Friday Night Forecast | Week 3 Illini Prairie Conference football predictions

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Ike Shelato carries the ball past Prairie Central's Collin Kilgus and Spencer Ray during the season opener two weeks ago. Shelato and the undefeated Spartans host Illinois Valley Central on Friday at Dick Duval Field. Prairie Central hosts St. Teresa in a non-conference meeting, hoping to pick up their second win of the season. See this week's Friday Night Forecast below for teams favored to win their Week 3 contests.

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	Coltrane	Best Look Magazine	Frank
Unity vs Central Catholic	Unity 27-21	Unity 35-30	Bloomington Central Catholic 27-14
St. Joseph-Ogden vs Illinois Valley Central	St. Joseph-Ogden 58-14	St. Joseph-Ogden 42-14	St. Joseph-Ogden 52-6
St. Teresa vs Prairie Central	St. Teresa 28-12	St. Teresa 38-14	St. Teresa 42-8
Monticello vs Rantoul	Monticello 28-8	Monticello 35-12	Monticello 35-14
Pontiac vs Paxton-Buckley-Loda	Pontiac 20-14	Pontiac 24-14	Paxton-Buckley-Loda 28-21
Game Notes	Which of the four winless teams has the best chance of picking up a win this Friday? Pontiac. I think Pontiac lost a tough game to FPC so I just have a good feeling.	Which of the four winless teams has the best chance of picking up a win this Friday? Pontiac. Their matchup this week is more closely matched than the other three matchups.	BCC, SJO, Monticello: Who will get their third win this week? SJO. Their offense will be too much for IVC to stop.

	Bement Bulldogs	avwoody	doublej
Unity vs Central Catholic	Bloomington Central Catholic 35-21	Bloomington Central Catholic 35-16	Unity 28-21
St. Joseph-Ogden vs Illinois Valley Central	St. Joseph-Ogden 44-13	St. Joseph-Ogden 41-7	St. Joseph-Ogden 41-6
St. Teresa vs Prairie Central	Prairie Central 20-12	St. Teresa 21-20	St. Teresa 21-14
Monticello vs Rantoul	Monticello 48-6	Monticello 41-0	Monticello 42-0
Pontiac vs Paxton-Buckley-Loda	Pontiac 28-12	Pontiac 21-20	Paxton-Buckley-Loda 18-12
Game Notes	BCC, SJO, Monticello: Who will get their third win this week? All 3 will pick up their 3rd win. Monticello and SJO for sure, BCC tougher test but at home.	BCC, SJO, Monticello: Who will get their third win this week? Monticello because they have much better talent and coaching than Rantoul.	Which of the four winless teams has the best chance of picking up a win this Friday? PBL wins this week. They're too good to not get a W soon. SJO wins easily this week..... running clock.

	Sagesrunner	The Sentinel
Unity vs Central Catholic	Bloomington Central Catholic 40-20	Unity 28-21
St. Joseph-Ogden vs Illinois Valley Central	St. Joseph-Ogden 51-8	St. Joseph-Ogden 56-12
St. Teresa vs Prairie Central	Prairie Central 21-14	Prairie Central 28-23
Monticello vs Rantoul	Monticello 32-8	Monticello 42-14
Pontiac vs Paxton-Buckley-Loda	Paxton-Buckley-Loda 21-14	Pontiac 21-14
Game Notes	Which of the four winless teams has the best chance of picking up a win this Friday? PBL - 1st Win.	BCC, SJO, Monticello: Who will get their third win this week? Expect Monticello and SJO to win big. BCC has home field advantage, definitely a factor, but Unity still comes out on top.

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Friday Night Forecast Leaderboard

1. Sentinel   9-1
1. Frank   9-1
1. DoubleJ   9-1
4. Coltrane   8-2
4. Best Look Magazine   8-2
4. SCOTTY P   8-2
7. Sagesrunner   5-0
7. Bement Bulldogs   5-0
7. Steve   5-0

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Week 1 Predictions • Week 2 Predictions • Week 3 Predictions

Varsity Snapshot | Unity's Keegan Germano

Unity senior Keegan Germano has established himself as a versatile defensive weapon, combining speed, agility and physicality at strong safety and outside linebacker.

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TOLONO - Unity senior Keegan Germano has built a reputation as one of the Rockets’ most reliable defenders, combining speed, agility and physicality in a versatile role at strong safety and outside linebacker.

The 5-foot-10, 202-pound Germano led Unity’s defense last week with five solo tackles. After two games of his senior season, he is averaging a sack per game after recording five sacks as a junior.

Germano enters Friday’s matchup with Bloomington Central Catholic having already made 157 tackles during his Unity career, including 139 during last season’s 14-game run that ended with the Rockets playing Byron in the Class 3A state championship game.

