Urbana football lost to Richwoods and Belleville East on Wednesday. The Tigers seek their first win Saturday against Centennial.
Urbana's Just'Us Jones runs the football past a Belleville East player during the Tigers' home flag footbal game on Wednesday. The Tigers (0-5) fell 32-6 in their doubleheader nightcap against the Lancers. UHS opened the twin bill with a loss to Richwoods at McKinley Field, 59-0. Urbana hopes to end their five-game slide when they face 0-3 Centennial at the Mahomet-Seymour Jamboree on Saturday.
Check back soon for the Sentinel's full photo gallery.
TAGGED: Urbana Tigers football 2025, Urbana vs Belleville East high school football, Urbana vs Richwoods football recap, Urbana Centennial football preview, Illinois high school football twin bill
With Week 3 voting closed, check back Sunday to see how accurate this week's guesses were to the real thing. Whether you’re a die-hard fan, a proud alum, or just love the spirit of high school football, Friday Night Forecast brings the fun of the season straight to area prep football fans.
Think you know who will win? Drop back by on Monday to cast your picks for the Week 4 Friday Night Forecast!
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IHSA girls flag football enters its second season. Urbana takes on Richwoods and Belleville East tonight at home.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
URBANA - Urbana’s Zaniyah Ward runs the football during the Tigers’ home game against Champaign Central on Sept. 3. Looking for their first win of the season, the Urbana girls flag football team hosts a doubleheader this afternoon, beginning at 4 p.m. against the Richwoods Knights (3-1). In the nightcap, scheduled for 6 p.m., the Tigers will face the Belleville East Lancers (3-1). This is the second year of the IHSA-sanctioned high school sport in Illinois. As part of the triangular format, the Knights and Lancers will meet at 5:15 p.m.
TAGGED: Urbana girls flag football 2025, Urbana High School sports schedule, IHSA girls flag football Illinois, Richwoods Knights vs Urbana, Belleville East vs Urbana flag football
Bloomington 19, Normal University 14
Centennial 8, Central 6
Danville 12, Urbana 7
Normal Community 35, Normal West 22
Peoria 58, Peoria Notre Dame 31
Richwoods 28, Manual 14
Centennial topped Urbana 6-3 at Blair Park Thursday, rebounding from a loss to Mahomet-Seymour with key singles and doubles wins.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Chargers' Ria Modi keeps the ball in play during Centennial's home match against Mahomet-Seymour. Modi, who lost that match, pulled off a commanding win over Urbana's Elianna Lee to reset her win streak.
URBANA - Coming off a loss to local emerging girls tennis powerhouse Mahomet-Seymour, Centennial put another mark in the win column Thursday with a 6-3 road victory over Big Twelve Conference opponent Urbana.
The Chargers (2-4) leaned on their top players to lead the way. No. 1 singles standout Ria Modi and No. 2 Taylor Diep, both looking to rebound from Labor Day setbacks, did just that by sweeping their singles matches and later teaming up with partners to take doubles wins as well. Modi paired with Romi Sagiv to win at No. 2 doubles, while Diep joined forces with Krisha Patel to claim No. 1 doubles.
Patel also delivered a dramatic win in singles at the No. 3 spot, outlasting Urbana’s Ananyah Tangmunarunkit in a tense third-set tiebreaker, 14-12. Sagiv added a straight-set victory at No. 4 singles to give Centennial a strong showing across the middle of the lineup.
Centennial will return home Thursday to host crosstown rival Champaign Central at Lindsay Courts, looking to secure bragging rights among Champaign-Urbana’s three large school programs.
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McLean, Marshall and the Tangmunarunkit/Aksimentyeva duo claimed wins for Urbana in a 6-3 loss to Champaign Centennial.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Urbana's Alisa Aksimentyeva lunges forward to hit an approach shot while playing with partner Anyssa Tangmunarunkit during last Tuesday's match against St. Joseph-Ogden. The sophomore picked up another varsity win with Tangmunarunkit on Thursday against Centennial.
URBANA – On an unseasonably cool Thursday at Blair Tennis Courts, Urbana’s girls tennis team notched three match victories but came up short against Champaign Centennial, falling 6-3 in a home dual.
The "A-Team", Freshman Anyssa Tangmunarunkit and sophomore Alisa Aksimentyeva, extended their momentum in doubles, securing their second straight win together. After surviving a tight first-set tiebreaker, the pair rolled to a commanding 6-0 finish in the second to close out Centennial’s No. 3 tandem.
