Photo Gallery |
Illini Prairie clash: Unity drops heartbreaker to Central Catholic, 34-27

A packed Hicks Field witnessed Unity and Central Catholic battle in a thrilling Illini Prairie Conference matchup. The Saints edged the Rockets 34-27.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

With the help of teammate Coleton Langendorf, Unity's Keegan Germano tackles Central Catholic quarterback Matthew Brady for a loss in the first quarter of their Illini Prairie Conference game. Scoring the last touchdown of the game, Brady led the visiting Saints to a 34-27 win at Hicks Field on Friday.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity defensive players take a breather on the sidelines while getting advice and instructions from an assistant coach.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Central Catholic receiver Crayton Schnierle hauls in long pass between Unity defenders Adam Reedy and Graydin Cler. Schnierle's catch set up BCC's second first quarter touchdown moving the ball from their 18 yard line to Unity's 33.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity fans in the east end zone dance to music during a time out. Over 500 football fans were on hand for an exciting game between the conference's two potential champions this season.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Tre Hoggard is wrapped up from behind by a Central Catholic defender. Hoggard made five catches good for 87 yards and a touchdown for the Rockets.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Crewe Eckstein makes his way into the end zone in the second quarter for a Unity touchdown. Eckstein padded his stats with 151 yards on 17 carries against the Saints. The senior finished the game with two touchdowns.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity fans congratulate wide receiver Tre Hoggard after his touchdown on a 29-yard pass play in the second quarter.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Crewe Eckstein breaks away for a 56-yard romp down the sidelines late in the second quarter.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity student fans show their undying support for the Rockets after a big play.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Blasting his way into the Saints' backfield, Rockets' Coleton Langendorf wraps up Central Catholic's Valshun Powe for a loss in the second half.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity student fans celebrate a first down for the Rockets.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Rockets' Crewe Eckstein barrels his way to the goal line for touchdown, dragging Saints' Greyer Pirtz, who made the initial hit on the eight-yard line, with him into the end zone.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Matthew Brady is hoisted by teammates after scoring a touchdown for Central Catholic. Brady's TD broke a 27-all score with less than two minutes left on the clock. The extra point was good giving his team the 34-27 advantage.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

With very little time on their side, Unity crafted an impressive drive down the field toward the east end zone in response to BCC's go-ahead score. Dane Eisenmenger rolls out of the pocket looking to throw to Tre Hoggard. The pass tipped off the fingertips of Hoggard as the buzzer sounded, ending the Rockets' comeback effort. Unity dropped to 2-1 on the season while Central Catholic remains undefeated headed into Week 4 of IHSA football.

Unity vs Central Catholic football photos, Hicks Field Illini Prairie Conference, IHSA Week 3 football gallery, Unity Rockets 2025 football, Central Catholic Saints undefeated season

Unity falls just short in thriller vs Bloomington Central Catholic

Rockets and Saints traded punches all night, but BCC had the last word. Unity drops tough 34-27 decision.

Unity's Crewe Eckstein scores a touchdown

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Crewe Eckstein drags Central Catholic's Greyer Pirtz into the end zone for a touchdown in the third quarter. Eckstein finished the team's first conference loss with 151 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns.

by Clark Brooks
The Sentinel

TOLONO — It was a beautiful evening at Hicks Field. The temperature at game time started in the low 80s and gradually dipped into the lower 70s as the sun set across Central Illinois. With more than 800 fans in the stands, two unbeaten Illini Prairie Conference heavyweights went toe to toe. From the opening kick to the final horn, momentum swung wildly, but in the end visiting Bloomington Central Catholic caught the last wave to victory, defeating Unity 34-27 in a high-quality high school football clash.

"We knew that it was going to be a heavy weight fight with two very good teams," said Saints head coach Kevin Braucht. "In a game like that, there are many swings in momentum and our ability to stay calm and focused on our jobs say much about out mental toughness and resiliency. We preach every day about looking at every moment as an opportunity vs. a burden regardless of the outcome."

BCC's Valshun Powe looks to turn the corner

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Bloomington Central Catholic's Valshun Powe looks at Unity's Brayden Henry as he tries to scamper down the sidelines for a first down.

Central Catholic found that opportunity when Unity’s first possession ended prematurely after a completed pass was fumbled near midfield. Central Catholic recovered and drove for a one-yard touchdown run. The Saints missed the extra point but struck again before the first quarter ended on a nine-yard run, extending their lead to 13-0.

