Spartan tennis earns first dual win
Head coach Kevin Martlage and the St. Joseph-Ogden girls tennis team pose for a photo after their dual match of the season on the road against Urbana on Tuesday. The two teams will square off again on August 31. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Urbana, IL - It was a hot time at Blair Park for the St. Joseph-Ogden and Urbana girls' tennis match on Tuesday. Despite a reported heat index of 106ยบ, the two teams battled in the blazing heat with the upstart area program from SJO winning the dual match, 6-3.
Claire Huffman at #1, Abby Dow on the #2 singles court and Ashlyn Lannert on court 6 secured victories in their singles matches. Hope Rajlich and Kelsey Martlage paired up to win at #1 doubles. Meanwhile, Allison Kearney and Angie Chahine held off Urbana duo Eisla Madigan and Myra Stevens at #2 doubles. The Spartans also came out on top on the #3 doubles court with a victory by Katie McDermott and her partner Jacey Lewis.
The Tigers' won three single points with dominating performances from veteran Myra Stevens, Eisla Madigan and Alisa Tangmunarunkit.
Match results:
No. 1 - Claire Huffman, SJO def. Hannah Null, URBANA, 8-3
No. 2 - Abbey Dow, SJO def. Jacie Owens, URBANA, 8-6
No. 3 - Myra Stevens, URBANA def. Grace Schmitz, SJO, 8-1
No. 4 - Eisla Madigan, URBANA def. Ella Armstrong, SJO, 8-0
No. 4 - Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA def. Abby Behrens, SJO, 8-3
No. 6 - Ashlyn Lannert, SJO def. Matika Pounginjai, URBANA, 8-1
No. 1 Doubles:
Hope Rajlich/Kelsey Martlage, SJO def. Hannah Null/Jacie Owens, URBANA, 8-6
No. 2 Doubles:
Allison Kearney/Angie Chahine, SJO def. Myra Stevens/Eisla Madigan, URBANA, 8-4
No. 3 Doubles:
Katie McDermott/Jacey Lewis- SJO def. Matika Pounginjai/Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA, 8-6
Wilson lifts Spartans with buzzer beater
St. Joseph, IL - With the score locked at two-all in the second half, sophomore Spencer Wilson scored his second goal of the contest with .2 seconds left on the clock to give the St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team a 3-2 advantage for win #2 of the season.
While goalkeeper Hunter Ketchum kept the visiting Argenta-Oreana shots out of the goal during the first half, SJO teammate Jackson Greer scored the first goal of the game on an assist from Will Page.
In the final half of SJO's home game, Greer fed Wilson the ball for the first of four second-half goals. The Bombers' Rylan Lawson and Landon Lawson added one goal apiece to later tie the score before Wilson spared both teams from a shootout.
Ketchum tallied eight saves for the Spartans.
Next up for Ketchum and Co., SJO will host Urbana University High on Thursday at 4:30p.
Missed opportunities sink Rockets
Tolono, IL - Fielding an inexperienced contingent this fall, the Unity soccer team opened their season with a 4-2 loss to visiting St. Teresa on Tuesday.
Nolan Remole, with the assistance of senior Grace Brock, nailed the Rockets' first goal of the season in the second half. Freshman Teaguen Williams added the team's second score after the Bulldogs clawed their way to a 3-1 lead.
"We gave up a PK and also did not score on a PK. Those slight differences can make a huge difference in the box score," said head coach Unity Michel Stringer. "As far as in the moment I thought that they played well."
Sophomore Mason Davis had eight saves while guarding the net for Unity.
"Our offensive is young, and for those who scored this was their first high school game so it is understandable that it took them a half to shake off the nerves and find the net," added Stringer.
The Rockets' next three matches are all at home on their new turf field. Unity starts the three-game homestand with Argenta-Oreana at 10a on Saturday. Two days later on Monday, the program hosts Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at 4:30p. Unity fans' last chance to catch the team at home until September 11 will be on Thursday, September 2 in a match against Meridian, also starting at 4:30p.
URBANA - Last week, the 2023 Urbana varsity football schedule was released by the Illinois High School Association. The Tigers look to rebuild their program after canceling the varsity program the past two season. UHS, under second-year head coach Curtis Blanden, open their 2023 season with 2pm road game on August 26 against the Centennial Chargers.
Nolan Remole scored Unity's first goal of the season in the first half of the team's road opener at St. Teresa. The sophomore later added an assist to his stats to help the Rockets roll over the host Bulldogs, 7-1.
Junior Gabe Pound followed up with two goals in the half, one with the help of Remole and the second unassisted. He later put the final nail in the Bulldog coffin in the second period on an assist from another sophomore, Nolan Wishall.
Two other Rocket ballers found the net in the second half as well. Brendan Bachert booted in an unassisted goal, and Andrew Mowrer took advantage of a pass from Travis McCarter to give their team a commanding 6-1 lead.
Valencia-Chavez scored St. Teresa's only goal in the second half.
