Ackerman, Ploense and Wells advance out Catlin sectional to state

Three local athletes earned trips to the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Finals during sectional competition Wednesday night in Catlin. Oakwood’s Taylor Wells qualified in two events, while Armstrong’s Ashlyn Ackerman and Heritage’s Bre Ploense also advanced.

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CATLIN - Three area athletes extended their seasons Wednesday night at the IHSA Class 1A Catlin Sectional, earning trips to the IHSA Girls Track & Field State Finals scheduled for Thursday in Charleston.

Armstrong senior Ashlyn Ackerman advanced in the high jump, while Heritage junior Bre Ploense and Oakwood sophomore Taylor Wells each qualified in running events during competition hosted by Salt Fork.

Oakwood finished tied for 10th place in the team standings with Armstrong and Georgetown-Ridge Farm-Chrisman at 24 points. Heritage placed 13th with 18 points.

Bismarck-Henning captured the sectional championship with 118 points. Paxton-Buckley-Loda finished second at 72 points, while Clifton Central took third with 71.

Ackerman secured her return to state competition in the high jump, continuing her senior campaign for Armstrong.

Ploense punched her ticket to Charleston after placing third in the 200-meter dash with a qualifying time of 26.83 seconds. The Heritage sprinter will look to advance into next Saturday’s championship finals.

Wells qualified for state in two events for Oakwood. She earned an automatic berth in the 800-meter run after finishing second in 2 minutes, 24.38 seconds. Wells later added another state qualification by taking third in the 1,600-meter run to secure a second appearance in Thursday’s preliminary races.

The IHSA Girls Track & Field State Finals begin Thursday at Eastern Illinois University.

Here is a list of area athletes and their results, competing at the Catlin Sectional.

100M Dash
4. Bre Ploense, Heritage - 13.13
8. Leanne Snow, Oakwood - 13.46
14. Evie Johnson, Oakwood - 13.94
21. Laurilei Pierce, Salt Fork - 14.72
22. Willa Tatman, Heritage - 14.89

200M Dash
2. Brycie Hird, Salt Fork - 26.47
3. Bre Ploense, Heritage - 26.83
15. Leanne Snow, Oakwood - 28.95

21. Sloan Hoyt, Oakwood - 30.89
25. Aleyah Carley, Armstrong - 33.61

400M Run
11. Olivia Cravens, Oakwood - 1:08.46
14. Cala Reifsteck, Armstrong - 1:09.62
24. Willa Tatman, Heritage - 1:14.93
26. Kimber Sands, Heritage - 1:17.95

800M Run
2. Taylor Wells, Oakwood - 2:24.38
13. Emily Lancaster, Oakwood - 2:50.75
17. Aubrey Self, Armstrong - 2:58.80
19. Kimber Sands, Heritage - 3:17.87
24. Miley Pierce, Salt Fork - 3:50.37

1600M Run
3. Taylor Wells, Oakwood - 5:27.75
9. Amber Betzwiser, Oakwood - 6:24.40
11. ra Jones, Heritage - 6:33.08
12. Addyson Tholl, Armstrong - 6:33.33
13. Kayla Wernigk, Armstrong - 6:34.87

3200M Run
4. Addyson Tholl, Armstrong - 13:37.11
6. Emily Lancaster, Oakwood - 13:41.04
7. Amber Betzwiser, Oakwood - 13:42.85
8. Kayla Wernigk, Armstrong - 13:55.21
10. Kira Jones, Heritage - 14:55.15

100M Hurdles
16. Aleyah Carley, Armstrong - 20.63

300M Hurdles
14. Aleyah Carley, Armstrong - 1:03.14

4x100 RELAY
8. Oakwood - 57.71
(Evie Johnson, Kenzie Marcotte, Sloan Hoyt, Leanne Snow)

4x200 RELAY
6. Oakwood - 2:01.04
(Evie Johnson, Kenzie Marcotte, Sloan Hoyt, Leanne Snow)

4x400 RELAY
10. Armstrong - 5:33.70
(Aubrey Self, Kayla Wernigk, Cala Reifsteck, Addyson Tholl)

4x800 RELAY
4. Armstrong - 11:32.85
(Aubrey Self, Kayla Wernigk, Cala Reifsteck, Addyson Tholl)

