Prep Sports Notebook: Rockets, Spartans sweep volleyball opponents

Unity football celebrates senior night

Unity's unblemished record will be on the line as the Rockets will host 5-2 Paxton-Buckley-Loda at Hicks Field tonight. It is the first time the two teams have met on the gridiron since 2006.

Fourteen senior athletes, who have already clinched a playoff spot for their 7-0 team, will be recognized at the football team's last home game of the season prior to kickoff.

This year's senior players include Nat Nosler, Blake Kimball, Tyler Hensch, Braxton Manuel, Dillon Rutledge, Damian Knoll, Trustan Price, Liam Alt, Oran Varela, Karson Richardson, Austin McDaniel, Cameron Marvin, Colby Loftsgaard, and Chance Ingleman.



Rockets pick up 23rd win

The Unity volleyball team battled past Pontiac in straight sets 27-25, 25-19 improving to 23-3 on the season after the conference match.

Emma Bleecher pounded 12 kills and had nine digs against the Indians. Three-sport star Taylor Henry had 13 digs of her own.

The Rockets also got 14 assists and 8 digs from senior Maddie Reed. Payton Kaiser, also a senior, contributed a pair of kills of her own next to seven digs.

Up next, Unity hosts Urbana on the upcoming Monday evening. A freshman bout will start at 5pm and the varsity main event somewhere around 6pm.



Burnett double-double lifts SJO

Outside hitter Kennedi Burnett posted 10 kills and recorded 10 digs in the St. Joseph-Ogden road match at Olympia last night. Libero Hannah Fox also contributed 10 digs to help SJO cruise past the other Illini Prairie Conference Spartans, 2-0.

Becca Steinbach notched 19 assists while Rachel Divan, who was a wall at the net with three blocks, contributed three kills.

SJO's Shayne Immke added another four kills and chipped in another seven digs in the conference sweep that ended, 25-8, 25-15.

The Spartans play again at Illinois Valley Central tomorrow at noon.



Prep Sports Notebook: Urbana falls in Thursday tennis, SJO wins


Madigan, Poungingal pick up victories
Eisla Madigan and Matika Pounginjai were the only two Urbana players to post wins in the singles competition in the Tigers dual match against Danville. After five singles and a pair of doubles matches, UHS fell 5-2 to the Vikings at the Danville Tennis Center on Thursday.

Madigan defeated Vikings' Lexi Foley 8-2 at #4 singles and Pounginjai won by default on the #5 court.

The Tigers return to competition next Thursday, September 30, to host Mahomet-Seymour at Blair Park.

Match Results:

Singles:
No. 1 - Lexi Ellis, DANVILLE def. Myra Stevens, URBANA, 8-0
No. 2 - Ava Towne, DANVILLE def. Hannah Null, URBANA, 8-0
No. 3 - Hannah Schroeder, DANVILLE def. Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA, 4-8
No. 4 - Eisla Madigan, URBANA def. Lexi Foley, DANVILLE, 8-2
No. 5 - Matika Pounginjai, URBANA def. N/A, 2-0

Doubles:
No. 1 - Lexi Ellis/Lexi Foley, DANVILLE def. Hannah Null/Eisla Madigan, URBANA, 6-3 , 6-4
No. 2 - Ava Towne/Hannah Schroeder, DANVILLE def. Matika Pounginjai/Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA, 6-0 , 6-0



Spartan win road match at GCMS

Abbey Dow and Claire Huffman won their matches on the singles courts to give St. Joseph-Ogden a 2-0 lead to start the team's final road match of the season. Double duos Abby Behrens & Hope Rajlich and Katie McDermott & Emma Rydell brought home wins to give the Spartans a 4-1 victory on Thursday.

SJO will play their final three regular-season contests at home starting next Wednesday when they host St. Teresa. The team will then close out the year with back to matches with Maroa-Forsyth on October 11 and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley in the finale on Tuesday, October 12.

Match Results:

Singles:
No. 1 - Abbey Dow, SJO def. Katie Steidinger, Gibson-City Melvin Sibley High School (GCMS), 8-7
No. 2 - Claire Huffman, SJO def. Audrey Iverson, Gibson-City Melvin Sibley High School (GCMS), 8-0

Doubles:
No. 1 - London Hixson/Lexi Darbutt, GCMS def. Jacey Lewis/Kelsey Martlage, SJO, 8-7
No. 2 - Abby Behrens/Hope Rajlich, SJO def. Syda Schlickman/McKenna Crowley, GCMS, 8-0
No. 3 - Katie McDermott/Emma Rydell, SJO def. Emily Hood/Kadence Crowley, GCMS, 8-3

Basketball Players of the Week

February 14 - 20, 2021

Sentinel basketball player of the week February 1-6, 2021

~ Boys ~

Blake
Kimball

Unity

Kimball tallied 30 points and five rebounds against Paxton-Buckley-Loda and February 20 after dropping another 22 in his team's home court loss to St. Joseph-Ogden.


Honorable Mention:
Nate Drennan, Unity
Evan Ingram, SJO
Ty Pence, SJO

~ Girls ~

Taylor
Wells

St. Joseph-Ogden

Wells led the area girls in scoring with 25 points during Valentine's week. In the Spartans road loss to Tuscola, Wells went 5-for-5 from the free throw line.


Honorable Mention:
Chloe Reed, Unity
Taylor Henry, Unity
Ella Armstrong, SJO


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