Elsbernd, Miller Spartans of the Week

Week 2 Lady Spartan of the Week: Emily Elsbernd

Above, Emily Elsbrend down the field in SJO home game against Urbana University High. On the right, she chases down a loose ball in this week's home match against Fisher-GCMS. Click here to see more photos of Elsbrend. (Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Just a freshman, Emily Elsbernd earned a starting spot as a defensive player on this year's SJO varsity boys soccer team. What she lacks in size and mass, she more than makes up with grit and persistence when physically challenging veteran opponents for the ball. "She is just a powerhouse out there as a freshman," says soccer head coach Dan Vogelsang. "A lot of coaches compliment her all the time. I look forward to when she is a junior and senior."

Honorable Mentions: Jenna Albrecht (volleyball), Addie Allen (cross country), Katelyn Berry (volleyball), Raegan Crippen (soccer), Lacey Kaiser (volleyball), Hope Rajlich (cross country), Jillian Plotner (cross country).

Week 2 Spartan of the Week: Jaden Miller

Jaden Miller earn this week's honors after scooping up a blocked Rantoul punt and plunging into the end zone for the first defensive touchdown of the season. The heads up play and resulting score padded St. Joseph-Ogden's side of scoreboard in the 22-8 Illini Prairie Conference win over the Eagles.

At nose guard, Miller has 12 tackles heading into tomorrow's week three game against Bloomington Central Catholic. The Spartan defense has allowed just two touchdowns to the start the 2019 season.

Honorable Mentions: Kolton Batty (soccer), Drew Coursey (football), Payton Grimsley (golf), Brayden Grimsey (soccer), Lukas Hutcherson (cross country), Charlie Mabry (cross country), Coby Miller (football), Zac Seeley (soccer), and Sam Wesley (football).

Previous Spartans of the Week

Week 1: Jarrett Stevenson / Katelyn Berry


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Attention high school coaches: Help us recognize our area prep athletes each week. Please send game scores and stats to us for freshman and junior varsity as well as varsity games. Send game, race and match results and weekly stats to sports@oursentinel.com.

Down but not out, SJO stumbles against Unity

Spartan head coach Shawn Skinner talks to players after his team's 21-0 loss on the road at Unity.

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"I thought our defense played stout. I thought that we had some plays that were designed to be good. We just had one breakdown here and there. Unity wasn't going to allow us any breakdowns."

Head coach Shawn Skinner

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On beautiful September evening, St. Joseph-Ogden fans fill the visiting team bleachers and wait for the week four game to start. A win victory would have kept the Spartans tied for first in the Illini Prairie Conference. The shutout drops SJO into a five-way tie with Unity, Monticello, Prairie Central and Olympia for second place.

"We are going to learn from this. I'm a big believer you can learn as much from win as a loss. I don't think you got to lose to learn." ~ Coach Skinner

Above: Crayton Burnett makes a pass during first half action against the Rockets. Not having enough time in the pocket to throw the junior signal caller threw for 66 yards, completing 10 of 20 attempts.

Left: Keaton Nolan makes a catch while playing on kickoff return for the Spartans. Nolan was held to just 23 yards of rushing on offense after eight touches.

Below: Senior Jaden Miller blast his way past two Unity blockers while playing defense in the second quarter.

All photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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A Spartan fan takes photos from the stands prior to the start of the football game against Unity. There will be a lot more photos of players next week as SJO hosts the Pontiac Indians (1-3) for their homecoming contest this Friday.

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"It was a hostile environment. We came out and gave our best effort. You can't fault us (for) that."

~ Sam Wesley, Senior, Linebacker

Above: Senior running back Brayden Weaver finds open turf in front of him during a carry in the first half. Weaver finished the game with just 13 all-purpose yards in the week four game against the Rockets.

Right: Sam Wesley shouts out instructions and adjustments to teammates before the Rockets snap the ball during second half action.

Below: Conner Hodge blocks nose to nose with a Unity lineman.

All photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Spartan rule the roost, spoil Eagle homecoming

St. Joseph-Ogden's Jaden Miller is congratulated by teammates Brayden Weaver and Blake Primmer after he picked up a deflected punt and ran it in for a TD on Friday in his team's Illini Prairie Conference game against Rantoul Township High School. The Spartans rallied in the second half of their Illini Prairie Conference contest to defeat the Eagles 22-8 after their sixth consecutive annual gridiron meeting on last Friday. SJO improves to 2-0 on the season and will host Bloomington Central Catholic at home next week. Find more photos from this game in the SJO vs Rantoul Football Gallery. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Photos Today: Boys basketball team gets back on track.

Joel Orcutt led the Spartans with 21 points to seal a 58-52 win over Villa Grove-Heritage at home on Tuesday. Here are seven photos from the game action while we work on the game story this week:

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St. Joseph-Ogden's Payton Cain goes after a loose ball with Villa Grove-Heritage's Jake Eversole during first half action on Tuesday, January 8. The Spartans fought off a tenacious opponent to win 58-52 over the visiting Hawks. (PhotoNews Media Photo by Clark Brooks)

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St. Joseph-Ogden's Joel Orcutt tries to keep control of the ball while dribbling into the paint. Orcutt went on to finish with 21 points and 8 rebounds for the Spartans. (PhotoNews Media Photo by Clark Brooks)

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Chance Izard makes a pass during first half action. With starter Jack Cook sidelined due to illness, Izard's 16 points and 2 steals were crucial in SJO's win on Tuesday. (PhotoNews Media Photo by Clark Brooks)

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SJO Dance Team member Erin Beyers performs during their halftime show at their basketball team's home game against Villa Grove-Heritage. (PhotoNews Media Photo by Clark Brooks)

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Payton Grimsley and Brayden Weaver share a quick conversation during a second half of SJO's home game against Villa Grove-Heritage. (PhotoNews Media Photo by Clark Brooks)

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A couple of fans react after a errant pass just misses them during first half action of SJO's varsity contest. (PhotoNews Media Photo by Clark Brooks)

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Keeping the ball away from Villa Grove-Heritage's Blake Smith, St. Joseph-Ogden's Jaden Miller makes a pass during second half action.

