew Thurman
Emma Thurman
Braxton Waller
Elissia Ward
Colin Wayland
Corbin Wells
Hayden Williams
Peyton Williams
Spencer Wilson

Sophomores

EJ Beckett
Audrey Benoit
William Besson
Sul Bonny
Preslee Christians
Madison Clampitt
Ella Dietiker
Luke Ditchfield
Jackson Ennis
Savanna Franzen
Addison Funk
Tayton Gerdes
Olivia Getty
Makennah Hamilton
Lauren Harris
Maebree Houston
Paige Johnson
Dylan Jones
Amilliya Kindle
Madison Lankster
Logan Mills
Gabriel Mortlock
Grace Osterbur
Chayse Palmer
Sonia Patel
Nathan Phillips
Audrey Ruppel
Charles Schmitz
Kyler Swanson
Collin Thomey
Samantha Uden
Kailynn West
Reese Wheatley
Charley Wright
Fiona Xiao

Freshman

Trevor Ames
Kylie Barrowman
Lexie Barrowman
Kaitlyn Beyers
Emily Bird
Tim Blackburn-Kelley
Aiden Bonny
Addison Brooks
Sara Bytnar
Shelby Campbell
Jacob Carlson
William Carlson
Rudra Chaudhary
Adelyn Childers
Christopher Coffey
Katie Ericksen
Callie Evans
Abigail Getty
Camden Getty
Brandon Goodwin
William Haley
Zachary Harper
Claire Hartman
Amelia Huckstadt
Lydia Huckstadt
Adalyn Jannusch
Kaelyn Jolley
Sophia Kasper
Madilyn Kelley
Cooper Kietzman
Alexis Lackey
Ryker Lockhart
Mackenzie Loschen
Michael McDaniel
Isabelle McGinnis
Emma McKinney
Kodey McKinney
Patrick McMahon
Ava Midkiff
Ashlyn Miller
Hannah Mock
Delaney Nekolny
Allison Ochs
Brennan Oleynichak
Kayla Osterbur
Colton Overstreet
Garrick Page
Branson Pearman
Kaleb Peoples
Asher Pruemer
Ainsley Rhoton
Lily Rice
Landon Roberts
Amber Ruppel
Cameron Schluter
Allison Schmitz
Trevor Sexton
Landon Smith
Lucas Smith
Tao Smith
Karleigh Spain
Quinn Stahl
Sydney Steinbach
Hadley Sweet
Carlee Taylor
Luke Tranel
Hunter Van Meenen
Sophia Vliet
Madeline Wells
Wyatt Wertz
Logan Xiao
Cyrus Zadeh


Published on
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)

High School Sports

  • Loading…




More Sentinel Stories