5. Heritage - 12:33.95
(Kimber Sands, Kiara Jones, Willa Tatman, Reaghan Stierwalt)

SHOT PUT
6. Kalyn Miller, Heritage - 10.24
18. Mady Nicoson, Oakwood - 8.48
19. Emma Koontz, Oakwood - 8.42
20. Adisyn McCarty, Armstrong - 8.28
24. Erika Bonilla, Heritage - 6.89

DISCUS
6. Adisyn McCarty, Armstrong - 29.71
8. Aleyah Carley, Armstrong - 29.31
11. Mady Nicoson, Oakwood - 26.76
17. Kalyn Miller, Heritage - 24.21
27. Erika Bonilla, Heritage - 20.40

HIGH JUMP
3. Ashlyn Ackerman, Armstrong - 1.52
7. Chesney Franzen, Armstrong - 1.37
10. Sloan Hoyt, Oakwood - J 1.37
11. Kenzie Marcotte, Oakwood - 1.32

LONG JUMP
14. Chesney Franzen, Armstrong - 4.05
14. Willa Tatman, Heritage - 4.05

TRIPLE JUMP
7. Chesney Franzen, Armstrong - 9.17

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TAGS: IHSA Class 1A Catlin Sectional results, area athletes qualify for state track, Oakwood Taylor Wells state finals, Heritage Bre Ploense track results, Armstrong Ashlyn Ackerman high jump

Sentinel area basketball scores for December 20

PHOTO: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Kenzie Atwood and Hayden Dahl fight for rebound under the basket with LeRoy's Sadee Owens. The Spartans defeated the Panthers (8-4) on Friday, December 19, by 19 points, 59-40. The Spartans are back in action at home on Monday, hosting Watseka (10-1). Beating Rantoul back on December 3, SJO will be the Warriors' second Illini Prairie foe this season.

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Here are scores and recaps for our area prep basketball teams from Saturday, December 20.

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Girls Basketball

Heritage girls win two at Walsh tournament

BEMENT -The Heritage Hawks won two games on Saturday, improving to a 12-3 record after beating Arthur-Okaw Christian and Unity Christian at the annual Mike Walsh Memorial Tournament

The Hawks jumped out to a 10-point first quarter lead against the Conquering Riders and never looked back, winning 52-43. Avery Herschberger drained 25 points for AOC in the loss.

Heritage picked up their second win after knocking off Unity Christian 48-43 in tournament play. The Hawks face Windsor-Stewardson-Straburg (5-4) on Monday at 7:30 p.m.

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Eagles outlast Conquering Riders in tournament play

BEMENT - Rantoul held off a fourth-quarter rally from Arthur-Okaw Christian (7-5) for another win on Saturday, beating the Conquering Riders, 53-51. Josie Roseman and Erykah Baltimore led the Eagles with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Jayden Rosenberger went 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Enjoying a three-game win streak, he Eagles improved to 8-9 on the season.

Brileight Mast grabbed eight team-high rebounds for AOC, finishing with six points. Sophomore Avery Herschberger led all scorers with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists. Elsie Beever scored 12 points to keep the game with in reach at the Mike Walsh Memorial Tournament in Bement.

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Rantoul 56, Unity Christian 51

BEMENT - The Rantoul girls basketball team defeated Unity Christian 56-51 in tournament play on Saturday thanks behind 23 points from senior Josie Roseman. Erykah Baltimore, who shot 67% from the free throw line, finished with 14 points. Laniece Johnson chipped in 11 points against the Lions.

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Girls' Area Scoreboard

Mt. Zion 57, Unity 25
St. Joseph-Ogden 68, Charleston 37
Rantoul 56, Unity Christian 51
Rantoul, 53, Arthur-Okaw Christian 51
Paxton-Buckley-Loda 42, St. Thomas More 23
Watseka 56, Centennial 19
Heritage 52, Arthur-Okaw Christian 43
Heritage 48, Unity Christian 43

Boys Basketball

Boys' Area Scoreboard

Urbana 51, Romeoville 42
Oakwood 55, Watseka 54

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More basketball stories

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TAGS: SJO girls basketball beats Charleston, Heritage wins back-to-back tournament games, Rantoul wins at Mike Walsh Memorial Tournament, Oakwood Comets basketball team defeats Watseka Warriors

St. Joseph-Ogden, Bishop McNamara rematch set for Toyota of Danville Classic title showdown