Earlier at singles, Urbana junior Gwen McLean continued her steady play at No. 5, earning her second consecutive victory with a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Asma Cheema. Senior Simone Marshall added another point for the Tigers, battling her way to a straight-set victory at No. 6 singles with a 7-5, 6-4 result.
Despite the loss, Urbana (1-2) showed growth coming off its season-opening win against St. Joseph-Ogden. The Tigers will stay at home Tuesday to host St. Thomas More before heading on the road Thursday for a matchup with Watseka.
TAGGED: Urbana girls tennis 2025, Urbana vs Centennial tennis match, Blair Park Urbana sports, Urbana High School tennis results, Illinois high school girls tennis scores
Urbana captures first win of season with 6-3 victory over St. Joseph-Ogden in girls tennis behind strong doubles play at Blair Park.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Urbana's Elianna Lee hits the ball back over the net while playing the second set of her match against St. Joseph-Ogden's Samantha Kelso in the Tigers' home match against the Spartans.
URBANA - Samantha Kelso broke through for her first singles win of the year, but Urbana High School claimed its first team victory of the season with a 6-3 triumph over St. Joseph-Ogden in a nonconference girls tennis match Tuesday at Blair Park.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells serves during her doubles match on Tuesday.
Kelso, playing No. 1 singles, ended a two-match skid with a grueling 6-4, 7-5 decision over Urbana’s Elianna Lee in a contest that lasted two hours and 25 minutes. The win gave the Spartans an early lift, but Urbana rallied behind depth and strong doubles play.
St. Joseph-Ogden senior Lily Rice also delivered, earning her second singles win of the fall by defeating Urbana’s Catherine Bretl 6-2, 6-0. Rice, who split four matches last season, is off to a promising start with an eye on a breakout year. At No. 6 singles, Kenley Ray gave the Spartans their third point, topping Alisa Aksimentyeva 6-4, 6-2.
Urbana’s lineup countered with steady performances from its underclassmen. Freshman Anyssa Tangmunarunkit rallied from a set down to outlast SJO’s Madison Farber 3-6, 6-3, 10-5. Her older sister, Ananyah Tangmunarunkit, added a 6-4, 6-2 win over Ainsley Rhoten at No. 3 singles. Gwen McLean rounded out Urbana’s singles victories with a 6-3, 6-1 result over Avarie Dietiker.
With the score tied 3-3 after singles play, Urbana swept the doubles courts to clinch the dual. Lee teamed with Ananyah Tangmunarunkit for a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 1, while Bretl and McLean secured No. 2 doubles with a 6-2, 6-1 victory. Anyssa Tangmunarunkit and Aksimentyeva closed it out with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 3.
The victory improved Urbana to 1-1, while St. Joseph-Ogden slipped to 2-2. Urbana will host St. Thomas More on Tuesday, Sept. 9, before embarking on a three-match road swing. The Spartans hit the road Monday, Sept. 8, for a matchup with Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, followed by a Sept. 18 conference battle at Pontiac.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Tigers' Catherine Bretl and Gwen McLean go over game strategy during a changeover in the second set. The duo won their doubles match, defeating Maddie Wells and Ava Midkiff 6-2, 6-1.
TAGGED: Urbana girls tennis vs St. Joseph-Ogden, Illinois high school tennis results, Central Illinois girls tennis scores, St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans tennis schedule, Urbana Tigers tennis 2025 season
Boasting a nearly perfect prediction, Alan is our Big Twelve winner from Week 1, guessing six of seven outcomes correctly. Below are the results from Week 1 of the Sentinel’s inaugural Friday Night Forecast.
Week 1 Results
Rank
Name
Record
Notes
1
Alan
6-1
Week 1 winner
2
Clark
5-2
His crystal ball may be cracked
Cumulative Standings
Rank
Name
Total Record
Wins
Notes
1
Alan
6-1
1
Week 1 winner
2
Clark
5-2
0
Week 1 Results
Champaign Central vs Springfield
Alan: Champaign Central .::. 36-14 Clark: Springfield H.S. .::. 27-14
Alan: Normal Community .::. 45-13 Clark: Normal Community .::. 14-7
Normal Community 40, Richwoods 6
Peoria Manual vs Normal University
Alan: Normal University .::. 42-18 Clark: Normal University .::. 21-14
Normal University 71, Peoria Manual 22
Normal West @ Peoria Notre Dame
Alan: Normal West .::. 41-28 Clark: Peoria Notre Dame .::. 28-24
Normal West 34, Peoria Notre Dame 14
Centennial vs Peoria
Alan: Peoria .::. 46-21 Clark: Peoria .::. 24-21
Peoria 42, Centennial 0
Urbana vs St. Teresa
Alan: St. Teresa .::. 40-8 Clark: St. Teresa .::. 35-14
St. Teresa 29, Urbana 7
Big Twelve football predictions 2025, Central Illinois high school football picks, Friday Night Forecast Sentinel, Week 2 Illinois prep football forecasts, Champaign Central vs Springfield predictions
Senior Kyree Hillsman carries the ball in the Tigers' home game against St. Teresa at Urbana's McKinley Field on Friday. This week, Urbana takes on the Danville Vikings on the road for their first Big Twelve matchup of the season. Use the form below to give us your pigskin picks for Week 2 in the Big Twelve.
