Looking Back | Cowan leads Rockets in romp over PBL

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Unity's Will Cowan fires a shot from in front of the Paxton-Buckley-Loda bench during their Illini Prairie game back in January. The Rockets rolled easily to a 58-22 win over the visiting Panthers behind Cowan's game-high 16 points. View 28 more photos in the game gallery here ....


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Looking Back | Unity loss sets up 5-game win streak

With the hectic 2022-23 season behind us, we want to use the summer to catch up publishing some of the great moments we captured this season but didn't have the time or resources to publish. Here is The Sentinel's next installment of our summer feature called Looking Back. Visit our website weekly for more photo features.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Unity's Andrew Thomas tries to dribble past Normal U-High Christian Mckee during their Christie Clinic Shootout game on Saturday, January 7. The Rockets fell 56-48 to the Pioneers. See more photos from the game.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Rockets' Henry Thomas goes up for a shot on Pioneers' Christian Mckee. Unity was unable to recover from a nine-point, first-half deficit in the shootout at St. Joseph-Ogden.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Unity's Dalton O'Neill tries to dribble past Normal U'High's Jonah Harms. The Rockets dropped to 8-7 on the season after the loss.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Junior Dalton O'Neill bobbles the ball in front of Pioneers' Mason Hooper.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Unity head coach Matt Reed yells instructions to players on the floor in the second half. The Rockets went on to win the next five games on the sechedule after the 56-48 loss to the Pioneers. See more photos from the game.



Shooting Stars | Area basketball athletes shined brightly last month

Clifton Central 46 - Hoopeston Area 41

Preston VanDeVeer and Anthony Zamora finished with nine points each in Hoopeston Area's loss at home to the Comets. Kenddrick Sigerill led the Cornjerkers (2-3) on the boards with a season-high 11 rebounds finished with eight points. Hoopeston Area's Owen Root went 3-for-6 from the field putting eight points in the book.



Oakwood's Brody Taflinger
Oakwood's Brody Taflinger shakes hands with St. Joseph-Ogden Athletic Director Justin Franzen after recieving his recognition plaque for the Toyota of Danville All-Tournament team on December 3. Taflinger's efforts lead the Comets to a runner-up finish after falling to the hosts Spartans 66-31 in the championship game on Saturday. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


St. Joseph-Ogden 66 - Oakwood 31

Ty Pence drained 33 points in SJO's title game against Oakwood at the Toyota of Danville Classic on December 3. The senior D1 recruit scored 15 points in the first quarter to put the host Spartans on cruise control to this year's tournament title.

Junior Brody Taflinger led the Comets, who entered the fray with an impressive 8-0 record, with a 13-point effort in the team's first loss of the season.



Teutopolis 56 - Unity 40

Before boasting a four-game win streak, the Rockets suffered their second consecutive loss at the hands of the Wooden Shoes on December 3. Despite nine players contributing with two or more points, Unity fell 56-40.

The Rockets led at the halfway point by five and trailed by one, 38-37, at the end of the third quarter. Jay Saunders, who led the team in the loss with nine points, hit the team's only field goal during a fourth-quarter offensive collapse. Dalton O'Neill sank one of two free throw attempts to round out the scoring in the frame to just three points. O'Neill, Unity's second-leading scorer, finished with seven points. Henry Thomas tallied five points in the third quarter.

Joey Niebrugge, a junior, led all scorers with in the contest with 18 points.



St. Joseph-Ogden 68 - Watseka 28

Junior Logan Smith and senior Ty Pence combined effort produced 48 of SJO's 68 points in the team's romp over the Warriors at the Toyota of Danville Classic.

Pence, an 2023 Illinois State basketball recruit, drained 28 points while Smith rained down 20 more. Six other Spartans including Maddux Carter and Brock Trimble contributed to the victory.



Rochester 56 - Unity 46

Andrew and Henry Thomas sank 11 points apiece in the Rockets' second game of the season. Without home court advantage, Unity (1-1) came out of the locker room cold after the halftime break, scoring just six points to Rochester's 17.