St. Joseph-Ogden and Bishop McNamara each swept their pool play games to reach the Toyota of Danville Classic championship. The full day of basketball begins with the seventh-place game between Cissna Park and Watseka. The night concludes with awards, including tournament MVP recognition.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Oakwood's Xander Wilson tries to dribble around the defensive efforts of St. Joseph-Ogden's Tyler Hess in the final pool play game at the Toyota of Danville Classic basketball tournament at St. Joseph-Ogden High School on Friday. The Spartans defeated the Comets 79-46, improving to 3-0 on the season and securing their spot in today's championship game, a rematch against Kankakee's Bishop McNamara. Wilson and the Comets will play the third-place game agaisnt Paxton-Buckley-Loda. Hess led the Spartan offensive effort with 17 points.

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ST. JOSEPH - Host St. Joseph-Ogden (3-0) and Bishop McNamara won all three of their pool play games, earning the right to meet in this year's Toyota of Danville Classic championship. The Fightin’ Irish, last year’s champions, are 6-0 heading into the title match between the tournament heavyweights.

Seven hours of non-stop basketball action begins at 1 p.m. at St. Joseph-Ogden High School with the seventh-place game between Cissna Park and Watseka. Cissna Park struggled this week, dropping all three pool play games. The Timberwolves look to get back on track against conference foe Watseka, which finished with one win in Pool B behind Payton Schaumburg’s 30-point performance in a one-point victory.

At approximately 2:30 p.m., the only two teams in the annual tournament located south of Illinois Route 150 square off in the fifth-place game. Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond faces Charleston. The Trojans and Knights, both of whom defeated one of the teams playing for seventh place, lost two games in their respective pools.

The third-place game features an Illini Prairie vs. Vermilion Valley matchup between Oakwood and Paxton-Buckley-Loda in a contest that may be decided in the final quarter. PBL earned wins over Charleston and Cissna Park in pool play. Oakwood dropped a one-point heartbreaker to Watseka and fell to the red-hot Spartans by 33 points on Friday night.

The main event between the Spartans and the defending champion Fightin’ Irish will be an early season battle between two teams expected to make deep postseason runs. There is a sense of revenge for SJO, which, after winning three consecutive tournament titles since the pandemic, lost last year's championship to B-Mac in a physical 57-48 showdown.

After the championship game, the tournament director will present runner-up and championship awards and announce the Toyota of Danville Classic All-Tournament Team. A tournament MVP and the free throw percentage champion will also be recognized.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students, covering all four games scheduled today.

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TAGS: Toyota of Danville Classic championship game preview, St. Joseph-Ogden vs Bishop McNamara basketball matchup, Illinois high school holiday basketball tournament schedule, Oakwood and Paxton-Buckley-Loda third place game analysis, Cissna Park vs Watseka placement game breakdown

Schaumburg scores 30 in Watseka comeback, Toyota of Danville Classic recap and more

St. Joseph-Ogden built a 31-point halftime lead and defeated ALAH 66-30 in its season opener.

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Oakley leads Trojans in five point win over Cissna Park

ST. JOSEPH - Tyler Oakley scored 18 points in Charleston’s 56-51 win over Cissna Park in Day 2 action at the Toyota of Danville Classic at St. Joseph-Ogden High School on Wednesday. Teammates Braxton Hanner and Quinn Taylor added nine points each. Russell Applegate contributed six more to give the Trojans their first win of the season and a 1-1 tournament record.

After pouring in a game-high 28 points against Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Tuesday, Cissna Park’s Dierks Neukomm led all scorers again with 25 points. Teammate Seth Walder finished with 21 in a strong display of high school shot-making. Despite another standout effort, the Timberwolves fell to 0-2 in the tournament and 0-3 overall.

Cissna Park returns to action Friday at 5 p.m. against Bishop McNamara (5-0). Charleston moves on to face Paxton-Buckley-Loda in its next pool game tonight at 8 p.m.

Bishop McNamara stays undefeated declawing Panthers

B-Mac’s Richie Darr scored 12 points in the first half and finished with 14 to help keep the Fightin’ Irish unbeaten at 5-0. Holding Paxton-Buckley-Loda to just 12 first-half points — the same number the Panthers scored in the first quarter — Bishop McNamara cruised to a 51-38 win.

