The Sentinel

St. Joseph-Ogden 2025 football schedule set

IHSA releases 2025 football schedules; SJO eyes another strong season with key games at home. See the Spartans' complete schedule below.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

After taking a handoff from Kodey McKinney, St. Joseph-Ogden's Wyatt Wertz runs the football against Unity during their Class 3A second-round playoff game in 2024.

ST. JOSEPH - The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) released the 2025 Illinois high school football schedules today for the upcoming fall season. This year's playoff pairings will be broadcast on Saturday, October 25. All eight classes will return to Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University in Normal. The Class 1A-4A title games will be played on November 28, and the Class 5A-8A games will follow a day later on November 29.

St. Joseph-Ogden is poised to repeat their undefeated 2024 Illini Prairie Conference run, opening their season on the road at Prairie Central behind senior signal caller Kodey McKinney, who scored once and threw four touchdown passes in last year's 49-20 victory in Week 3.

The Spartans play their first home game on September 5 against Paxton-Buckley-Loda. SJO rolled off two touchdowns in the first three quarters of last October's season finale. Returning senior Wyatt Wertz rushed for 152 yards, scoring three of the team's six touchdowns.

Two home games St. Joseph-Ogden football fans won't want to miss are against Unity and last year's Class 3A runner-up, Monticello.

The Rockets will travel to Dick Duval Field for the first time since 1994 under a new head coach, former assistant Tony Reetz. With 21 years of experience under the legendary Scott Hamilton, the stage is set for the storied rivalry between the two programs after the Spartans claimed bragging rights in a 24-21 nail-biter in Week 2. The two teams met again for a second-round playoff game, with Unity prevailing 35-7.

Monticello has a bone to pick with SJO, who ran up a 20-0 lead in the first quarter of last year's conference opener, leading to a 40-28 loss on their newly renovated field. The Sages, who will be without last year's seniors Ike Young and Carter Foran, won't be pushovers with possibly 14 battle-tested seniors who saw action in last year's state championship game against Montini.

In addition to the road opener against the Hawks, St. Joseph-Ogden will play four additional away contests, traveling to Chillicothe to face IVC, Rantoul, Bloomington, and for a program-first meeting against the Seneca Irish.