Despite Unity’s 27-24 loss to Monticello last week, Rockets fans can expect Germano to remain an integral part of the defense as Unity looks to make another run this fall.

The photos captured from Unity's home game against the Sages, showcase the senior's speed and intensity that he brings to the Rockets’ defense.

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Keegan Germano Photo Gallery

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Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

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TAGGED: Keegan Germano Unity football, Unity Rockets defense, Unity football photos, Keegan Germano football, Unity senior linebacker

Varsity Snapshot | Unity's Carter Schmid

Unity junior quarterback Carter Schmid has quickly established himself as a versatile weapon for the Rockets, combining a strong passing performance with an effective rushing attack through the team's first two games.

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TOLONO - For Unity junior quarterback Carter Schmid, the Rockets’ offense has quickly become a showcase for his versatility. In his second varsity start as the Rockets' signal caller, he follows a long line of outstanding quarterbacks to wear the "U".

Schmid accounted for 210 yards in Unity’s latest game against visiting Monticello, completing 17 of 25 passes for 171 yards and a long completion of 46 yards while adding 39 yards on 12 rushing attempts. Through two games, Schmid has rushed for 66 yards and passed for 297 yards, accounting for three touchdowns for the 1-1 Rockets.

Despite the loss to the 27-23 loss to the Sages, his numbers tell only part of the story. The photos in the slideshow below captures the junior quarterback in action as he helps lead Unity’s offense this season.

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Carter Schmid Photo Gallery

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Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

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TAGGED: Carter Schmid Unity football, Unity Rockets quarterback, Unity high school football, Carter Schmid football photos, Illini Prairie Conference football

Sentinel area volleyball scores for August 31

Area volleyball scores

Champaign Centennial 2, Peoria 0
25-17, 26-24

Other scores from around the state

Bloomington Central Catholic 2, Heyworh 0
25-17, 25-15

Kiley Twist piled up 14 aces across two games in the Lady Saints' home match on Monday. Senior Kampbell Niepagen tallied ten of the team's 23 kills in the non-conference victory. Kendall Fair dished out 19 assists.

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Cissna Park 2, McNamara 0

Islamic Foundation 2, Garcia 0
25-12, 25-18

Quincy Notre Dame 2, Jacksonville 0
25-19, 25-18

Sacred Heart-Griffin 2, New Berlin 0
25-16, 25-22

Lake Forest 2, St. Viator 1
13-25, 25-9, 25-23

Rochester 2, Williamsville 0
25-19, 27-25

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Photo Gallery | Unity falls to Monticello in Friday night thriller

The Unity Rockets came up just short against Monticello, falling 27-23 in a game that featured two strong passing performances.

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TOLONO -It had all the trappings of a playoff game — packed stands, fireworks and two teams playing their hearts out to the last down on a warm but pleasant Friday evening at Hicks Field. It’s been a minute since the Rockets have dropped a regular-season game to the visiting Sages from Monticello. In fact, the last time Unity dropped a league game to Monticello was in 2018, the year its opponents ran the table, finishing with a perfect 14-0 record and the Class 3A state title.

The outcome was in the balance until the last down. When the final horn sounded, Unity fell 27-23. Carter Schmid completed 18 of 26 passes for 193 yards for the Rockets. His Monticello counterpart, Colton Shubert, went 17-for-27, tossing for 260 yards and one interception.

Next, Monticello (2-0) faces Rantoul (0-2) at home Friday, looking to continue its undefeated season. Unity (1-1) travels to Bloomington to square off with Central Catholic (2-0) in its three-game gauntlet against the top three teams in the Illini Prairie Conference.

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Unity vs Monticello Photo Gallery

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TAGS: Unity Rockets football, Monticello linebacker Mason Vance, Junior Monticello running back Daniel Moore, Monticello lineman Branden Bartlow, Rockets' wide receiver Beckham Brink, Carter Schmid throws passes for Unity Rockets, Illini Prairie rivalry, Michael Hardin leading rusher for the Unity Rockets, Unity football photo gallery vs Monticello

Heyworth improves to 2-0 after 58-6 rout of Clinton

Heyworth dominated Clinton from start to finish Friday night, earning a 58-6 victory and improving to 2-0 on the season. The Hornets' offense, defense and depth proved too much for the visiting Maroons in the dominant home win.

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Photo: Alan Look Photography/Alan Look

Heyworth's Lucas Bartels looks for open yardage behind a blocker in the Hornets' Week 2 game against the Clinton Maroons.

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by Alan Look
Best Look Magazine

HEYWORTH - Friday night under the lights in Heyworth was a relentless statement performance from start to finish. The Heyworth Hornets put on an absolute clinic on their home field, delivering a 58-6 powerhouse victory over the visiting Clinton Maroons.