Ethan Williams led PBL with 16 points, including 14 in an outstanding second-half effort. Tyler Cole, who had 18 points in the tournament opener against Cissna Park, added eight points and went 2-for-3 from the free-throw line.

Darr’s performance was supported by nine points from Karter Krutsinger and eight from Callaghan O’Connor, tallied over the first three quarters. Bishop McNamara is off Thursday before a long bus ride from Kankakee on Friday to face Cissna Park at 5 p.m.

PBL (1-2) faces Charleston (0-3) tonight at 8 p.m.

Schaumburg goes supernova in fourth quarter

Payton Schaumburg scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of Watseka’s pool game against Oakwood in an unbelievable comeback performance. Down by 11 at the end of the third quarter, Schaumburg single-handedly erased the deficit — and then some — to give the Warriors their first win of the season. Tyler Waugh carried the game the first three quarter with 17 points, while Jack Hutchinson added six points on two first-half 3-pointers, and Austin Morris completed Watseka’s scoring with a third-quarter field goal.

Schaumburg finished with a game-high 30 points, the top performance of the tournament so far.

Oakwood, an impressive 18-for-21 from the free-throw line, trailed by six after the first quarter and fought back to lead by five at halftime. The Comets held the advantage until the fourth quarter, when Schaumburg took over.

Alex Wallace and Carsen Dudley scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Oakwood. Collin Furry added nine, and Jaethan Perez contributed eight, five of which came at the line. Wallace made seven of his eight free throws, while Dudley posted a perfect 5-for-5 night for the Comets.

Oakwood returns to the floor at St. Joseph-Ogden to face Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at 5 p.m. Watseka plays host St. Joseph-Ogden at 6:30.

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TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden's Toyota of Danville Classic, Central Illinois basketball tournament, Kankakee Bishop McNamara, Watseka Warriors amazing comeback win, Toyota of Danville Classic basketball scores

Day 1 in the books, here's a look at the Toyota of Danville Classic winners

St. Joseph-Ogden built a 31-point halftime lead and defeated ALAH 66-30 in its season opener.

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Bishop McNamara 60, Charleston 37

ST. JOSEPH - Bishop McNamara made a strong opening statement at St. Joseph-Ogden's annual Toyota of Danville Classic on Tuesday, defeating the Charleston Trojans 60-37.

Bishop McNamara jumped out to an early lead behind 11 first-half points from senior Karter Krutsinger, who finished with a game-high 15. Krutsinger was supported by teammates Coen Demack (11 points) and Callaghan O’Connor (10 points). The team was efficient from the free-throw line, making seven of eight attempts. The win improved the Fightin’ Irish’s record to 4-0.

Meanwhile, Charleston (0-3) struggled to keep pace, heading into halftime facing a 30-12 deficit. The Trojans hit seven three-pointers in the game but could not generate consistent offense. Tyler Oakley led Charleston with nine points, while Rohen Walters added seven. Eight other Trojans scored in the contest.

The Fightin’ Irish are scheduled to face Paxton-Buckley-Loda in the next round of the post-holiday tournament. Charleston will next face Cissna Park as it searches for its first win of the season.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda 58, Cissna Park 47

A quiet third quarter for Ethan Williams set the stage for a roaring fourth. From that silence erupted a 12-point performance that propelled Paxton-Buckley-Loda to a 58-47 comeback victory over Cissna Park on Tuesday.

The Panthers found themselves staring at a 27-18 halftime deficit. But the game shifted, possession by possession, until the teams stood knotted at 34-all heading into the final quarter. That's when Williams, who finished with a team-high 20 points, took over. His late surge, combined with 18 points from teammate Tyler Cole, secured the win and kept PBL (1-1) in title contention.

Yet, for all of Williams' and Cole's combined effort, neither could outduel the singular performance of Cissna Park's Dierks Neukomm. Neukomm poured in a game-high 28 points, including 11 in the frantic fourth quarter. Other than two free throws from Seth Walder, it was all Neukomm. But in the end, even that remarkable individual effort wasn't enough to hold off the Panthers' collective rally.

St. Joseph-Ogden 66,
Atwood-Hammond-Arthur-Lovington 30

For the ALAH Knights, the trouble began in the first quarter. By halftime, it was a distant memory of a contest.