St. Joseph-Ogden 44 - Danville 14

Addisyn Martinie dropped a game-high 16 point in the Spartans' first game during the month of December that snapped a three-game early season slide. Addison Seggebruch supplied 13 points in the non-conference victory.

SJO's improves to 2-4 heading into their next contest against Maroa-Forsyth at home.



URBANA 39 - Charleston 34

Senior Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta led the Tigers girls' basketball effort with 16 points in the team's first win of the season. Junior Jasmine McCullough also delivered a double-digit finish with 13 points. Urbana (1-3) enjoyed a team effort with six points from McKenzie Sprague and two points apiece from Savannah Blanden and Elizabeth Lange.

Trojans' Ally Logsdon all scorers with 19 points, 15 of those delivered in the fourth quarter of the non-conference game on December 1.


Prep Sports Notebook: SJO golf wins, Unity volleyball wins barn burner


SJO volleyball drops another match

The Spartan volleyball team falls after three sets to Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin 14-25, 25-21, 18-25.

SJO's junior varsity and freshmen squads cruised by the Lady Blue Devil underclass with 2-0 victories.

The varsity squad will attempt to move back toward .500 on Monday when they host the St. Teresa Bulldogs.


Unity prevails in volleyball win over Mattoon

The Rockets notch a 2-1 victory after securing wins in the first and third set of their non-conference match against the Green Wave. Unity won the first set by five points, 25-20 but could not string together enough offense in the second, which ended in an 18-25 loss. In a thrilling finish, the team battled to take the final set, 25-23.

Next in their sight, Unity (1-2) travels to Champaign to take on the Central Maroons on Tuesday.


SJO soccer loose on the road

Aiden Cromwell scored St. Joseph-Ogden's only goal in the first half during his team's non-conference road match against Urbana University High School. Spencer Wilson tallied the assist in the Spartans' 3-1 loss.

With 11 minutes to-go in the first half, Uni senior Teo Chemia tied up the score 1-all. Playing a physical second half, the Illineks then tacked on two more goals courtesy of Arya Thirodira and another later from sophomore Leor Gal.

Goalie Hunter Ketchum successfully repelled 21 attacks on his goal.

The Spartans travel to Danville on Monday in search of a second win of the season. Meanwhile, Uni High will host Champaign Central on Tuesday for their next match.


Spartan golf team rise to the top

The St. Joseph-Ogden (6-0) golf team hit the links at Willow Pond in Rantoul against a team from Fisher and Hoopeston on Thursday. The Spartans carded 172 strokes on the front nine of the course to win the tri-match.

Fisher took second with a 203, while Hoopeston Area's top six players finished with a 237.

The Spartans were led by Ashten Cafarelli's 38 and Jacob Kern's 43 strokes. McGwire Atwood finished one more behind Kern with 44.


The St. Joseph-Ogden (6-0) golf team hit the links at Willow Pond in Rantoul against a team from Fisher and Hoopeston on Thursday. The Spartans carded 172 strokes on the front nine of the course to win the tri-match.

Fisher took second with a 203, while Hoopeston Area's top six players finished with a 237.

The Spartans were led by Ashten Cafarelli's 38 and Jacob Kern's 43 strokes. McGwire Atwood finished one more behind Kern with 44.


Attention area high school coaches

If you are a coach at Unity, Urbana Uni-High, Urbana High School or St. Joseph-Ogden, send us your box scores, statistical leaders for each game, and other info via email to sports@oursentinel.com or editor@oursentinel.com.

Prep Sports Notebook: SJO soccer post shutout on the road, Unity VB drops tough one


Unity soccer team notches first win

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.


Tigers sweep SJO tennis

The Urbana girls tennis program picked up their first dual match victory of the season via a 9-0 shutout over fledgling St. Joseph-Ogden program late Tuesday afternoon.

The Tigers' top six players - Alisa Tangmunarunkit, Matika Pounginjai, Eisla Madigan, Luna Morales, Halie Thompson, and Lorelie Yau - won both their singles matches and respective double bouts against the Spartans.

On the top court at #1 singles, senior Abbey Dow was the only SJO player to win three games in a set. Despite her strong serving effort and offensive play, she fell 6-2, 6-3 to Urbana's Alisa Tangmunarunkit.


