The Sentinel: Unity Sports

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Unity falls in epic gridiron battle to Althoff

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Grarret Richardson avoids a tackle by Althoff's Cordon Charleston on his way to the first of two touchdowns on Friday. The senior finished finished 140 all-purpose yards in the Rockets' 53-52 thriller at Hicks Field.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Brayden Henry hauls in an Althoff pass for a second-quarter interception on 30-yard line with 10:19 to play in the half. The catch stalled the Crusader drive while Unity trailed 21-14 on the scoreboard.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Rockets' Brayden Henry is pulled down from behind during early fourth-quarter action by the Crusaders.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

After going up 51-45 after his 52-yard fourth-quarter touchdown, Unity receiver Tre Hoggard celebrates the score with fans in the west end zone. Hoggard scored four of the Rockets' seven touchdowns, finishing with 266 yards on 12 catches.

Sweet revenge; Rockets bump Sages from postseason

MONTICELLO - The Rockets turned the tables on the Sages last Wednesday. Avenging a loss eight days earlier at Arthur Sievers Gymnasium, Unity handed Monticello their season adieu via a 57-41 victory in their IHSA regional semifinal match.

Not wanting history to repeat itself, the Rockets' took a nine-point first-half advantage at the break thanks to four-treys and six-for-six free-throws shooting. Senior Eric Miebach, who finished with a game-high 15 points, led the Unity offensive effort in the first two periods with six points.

The Sages fell further behind in the third quarter, allowing the Rockets an 18-point advantage they could not recover from.

Top contributors in Unity's 25th win of the season were Dane Eisenmenger, who came off the bench to score 12 points. Henry Thomas delivered nine points, Dalton O'Neill added seven, and sophomore Coleton Langendorf finished with six.

The bulk of Monticello's scoring was courtesy of Ike Young and Tyler Blythe. The pair had 11 points each, while Trey Welter and Raiden Colbert mustered six points each. The Sages finished the season 15-15 and 4th in the Illini Prairie standings.

The Rockets advanced to the title game on Friday against Warrensburg-Latham (21-11). The Cardinals moved forward after closing the book on the Maroa-Forsyth season, 67-50.

Unity's Nosler wins IHSA state wrestling title

Unity's Nick Nosler is declared winner after his 195-pound title match with St. Thomas More's Brody Cuppernell at the 2023 IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals on Saturday. Nosler, who finished as the Sentinel area's top finisher, won the bout by major decision, 11-3. The senior improved to 55-2 on the season after going 4-0 at the State Farm Center. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

TOP LEFT: Nosler scores a takedown on Cuppernell. TOP RIGHT: Smiling for his official IHSA photo, Nick Nosler stands tall at the top of the 195-pound podium on Saturday. BOTTOM: Cuppernell tries to avoid being rolled to his back by Nosler during their title bout. (Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Brody Cuppernell is rolled to his back by Unity's Nosler. Cuppernell, a junior at St. Thomas More, finished his season with 45 wins and against 6 losses. See more photos of area wrestlers at the state tournament here. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

In The Know | 9 stories you might have missed in the past week

A summary of our stories from December 20 through 22 readers might have missed. Subscribe to get your daily notification of The Sentinel's latest news and photos here. It's free and unsubscribe any time.

Photo of the Day | December 19, 2022

TOLONO - Unity's Henry Thomas goes up for a shot between two Pleasant Plains players during second half action of their non-conference contest on Saturday. In front of ...

Guest Commentary | Seeing the hurts of others doesn’t make your troubles go away

When I was a child at Tomahawk Elementary School in Martin County, Kentucky there were many kids who got little to nothing for Christmas. I had classmates who I would never ask if they got anything for Christmas because I already knew ...

Special holiday prices for court time available at Atkins Tennis Center

URBANA - Atkins Tennis Center is offering reduce rates on indoor court time now through January 15, 2023. Area players can keep those extra holiday pounds off without putting a huge dent in their wallet. Normally $30/hour for indoor ...

Prep Sports Notebook | Spartans, Rockets post wins on the hardcourt

Spartans Taylor Hug, Addison Frick, and Addisyn Martinie finished the night in double-digits taking down the 10-2 Timberwolves.

Raegan Stringer led the Rockets with 24 points and five assists. Addison Ray delivered a 12-point effort.

Mikayla Knake led the Lady T'Wolves with 16 points.

Photo of the Day | December 20, 2022

St. Joseph - With teammate Addisyn Martinie trying to help out, Addison Frick pulls down a rebound in SJO's home game ...

Frick drops 20 in SJO's road game at Oakwood

Addison Frick was perfect at the free throw line, 2-for-2, while leading the Spartans to their second-straight victory heading into the Christmas holiday lull. The 5-foot-7 junior finished the night with a game-high 20 points ...

A college education is gift we can give to children of our American heroes

NAPSI - While the holiday season is generally a time of joy and celebration, military families can often experience a very different range of emotions. Active service members and veterans returning home for the holidays might struggle to participate in family gatherings ...

Are you itching to get out and run the snow thrower?

NAPSI - With a total accumulation between two and four inches expected by this weekend and blowing snow until Sunday morning in our area, it is time to rev up the snow throwers and blowers to clear sidewalks and driveways for the holiday celebrations at your house.

Just like predicted precipitation from snow flurries and winter storms can be unpredictable, the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) encourages home and business owners to be prepared in advance ...

With schools out for winter break, seasonal illnesses will be on the rise

Evergreen Park - Schools across the country are on winter break and holiday gatherings are here along with the winter weather. That means the perfect storm for seasonal illnesses to spread is nearly inevitable. This year we have heard the term "triple-demic" used in reference to the current strains of flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that are circulating across the country.