Nolan Franzen made his varsity debut one to remember, scoring all 21 of his points in the first half to power the St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans to a commanding 66-30 victory over ALAH in the season opener for both teams at the Toyota of Danville Classic on Tuesday. The Spartans built a 31-point lead by intermission, a cushion so substantial that a five-point fourth quarter was merely a footnote in the cruise-control win.

Franzen’s explosive opening act was the catalyst. He was joined by teammates Parker Fitch and Lane McKinney, who notched their first double-digit scoring games of the season with 11 and 10 points, respectively, as the Spartans’ offense fired on all cylinders early.

For the Knights, Easton Frederick paced the effort with eight points, but the team fell to 0-2 with the loss.

Both teams return to action Thursday in the tournament. ALAH will look to rebound against Oakwood in a 5 p.m. tip-off, while the Spartans aim to carry their momentum forward against the Watseka Warriors at 6:30 p.m.

You pick 'em, make your Week 8 Illini Prairie Conference football predictions

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

BLOOMINGTON - St. Joseph-Ogden's Will Franklin tries to fight his way through the Central Catholic offensive line to get to ball carrier Valshun Powe during the first quarter of their conference game last Friday. The Spartans fell 67-28, dropping to 4-3 on the season. SJO looks to rebound this week at Seneca to secure their fifth win for a possible playoff bid.

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Illini Prairie Conference scores

Central Catholic 67, St Joseph-Ogden 28
Illinois Valley Central 28, Rock Falls 0
Monticello 27, Pontiac 6
Prairie Central 40, Rantoul 6
Unity 47, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 0

Week 7 Results

Rank	Name	Record	Notes
1	Alan	5-0	Week 7 winner via tiebreak!!!
2	J	5-0	3-way tie
2	Denise	5-0	3-way tie
2	Denise J	5-0	3-way tie
5	Sara	4-1	2-way tie
5	Brooks Look	4-1	2-way tie

Cumulative Standings (After Week 7)

Rank	Name	Total Record	Wins	Notes
1	Brooks Look	29-6	2	Week 2 & 5 winner
2	Denise	26-9	0
2	Alan	26-9	1	Week 7 winner
4	Sara	22-8	1	Week 3 winner
5	J	21-4	2	Week 1 & 4 winner
6	Lyman	10-5	0
7	Frank	7-3	0
8	Denise J	5-0	0	New participant this week
8	Mike Roy	5-0	1	Week 6 Winner!
10	Keith	3-2	0

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TAGS: Illini Prairie Conference weekly football predictions, Week 8 Unity football predictions, Rantoul football predictions this week, IHSA football predictions in Central Illinois

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Friday Night Forecast |Week 5 Illini Prairie football predictions

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Here are Week 5 predictions from seven IPC football fans for this edition of The Sentinel’s Friday Night Forecast.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Crewe Eckstein celebrates a touchdown against Bloomington Central Catholic earlier this month. You will find the senior in the end zone most of the night in the Rockets' homecoming game against Pontiac tonight.

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URBANA - Each week, we invite Illini Prairie Conference fans to predict the winners from conference matchups. New experts are welcome every week. Here what the team of experts say this week.

Week 5 predictions

Illini Prairie Game of the Week
Central Catholic @ Monticello

Alan: Central Catholic .::. 28-17
Frank: Central Catholic .::. 34-18
J: Monticello .::. 28-20
Sara C: Central Catholic .::. 48-24
Denise: Central Catholic .::. 28-21
Lyman: Monticello .::. 28-27

Brooks Look: Monticello will throw the kitchen sink at the Saints. However, based on the way Central Catholic handled the Unity Rockets in Week 3, I've gotta go with undefeated BCC . Central Catholic 42, Monticello 21

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Prairie Central @ Illinois Valley Central

Alan: Prairie Central .::. 31-14
Frank: Prairie Central .::. 21-14
J: Prairie Central .::. 20-12
Sara C: Illinois Valley Central .::. 28-21
Denise: Prairie Central .::. 27-7
Lyman: Prairie Central .::. 56-0

Brooks Look: It is redemption week for the Hawks coming off a 10-point loss to Paxton-Buckley-Loda. I see the Prairie Central swooping in for a victory on the Grey Ghosts. Prairie Central 28, IVC 14

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Paxton-Buckley-Loda @ Tuscola

Alan: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 27-21
Frank: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 20-18
J: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 22-20
Sara C: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 36-14
Denise: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 28-14
Lyman: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 35-24