URBANA - Urbana's CJ Blanden folds St. Teresa's Alex Garwood in half while making a tackle for a loss in Friday's home game. Blanden, a senior, recorded four tackles, two for a loss, and a 3-yard sack. Next up, Urbana travels to Danville for their first Big Twelve contest of the season.
URBANA - Sorrell Darough, Jr., carries the ball during first-quarter action in Urbana's home game against St. Teresa. The senior carried the ball 13 times, gaining 99 rushing yards in the Tigers' 29-7 loss to the Bulldogs. Also, playing kick-return, Darough bounced for 73 yards, giving him 173 all-purpose yards in the season opener. Next up, Urbana travels to Danville for their first Big Twelve contest of the season.
URBANA - The Sentinel kicks off its new weekly feature, the Friday Night Forecast, inviting Big Twelve football fans to test their prediction skills throughout the regular season. In our opening poll for Week 1, just two entries were submitted, but early results showed strong consensus. Fans were unanimous on the winners in four of the seven conference matchups, including tonight’s opener with Champaign Central hosting Springfield.
Below are the picks from the Sentinel’s inaugural Friday Night Forecast.
Week 1 predictions
Champaign Central vs Springfield
Alan: Champaign Central .::. 36-14 Clark: Springfield H.S. .::. 27-14
Alan: Normal Community .::. 45-13 Clark: Normal Community .::. 14-7
Peoria Manual vs Normal University
Alan: Normal University .::. 42-18 Clark: Normal University .::. 21-14
Normal West @ Peoria Notre Dame
Alan: Normal West .::. 41-28 Clark: Peoria Notre Dame .::. 28-24
Centennial vs Peoria
Alan: Peoria .::. 46-21 Clark: Peoria .::. 24-21
Urbana vs St. Teresa
Alan: St. Teresa .::. 40-8 Clark: St. Teresa .::. 35-14
Big Twelve football predictions 2025, Central Illinois high school football picks, Friday Night Forecast Sentinel, Week 1 Illinois prep football forecasts, Champaign Central vs Springfield predictions
URBANA - As area teams compete for a spot in the 2025 IHSA football playoffs, we invite you each week to put your football instincts to the test with our new Friday Night Forecast. Join us in predicting Big Twelve wins and upsets.
With the conference kickoff set for Thursday, Aug. 28, we’ve opened voting early to get the ball rolling and see which Central Illinois teams you believe will start the season with a win.
Submit your picks for the opening week forecast below and see how your calls stack up against fellow Big Twelve fans each Friday morning throughout all nine weeks of the regular season.
More stories ~
Illinois football names six captains for the 2025 football season
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CHARLESTON - Urbana's Marley Yau runs 2:20.83 split while running the anchor leg of her squad's preliminary race at the 2024 IHSA Girls Track & Field State Finals. The Tigers' relay squad finished 4th in their heat and 12th overall to punch their ticket into Saturday's championship race. Yau, along with her sister Lorelie, Beatrice Ebel, and Sophia Sheyko-Frailey finished 11th overall in the title race with a time of 9:56.10. Yau, a sophomore, returns to the state meet on Friday to compete in the 800m run and the 4x400 relay.
Nine other members of the Urbana track program will also compete in Friday's prelims. Accompanying Yau to Charleston this week are Amber Sysouvanh (4x200), Asha Williams (4x200), Francette Musau (4x200, 4x400), Genisis Walker (4x400), Kaleigh Bell (Long Jump, 100m Dash, 4x200, 4x400), Laiyonna Harper (4x200, 4x400), Mya Sessi (4x200, 4x400), Savannah Finley (4x200, 4x400), and Syniyah Quenga (4x200, 4x400).
