Trippin' Tuesdays |
Stone cold Ciota

Orion Ciota celebrates his win over Colton Reed
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden's Orion Ciota celebrates his upset win over Unity's Colton Reed during their match on January 29, 2014. Ciota, who defeated the heavily-favored Reed by pin, helped the Spartans win the senior night match, 62-12. Here are seven more photos from SJO's match against the Rockets.

All photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


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Photo of the Day |
Championship face off

Brian Rossi and Miguel Silva wrestle for a state title
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

CHAMPAIGN - Lockport senior Brian Rossi (right) shoots in on Plainfield South's Miguel Silva during their 2014 title match at the IHSA Boys Individual Wrestling State Finals on Saturday, February 22, 2014. Rossi went on to win the 113-pound match, shutting out Sliva, 7-0. Rossi, the Porters' record holder in for the most-career wins (159), was a 3x finalist and 4x all-conference award winner before continuing his wrestling career at the collegiate level at Stanford.


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TAGS: Sentinel Photo of the Day, IHSA wrestling,
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FCS Championship thriller highlights new era of sideline analytics

Illinois State’s performance in the 2025 FCS National Championship highlighted the growing role of in-game video replay. Coaches used sideline iPads to review plays in real time and make immediate adjustments.


by Tunch Akkaya
CEO & Founder of GameStrat


Photo courtesy GameStrat

Top programs are constantly searching for ways to shorten the feedback loop between mistakes and corrections. In-game video does exactly that.


In today’s college football landscape, the smallest details often separate a win from a loss. For top programs competing deep into the postseason, preparation no longer stops when kickoff begins. It continues, play by play, on the sideline.

That reality was on full display during the 2025 FCS National Championship, where the Illinois State Redbirds and the Montana State Bobcats showcased how in-game video replay has become a competitive advantage for the sport’s top programs.

Seeing the game differently

On modern sidelines, coaches can now review every play almost instantly on iPads after the whistle. Instead of relying solely on memory, quick conversations with players, or what they were expecting from film study, staff can watch all the plays back, instantly after they happen, and make necessary adjustments before the next play/drive. This gives coaches the ability to:
  • identify breakdowns in assignments or technique,
  • confirm coverage or protection mistakes,
  • and show players clear visual examples of what needs to be corrected.

For athletes, seeing themselves on video in real time helps turn abstract coaching points into immediate, practical adjustments. For coaches, it provides confirmation of what’s going on, so they can use that to make more informed decisions.

A new tool for the college game

Photo courtesy GameStrat

Illinois State using GameStrat on the sidelines to make adjustments during the 2026 FCSNational Championship.


While sideline replay systems have been widely used in high school football for more than a decade, the technology only became formally available for college football programs in 2024.

The impact of this technology was made evident in Illinois State’s performance in the 2025 FCS National Championship. Montana State led 21–7 at halftime and extended the advantage to 28–14 in the third quarter, but the Redbirds used in-game video review to identify breakdowns and make immediate adjustments.

Illinois State responded with a strong second-half surge, tightening execution and cleaning up mistakes that had hurt them earlier in the game. The Redbirds fought all the way back to tie the game at the end of regulation, forcing overtime in what became one of the most competitive championship games in recent FCS history.

Ultimately, Illinois State fell just short in a thrilling overtime finish, losing 35–34 to Montana State. But the comeback itself highlighted how modern sideline technology supports faster learning, sharper adjustments, and better decision-making under pressure.

Resilience that defined an entire postseason

The championship performance was consistent with how Illinois State reached the title game in the first place.

The Redbirds became the only team in FCS history to win four straight road games during a single postseason on the way to the national championship. Their playoff run included a landmark victory over the North Dakota State Bison, the tournament’s No. 1 seed and one of the most successful programs in the history of the subdivision – winners of 10 of the past 14 FCS national titles, including the previous season.

That stretch of road showcased a team capable of adapting quickly to hostile environments, different situations, and the ability to make precise in-game adjustments in the biggest moments. Real-time video feedback, coupled with a great coaching staff that knows how to adjust, is a big reason for the Redbirds success in 2025.

Why top programs are embracing in-game video

College football has always been built on preparation, film study, and detailed game planning. What has changed is when that film becomes available. Instead of waiting until halftime or the next day’s review session, coaches and players can now learn directly from the previous drive. For high-level teams, that speed matters.

As the college game continues to evolve, in-game video is quickly becoming a standard part of how elite programs think, teach, and adjust in real time. For Illinois State, the 2026 championship offered a clear example of how today’s sidelines are shaping today’s gam,e where seeing and adjusting faster than your opponent can be just as valuable as any play call.