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Click here to search for more photos 24/7 that are in the PhotoNews Media online archives. Follow this link to discover more photos from this game or order any photo on this page: SJO boys basketball vs Villa Grove-Heritage.

Grimsley leads golf team at Viking Invite, SJO football 2-0

Sports Book: September 6

Miller's defensive TD buoys SJO over Rantoul

Jaden Miller picked up a high bouncing ball and ran it into the end zone for a needed 6 points after a Rantoul punt was deflected off one of their own linemen. The senior defensive lineman's quick action help St. Joseph-Ogden defeat the host Eagles 22-8 on Friday.

"Freaking awesome," grinned Miller after the game. "First touchdown ever in high school. It sealed the game away."

Less than two weeks earlier, he said one of the things he would liked to accomplish this season was to post a defensive score for the Spartans. Earlier in the game, his younger sibling Coby scored a touchdown on a 15-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. Jarrett Stevenson plunged into the end zone on the two-point conversion to tie the score at 8-all.

Jarrett Stevenson led SJO with 99 yards rushing on 19 carries. Coby Miller chipped in 39 more to the help the St. Joseph-Ogden chalk up just 216 yards in the Week 2 Illini Prairie Conference contest.

The Spartans will host Bloomington Central Catholic on Friday at the SJO Sports Complex. The Saints (0-2), who start the season with back-to-back losses, fell in a one-point decision to Pontiac in their season opener and dropped their second league match to Prairie Central, 28-21.

Grimsley leads Spartans at the Viking Invitational

Payton Grimsley led the Spartans with 92 at last Friday's Viking Invitational held at the Turtle Run Golf Course in Danville.

Riley Myren shot a 96 and was chased by Joe Acton's 101 and Jacob Kern's 106. Jack Robertson finished they meet with a 121 and Maddux Carter left the course after recording 124 strokes.

The St. Joseph-Ogden squad competed against eighteen teams for top honors. Normal Community, which carded a 305 to take the this year's team title, finished six strokes ahead of runner-up Edwardsville.

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Attention high school and junior high coaches: Please send game scores and stats to us. Send results and weekly stats to sports@oursentinel.com.

75 SJO seniors named to 3rd quarter Honor Roll

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St. Joseph-Ogden's Dillon Uken provides protection on the line of scrimmage in his team's first-round game against Monticello on October 27 during last fall's IHSA football postseason playoffs. Uken was one of 75 SJO seniors who made the third quarter Honor Roll. (PhotoNews File Photo/Clark Brooks)

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Seventy-five seniors, 67 juniors, 57 sophomores and 69 freshmen earned recognition for academic excellence in the third quarter at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.

Students named to the High Honors earned GPAs of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Those attaining GPAs of 3.25 to 3.74 are recognized as Honor Roll students.

 

High Honor Roll

Seniors: Gage Atwood, Cassidy Bagby, Erin Beyers, Kaylee Blanchard, Rebecca Campbell, Sarah Chahine, David Cummins, Emmy Daniels, Liam Davis, Abigail Dunham, Avery Edwards, Nathan Emmert, Emory Ericksen, Jasmine Febus, Emilie Fox, Adam Frerichs, Rachel Gherna, Zachary Hill, Kalli Ingram, Kenneth Lahners, Hannah Lewis, Nathan Logan, Erinn Miller, Caroline Moore, Eve Owens, Angela Palmer, Benjamin Reitmeier, Adam Rose, Madison Rubin, Abigail Schlueter, Elizabeth Schluter, Samantha Schmidt, Benjamin Setterdahl, Jacob Shaw, Kaitlin Shoviak, Grant Siegmund, Rylee Sjuts, Brianna Suits, Maclayne Taylor and Nathan Walden.

Juniors: Lindsey Aden, Jenna Albrecht, Mallory Ames, Taylor Barnes, Katelyn Berry, Emily Bigger, Kaylee Blackburn, Ginny Bytnar, Payton Cain, Trevon Carr, Kristen Costa, Drew Coursey, Kathryn Cramer, Andrea Cunningham, Faith Dahman, Hannah Dukeman, Asjah Fonner, Jaiden Freeman, Robert Gebbink, Payton Grimsley, Lucas Grindley, Erica Guelfi, Emily Hardimon, Chance Izard, Cody Johnston, Lacey Kaiser, Danielle Kelso, Eliza Lewis, Nathan Maier, Sara Milioli, Ava Mills, Carson Mills, Alivia Norem, Nolan Peacock, Taddy Pettit, Eric Poe, Dyllan Price, Hannah Rajlich, Lexi Ribbe, Jenna Schaefer, Joshua Sexton, Rylee Stahl, Kenly Taylor, Stephanie Trame, Anna Tranel, Isabelle Vliet, Madie Warfel, Brayden Weaver, Sam Wesley, Zoey Witruk and Jackson Wooten.