Just a week earlier, the Hornets, last year's Heart of Illinois Conference Small School Division champions, rolled past Shelbyville 27-6 in their season opener.

From the opening whistle, Heyworth controlled every phase of the game. The offense moved the ball almost at will, stacking up unanswered touchdowns and pulling away early, which brought the IHSA running clock into play for the second half.

On the defensive side, the Hornets were overwhelming, forcing turnovers and shutting down Clinton's drive momentum snap after snap. To their credit, the Maroons kept fighting to put points on the board late, but the night belonged entirely to Heyworth, whose depth, execution and explosive energy set a high bar for the rest of the season.

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Photo: Alan Look Photography/Alan Look

Braydon Laesch gets past Cole Thomas. See more photos from the Heyworth - Clinton football gallery here.

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Photo: Alan Look Photography/Alan Look

Jaleel Eads assists in stopping Marshawn Fitch.

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Photo: Alan Look Photography/Alan Look

Caleb Troha stands in the backfield looking for a receiver. See more photos from the Heyworth - Clinton football gallery here.

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With the victory, Heyworth, which finished last season 8-3, improves to 2-0 on the young season, while Clinton falls to 0-2 as it searches for answers moving forward. It was the kind of dominant home win that energizes an entire community and sends a loud message across Central Illinois.

The Hornets look to continue their momentum next Friday, hosting Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley. Meanwhile, Clinton will use the week to prepare for a home matchup against the Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals, who enter the game 1-1.

Alan Look is a Central Illinois photographer with more than two and a half decades of experience documenting sports, agriculture, automotive subjects, editorial assignments, and commercial projects across the Midwest. His work blends high‑impact action photography with long‑form documentary coverage, creating a visual record of regional sports history, rural life, and the people and industries that define Central Illinois.

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TAGGED: Heyworth football 58-6 Clinton victory, Heyworth Hornets football 2026 season, Clinton Maroons high school football, Heart of Illinois Conference Small School football, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley vs Heyworth football

Area football scores for August 28

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

TOLONO - Monticello's Clay Blickenstaff and Mason Vance celebrate their team's 27-23 road win against Unity. The Sages, along with St. Joseph-Ogden and Bloomington Central Catholic, are the only three undefeated teams in the Illini Prairie Conference at 2-0.

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Illini Prairie Conference Scores

Monticello 27, Unity 23
Mattoon 32, Rantoul 12
Central Catholic 41, Illinois Valley Central 6
Prairie Central 20, Pontiac 16
St. Joseph-Ogden 52, Prairie Central 14

Other area scores

Champaign Central vs Normal West ~ not reported
Champaign Centennial vs Danville ~ not reported
Bloomington 46, Urbana 0
Clifton Central 44, Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin 21
Oakwood 55, Momence 0
Iroquois West 33, Hoopeston Area 7
Westville 28, Salt Fork 14
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 21, Ridgeview 15
Tri-Valley 35, LeRoy 0
Villa Grove 27, Cumberland 15
Tuscola 32, Shelbyville 20

Scores from around the state

Williamsville 45, Auburn 22
St. Teresa 41, Reed-Custer 14
McNamara 41, Herscher 0
Wilmington 48, Morrison 0
Lincoln-Way Central 28, Barrington 14
Breese Mater Dei 20, Casey-Westfield 15
DuQouin 49, Harrisburg 28
Carterville 45, Nashville 14
Bradley-Bourbonnais 13, Thornwood 12
Lincoln-Way West 35, Peoria 0
Providence Catholic 39, Kenwood 24
Camp Point Central 15, Greenfield 13
Geneseo 26, Rochelle 21
Illini West 38, Monmouth United 24
Quincy Notre Dame 28, Carbondale 22
New Trier 35, Waubonsie Valley 0

Look back at Week 1 football scores

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Player of the Game | Wedig turns six catches into 3 TDs

Kaden Wedig gives SJO a dangerous downfield threat. The Player of the Game hauled in six passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns in the Spartans' opener against Prairie Central.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Prairie Central defensive back Tatum Creek shoves St. Joseph-Ogden's Kaden Wedig out of bounds after his catch near the SJO sidelines. Creek's effort saved another possible TD for the Spartans in their 64-20 conference win.

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ST. JOSEPH - If quarterback Lane McKinney can get the ball within a three-foot target around senior Kaden Wedig, the play has darn good odds of turning into a touchdown. Whether that statistical trend continues tonight with SJO's road game at Paxton-Buckley-Loda remains to be seen.