The Rockets roared back in the second quarter. Dane Eisenmenger powered up the middle for Unity’s first score, followed by Crewe Eckstein’s four-yard burst that tied the game. Ty Rodems’ second extra point gave Unity a 14-13 edge. Minutes later, Brayden Henry’s interception set up Eisenmenger’s touchdown pass to Tre Hoggard, sending the Rockets into halftime with a 20-13 lead.

Central Catholic regrouped after the break, scoring on runs of nine and 26 yards to reclaim a 27-20 advantage.

"Coming out of halftime we wanted to limit their offensive snaps and wanted to control the clock better," Braucht said. A sound plan given how explosive the Unity offense had proven itself in the first two weeks of the season.

Eckstein punctuated that thought when responded with his second touchdown run of the night, dragging a defender across the goal line to even the score at 27 in third quarter.

"Our kids battled there to the end. I'm pretty proud of them," said Tony Reetz, now 2-1 as Unity's head coach. "They (BCC) were able to control the clock, control the ball, and kept our offense on the sideline. They kind of wore our defense down a little, so credit to them."

Unity players talk strategy on the bench

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Keegan Germano, Desmond Winfrey, and Coleton Langendorf defensive tactic to contain Central Catholic's run gam while taking a breather on the bench in the first half.

The decisive drive came late in the fourth quarter. Facing 4th-and-1, Valshun Powe slipped away from Unity’s Adam Reedy to keep the Saints alive. Moments later, a leaping catch in double coverage put BCC on the Unity 12. Matthew Brady finished the drive with the go-ahead touchdown at the 2:50 mark.

Unity mounted one final push, reaching the Saints’ four-yard line. On the last play, Eisenmenger rolled left under pressure and lofted a pass toward Hoggard in the corner of the end zone. The ball glanced off his fingertips as time expired, sealing Central Catholic’s win.

Unity’s offense posted strong numbers despite the loss. Eckstein finished with 151 yards rushing on 17 carries, including a 56-yard breakaway. Eisenmenger added 40 yards on the ground while throwing for 196 yards. Henry led Rocket receivers with four catches for 92 yards, while Hoggard hauled in five for 87.

Overall, Unity ran 52 plays for 382 yards, while the Saints executed 70 plays for 405 yards and held a 31–22 edge in first downs. The Rockets lost the turnover battle 3-1.

"They played us in a little bit different coverage than we were anticipating, so it took us a while to get the passing game going," Reetz said. "I was happy with the way we executed when we figured out what we could take from them."

Crayton Schnierle comes up with a big catch for BCC

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Central Catholic receiver Crayton Schnierle makes a reception on a huge play between Unity defenders Brayden Henry and Graydin Cler. The catch set up the game-winning touchdown from Saints' Matthew Brady.

Braucht praised his team’s balance and once again highlighted their overall resiliency. "When you have three players of their abilities, you need to make sure they are getting most of the calls," he said, pointing to Powe, Brady and Crayton Schnierle as difference-makers. "Those three are very good players, but the real difference in that game was our offensive and defensive lines and how we controlled the line of scrimmage in the second half."

Reetz said the Saints exposed a few weaknesses that the team will work on. The luxury of having a tough game early in the season is that it gives you plenty of time to turn those shortcomings into strengths.

"It is just week three of the season. We're in this for the long haul. We're not trying to be ready with everything Week 3," he said. "This will be a good case study to look at."

The loss drops Unity to 2-1 heading into a road trip to unbeaten St. Joseph-Ogden (3-0) next Friday at Dick Duval Field. The Spartans dominated Illinois Valley Central 51-16. Central Catholic improves to 3-0 and will host Rantoul.

TAGGED: Unity Rockets football 2025, Bloomington Central Catholic Saints football recap, Unity vs Central Catholic Hicks Field 2025, Illini Prairie Conference week 3 football results, Illinois high school football Unity vs St. Joseph-Ogden preview

Spartans shut out Unity, finish Illini Prairie season undefeated

SJO defeats Unity 10-0 on the road to clinch the Illini Prairie Conference title behind Pruemer’s shutout and Houchens’ 3-run homer.

TOLONO — St. Joseph-Ogden wrapped up a dominant Illini Prairie Conference season with an emphatic 10-0 shutout victory over rival Unity on Thursday, capping off a perfect run through league play.