Sophomores: Isabelle Brooks, Crayton Burnett, David Bytnar, Taylor Campbell, Kylie Duckett, Hanna Eastin, Nadirah Edwards, Emily Fisher, Dakota Franzen, Atleigh Hamilton, Emmy Houston, Lukas Hutcherson, Logan Ingram, Cailer Kellenberger, Shelby Kofoot, Spencer Lahners, Ethan Lane, Aiden Livesay, Alyssa Maddock, Tyson Madsen, Sophia Martlage, Brandon Mattsey, Flannery McCorkle, Garren Meeker, Abigail Moberg, Samantha Naylor, Alec Painer, Erin Patton, Aidan Roberts, Indira Robinson, Mazie Ronk, Evan Schmitz, Max Shonkwiler, Tessa Smith, Payton Vallee, Nora Walden, Brayden Wendt, Rachel Wilson and Logan Wolfersberger.

Freshmen: Addison Allen, Tyler Altenbaumer, Kailyn Anderson, Ella Armstrong, Madison Atwood, Abigail Behrens, Ella Besson, Andrew Beyers, Brandie Bowlin, Mara Burkhalter, Angela Chahine, Anastasia Conerty, Deanna Cummins, Benjamin Cunningham, Sidney Davis, Zander Dressen, Ashley Eldridge, Jared Emmert, Hannah Fox, Zella Fuqua, Brennan Haake, Liam Hamer, Alyssa Hamilton, Lauren Harper, Anthony Hoang, Claire Huffman, Payton Jacob, Alison Kearney, Ava Knap, Jacey Lewis, Kelsey Martlage, Sophia McDade, Coby Miller, Conrad Miller, Elijah Mock, Keaton Nolan, Jessica Palmer, Emma Parkinson, Hope Rajlich, JoLeena Reynolds, Kendra Riddle, Taryn Sexton, Alyssa Shoviak, Luke Stegall, Rebecca Steinbach, Mackenzie Trame, Ethan Vanliew and Taylor Wells.

       

Honor Roll

Seniors: Sullivan Alwes, Nicholas Boggs, Joel Branson, Makayla Buskirk, Brooke Butorac, Ripley Campbell, Kayla Cañas, Daniel Carlson, Amanda Craddock, Ashtyn Cromwell, Peyton Crowe, Chloe Duckett, Michael Foreman, Cole Franzen, Bryce Froeschl, Mikayla Harshbarger, Kaitlyn Hess, Michelle Jervis, Dylan Johnson, Shelby McElroy, Ryan Miller, Joel Orcutt, Karsyn Peters, Raymond Plotner, Kathryn Poulter, Hanson Rieches, Libby Rowland, Niko Russell, Clare Smith, Savannah Smith, Dillon Uken, Rylee Walsh, Jack Ward, Seth Wedig and Alyssa Whitlock.

Juniors: Kendall Ayers, Kolton Batty, Erin Bridgewater, Payton Clements, Brendan Cooperider, Bailey Dowling, Tristan Fuqua, Ethan Hinrichs, Conner Hodge, Keegan McCarty, Mason McLain, Allison Monk, Luke Renfrew, Brodie Sullivan, Anna Wentzloff and Karsyn Wetzel.

Sophomores: Haven Atwood, Hunter Brooks, Joshua Buttjer, Raegan Crippen, Jacob Dwyer, Alex Frerichs, Emily Froman, Carter Huffman, Hayden Knott, Brock Loschen, Alyssa Lynch, Gunnar Olson, Brianna Reifsteck, Lizzie Reitmeier, Jackson Rydell, Lauren Trankina, Kaylee Ward and Mitchell Whitlock.

Freshmen: Nicolas Anzelmo, Jaden Barton, Alanna Bensyl, Kennedi Burnett, Braden Clampitt, Mackenzie Fulk, Hailey Gaines, Avian Gerdes, Kailyn Ingram, KayLeigh Kamphaus, Olivia Klotz, Ashlyn Lannert, Wyatt Loghry, Madelyn Mabry, Braden MeElroy, Ava Miller, Jett Morris, Nathaniel Nosler, Jonathan Poulter, Isabelle Scott and Karsten Wayland.

77 SJO seniors named on final honor roll of the year

The exceptional quality of education and unending commitment by the student body to excel was once again demonstrated by the final Honor Roll of the 2018-19 academic year.

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Seniors Sully Alwes, Gage Atwood and Cassidy Bagby mug for the camera during their commencement ceremony at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. In the final quarter of their high careeer, Atwood and Bagby earned a 3.75 GPA to be named to the High Honor Roll list. Alwes also earned honor roll recognition with a GPA greater than 3.25. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Seventy-seven St. Joseph-Ogden High School seniors earned scholastic accolades on the final Honor Roll list for this academic year. The junior class was paced by 64 members who achieved High Honor Roll or honor roll status. In all, more than 260 SJO students were named to the fourth quarter honor roll.

Students named to the High Honors earned GPAs of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Those attaining GPAs of 3.25 to 3.74 are recognized as Honor Roll students.

 

High Honor Roll

Seniors: Gage Atwood, Cassidy Bagby, Erin Beyers, Rebecca Campbell, Sarah Chahine, David Cummins, Emmy Daniels, Liam Davis, Abigail Dunham, Avery Edwards, Nathan Emmert, Jasmine Febus, Michael Foreman, Emilie Fox, Adam Frerichs, Rachel Gherna, Zachary Hill, Kalli Ingram, Ken Lahners, Hannah Lewis, Nathan Logan, Caroline Moore, Eve Owens, Angela Palmer, Benjamin Reitmeier, Adam Rose, Madison Rubin, Abigail Schlueter, Elizabeth Schluter, Samantha Schmidt, Benjamin Setterdahl, acob Shaw, Kaitlin Shoviak, Grant Siegmund, Rylee Sjuts, Brianna Suits, Maclayne Taylor, Nathan Walden and Seth Wedig.