Greer leads SJO in Argenta-Oreana shutout

The St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team improved to 1-0-1 on the season after a 3-0 blanking on the road at Argenta-Orena. After a scoreless first half, Jackson Greer put two balls between the posts to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead.

Ryker Lockhart booked his second goal of his inaugural season with SJO thanks to a feed from Aiden Cromwell to close out the scoring effort for both teams. Cromwell was also credited with an assist on Greer's first goal and sophomore Logan Mills earned the assist on the second.

Hunter Ketchum made nine saves protecting the Spartan goal.


Rockets' volleyball squad drops non-con at LeRoy

The Unity volleyball team suffered a road loss at LeRoy in a gritty two-setter on Tuesday evening. The Panthers prevailed besting the Rockets 32-30, 25-23.


Attention area high school coaches

We need your help covering your team this fall to help keep fans, college recruiters, and area readers informed. Please send us your game or meet results for our Prep Sports Notebook and weekly stats leaders for our All-Area team selection after the conclusion of the season.

If you are a coach at Unity, Urbana Uni-High, Urbana High School or St. Joseph-Ogden, the best way to send us box scores, statistical leaders for each game, and other info via email to sports@oursentinel.com or editor@oursentinel.com.

Do you have a player on the verge of breaking a school record, signing an LOI, or have a story idea? Don't hesitate to email us.

Area softball players earn All-State recognition

Five area players were among over 400 athletes recognized with All-State titles by the Illinois Coaches Association this past spring.

Unity seniors Madeline Reed and Taylor Henry, members of this year's state Class 2A third-place team, and St. Joseph-Ogden junior Shayne Immke were three area players to earn First Team honors out of nearly 600 softball players nominated across the state.

Unity's Ruby Tarr, a sophomore, was named to the second team for her performance as an infielder.

Addy Martinie, from St. Joseph Ogden High School, rounded out this year's area's best also at the infielder position.

Despite exiting early in postseason play, Martinie and Immke helped the Spartans to an impressive 25-9-1 record.

Along with bringing home their second consecutive IHSA softball trophy, the Rockets finished the season with 27 wins against nine losses.

Photo-of-the-Day: January 28, 2022

Newton running back Isaac Flowers is stopped in his tracks by a trio of Unity tacklers during their first-round IHSA playoff football game on October 30, 2021. UHS defensive end Kyus Root made the initial stop as junior Nick Nosler, and another teammate barrel in to put Flowers on the turf for a loss of yards. The Rockets, who played all four playoff games on their home turf, defeated the Eagles (5-5) at Hicks Field, 46-6. See more photos from this game.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


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Photo-of-the-Day: December 28, 2021

Audrey Hancock runs at the 2018 state XC
Unity takes third at state XC meet
Tolono Unity's Audrey Hancock runs at the 2018 Illinois High School Association Cross Country State Finals on Saturday, November 3, 2018. The junior finished her race in 53rd place overall, 35th in the race for team points, at 18:49.39. The Rockets' tallied 130 points to earn a third-place finish behind Eureka (first) and Rock Falls (second) at the season finale in Peoria. See more photos from this game.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


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Prep Sports Notebook: SJO, Unity open girls basketball season with victories



SJO wins season opener

St. Joseph-Ogden's Abby Behrens attacks the basket while Urbana's McKenzie Sprague guards her during their Toyota of Danville Turkey Tournament game on Monday. The tournament opener was also the first game of the season for both teams. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


St. Joseph, IL - Ashlyn Lannert scored 11 points to lead the Spartans in their 55-8 win over the Urbana Tigers at the First Annual Toyota of Danville Turkey Tournament at St. Joseph-Ogden High School on Monday. Payton Jacob added another 10 points while Taylor Wells hit three second-quarter field goals and one in the first to start the season off with eight points in the season opener.

The Tigers' leading scorer was junior Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta with four free throws. Destiny Barber, who hit the team's only field goal, finished with two points. Mc Kenzie Sprague and Zineria Edwards each made one free throw to round out Urbana's scoring effort.