Brooks Look: I hate to bet against the Panthers, but Tuscola has home field advantage and a two-game win streak that started with upset on the road at Tri-Valley. Tuscola 28, PBL 24

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St. Joseph-Ogden @ Rantoul

Alan: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 42-7
Frank: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 52-6
J: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 42-12
Sara C: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 50-6
Denise: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 48-0
Lyman: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 63-0

Brooks Look: The Spartan offense will cook tonight. 'Nuff said. SJO 48, Rantoul 12

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Unity vs Pontiac

Alan: Unity .::. 35-13
Frank: Unity .::. 38-12
J: Unity .::. 42-7
Sara C: Unity .::. 48-14
Denise: Unity .::. 36-7
Lyman: Unity .::. 49-0

Brooks Look: Unity defense was firing on all cylinders at Dick Duval Field last week and their offense capitalized on coverage missteps by the Spartans. They will be a juggernaut in the first three quarters. Unity 49, Pontiac 7

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Week 4 Scores

Monticello 39, St. Teresa 20
Paxton-Buckley-Loda 24, Prairie Central 14
Pontiac 28, IVC 7
Central Catholic 51, Rantoul 6
Unity 40, St. Joseph-Ogden 10

Week 4 Results

Rank	Name	Record	Notes
1	J	5-0	Week 4 winner
2	Lyman	4-1	Tie-Break**
3	Brooks Look	4-1
4	Denise	3-2
5	Alan	3-2
6	Sara	2-3

Cumulative Standings (After Week 4)

Rank	Name	Total Record	Wins	Notes
1	Brooks Look	16-4	1	Week 2 winner
2	Denise	14-6	0
3	Alan	13-7	0
4	J	13-2	2	Week 1 & 4 winner
5	Sara	11-4	1	Week 3 winner
6	Lyman	7-3	0
7	Keith	3-2	0

Friday Night Forecast |Week 3 Illini Prairie football predictions

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IPC football fans, grab your popcorn! IPC football fans test their prediction skills in The Sentinel’s weekly Friday Night Forecast.

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URBANA - Are you ready for Week 3 of another round of the Friday Night Forecast? Each week, we invite Illini Prairie Conference fans to predict the winners from conference matchups. We welcome two new soothsayers to the pool this week. Here is who they picked and what Brooks Look says.

Week 3 predictions

Illini Prairie Game of the Week
Prairie Central (1-1) @ St. Teresa (1-1)

Sara: Prairie Central .::. 28-27
Lyman: St. Teresa .::. 14-10
Denise: Prairie Central .::. 21-14
Alan: Prairie Central .::. 27-22
Keith: St. Teresa .::. 33-14
J: St. Teresa .::. 27-14

Brooks Look: Despited their loss, the Bulldogs ran for 184 yards against Illini West and beat Urbana with just 76 total yards. St. Teresa gets the nod only because of hometown advantage in this one.

St. Teresa 28, Prairie Central 14

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Paxton-Buckley-Loda (0-2)
@ Pontiac (0-2)

Sara: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 24-21
Lyman: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 35-0
Denise: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 27-7
Alan: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 28-20
Keith: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 26-0
J: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 34-6

Brooks Look: Panthers' Mason Vaughn, who led his team in rushing against St. Joseph-Ogden, never made it into the end zone. Nonetheless, the senior looked impressive with 77 yards on 19 carries. This week, he rectifies all of that with three scores to give PBL their first victory of the season. Pontiac is young but not a pushover. Fans on both sides will be on the edge of their seats up north.

PBL 28, Pontiac 14

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Central Catholic(2-0) @ Unity (2-0)

Sara: Unity .::. 40-21
Lyman: Unity .::. 21-17
Denise: Unity .::. 42-7
Alan: Unity .::. 36-14
Keith: Unity .::. 27-21
J: Unity .::. 27-7

Brooks Look: Unity's defensive is big and fast and the offense can air it out or pound it on the ground. The Saints don't have a prayer against the Rockets and their complete package.

Unity 42, Central Catholic 14

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Monticello (1-1) @ Rantoul (0-2)

Sara: Monticello .::. 48-6
Lyman: Monticello .::. 35-14
Denise: Monticello .::. 44-0
Alan: Monticello .::. 42-13
Keith: Monticello .::. 35-0
J: Monticello .::. 48-0

Brooks Look: Both team suffered losses in Week 2 and both will take the field with something to prove. Monticello pulls this out in the second half after a brief scare as the Eagles program continues to improve.