SJO pitcher Asher Pruemer

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Spartan pitcher winds up for a pitch against Westville on April 30. The junior hurler picked the win against Unity on Thursday.

The Spartans (27-2) controlled the game from the opening inning and never let up, scoring in four of six innings and leaning on a sharp pitching performance from Asher Pruemer to keep the Rockets (14-10) scoreless on their home field. The win clinched the conference title outright and extended SJO’s winning streak with just days remaining in the regular season.

Pruemer was in command throughout, scattering just two hits while striking out four in a six-inning complete game. The right-hander walked one and faced minimal traffic, thanks in part to clean defense and early run support.

SJO got on the board quickly in the first. After Will Haley drew a walk in his opening at-bat, he scored the game’s first run on Trevor Ames’ two-out single to center. That opened the floodgates — Logan Rosenthal, Ames, and Nolan Earley also came around in the inning to give the Spartans a 4-0 lead.

Unity’s Brady Parr struggled with command, allowing six hits, nine total runs — four earned — and issuing six walks in just 2 2/3 innings.

The Spartans added two more runs in the second behind Kodey McKinney’s sharp single down the right field line, extending the lead to 6-0. But the big blow came in the bottom of the third, when Bryson Houchens crushed a three-run homer to left, scoring Rosenthal and Pruemer to put SJO up 9-0.

McKinney, who went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, drove in the final run in the sixth, plating pinch runner Dalton York to end the game via run rule.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Spartans' Bryson Houchens loads for swing on Normal U-High pitch last month. He has hit home runs in last three outtings for SJO.

Houchens finished with three RBIs on the homer, and also scored twice. Rosenthal and Ames also crossed the plate twice apiece as the Spartans combined for nine hits and seven walks in the contest.

Unity’s lone offensive highlights came from Nolan Remole and Coleton Langendorf, who each recorded one hit, but the Rockets couldn’t generate sustained pressure against Pruemer.

St. Joseph-Ogden now turns its attention to a nonconference home matchup against Reed-Custer on Saturday as the Spartans continue to build momentum for the postseason.

Seven area players earn basketball all-conference recognition

URBANA - The Illini Prairie Conference presented its boys' basketball all-conference team this week. Teams members are selected by coaches from each of the member teams. St. Joseph-Ogden center Tanner Siems and Coleton Langendorf from the conference champion Unity Rockets received votes to earn First-Team status.

See the complete list below of this year's all-conference players.

Illini Prairie Conference Final Standings

1. Tolono Unity 8-1 / Overall: 23-9
2. Bloomington Central Catholic 8-1 / Overall: 22-12
3. St. Joseph-Ogden 7-2 / Overall: 21-9
4. Monticello 5-4 / Overall: 18-14
5. Pontiac 5-4 / Overall: 11-18
6. Illinois Valley Central 4-5 / Overall: 13-19
7. Rantoul 4-5 / Overall: 13-19
8. Paxton-Buckley-Loda 3-6 / Overall: 14-15
9. Prairie Central 1-8 / Overall: 8-24
10. St. Thomas More 0-9 / Overall: 11-20

First Team

Kayshaun Manney, Central Catholic, So
Ike Young, Monticello, Sr
DJ Davis, Rantoul, Sr
Tanner Siems, St. Joseph Ogden, Sr
Coleton Langendorf, Unity, Jr
Tyler Cole, PBL, Jr

Second Team

Trey Eller, Central Catholic, Sr
Coy Taylor, St. Joseph Ogden, Sr
Brady Ward, IVC, Jr
Cayden Masching, Pontiac, Jr
Dane Eisenmenger, Unity, Jr
Brayden Henry, Unity, Jr

Honorable Mention

Will Vogel, Central Catholic, Sr
Cole Yates, IVC, Sr
Simon Zimmerman, Prairie Central, Sr
Jayden Rice, Rantoul, Sr
Parker Fitch, St. Joseph Ogden, Jr
Owen Yeager, St. Thomas More, Jr
Johnson, Pontiac, Sr

Unity Rockets extend winning streak, defeat Williamsville 55-52

WILLIAMSVILLE - Like two evenly matched heavyweight prizefighters, Unity and Williamsville slugged it out toe-to-toe for bragging rights in their Illini Prairie/Sangamo Challenge Shootout game on Saturday. Coleton Langendorf scored nine points in the fourth quarter, propelling the Rockets (21-6), representing the IPC, past the Bullets, 55-52.

