Prep Sports Notebook for September 23


Unity continues to roll
The Unity volleyball team picked up win number 15 after a 2-0 win over visiting Paxton-Buckley-Loda. Emma Bleecher had eight kills and seven digs while teammate Payton Kaiser added another six kills and four digs in the 25-22, 25-15 conference victory.



Chemla score four goals
Teo Chemla scored his first of four goals for University High within the first minute of his team's 8-1 road win against Judah Christian. The junior found the net again 10 minutes later to give the Illineks a 3-0 lead. Later, in a two-minute span, he added goals #3 and #4 starting at the 39-minute mark.

Noah La Nave produced a hat trick on passes from Arya Thirodira, Chemla, and Benji Chang.

Senior Ryland Graham, on an assist from Lawrence Zhao, scored the team's final goal of the match in the second half.



Roesch pounds nine kills
Shaking off Tuesday's conference loss to Unity, the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team bounced back to beat Pontiac on the road 25-16, 25-12.

Addie Roesch put away nine kills and Kennedi Burnett added another six to the stat book. Becca Steinbach was credited with 23 assists. Senior Hannah Fox led defensively with 10 digs.

The Spartans are back on the court on Monday at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley for another non-conference test.



Hoopeston Area knocked off Oakwood-Salt Fork for a 3-1 conference win. The Cornjerkers improved to 9-0 in conference play and 13-4-1 overall.

After OSF's Carlie Thompson scored the first, and his team's only goal on an assist from Saul Carrillo, Hoopeston's Kayden Wallace, Ben Brown, and Isias Diaz scored one goal each.



Unity soccer shutout
The Rockets dropped their Illini Prairie Conference match against Rantoul, 7-0. The Rockets, still looking for their first win this season, will play their next two contest away.

The two-match road campaign starts with a trip to Illinois Valley Central on Saturday for another conference match against the Grey Ghost. Then on Monday, the team plays at Fisher.



Prep Sports Notebook: SJO, Unity posts volleyball wins

SJO's Shayne Immke tallied five kills on Monday against Hoopeston Area. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Spartans deal aces
Hannah Fox and Kennedi Burnett slammed three aces apiece in St. Joseph-Ogden's home volleyball match against Hoopeston Area. The Spartans defeated the visiting Cornjerkers 25-11 in two sets.

Fox was also credited with eight digs and two assists. Burnett contributed another seven digs and led the team in scoring with nine kills. Senior Becca Steinbach had 19 assists and five digs while junior Shayne Immke tacked on another five kills.



Rockets knock off Clinton in straight sets
Emma Bleecher collected 12 kills in Unity's 25-19, 25-12 win over Clinton.

Macie Knudsen added another five kills to the book and had eight digs. Taylor Henry led the team defensively with 12 digs.



Uni falls 2-0 to STM
Uni-High gave up two first-half goals to fall 2-0 to visiting St. Thomas More. Goalkeeper Arjun Kala made three saves for the Illineks.



Unity soccer suffers road loss
Georgetown-Ridge Farm scored four unanswered goals to beat the Rockets, 4-0. Before hosting back-to-back home matches starting Thursday, Unity travels to Bloomington to take on Central Catholic today at 4:30.



Prep Sports Notebook: SJO volleyball cruises past T-Town, Uni knocks off Sages


Romole scores twice in first half
Nolan Romle scored two of Unity's four goals in their home soccer match against Meridian on Thursday. The freshman's two scores, bookending a strike from Gabe Pound, gave the Rockets a 3-all tie leading heading into halftime.

Later, Meridian striker Spencer Uphoff broke the tie with an unassisted goal in the second half, but the Rockets refused to lie down thanks to junior Andrew Mowrer notching a penalty kick to retie the score, this time at four goals apiece.

With his first goal already under his belt in the first half, Hawks Micah McCoy scored the game-winning goal handing Unity a 5-4 loss.

Mason Davis made 13 saves on the day for the Rockets.

Still looking for their first win of the season, Unity (0-4) will play their next game, the team's first road match, on Monday, September 6 at Warrensburg-Latham. Romole and Rockets then travel to Champaign to face the Tribe of Judah Christian on Thursday.