About the author ~
Tunch Akkaya is the CEO & Founder of GameStrat, a leading provider of real-time sideline replay technology for football teams. With a background in Software Engineering and experience playing football throughout university, Tunch combines technical expertise with firsthand knowledge of the game.
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Memory Monday |
Spartans finish third at state basketball tournament

This Memory Monday looks back at the smiles and moments from the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team's 2019 third-place finish in Class 2A at state.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

NORMAL - St. Joseph-Ogden's Peyton Crowe hugs teammate Bree Trimble after their Class 2A victory over Hillsboro in the third-place game at the IHSA Girls Basketball State Finals. The Spartans led by as much as 26 points on their way to the program's best finish in school history. Crowe scored 13 points in the win, while Trimble put a team-high 28 points on the board on the way to a 68-53 win on Saturday. SJO ended 2018-19 season with just one loss after January 1, finishing the season 29-5. The team's 14-game winning streak was interrupted in the state semifinal game against Teutopolis a day earlier.

All photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

TOP LEFT: Getting quality minutes under the lights, freshman Ella Armstrong dribbles to the paint past Hillsboro's Sheridan Lyerla. MIDDLE: Rebounding from their loss to Teutopolis a day earlier in the Class 2A semifinals, Joseph-Ogden's Hannah Dukeman and teammates celebrate ending their season with a huge win. TOP RIGHT: Payton Jacob, also a freshman, loses control of the ball after it was slapped out of her hands by Hillsboro's Nikya Harston. BELOW: With the game well in hand, Armstrong shares a laugh on the bench with teammates. After three more seasons with the Spartans, Armstrong joined the Truman State program for two seasons and transfered to Grandview College where she now a student assistant coach.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks


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TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team earns third-place trophy at state, SJO history made by girls basketball team, IHSA state basketball 2019, Payton Jacobs makes a pass, Ella Armstrong laughs, Peyton Crowe hugs a teammate
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Foster defeats Robinson for third at state wrestling

Lukas Foster wrestles Chazz Robinson
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Homewood-Flossmoor's Chazz Robinson tries to untangle himself from the grasp Joliet Catholic's Lukas Foster during their 126-pound match at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals on Saturday. Foster, who scored on takedowns in the first and third periods, went on to win the match 6-0 to win the bronze medal. Robinson, a junior, finished the weekend with three wins, two losses, and fourth overall in the division. See more photos and tournament recap below for both wrestlers.

Lukas Foster's tournament summary:

  • Champ. Round 1 - Defeated St. Charles East's Declan Sons (34-19) by tech fall 21-5 (TF-1.5 1:49)
  • Quarterfinal - Defeated Montini's Bobby Ruscitti (47-2) by major decision 10-2
  • Semifinal - Lost to Hersey's Oleksandr Havrylkiv (41-5) by major decision 11-2
  • Cons. Semi - Defeated Marmion Academy's Aidan McClure (32-13) by decision 8-2
  • 3rd Place Match - Defeated Homewood-Flossmoor's Chazz Robinson (35-6) by decision 6-0

Chazz Robinson's tournament summary:

  • Champ. Round 1 - Pinned West Chicago's Emanuel Rangel (31-8) at 2:37
  • Quarterfinal - Defeated Marmion Academy's Aidan McClure (32-13) by decision 7-6
  • Semifinal - Lost to Oak Park-River Forest's Jamiel Castleberry (36-3) by decision 5-4
  • Cons. Semi - Defeated Montini's Bobby Ruscitti (47-2) by decision 4-2
  • 3rd Place Match - Fell 6-0 to Lukas Foster (35-6) by decision 6-0

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TAGS: IHSA wrestling State Farm Center, Joliet Catholic wrestling, Foster wins third at state, Robinson finishes fourth in 126-pound division, Homewood-Floosmoor wrestler Chazz Robinson
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Meeting on the mat; Penovich defeats Casillas at state meet

St. Viator's Jaxon Penovich and Mahomet-Seymour's Marco Casillas
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

CHAMPAIGN - St. Viator's Jaxon Penovich greets Mahomet-Seymour's Marco Casillas during the Grand March at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals. Later, Penovich (52-5) defeated Casillas in a 5-3 decision to win the 190-pound Class 2A title on Saturday.