Juniors: Lindsey Aden, Jenna Albrecht, Mallory Ames, Taylor Barnes, Katelyn Berry, Emily Bigger, Kaylee Blackburn, Ginny Bytnar, Payton Cain, Trevon Carr, Kristen Costa, Drew Coursey, Kathryn Cramer, Andrea Cunningham, Faith Dahman, Hannah Dukeman, Asjah Fonner, Jaiden Freeman, Bode Gebbink, Payton Grimsley, Lucas Grindley, Erica Guelfi, Emily Hardimon, Chance Izard, Cody Johnston, Lacey Kaiser, Danielle Kelso, Sara Milioli, Ava Mills, Carson Mills, Allison Monk, Alivia Norem, Eric Poe, Hannah Rajlich, Lexi Ribbe, Jenna Schaefer, Joshua Sexton, Rylee Stahl, Kenly Taylor, Stephanie Trame, Anna Tranel, Isabelle Vliet, Brayden Weaver, Samuel Wesley, Zoey Witruk and Jackson Wooten.

Sophomores: Hunter Brooks, Isabelle Brooks, Crayton Burnett, David Bytnar, Taylor Campbell, Kylie Duckett, Hanna Eastin, Nadirah Edwards, Emily Fisher, Dakota Franzen, Alexandra Frerichs, Atleigh Hamilton, Emmy Houston, Lukas Hutcherson, Logan Ingram, Cailer Kellenberger, Shelby Kofoot, Spencer Lahners, Ethan Lane, Aiden Livesay, Tyson Madsen, Sophie Martlage, Flannery McCorkle, Garren Meeker, Abigail Moberg, Samantha Naylor, Alec Painter, Erin Patton, Aidan Roberts, Indira Robinson, Mazie Ronk, Evan Schmitz, Max Shonkwiler, Tessa Smith, Payton Vallee, Nora Walden, Brayden Wendt and Logan Wolfersberger.

Freshmen: Addison Allen, Tyler Altenbaumer, Kailyn Anderson, Ella Armstrong, Madison Atwood, Abigail Behrens, Andrew Beyers, Brandie Bowln, Mara Burkhalter, Angela Chahine, Braden Clampitt, Anastasia Conerty, Deanna Cummins, Benjamin Cunningham, Sidney Davis, Zander Dressen, Ashley Eldridge, Jared Emmert, Hannah Fox, Zella Fuqua, Avian Gerdes, Brennan Haake, Liam Hamer, Lauren Harper, Anthony Hoang, Claire Huffman, Payton Jacob, Alison Kearney, Ava Knap, Sophia McDade, Coby Miller, Conrad Miller, Elijah Mock, Keaton Nolan, Jessica Palmer, Emma Parkinson, Hope Rajlich, Kendra Riddle, Taryn Sexton, Alyssa Shoviak, Luke Stegall, Rebecca Steinbach, Mackenzie Trame and Taylor Wells.

       

Honor Roll

Seniors: Sullivan Alwes, Alex Blanchard, Nicholas Boggs, Joel Branson, Makayla Buskirk, Ripley Campbell, Kayla Cañas, Daniel Carlson, Dwight Colvin, Aiden Coon, Amanda Craddock, Peyton Crowe, Chloe Duckett, Emory Ericksen, Cole Franzen, Bryce Froeschl, Grant Goff, Haley Griebat, Kaleb Harshbarger, Mikayla Harshbarger, Kaitlyn Hess, Michelle Jervis, Dylan Johnson, Jake Juday, Kyler Master, Shelby McElroy, Erinn Miller, Ryan Miller, Heidi Novak, Karsyn Peters, Kathryn Poulter, Hanson Rieches, Niko Russell, Nicholas Skelton, Clare Smith, Dillon Uken, Rylee Walsh and Cole Zaccarelli

Juniors: Kendall Ayers, Kolton Batty, Erin Bridgewater, Brendan Cooperider, Bailey Dowling, Brayden Grimsey, Ethan Hinrichs, Julia Kaiser, Eliza Lewis, Nathan Maier, Keegan McCarty, Mason McLain, Nolan Peacock, Taddy Pettit, Dyllan Price, Madie Warfel, Anna Wentzloff and Karsyn Wetzel.

Sophomores: Haven Atwood, Mason Behrens, Josh Buttjer, Raegan Crippen, Sarah Dow, Makayla Duckwitz, Jacob Dywer, Britney Evans, Emily Froman, Isabella Getty, Alyssa Lynch, Alyssa Maddock, Brandon Mattsey, Brianna Reifsteck, Lizzie Reitmeier, Jackson Rydell, Lauren Trankina, Mitchell Whitlock and Rachel Wilson.

Freshmen: Jaden Barton, Alanna Bensyl, Ella Besson, Kennedi Burnett, Mackenzie Fulk, Alyssa Hamilton, Kailyn Ingram, Olivia Klotz, Ashlyn Lannert, Jacey Lewis, Madelyn Mabry, Kelsey Martlage, Braden McElroy, Ava Miller, Jett Morris, Nathaniel Nosler, Jackson Place, Jonathan Poulter, Griffin Roesch and Ethan Vanliew.

Burnett named Spartan baseball MVP

Last month the St. Joseph-Ogden baseball team awarded varsity letters to 19 players. Sophomore Crayton Burnett earned the team's Most-Valuable Player award.

The Spartans finished their 2019 campaign just wins away from another state final four appearance with a 27-9-2 record after falling 1-0 to Tuscola in the Class 2A sectional championship game.

Fellow junior Keegan McCarty was named Pitcher of the Year and was also selected for the team's Gold Glove Award.