Box Score -

First half: Meridian Egbert(Boehm), McCoy(UA), Unity Remole(Pound), Pound(UA), Meridian Boehn(UA), Unity Remole(UA)

Second half:Meridian Uphoff(UA), Unity Mowrer(PK), Meridian McCoy(UA)



Thomey buries two goals
When the bout was said and done, both the St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team and Hoopeston area would part ways with the identical season records of 4-1-1. Staring at recording their second loss of the season at the end of the first half, St. Joseph-Ogden bounced back to win their second road match of the season handing the Cornjerkers their first loss by way of a 3-1 advantage.

Hoopeston's Harrison Wood gave his team the early lead and their only goal of the contest despite 19 other attempts from his teammates. Teammate and goaltender Owen Root (6 saves) kept the ball out of his net during the first half play, but would later let three second-half Spartan shots slip by him in the final half.

SJO senior Jared Emmert earned his first of two assists feeding the ball to junior Aiden Cromwell to tie the game at one goal each. Emmert then set up the go-ahead score with a pass to Colin Thomey. Thomey, a freshman, sealed the victory with a follow-up goal with the help of Owen Baltzell.

Hunter Ketchum made 18 saves guarding the Spartan goal.

The St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team returns to the pitch on Monday, September 6 at Bismarck-Henning. Hoopeston Area visits St. Anne today and plays another road match, this one close to home, at Schlarman on Tuesday, September 7.


Box Score -

First half: Hoopeston Woods

Second Half: SJO Cromwell (Emmert), SJO Thomey (Emmert), SJO Thomey (Baltzell)



Urbana's Jacie Owens lines up a shot over the net during the Tiger's home match against St. Joseph-Ogden last month. In Thursday's home match against visiting Centennial, Owens came up short in her battle against Anna Park. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Tigers fall at home
After avenging an earlier loss to St. Joseph-Ogden on Tuesday, the Urbana girls tennis team dropped their next home match to Centennial on Thursday, 8-1.

The Tigers' solo win came at #4 singles from Alisa Tangmunarunkit, who defeated the Chargers' Nicole Vozovoy, 8-4.

Next up, Tangmunarunkit and her teammates will host the St. Thomas More tennis team on Tuesday at 4pm.


Box Score -

Singles:
No. 1 - Sandhya Subbiah, CENTENNIAL def. Myra Stevens, URBANA, 8-3
No. 2 - Anna Park, CENTENNIAL def. Jacie Owens, URBANA, 8-4
No. 3 - Grace Kahler, CENTENNIAL def. Eisla Madigan, URBANA, 8-2
No. 4 - Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA def. Nicole Vozovoy, CENTENNIAL, 8-4
No. 5 - Yehyun Nam, CENTENNIAL def. Matika Pounginjai, URBANA, 8-1
No. 6 - Aastha Patel, CENTENNIAL def. Grace Coady, URBANA, 8-2 Doubles:
No. 1 - Sandhya Subbiah/Anna Park, CENTENNIAL def. Jacie Owens/Myra Stevens, URBANA, 8-2
No. 2 - Grace Kahler/Yehyun Nam, CENTENNIAL def. Alisa Tangmunarunkit, /Matika Pounginjai, URBANA, 8-2
No. 3 - Nicole Vozovoy/Aastha Patel, CENTENNIAL def. Zoe Johnson/Grace Coady, URBANA, 8-0



SJO golf finishes second at triangle
Jacob Kern, McGwire Atwood, Maddux Carter and Logan Smith combined for a four-man total of 181 strokes leading the St. Joseph-Ogden (7-1) golf team to a second-place finish in a three-school competition between Monticello and Rantoul-Paxton-Buckley-Loda varsity golf contingents.

Monticello finished first with 160 and Rantoul in third with 190 strokes.

Kern led the Spartans with 46 strokes on the Par 36 back nine at Willowbrook Golf Course. Atwood finished one stroke behind him with 47. Carter and Smith rounded out the top four scores with 43 and 45 respectively. Jack Robertson finished the course with 51 strokes and Talan Miller with 57.

SJO's Connor Hale shot a 59 and Tyler Buss 56 as varsity extras on Thursday.