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What difference a year can make: Max Mandac takes home state wrestling title

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

CHAMPAIGN - Providence Catholic's 126-pound wrestler Max Mandac celebrates his 8-3 win over IC Catholic's Sammy Murate for the Class 2A title on Saturday night at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals at the State Farm Center. Mandac was one of three Celtic wrestlers to take home a championship medal from this year's state wrestling tournament. This time last year, the sophomore finished his first high school wrestling season with a losing record. Hard work and relentless training a matchchanger for Mandac.


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TAGS: Providence Catholic sports, Celtic's state champion, IHSA wrestling, state champion wrestler from Providence Catholic, high school wrestling champion
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Oakwood's Devin Ehler finishes 5th at state

Oakwood's Devin Ehler wrestles at state
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

CHAMPAIGN - Oakwood's Devin Ehler trips up Princeton's Kane Dauber during 138-pound third place match at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Tournament on Saturday. Ehler, who took control of the match early going up 3-1 in the first period, won the bronze medal with a 7-1 decision. The sophomore finished the weekend at the State Farm Center with four wins and one loss.


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TAGS: Oakwood state qualifer, IHSA state finals, state wrestling championships, Oakwood's Devin Ehler wrestles at state
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Spartans' free throw shooting seals 53-40 regional championship win

St. Joseph-Ogden Basketball
Balanced scoring and ice-cold free throw shooting carried St. Joseph-Ogden past Bismarck-Henning 53-40 in Thursday's regional final.


BISMARCK - St. Joseph-Ogden turned a dominant first half and clutch free throw shooting into a 53-40 regional championship victory over Bismarck-Henning on Thursday night, despite a 26-point effort from the Blue Devils' Gentry Elson.

Nine Spartans contributed to the scoring as SJO built an 11-point halftime lead and never looked back. Kayla Osterbur paced the balanced attack with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Atleigh Miller added 12 points. Kaitlyn Beyers sparked the offense off the bench with nine points, including three first-half three-pointers that helped limit Bismarck-Henning to just 15 points before the break.

St. Joseph-Ogden Basketball
The Spartans sealed the victory at the free throw line, converting 18 of 25 attempts. Osterbur went 7-for-9 from the stripe in the second half, while Ashlyn Miller was a perfect 4-for-4 down the stretch. Their efficiency at the line offset Elson's 19-point second-half surge as the Blue Devils increased their aggression in the paint.

Addison Brooks and Ashlyn Miller each contributed six points in the winning effort for SJO (20-10), which captured its first consecutive regional title after defeating Prairie Central 43-29 two years ago.

The Spartans advance to the Pontiac sectional on Tuesday, where they will face Manteno (26-6) in a first-ever meeting between the programs.


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TAGS: SJO girls basketball regional championship 2025, St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans beat Bismarck-Henning, Kayla Osterbur 13 points nine rebounds, Illinois high school basketball sectional bracket
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2026 State Wrestling |
A view from the mat

CHAMPAIGN - Over 250 high school wrestling athletes are in Champaign-Urbana for the IHSA Boys' Individual Wrestling State Finals. The Sentinel is inside the State Farm Center on the University of Illinois campus, hunting for defining moments and eye-opening action to share with our readers with our first state final live feed. Check back regularly to get a glimps of the once in a lifetime moments by Illinois' elite prep wrestlers.

Whenever we get a great photo today, you will see here with our live updates.

Live Feed Closed

Added Friday, 1:05 AM
Comet wrestler Steven Uden suffers heartbreaking defeat
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Oakwood's Steven Uden gives his all while wrestling Mercer County's Boston Morford during their 113-pound Class 1A quarterfinal match. Uden lost the bout in a heartbreaking 7-4 decision for the Comet junior. Later today, he will wrestle the winner between St. Joseph-Ogden's Ben Wells and McNamara's Evan Johnson en route a possible third place finish.

Added Friday, 12:50 AM
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Bentley Fields celebrates while acknowledging Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley family members and fans after his quarterfinal victory over Dixon's Riley Paredes. Fields moves on in the championship side of the Class 1A 106-pound bracket to face undefeated Farmington freshman Isaac Showalter in Friday evening's semifinals.

Added Friday, 12:35 AM
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Barrington's Ryan Dorn stuffs the head of Montini's Mikey Malizzio down during the 132-pound Class 3A semifinal match on Thursday. Confident and in control, Dorn won the match 4-2, earning semifinal match Friday evening against Joliet Catholic's Jason Hampton.