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Junior Crayton Burnett makes a throw in SJO's home game against Westville. In addition to earning his varsity letter, Burnett was named the team's 2019 Most-Valuable Player and earned the programs True Maroon Award. The Spartans won the non-conference contest with the Tigers, 9-4. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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This year's seniors earning varsity baseball letters were Nick Boggs, Adam Frerichs, Kaden Jacobs, Caleb Johnson and Adam Rose.

Junior letter winners included Joey Acton, Brendan Cooperider, Drew Coursey, Blake Dable, Bode Gebbink, Keegan McCarty, Mason McLain, Jaden Miller, Blake Primmer, Brayden Weaver and Sam Wesley.

Burnett and fellow sophomore Zach Martinie along with freshman Coby Miller earned letters as underclassmen.

2019 Team Award Winners

MVP – Crayton Burnett
Pitcher of the Year – Keegan McCarty
Gold Glove Award – Keegan McCarty
Rookie of the Year – Sam Wesley
Silver Slugger Award – Adam Rose
True Maroon Award – Crayton Burnett
Hit By Pitch Award – Adam Frerichs

30 players receive SJO varsity football letters

Nineteen seniors earned varsity football letters this fall. Six juniors, four sophomores and one freshmen player were also recognized for their contributions during the 2019 season.

Brayden Weaver received this year's Most-Valuable-Player award.

Weaver appeared in varsity games during his football career with the Spartans. During that time he carried the ball 94 times for 540 yards. His longest run was a 52 yard jaunt in SJO's 38-14 win over Unity.

Brayden carries the ball for the Spartans during their home game against Bloomington Central Catholic. This year's MVP, the senior ran for 104 yards against the Saints. On defense he was credited with three tackles in the 18-7 conference win. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Suffering a season-ending injury in the eight game of the season, his offensive stats boast 266 yards on 49 carries and four touchdowns.

A two-way player, Weaver was credited with 76 tackles, 49 of which were solo, at middle linebacker this season. He was also awarded the program's Defensive Award.

Drew Coursey and Jordan Kelly shared the team's Most-Improved-Player award.

Wearing #2 this season, Kelly, a 5-foot-10 wide receiver and strong safety, finished his only season of varsity football with 18 tackles and one interception.

Jordan Kelly, one of this year's two Most-Improved-Players, runs a pass route against visiting St. Thomas More. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Coursey, who earned his stripes in his first season of varsity football this year, led SJO in sacks with three. The outside linebacker had 26 stops, including four solo tackles and seven total in the Spartans' 33-13 road loss to the Hawks of Prairie Central.

The Special Teams Award went to senior Payton Cain. Like Coursey and Kelly, this was his first and only varsity football season. The senior returned 16 kickoffs. Averaging 31.1 yards per return, he amassed 498 yards this season.

In SJO's home game against Pontiac on September 27, he ran one of his two punt returns back 66 yards - a career best - and another one for 19 yards.

Towering 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Blake Dable bagged the SJO Lineman Award.

In the five games he played on defense, Dable was credited with 15 tackles and two sacks, one against Unity and the other against Rantoul in week 2. On offense, Dable was key to opening up holes for the backfield and a solid wall protecting quarterback Crayton Burnett this season.

Sophomore Hayden Brazelton received the Scout Team Award.

Senior varsity lettermen: Ross Booker, Payton Cain, Trevon Carr, Max Chatterton, Brendan Cooperider, Drew Coursey, Blake Dable, Tristan Fuqua, Conner Hodge, Chance Izard, Jordan Kelly, Chayce Livingston, Jaden Miller, Blake Primmer, Luke Renfrew, Jarrett Stevenson, Brodie Sullivan, Brayden Weaver, and Sam Wesley.

Junior varsity lettermen: Crayton Burnett, Brady Buss, John Michael Ehmen, Zach Martinie, Xander Rieches and Max Shonkwiler.

Sophomore varsity lettermen: Coby Miller, Jett Morris, Keaton Nolan, and Ethan Vanliew.

Freshman varsity lettermen: Ty Pence

Opening day on hold, here's what 3 Spartans had to say

April 24, 2019 - St. Joseph, IL - Jaden Miller watches a flyball sail overhead during SJO's road game at St. Thomas More in 2019. This year's prep sports season, including SJO baseball, is in danger of being completely canceled due to the Coronavirus spreading throughout the United States. As one of the top baseball programs in the state, Miller and the Spartans were looking forward to making another run deep into the IHSA postseason championships. (Photo: PhotoNews/Clark Brooks)

In a little over an hour from now in past years, the St. Joseph-Ogden baseball team would be out on the field going through their warm-up routine preparing to take on their first team of the season. SJO players and coaches have the program looking up for another historic season including that coveted trip to state.

The rising threat of the pandemic Coronavirus, at least for the moment, has put SJO's season opener and thousands of other high school spring sports team's around the country on hold. The matchup at home against Heritage was canceled.

The Sentinel contacted three SJO seniors via Twitter to get their reaction on not being able to play today. Asking that they express what was going through their minds in three sentences or less, their honest, heartfelt responses are no doubt echoed by thousands of high school athletes around the country right now.

"It’s difficult for me to wrap my mind around the current situation as a whole, with everything changing rapidly and the whole aspect of not knowing. Having my senior season potentially stripped from me is hard to accept, and I’m not entirely sure how I’ll end up accepting it. I’m trying to remain optimistic and keep the big picture in mind."

~ Drew Coursey, Senior

"I am very emotional and saddened by this outbreak. This SJO team was the one to go all the way, but I am still hopeful for a chance to take the field one last time. "

~ Sam Wesley, Senior

"Well it’s hard to put into words what I’m feeling. It’s sort of like an emptiness because I had high hopes for the team. We were looking really really good this year and I’m just hoping it’s not wasted. We will be ready to go if and when we get the chance too."