St. Joseph-Ogden's Kelsey Martlage puts the ball back over the net during the Spartans' road match at Urbana on August 31. After winning that match, Martlage with partner Hope Rajlich defeated Watseka's Ashton Peters/Baler Rigsby 8-2 on Thursday.(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)


Dow notches four straight wins
After a win-less first season in 2020, the St. Joseph-Ogden tennis program picked up its third team victory after rolling over Watseka on the road, 7-2.

SJO dusted up the doubles courts taking all three matches and picked up four wins in singles to improve their team record to 3-2 on the season.

Abbey Dow picked up another win at #1 singles besting the Warriors' Ashton Peters, 8-4. The Spartan now boasts four straight wins in singles competition.


Box Score -

Singles:
No. 1 - Abbey Dow, SJO def. Ashton Peters, WATSEKA, 8-4
No. 2 - Emma Simons, WATSEKA def. Allison Kearney, SJO, 8-6
No. 3 - Ava Swartz, WATSEKA, def. Ashlyn Lannert, SJO, 8-4
No. 4 - Claire Huffman, SJO def. Moriah Pueschell, WATSEKA, 8-1
No. 5 - Grace Schmitz, SJO def. Sarah Parsons, WATSEKA, 8-4
No. 6 - Olivia Getty, SJO def. Tiffany Zhao, WATSEKA, 8-6

Doubles:
No. 1 - Hope Rajlich/Kelsey Martlage, SJO def. Ashton Peters/Baler Rigsby, WATSEKA, 8-2
No. 2 - Abby Behrens/Jacey Lewis, SJO def. Emma Simons/Ava Swartz, WATSEKA, 8-6
No. 3 - Katie McDermott/Emma Rydell, SJO def. Moriah Pueschell/Sarah Parsons, WATSEKA, 8-4



Uni outlasts Monticello
Arjun Kala had six saves in Uni-High's 3-2 win over Monticello at home on Thursday.

Noah La Nave had a hand ... er, leg in all three Illinek scores with his first coming via a pass from junior Teo Chemla 13 minutes after Monticello scored their first goal of the game.

Early in the second half, La Nave delivered a righteous pass for Arya Thirodira to sink the go-ahead score. The lead was short-lived as Monticello scored on a penalty kick near the halfway mark in the final half to tie the affair at two-all.

La Nave and Chemla teamed up again for the game-winner 70 minutes into the match for the final goal of the non-conference dual.

Box Score -

First half: Monticello, Noah La Nave (Teo Chemla)

Second Half: Arya Thirodira (Noah La Nave), Monticello, Noah La Nave (Teo Chemla)



SJO volleyball remains unbeaten
The SJO volleyball squad improved to 6-0 on the season after powering past visiting Teutopolis 25-20, 25-10 at home, originally scheduled to be played in T-town, on Thursday.

Becca Steinbach tallied 12 assists and senior Hannah Fox stood out defensively with seven digs on the Spartans home court.

Kennedi Burnett delivered five aces and pounded six kills in the rout. The veteran senior also had six digs.

Next week, the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team hosts Champaign Central on Tuesday, September 7, and Oakwood a day later on September 8.



Coaches and fans, send us your team scores and stats

The 2021 fall athletic season is here and we want to make sure all Sentinel area high school coaches know where to send box scores and other sports information this year. The Sentinel needs your game scores and stat leaders after each game to keep fans, college recruiters and area readers well-informed on the four area prep athletic programs we are covering this season.

The Sentinel is looking forward to the days, hopefully soon, when we will have enough business advertising with us to help expand our coverage to more teams at each school as well as outstanding individual athletes and their accomplishments. Until then, we'll do what we can with the limited resources at our disposal.

New this season, by request, The Sentinel will begin covering high school sports at both Urbana University and Urbana High School in addition to St. Joseph-Ogden and Unity athletics. If you don't see it on The Sentinel, it is probably because no one took the time to tell us about it. We are relying on coaches, managers, ADs, parents and even players emailing or calling us to let us know the stories, final scores and interesting cool stuff we are missing. We would also like to let our readers know about schedule changes and cancellations, too.

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