Tagged: IHSA track & field, state track, high school sports, central Illinois, Urbana Tigers, long jump, hurdles, 4x800, state qualifiers, Urbana relay team
URBANA - Urbana High School’s boys tennis team dropped its home match to visiting Morton on Tuesday at Blair Park, falling 8-1 in a nonconference contest. The lone win for the Tigers came courtesy of Samuel Sherwood at No. 3 singles.
Sherwood earned a straight-sets victory over Morton’s Max Roosa, winning 6-4, 6-2, to account for Urbana’s only point on the day. He later paired with Xander Ashley in a closely contested No. 1 doubles match, falling to Morton’s Ryan Klopfenstein and Joal Larson in a super tiebreaker, 1-6, 6-2, 13-11.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Urbana Sam Sherwood follows through on a shot while playing against Uni-High earlier this month. The junior walked away Wednesday's match against the Potters with a victory.
Morton swept the remaining singles and doubles matches, though Urbana pushed the Potters in several spots. At No. 2 singles, Karl Bonita took the first set before falling to Larson, 5-7, 6-2, 10-2. Zach Olson came within reach of a second team point at No. 5 singles, forcing a third-set tiebreak before ultimately dropping a 6-1, 1-6, 16-14 decision to Tate Darcy.
In doubles, Urbana’s No. 2 team of Theodore Nevins and Gus Rund lost 6-2, 6-4, while Olson and Kavi Patel came up short at No. 3 doubles in a tight first-set tiebreaker before falling 7-6 (1), 6-2.
Urbana is scheduled to return to the court today, facing St. Thomas More at the Atkins Tennis Center on the University of Illinois campus. First serve against the Sabers is slated for 4:30 p.m.
University High's Robert Gao celebrates after grueling doubles victory against Urbana's Karl Bonita and Santi Lleras. Narrowing taking the first set, and dropping the second, Gao and partner Kyle Fan won the tiebreak, 10-7. See more match photos below.
URBANA - Despite less-than-favorable weather conditions—a steady breeze and temperatures in the mid-40s—at Atkins Tennis Center, the Uni High boys tennis team swept all six singles matches Tuesday in a home contest against crosstown rival Urbana High School, cruising to an 8-1 victory.
Freshman Jameson LaFave defeated Urbana junior Xander Ashley 7-6 (5), 6-2 at No. 1 singles. Ashley bounced back in doubles, teaming with Sam Sherwood for the Tigers' lone win of the day. The Urbana duo rallied past Josh Persiani and Ian Pan at No. 2 doubles, winning 2-6, 6-1, 10-7.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Urbana's Sam Sherwood lines up backhand shot during his double match with partner Xander Ashley at No. 2 doubles.
At No. 1 doubles, Urbana’s Santi Lleras and Karl Bonita dropped the first set 7-6 (5) but made dozens of sharp plays and dominated serve-plus-one points to take the second set 6-2. However, Uni High’s Robert Gao and Kyle Fan showed resilience in the third-set tiebreak, capturing the final three points after a 7-7 deadlock to close out the match.
Urbana returns to action Wednesday for a nonconference match against St. Thomas More at Atkins. The Illineks will travel to Bloomington on Saturday before hosting St. Teresa at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
Match Results
Singles:
No. 1 - Jameson LaFave, Uni def. Xander Ashley, Urbana 7-6 (5), 6-2
No. 2 - Swapnil Kumar, Uni def. Karl Bonita, Urbana 6-1 , 6-3
No. 3 - Robert Gao, Uni def. Santi Lleras, Urbana 6-2 , 6-2
No. 4 - Kyle Fan, Uni def. Samuel Sherwood, Urbana 6-2 , 6-2
No. 5 - Josh Persiani, Uni def. Theodore Nevins, Urbana 6-3 , 6-4
No. 6 - Ian Pan, Uni def. Gus Rund, Urbana 6-2 , 1-6 , 10-5
Doubles:
No. 1 - Robert Gao - Kyle Fan, Uni def. Santi Lleras, Urbana - Karl Bonita, Urbana 6-3 , 2-6 , 10-7
No. 2 - Xander Ashley - Samuel Sherwood, Urbana def. Josh Persiani - Ian Pan, Uni 2-6 , 6-1 , 10-7
No. 3 - Collins Rosch - Tristen Ting, Uni def. Theodore Nevins - Gus Rund, Urbana 7-6 (5), 6-2
URBANA - This week's prediction poll for the Friday Night Forecast is closed. Here are this week's picks from area sports soothsayers.