In last Friday's home game against Prairie Central, Wedig caught just six passes, three for touchdowns. The senior wide receiver scored on plays of 45 and 15 yards in the first half and tacked on a third TD on a 31-yard catch. The six catches added up to 135 yards, leading the Spartans in all-purpose yards.

Officially a wide receiver on the roster, Wedig should be listed as a downfield tailback. Twice after making catches while surrounded by as many as four Prairie Central defenders, he broke tackles and charged into the Spartan end zone. Odds are, if the quarterback can get the ball to him, there is a 50-50 chance of him scoring on the play. SJO has got to love those odds with our Offensive Player of the Game this week.

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TAGGED: Kaden Wedig SJO Offensive Player of the Game, St. Joseph-Ogden football Kaden Wedig, SJO football Prairie Central victory, Lane McKinney Kaden Wedig connection, Kaden Wedig three touchdown performance

Notebook | SJO golf second at quad meet, Hoeing scores first goal for Unity

Quick notes and scores from area high school volleyball, golf, and soccer matches.

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Volleyball

Prairie Central's Miranda Hari collected ten kills in the Hawks 2-0 win over Herscher on Thursday. Mia Elliot had two blocks and eight service points. Cadyn Pride added seven service points of her own in the 25-13, 25-22 non-conference win.

Other volleyball scores ~

St. Joseph-Ogden 2, Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin 0
25-15, 25-22

Cerro Gordo 2, Urbana University 0
25-16, 25-19

Westville 2, Kansas 0
25-20, 25-14

Paxton-Buckley-Loda 2, Urbana 0
25-19, 25-22

Armstrong 2, Rantoul 1
25-10, 25-15, 25-12

Heyworth 2, Oakwood 0
25-14, 25-18

Soccer

Joel Hoeing scored an unassisted goal in Unity's non-conference game against Olympia. The junior's effort wasn't enough to hold off the Spartans in the 5-1 loss. Dropping to 0-3, the Rockets take the pitch at home on September 1 against Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond.

Other soccer scores ~

St. Thomas Moore 4, Effingham 1

Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin 9, Schlarman 0

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 3, Robinson 2

Monticello 10, MacArthur 3

Hoopeston Area 9, Gerogetown-Ridge Farm 1

Oakwood 7, Watseka 0

Teutopolis 2, St. Thomas More 0

Golf

The St. Joseph-Ogden golf team finished second in a quad meet with Hoopeston Area, Armstrong-Potomac, and Fisher at Willow Pond Golf Course in Rantoul. Garrett Loschen led the Spartans, shooting a 42, and Finn Miller finished with 43 strokes. The Cornjerkers took the title behind Eizen Pyle's match-best 37 and Felix Cantu's 39.

Player of the Game | Jameson Ennis powers St. Joseph-Ogden defense with 10-tackle performance

Jameson Ennis led a dominant St. Joseph-Ogden defensive effort with 10 tackles, including three tackles for loss and a nine-yard sack, in the Spartans' 64-20 victory over Prairie Central. The senior linebacker also brought relentless energy and emotion to SJO's season-opening win.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Jameson Ennis (left) celebrate as he leaves the field with teammate Ike Shelato after pair and the rest of the SJO defense force a turnover on downs in their home game against Prairie Central.

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ST. JOSEPH — Jameson Ennis picked up right where he left off last season, delivering a dominant defensive performance in St. Joseph-Ogden’s season debut.

The senior linebacker led the Spartans to a stunning 64-20 victory in their home opener against Prairie Central last Friday, finishing with 10 tackles, one shy of his single-game career best of 11.

Ennis was particularly effective attacking the line of scrimmage. He recorded a career-best eight solo tackles, with three resulting in losses, and added a nine-yard sack.

The performance continued the momentum Ennis built during the 2025-26 season, when he finished with 63 tackles and 13 sacks.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Ennis makes contact with Prairie Central's Ben Barbosa during second-half action of their conference opener.

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Against Prairie Central, Ennis was explosive and tenacious on virtually every play. His effort was so relentless that he briefly had to leave the field to relieve the contents of his stomach. After rehydrating, he returned to the field minutes later and continued fighting through the Prairie Central trenches, making tackles and creating chaos for the visiting Hawks at Dick Duval Field.

When St. Joseph-Ogden needed a big play, Ennis consistently answered the call. His energy also extended beyond his own statistics, as he celebrated enthusiastically after defensive stops whether he or one of his teammates made the play.

Ennis’ combination of production, physicality and energy made him a driving force behind the Spartans’ impressive start to the season and earned him Defensive Player of the Game recognition.

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TAGGED: Jameson Ennis SJO Player of the Game, St. Joseph-Ogden Prairie Central football, SJO football season opener, Jameson Ennis defensive performance, St. Joseph-Ogden football 64-20 victory