Added Friday, 12:20 AM
St. Charles East's Matt Medina suffers a leg injury
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Charles East's Matt Medina suffers a leg injury while trying to avoid a takedown by Montini's Gavin Ericson. Ericson, a junior with a 33-11 record, defeated Medina in fast-paced 5-0 decision. The Fighting Saints' 285-pounder moved into the consolation bracket and wrestles Normal Community's Mason Caraway on Friday for his next match.

Added at 11:59 PM
Sandburg's Brady Ritter is a real head turner
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Sandburg junior Brady Ritter resists an attempt from Hampshire's Michael Brannigan to roll him on his back during a brief shift in the match's momentum. Ritter (left) went on to win the match via tech fall 20-3 at 3:40 in their Class 3A 157-pound match Thursday evening.

Added at 11:44 PM
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Wheaton Academy's Tyler Jones tries roll out of a takedown attempt by Paris' Joshua Lamour during their preliminary 165-pound Class 1A match. Jones went on to win the bout via technical fall, 17-2.

Added at 10:31 PM
Lena-Winslow's Arrison Bauer wrestles Vandalia's Eli Mabry at state
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Lena-Winslow's Arrison Bauer (45-5) lifts Vandalia's Eli Mabry (35-8) for a takedown during their first-round 144-pound match in the Class 1A division. Bauer went on to win the match, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 15-2 major decision. Mabry moved to Friday's wrestlebacks, where he will face 26-11 junior Johnny Conseugra-Lopez from Lisle.

Added at 10:09 PM
SJO's Cameron Wagner
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden’s Cam Wagner prepares for his Class 1A 285-pound match against Murphysboro’s Julien Tanner. Trailing 1-0 after the first two periods, Wagner tied the match at 1-1 with an escape before surrendering a takedown, losing 4-1. The Spartan junior moves into the wrestlebacks, where he will face Clifton Central’s Josh McCurry on Friday morning.

Added at 9:55 PM
Knoxville freshman James Long wrestles at state
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Knoxville freshman James Long lets out a scream while wrestling against Byron's Will Juilian in their Class 1A 190-pound match Thursday morning. Long would later lose the match at 4:44 by fall after suffering two more injury episodes to his shoulder. The Bullets' rising star moves to the consolation bracket where he will face Westville's Ethan Miller on Friday morning.

Added at 8:51 PM
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Heyworth's Tristan Stamp (right) looks for a shot in on Pinckneyville's Jonathan Ramaker during their Class 1A 175-pound match. Stamp went on to win the match, advancing in the winner's bracket after earning a 13-3 major decision over Ramaker.

Added at 8:37 PM
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Canton's Jacob Hardesty shoots in for a takedown on Althoff's Dawson Hawthorne. Hardesty (33-7) fell in a close 5-4 decision to Hawthorne in their Class 1A 132-pound match.

Added at 7:36 PM
Murphysboro's Sergio Garcia
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Murphysboro's Sergio Garcia is overwhelmed while trying to keep his emotions in check as he removes headgear after his Class 1A 126-pound match against Newman Cathoic's Zhyler Hansen. Now with a shot for a third place finish, Garcia (43-11) moves into the consolation bracket to face Peotone's Jonah Young (22-11) Friday morning.

Added at 7:19 PM
Clinton's Briley Carter wrestles at state
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Clinton's Briley Carter tries to escape on a restart during his 120-pound match against Chicago Hope Academy's Nolan Callahan. Carter, who was 13-4 heading into the preliminary match, fell by major decision, 10-1. The Maroon junior moved to the consolation bracket with the loss and will face Vandalia's Riley Hinton in the next round.

Added at 3:58 PM
St. Joseph-Ogden head coach Bill Gallo
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden head wrestling coach Bill Gallo checks the time left on the match clock during Spartan 113-pound wrestler Ben Wells' match against Murphysboro's Drevean Bramlett (40-7). Wells lost the match by technical fall at 5:19 by a score of 19-4. Gallo and Wells will have another shot at state medal on Friday in the consolation bracket.
Added at 3:40 PM
Ian Rotramel wrestles Landon Comwell at state meet
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Robinson's Landon Comwell tries to get away from Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley's Ian Rotramel during the 113-pound match. Comwell, a senior with a 35-14 record, fought hard but could not gain an advantage at any point to go on the attack, losing by major decision, 14-5. Comwell wrestles again Friday morning when he will face York Christian's Phoenix Senodenos in the consolation bracket.


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TAGS: Wrestling photo gallery, area high school wrestlers at State Farm Center, local wrestlers competing at IHSA state tournament, Robinson Maroons' wrestling, SJO Wrestling, Clinton wrestler competes at state, Heyworth wrestler wins preliminary match
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