St. Joseph-Ogden takes Tri-County on Tuesday, while Urbana will face Big 12 rival Centennial on day 2 of the tournament.



Henry starts 2021-22 season with a double-double

Fisher, IL - Unity cruised to a 52-22 win behind Taylor Henry, who delivered an 18 points, 11 rebound performance in Unity's first game of the season over at the Lady Falcon/Bunnie Tip-Off Classic on Monday. The senior scored all by one of her points in the second and third quarters against Fisher.

Starting at forward, Katey Moore scored nine points in the first quarter and added two more in the third period to finish with 11 points and seven boards.




Unity football players earn All-State recognition

Wide receiver Dillon Rutledge and defensive lineman Austin McDaniel were named to the 2021 IHSFCA Class 3A All-State team.

The pair will be in action again this Saturday in Unity's home semifinal against Mt. Carmel. Kick-off is at 2pm.

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.



College Notebook | Knudsen posts 29 point performance for Millikan



Knudsen making early impact at Millikan

Unity's all-time leading scorer Elyce Knudsen is at it again. Now a member of the Millikan women basketball program, the freshman baller has tallied 57 points in just three games for the Big Blue.

In the second game of her college career, Knudsen dropped a team-high 29 points against Wheaton College. Despite her extraordinary effort, Millikan fell by seven at King Arena in Wheaton, 90-83.

Two days later when the two team squared off again, the Unity alumna led her team to victory with a game-high 17 points in the Big Blue's 85-60 win at home last Saturday.

Knudsen is back in action again tomorrow at 7pm when her team faces Augustana College and again at 2pm on Saturday with the Vikings.




Former Spartans on hold

Lacey Kaiser, Rylee Stahl and Rylee Walsh, all former SJO volleyball players now suiting up for Heartland College, are in holding pattern. The Hawks first five matches have postponed. The trio could see action next on February 17 when the squad travels to Springfield for a two-match evening starting with Lincoln Land Community College at 4pm and a nightcap facing Frontier Community College at 6pm.




Kaiser dominates at the net

Katie Kaiser was credited with six of the ten blocks tallied by No. 1 ranked Parkland College after their 3-0 win over Southwestern Illinois College at the Southwestern Illinois College Tri in Belleville last Friday. The nationally ranked Cobras rolled SWIC, 25-20, 25-15, 25-17, to pick up their third win of the season. The former Unity star also had 5 digs in the effort.




Trimble, Crowe duo score 30

Bree Trimble scored 17 points and Peyton Crowe 13 in the Parkland College basketball team's 78-68 win over Olney Community College last Saturday. Thanks to the two starters, the Cobras continue their four-game undefeated streak.

The PC squad is back in action again tomorrow night in their first road contest of the season against Kankakee Community College.



Know a Unity or St. Joseph-Ogden graduate playing at the collegiate level? Let us know their name, sport(s) and where they are playing. An email or a link to their social media account for interviews is a big help, too. Send The Sentinel a message to us at sports@oursentinel.com.

Photo of the day: January 26, 2021

After taking the baton, Migee Kim runs the anchor leg of 4x100

Quarter of the way to fourth

Sprinter Migee Kim takes the baton from teammate Ashley Shroyer during the 4x100m relay at the 2007 News-Gazette Honor Roll Meet at the University of Illinois track and field complex. The Rockets finished in fourth-place with a time of 52.61 thanks to speedy efforts of the duo.

(Photo: PhotoNews Media
Clark Brooks)

Photo of the Day - January 22, 2021

Spartans defeat Rockets at home

Chance Izard attempts to dribble around Jared Routh
St. Joseph-Ogden's Chance Izard attempts to dribble around Unity's Jared Routh during the Spartans' home game in 2019. Izard contributed ten points, seven in coming the second half, in SJO's 48-37 win over the Rockets in Illini Prairie Conference action on January 22. Routh finished the contest with seven points in the low scoring affair.