~ Joey Acton, Senior

Academic Honors |Parkland Fall 2024 Dean's List

CHAMPAIGN - Parkland College announced the names of students whose academic performance landed them a spot on the Fall 2024 Dean's List. One of the highest honors a student can receive for their academic performance, the Dean's List is awarded to Parkland College students who earn a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 grade scale for the semester in 100-level courses or higher.

Below is a list of students in our area who earned academic honors last fall. The complete current list can be found on the Parkland College website.

Broadlands
Kayla Pickett

Catlin
Jackson Dines
Joseph Kedas
Christine Wyant

Champaign
Amira Abedelsalam
Dalal Abudayya
Elana Abudayya
Anahi Alanis
Jonathan Alanis
Elizabeth Allen
Saad Al-Zoubi
Charlie Anderson
David Ard
Grace Bailey
Maya Baker
Josiah Barlow
Alyssa Bartolome
Stretton Beal
Shane Beard
Makenna Beaulin
Robin Betka
Selena Bien
Brady Boatright
Thomas Bradley Jr
Mackenzie Britton
Heidi Brya
Lonnie Buggs
Manny Cabrera-Paredes
Jaden Campbell
Katrina Catizone
Franklin Chen
Yijun Chen
Jonathan Chen
Taylor Clark
Ry Cline
Carly Coats
Jazzmine Cole
Oscar Contreras
Melissa Corley
V H Cronenberg
Valencia Crosby
Andrea Dalton
Conrad Damrau
Ryan Delehanty
Alex Deluna
Jasmine Diep
Consolet Djamba
Jerome Isaac Domingo
Kylan Dorner
Gavin Dorsla
Laney Duden
Megan Eastham
Tanaja Edwards
Nickoy Edwards
Amina Fairley
Jesse Fewkes
Addison Fisher
Sierra Foltz
Destiny Frickensmith
Ayanna Fuller
Dalila Garcia
Tristin Gardner
Victoria Garrett
Rachael Goekler
Jake Green
Abigail Grena
Keira Hadley
William Hansen
Curtis Harvey
Miles Haug
Leo Havey
Zoey Hayes
Kaia Helbling
Marlen Hernandez
Delaney Hesch
Ariana Hopkins
Yufei Hu
Charlene Huang
Harold Indra
Weddie Jackson
Sarah Jacobson
Sofiyyah Jempeji
Araceli Johnson
Abigail Johnson
Chai Jones
Minjoon Kang
Shounok Kar
Fefe Kayembe
Cupid Keiper
Selena Kim
Sani Kimura
Mathias Kirkland
Jarred Koerner
Gianna Kreps
Kasie Lajeunesse
Eunseong Lee
Dohyung Lee
Mackenzie Leigh
Rebekah Leighton
Evan Li
Joshua Loftus
Kristin Lopez
Daniel Lopez
Jakob Luhrsen
Ruth Mambo
Cass Marino
Erica Markell
Emmanuela Martinez
Rayane Marzouqi
Madison McCoy
Greyson McDonald
Bailey McMahon
Melissa Meza
Sylvia Middleton
Richard Miller
Zoey Mitchell
Kennadie Mitchell
Colin Monti
Allison Morenz
Ian Moriarty
Jessica Mueller
Gina Naumann
Angelica Ngoho
Ngoc Tran Qua Nguyen
Tiffany Nguyen
Jesse Nguyen
Tommy Nguyen
Kenny Nham
Timothy Norcross
Immanuel Nwosu
Tyler Odom
Jessica Palmberg
Clare Pate
Mahi Patel
Cameron Patten
Arthur Pawlik
Lawanda Peeples
Joviane Pembele
Kylia Pierson
Jude Pisarczyk
Ethan Plankell
Taniya Reinhart
Riley Ries
Craig Riggle
Theresa Rollings
Alyssa Rosborough
Brian Rose
Jenna Royer
Elijah Ruggieri
Cody Rummenie
Burak Safaker
Martha Samuel
Lauren Sanders
Landon Sanders
Lizbeth Serrano-Betanzos
Anya Shannon
Ayush Sharma
Fedor Shemetov
Yu-Chen Shih
Michael Skaj
Ryan Slifer
Avery Smith
Skyler Smith
Jason Smith
Rasidat Sodiji
J.J Standerfer
Isabelle Swanson
Tommy Thi
Elaysha Thomas
Pierce Thompson
Jaden Tohill
Julian Torres
Gavin Tousignant
Lucius Tran
Johnny Tran
Thuan Trinh
Jasmine Turnbo
Kaitlyn Valentine
Tori Ann Vandegraft
Erik Walk
Shawn Walker
Lyssa Walker
Jack Walters
Julia Wang
Calvin Wetzel
John White
Lauren White
Bayleeella Whitney
Sarah Whittington
Inyzhe Wilson
Jason Winters
Winter Wolford
Syafino Yunalfian
Allen Zhang
Yixing Zhang
Artie Zhang

Fithian
Kayla House

Homer
Renate Alant
Lilli Montgomery

Ivesdale
Quinn Flavin

Oakwood
Shelby Doggett
Dylan A Dillow
Carlie Reitz

Ogden
Bridget M Blackburn

Philo
Nathan Bleecher
Brenlee Dalton
Bailey Grob
Jocelyn Lefaivre
Reagan Little
Amy Ray
Isabel Rivera
Kyleigh Weller