Unity Athletics Langendorf led his team with 16 points and went 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. He was one of three players to finish with double-digits, joined by Brayden Henry and Brady Parr, who scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Unity trailed by one point at the end of the first quarter but took a 25-24 lead at halftime.

Carson Doran of the Bullets led all scorers with 23 points. He added nine points in the third quarter to tie the game at 40. The 6-foot-3 senior made all four of his free throws but fouled out in the fourth quarter. With Williamsville's star player sidelined, Unity meticulously outscored the hosts 15-12 in the final quarter to secure the victory.

Unity will return to the Rocket Center on Tuesday to host the Vikings from Danville for another non-conference challenge. Langendorf and the Rockets will face a formidable opponent as they aim to extend their 13-game winning streak to 14. The varsity game tips off at 7 p.m.

Unity has three regular-season contests remaining. Their biggest challenge comes on Friday when Matt Franks and the Rockets put their undefeated conference record on the line at St. Joseph-Ogden against the Spartans, who are 5-1 in the IPC and 17-7 overall. After Friday's game, Unity will play their final home game against rival Monticello and finish the schedule with a road game at Oakwood.

Something else you might like ~

US Postal service proposals don't seem that great for mail customers

Illinois farmers await proposed Trump tariffs, questioning how they will affect their agribusiness operations

Starting in 2025, Illinois job hunters will see actual pay and benefits in all job listings

Relationships & Dating | Wonder if it is worth it or should I just bow out

Why do politicians keep blaming DEI for disasters when it’s a laughably lie

Team effort fuels Unity's 15-point win over Paris

Coleton Langendorf dribbles down the baseline during Unity's home game against Paris. The junior scored 21 against the visiting Tigers. See more photos from the game here.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Less than 24 hours after beating the Tri-Valley Vikings by 19, Unity picks up a second victory by 15 over visiting Paris.

TOLONO - The Rockets (8-5) start 2025 with back-to-back wins, the latest coming on Saturday at home against Paris. It took a team effort, with nine members contributing to the victory, for Unity to reverse a first-half 13-point deficit in the 65-50 win over the Tigers.

Scoreless in the first quarter, Coleton Langendorf hit his stride in the last two frames to lead the Rockets' offensive effort with 21 points. Tre Hoggard reached double digits, dropping 15 points on the Tigers. Mason O'Neill rounded out the top three scorers for Unity with seven points.

Despite losing the opening tip, Paris took an early 6-0 and stretched it into a 20-7 advantage by the end of the first quarter.

"Give Paris credit. They played really good out of the gate," said Unity head coach Matt Franks. "We were just sluggish. I have to give credit where credit is due. They played really well."

Sluggish. Yeah, a less than 24-hour turnaround after a tough game the night before does that to young legs.

"We had a really hard-fought game at Tri-Valley," he explained. "You could see that in our legs early. We didn't make shots early and it kind of snowballed."

Unity knocked off the 10-4 Vikings on the road, 60-41.

Down by 13 at the start of the second quarter, Dane Eisenmenger started the Rocket comeback hitting two free throws. The junior delivered the next UHS bucket to cut the lead to nine. Making every trip to the free throw line count, Unity converted on six of nine attempts along with three shots from Langendorf and another from Hoggard. By halftime, Unity trailed by three, 26-23.

"Our guys settled down and settled into the game, and were able to make enough plays," Franks said. He credited Unity's brutal early season schedule for the comeback. "Our first 11 games, eight of them were either 3A or 4A opponents. We played a really tough schedule early. It's done a good job preparing us for this stretch."

The Rockets' momentum continued in the second half to a 31-30 advantage. The two teams exchanged leads briefly before Unity slid ahead by four after Hoggard banked a layup off the glass at the end of the third period to up 40-36.

Thanks to eight fourth-quarter points from Langendorf and six points from Brayden Henry, Unity racked up a 15-point lead while limiting Paris to just 11.

Jackson Rigdon scored 27 points for Paris, 15 of those coming in the first half. The 5'10" senior drained five treys and went 4-for-6 from the free throw line. Juniors Carter Eastham and Karic Vitale contributed eight points each in the non-conference loss.

Hoping for a packed house, the Unity is back in the Rocket Center on Tuesday at 7 PM, hosting Normal University High (9-6). Like the Rockets, the Pioneers started the season facing larger basketball programs. U-High, who enters the game 3-0 against Illini Prairie Conference teams, notched victories over Bloomington, Normal West, and Rochester.