Monticello 34, Rantoul 13

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St. Joseph-Ogden (2-0)
@ Illinois Valley Central (0-2)

Sara: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 37-20
Lyman: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 42-0
Denise: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 35-7
Alan: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 35-14
Keith: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 51-6
J: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 41-14

Brooks Look: St. Joseph-Ogden has too much unpredictable firepower with Kodey McKinney in the pocket. The senior signal caller showed polished maturity against PBL. Kaden Wedig and Tim Blackburn-Kelley are dual receiving threats who combined for 172 receiving yards against the Panthers last week.

St.Joseph-Ogden 42, IVC 12

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Next week, yes, the Friday Night Forecast rolls on, and it’s your chance to bring the sunshine—or stir up a little gridiron thunder. Drop back by on Monday to enter your picks for the Week 4 Illini Prairie football.

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Week 2 Scores

Central Catholic 59, IVC 0
Unity 34, Monticello 7
Prairie Central 17, Pontiac 12
St. Joseph-Ogden 35, PBL 12
Mattoon 42, Rantoul 0

Week 2 Results

Rank	Name	Record	Notes
1	Brooks Look	5-0	Week 2 winner
2	Alan	3-2
3	Denise	3-2

Cumulative Standings (After Week 2)

Rank	Name	Total Record	Wins	Notes
1	Brooks Look	9-1	1	Week 2 winner
2	Denise	7-3	0
3	Alan	6-4	0
4	J	5-0	1	Week 1 winner
5	Sara	5-0	0

Previous predictions:

Week 1 Predictions | Week 1 Results
Week 2 Predictions |

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More sports news & photos
St. Joseph-Ogden Athletics | Unity Athletics | Illini Prairie Sports

Teams and schedule set for the 2024 Toyota of Danville Classic

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Coy Taylor tries to force a turnover while playing defense on Oakwood's Brody Taflinger in the 2023 Toyota of Danville Classic championship game. SJO beat the Comets, the number one team from Pool A, 74-42.

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ST. JOSEPH - Months away, the eight-team lineup for this year's Toyota of Danville Basketball Classic was released earlier this week. The annual early season hoops tournament opens at St. Joseph-Ogden High School on December 2, and the championship games will take place five days later on December 7.

New to the tournament this year, Kankakee Bishop McNamara will join Cissna Park, Oakwood, and Paxton-Buckley-Loda in Pool A.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Charleston's Mikey Myers and ALAH's Colin Smith go up for a rebound at last year's pool play. The Trojans defeated the Knights, 59-26.

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Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, Charleston, and Watseka return to Pool B with last year's champions St. Joseph-Ogden. The Spartans defeated Oakwood in the title game in the high school's main gym, 74-42.

Once again, spectators and basketball fans can expect 16 exciting, fast-paced games with the return of the 35-second shot clock.

Admission fees for this year's tournament are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Tickets will be available at the ticket booth at the main entrance before each game.

2024
Toyota of Danville Classic Schedule

Pool A:
Cissna Park
Oakwood
PBL
Kankakee Bishop McNamara

Pool B:
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond
Charleston
St. Joseph-Ogden
Watseka

Monday, 12/2/24:
5:00 PM: Kankakee Bishop McNamara vs. Oakwood
6:30 PM: ALAH vs. St. Joseph-Ogden
8:00 PM: Cissna Park vs. PBL

Tuesday, 12/3/24:
5:00 PM: Charleston vs. ALAH
6:30 PM: Watseka vs. St. Joseph-Ogden
8:00 PM: Oakwood vs. PBL

Wednesday, 12/4/24:
5:00 PM: Watseka vs. Charleston
6:30 PM: PBL vs. Kankakee Bishop McNamara
8:00 PM: Oakwood vs. Cissna Park

Friday, 12/6/24:
5:00 PM: Cissna Park vs. Kankakee Bishop McNamara
6:30 PM: ALAH vs. Watseka
8:00 PM: Charleston vs. St. Joseph-Ogden

Saturday, 12/7/24:
1:00 PM: 7 th Place Game
2:30 PM: 5 th Place Game
4:00 PM: 3 rd Place Game
5:30 PM: 1 st Place Game

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