(Photo: PhotoNews Media
Clark Brooks)

Photo of the Day - January 4, 2021

Zach Becker tries to dribble around Rockets' Tim Collins

SJO wins rivalry game over Unity by four

St. Joseph-Ogden's Zach Becker tries to dribble around Unity's Tim Collins during the game at the Rocket Center in Tolono on December 9, 2007. Despite a massive number of turnovers, The Spartans won the struggled holding on to beat the Rockets, 61-57. (Photo: PhotoNews/Clark Brooks)

Former Unity player earns 6th volleyball conference award

Abby Maxwell smiles after a point for the Rockets
Rockets' Abby Maxwell flashes a huge smile during the Unity volleyball team's home match against Rantoul on September 29, 2016. Now a setter at Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, GA, the collegiate standout earned her sixth conference recognition award this week. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
2017 Unity graduate Abby Maxwell was named Appalachian Athletic Conference Setter of the Week for the sixth time this season.

Now a senior at Truett McConnell University, she is the first TMU athlete has received an AAC weekly award six times in a single season.

Maxwell ranks first in total assists (485), which ranks 15th nationally, and second in most assists per set (9.9), which ranks 12th nationally. She also ranks ninth in total digs in the AAC with 197 and now holds the AAC single game high for most assists and digs in a match, 57 and 40, respectively. She has made over 1,000 digs during her collegiate career. Of the 14 matches played this season, Maxwell has recorded a double-double in all but three.

She also is 32 assists shy of reaching the 3,000th career assists mark.

In high school, Maxwell earned all-conference honors in both volleyball and basketball.

Crowe leads SJO over Unity

St. Joseph-Ogden scored 12 unanswered points in the first six minutes of the third quarter last week to notch another conference win last Monday. The Spartan girls team rolled 59-27 win over Unity after allowing just 10 points total in the second half of the game.

Peyton Crowe delivered a spectacular game-high 20-point performance in the win. The senior made all six of her free throw attempts and drilled a pair of shots from three-point range to overpower the Rockets.


Peyton Crowe fires a shot after driving down the baseline past a Unity player.
St. Joseph-Ogden's Peyton Crowe fires a shot after driving down the baseline past a Unity player. Crowe, who is closing in on scoring her 1000th point, finished the game with 20 points. See more photos from the game here.(PhotoNews Media Archive Photo/Photo by Clark Brooks)


"She played well tonight and not just on scoring. She was hustling," said SJO head coach Kevin Taylor. "She took a charge and played good defense for us."

Once again the Spartans got off to a sluggish start.

Closing the first quarter with a one point lead, Taylor made a few adjustments and watched his team take command of the game in the second one.

"Our defense improved," he said. "Then we started scoring and getting better looks. We definitely picked it up on the second quarter."

Led by Bree Trimble, St. Joseph-Ogden put together a second quarter rally outscoring Unity, 18-8. She was the catalyst behind nine unanswered scores that allowed her team to pull away.

"I got on her early about not going up strong with the ball," Taylor said about Trimble's effort in the first quarter. "As always, she came through for us."

The senior finished with 13 points and missed just one of her eight free throws.

"We started out very slow. It was not a good quarter for us," Trimble said. "Every team that plays us, plays their best against us. We knew we had get out of rut and step up our game."

The Spartans also enjoyed a solid showing from Hannah Dukeman, who finished with 12 points. Maclayne Taylor added another 8 to the score. Both drained a three-point shot in both the 2nd and 3rd quarter to stretch the lead over their conference rivals.

Maclayne's improvement this season hasn't gone unnoticed by her teammates.

"She has grown throughout her four years here," Trimble pointed out without hesitation. "This season she can really handle the ball well Whenever we need a shot, she's there and makes it for us."

Ella Armstrong, Katie Cramer and Taylor Barnes rounded out SJO's scoring effort with a field goal apiece.

The Rockets were paced by Elyse Knudsen with 16 points and Rysa Stacy with 8.

The victory made it the fourth consecutive win for the 17-4 Lady Spartans since their loss to Bishop McNamara (Class 3A) at the State Farm Classic last month. Prior to that loss, the team's longest unbeaten streak was the 9-0 start to the season.

SJO's four losses this season have been at the hands of three Associated Press ranked 3A schools and 2A ranked Teutopolis.