Sadorus
Hayden Hudson
Victoria Wells

Saint Joseph
McGwire Atwood
Mason Behrens
Taylor Burch
Kennedi Burnett
Shanice Edwards
Hailey Gaines
Cailey Horatschki
Kya Jolley
Hayden Lewis
Sam McDade
Jack Robertson
Addison Roesch
Rylee Stahl
Jill Uken
Andrew Wells
Emily Wheeler
Raegan Young

Savoy
Edith Ahondju-Olela
Evy Atkins
Patrick Brand
Siarah Brown
Charlie Cekander
Grace Chong
Kalissa Davis-Milam
Sean Flom
Rebecca Fonner
Ludvig Granlund
Mahillan Kalaimani
Moon Su Kang
Daniel Kang
Katelyn Kennedy
Gaelle Mayala
Leyton McGeary
Isaac Molloy
Kyle Moon
Erica Mueller
Marcos Park
Hyunjune Seong
Davi Yoo

Sidney
Lauren Cooke
Emma Fish
Emma Graham
Jodi Hamilton
Tyler Liffick-Worrell
Carson Parker
Piper Steele

Tolono
Maria Buffo
Calli Chandler
Hunter Duncan
Brooke Hewing
Shelby Hoel
Jayci McGraw
Jolie Meyer
Tatum Meyer
Julia Ping
Gabriel Pound
Meredith Reed
Maci Richmond
Reece Sarver
McKayla Schendel
Sara Steffens
Raena Stierwalt
Lynndsay Talbott
Jeremy Wells
Luke Williamson
Emberly Yeazel
Madysen York

Urbana
Rachel Aders
Dilichukwu Agu
Jose De Jesus Aguilera Contrera
Arifat Alabi-Taiwo
Luciana Alvarez
Deanna Auxier
Tevi Balekita
Ciel Baptiste
Yael Beretta
Pilar Bernad Ortega
Brandon Bianco
Ebenezer Boti
Audrey Boudreau
Janai Brown
Evan Bullock
Ryan Burns
Ariana Chambers
Charles Chambers
George Clancy
Yali Cohen
Tom Compere
Jeron Coulter
Jalyssa Crede
Lisa Curtiss
Breanna Davis
Jordan Ennis
Sofiia Fedina
Morgan Frush
Aaron Gabel
Lisette Gasser
Abigail Gillespey
Ella Gilmore
Santiago Gonzalez Ahuerma
Jessica Hamilton
Shion Hayashi
Tony Heckenmueller Drew Howard
Hoda Ismail
Robert Jenkins
Joanna Jiang
Amari Johnson
Marcus Johnson
Benjamin Joselyn
Lorris Kanteng
Kaya Karabeyaz-Cowling
Iver Krogstad
Carmen Lopez-Irineo
Sebastian Major
Jennifer Marquez Ramon
Gabrielle Mboyo Meta
Keith McAbee
Lauren Miller
Shaylie Miller
America Moreno-Duran
Lea Nicky Mar Nkenlifack Miaffo
Christophin Ngassam
Fabio Daniele Novais Da Rocha
Rebekah Olheiser
Oscar Orozco
Santiago Pinilla Leon
Dragos Popa
Matteo Puli
Justin Pulver
Lula Randolph
Bruce Rexroad
Leire Rodriguez Najera
Megan Rucker
Dakoda Sabin
Yu-Chen Shih
Joseph Solava
Sumaya Islam Tonney
Umberto Tucceri
Chioma Ugwu
Evan Unzicker
Stacie Vonderheide
Willow Weisman
Cora Welch
Alexandria Westfall
Maurion Wicks
Gage Dorian Wiggins
Lera Wilson
John Winter
Qilin Xie
Nathan York

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Two dimensional Eagles will test SJO tenacity

The Spartans take their ground pounding touchdown scoring machine to Rantoul tomorrow for their week 2 of IHSA football.

The Eagles have yet to beat a St. Joseph-Ogden football team. If the pigskin rolls their way, and they are hoping to do so, it will make their homecoming weekend hootenanny just a bit merrier.

In their Illini Prairie Conference opener last Friday, the Eagles fell 42-20 on the road at Prairie Central. The Hawks pulled away in the third quarter, scoring three times to hand Rantoul their first loss of the season.

The Spartan defense held St. Thomas More under 125 yards in their Illini Prairie Conference opener. SJO will likely face a much more physical group as they look for win number 2 this season. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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The Spartans, who put up 278 all-purposes yards on St. Thomas More on their way to a 36-8 win, will have their strength and conditioning tested, both in the trenches and in the secondary with the Eagles.

Rantoul Township amassed 213 yards, a healthy number, against by some accounts a postseason ready Prairie Central squad.

Up front on defense, Jaden Miller led the Spartans with nine tackles, one for a loss, against the Sabers. Brayden Weaver and Sam Wesley had nine tackles apiece to assist in holding the St. Thomas More total offense to less than 120 yards.

No doubt the trio will have their work cut out for themselves. Their leadership on the field and on the sidelines with the less experienced players could be a pivotal factor in the outcome.

The Eagles' primary receivers who include Colin Wilkerson, Bryant Shaw and Terhune, combined for six catches for 137 yards against the Hawks. Wilkerson, the number one passing threat, had four catches for 68 yards. Terhune caught two passes, one for a touchdown, and finished the opener with 25 yard. The receiving corps was good for 140 yards.

Utilizing their passing game sparingly last week, in comparison St. Joseph-Ogden passed for just 29 yards.

"Our assessment is we have to be better," said SJO head coach Shawn Skinner after their home game against STM. "The offensive line has to block better. Receivers have to run better routes."

He added: "Crayton (Burnett) is a good quarterback and we have to utilize him."

Burnett knows there are some details he needs to work on to put the ball in the hands of his receivers.

"Me personally I need to make better decision with the passing game," he said. "Once that happens everything will be fine. I'm going to work hard and work had on my reads."

Weaver isn't letting Burnett or the offensive line shoulder all of the blame for their passing game against the Sabers. In his mind it is a team effort to bring the passing game up to its potential, especially when you have a quarterback of Burnett's caliber calling for the snap.

"Obviously, we can clean up some things on the passing game but that's on the backs, too. That's on everybody," he said in his postgame interview. "That's not on the line. You can't really blame them for anything. They did a great job responding to everything that came their way."

In their previous five meetings, the Spartans have outscored the Eagles, 176-52. As members of both the Okaw Valley Conference and now the Illini Prairie, Rantoul has never posted more than 20 points against a St. Joseph-Ogden football squad.

SJO has averaged 35.2 points per game against RTHS.

Game time is slated for 7 p.m. at Rantoul Township High School.

Seven Spartans make all-conference football list

Seven St. Joseph-Ogden football players garnered special recognition from the Illini Prairie conference football coaches this fall. The group, five Spartan seniors and two juniors, received well-deserved all-conference notoriety for their performance during the 2019 season.

Blake Dable (right) blocks a Williamsville lineman during SJO's first-round Class 3A playoff game back on November 2. Dable, a senior, was named all-Illini Prairie offensive lineman for his efforts this fall. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

    .:: Buy this photo ::.

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Seniors Brayden Weaver (Linebacker), Payton Cain (Defensive Back) and Blake Dable (Offensive Line) each received first-team accolades.

Attempting to become a three-sport athlete in his final year as a Spartan, Drew Coursey, who never played a down of varsity football until last August, received second-team recognition at the linebacker position.

Three players received Honorable Mentions. Crayton Burnett, who also started at quarterback, received noticed for his kick ability at punter with an HM. Senior Jaden Miller was given a nod as a defensive lineman while Brady Buss, who will be back next fall, earned a salute at the wide receiver position.

The Spartans finished the 2019 season with a record of five wins and five loses. Earning a second consecutive Class 3A playoff bid, SJO dropped their first-round postseason game to the Williamsville Bullets, who rolled through the bracket to take home this year's championship trophy.

SJO to host 2nd Annual Christie Clinic Shootout

Varsity and junior varsity boys basketball teams from small and large school programs from around the state are lined up to play in this year's Second Annual Christie Clinic Shootout on Saturday.

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St. Joseph-Ogden's Jaden Miller tries to prevent a pass by Cissna Park senior Conner Lober during second half action of the SJO-Toyota of Danville Classic championship game on December 21. The Spartans and the Timberwolves, who won this year's title, will be back in action against different opponents at SJO for the 2019 Christie Clinic Shootout on Saturday. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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The event is sponsored by Christie Clinic from Champaign along with Eastbay, an athletic apparel retailer, and Toyota of Danville.

Game action starts at noon with varsity contests held in the main gymnasium at St. Joseph-Ogden High School and JV games played at the Middle School on the southeast side of town.

Twelve teams, including #6 Danville in Class 4A, top-ranked Oswego East, the Galesburg Silver Streaks and the Maroons from Champaign Central, will battle for bragging rights on the first weekend in 2019.

The small school programs taking part in the event include #1 Associated Press ranked Cissna Park. The Timberwolves, who won the SJO Toyota of Danville Classic title less than two weeks ago, will be back in action at St. Joseph-Ogden for a second time this season facing the rising 2A talent from Monticello, one of two teams representing the Illini Prairie Conference.

The host Spartans will take the floor against Pleasant Plains in the nightcap starting at approximately 7:30p.

After each game a Player-of-the-Game recognized with a trophy presentation after each of the six varsity games. The award is sponsored by the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.

Fans, family and friends can follow the Shootout on Twitter @sjosports and use the tag #sjoshootout to share photos and comments from the event.

Admission is $5. Wristbands will be good for the entire day at both both locations. Season passes will not be honored for this event. Concession will be available in the school cafeteria for spectators.

Can't make it to the game? All six games will be broadcasted on WPXN 104.9 FM. The contest between Danville and Galesburg will also be available on the air through WGIL 97.7 and 1400 AM in Galesburg.

2019 Christie Clinic Shootout Schedule

12:00 PM - WATSEKA vs. MT. PULASKI
1:30 PM - DECATUR MACARTHUR vs. DANVILLE
3:00 PM - MONTICELLO vs. CISSNA PARK
4:30 PM - ALTHOFF CATHOLIC vs. CHAMPAIGN CENTRAL
6:00 PM - OSWEGO EAST vs. NORMAL COMMUNITY
7:30 PM - PLEASANT PLAINS vs. ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN

Maps to the tournament locations, game results along with team rosters and photos can be found on the official Christie Clinic Shootout site at http://www.sjo.k12.il.us/news/2019-christie-clinic-shootout.

Big Picture: McCarty strikes out 12, Spartans hammer Panthers in home game

Back on April 12 in 2019, the Spartans rolled to overwhelming 9-1 victory over visiting Paxton-Buckley-Loda in a non-conference meet up in the 'Joe'. The St. Joseph-Ogden baseball team collected six hits with juniors Drew Coursey and Jaden Miller pounding a couple RBIs apiece.

Despite giving up a fifth-inning home run by Keyn Humes, SJO hurler Keegan McCarty picked up the win striking out 12 batters in five innings.

Adam Frerichs, Sam Wesley, Kaden Jacobs, Nick Boggs also recorded hits against PBL.

Here are the editor's top picks from the 170 action photos from the game.

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