Katie Cramer looks for an open teammate while playing in the Spartans' third-place game during the Class 2A state finals back in February. Then a junior, she contributed 5 points and had three rebounds in SJO's 68-53 win over Hillsboro. Last night, the senior scored a pair of three-point shots in the open quarter Tuesday against Iroquois West at the GCMS-Fisher Tipoff to help St. Joseph-Ogden improve to 2-0 on the season. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
St. Joseph-Ogden picked up their second win of the season after beating Iroquois West 49-16 in last night's pool play at the GCMS-Fisher Tipoff in Fisher.
Ashlyn Lannert came off the bench to score a game-high 15 points for the Spartans. She also made three of her four free throw attempts.
Senior Katie Cramer hit a pair of threes in the opening frame and Payton Vallee added two buckets to give SJO at 10-2 lead at the start of the second period.
SJO held the Raiders to just five points in the first half. Despite making three of their five shots from the charity stripe, the Raiders (0-2) did not hit a shot from the field in the second period. Their scoring struggled continued into the third period with only four points from junior Shelby Johnson.
Meanwhile, Taylor Barnes matched Cramer's effort and nailed two treys to help the Spartans stretched their halftime lead over the Raiders to 19 points.
Iroquois West's offensive effort was led by Johnson with 10 points. Three of her teammates Emma Lopez, McKinley Tilstra and Abby Kochker contributed two points apiece in the loss.
The Lady Spartans, who won last year's title, are one win away from once again reaching the tournament's championship game. Thursday at 5:30pm, SJO will square off against Villa Grove-Heritage in their final pool contest.
Box Score
St. Joseph-Ogden
10
16
12
11
- 49
Iroquois West
2
3
4
7
- 16
Scoring
St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 15, Nora Walden 2, Payton Jacob 2, Katie Cramer 6,
Abby Behrens 2, Taylor Barnes 6, Alyssa Hamilton 9 and Payton Vallee 5.
Iroquois West: Emma Lopez 2, Shelby Johnson 10, McKinley Tilstra 2 and Abby Kochker 2.
Alyssa Hamilton led the St. Joseph-Ogden basketball squad with a team-high nine points in their season opener Monday night at the Fisher-GCMS Tipoff Classic. The Spartans, who finished their last season with a third-place state finish in February, held Fisher to just a pair of free throws in the third quarter, rolled past the Bunnies, 39-22.
Payton Jacob had eight points and junior Payton Vallee, back in action after a quick turnaround from the third-place state volleyball team, helped balance the offense contributing seven more points in the non-conference tournament game. In all, six SJO players scored in the season opener.
The Spartans, who finished their last season at 28-5, continues their pool play at the early season tournament tonight facing Iroquois West at 5:30pm.
Box Score
St. Joseph-Ogden
5
14
12
8
39
Fisher
6
8
2
6
22
Scoring
St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 6, Payton Jacob 8, Katie Cramer 3, Taylor Barnes 6, Alyssa Hamilton 9 and Payton Vallee 7.
Fisher: Kylee Bishop 8, Sidney Hood 9, Elyssa Clanton 2, M. Sommer 1, and Leah McCoy 2.
Members of the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team happily celebrate with their third-place trophy at Redbird arena during the awards ceremony for the Class 2A at the IHSA Girls Volleyball State Finals on Saturday. The Spartans defeated Rockford Lutheran in another exciting three-set match 25-11, 20-25, 25-23. SJO's 2019 run ended today with an impressive 37-5 record. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
St. Joseph-Ogden didn't back down.
The grit and teamwork they displayed during their state semifinal match against Mater Dei was undoubtedly one for the ages. Despite the 2-1 loss, SJO's impressive level of perseverance during the match is one future generations of Spartan volleyball players will need to embrace if they wish too ascend to the same stage.
Kennedi Burnett passes the ball during SJO's second set comeback against Mater Dei. The freshman outside hitter had 17 kills in the IHSA semifinal. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Mater Dei head coach Chad Rakers left no doubt that his team had just finished an epic match.
"That St. Joseph-Ogden team was legit," he said in the post-match presser. "They are a real deal defending team.
The Spartans defensive effort yielded 55 digs during the marathon match. Rylee Stahl led the Spartans with 17 of those digs. Emily Bigger, with seven digs, distributed 32 assists.
"They were a force to be reckoned with," he said. "They made us fight for every point."
Kennedi Burnett led the SJO offense with 14 kills and nine digs. Katelyn Berry added another seven a emotional three-setter that ended 20-25, 25-23, 25-22 in favor of the Lady Knights.
After dropping the first set, the Spartans rallied back from a 8-point deficit to win the set two by two, forcing a deciding third one.
Like her players, Spartan head coach Abby McDonald was disappointed in the outcome, but none the less was proud of how her players fought tooth and nail in the second set as well as the third.
"There are not many teams on this kind of stage make that kind of comeback," McDonald said. "That's what those kids went out and did. They are heroes in my eyes. They're the number one team to us."
The emotional swings were palatable throughout the final set. Neither team backed down or buckled under the intense pressure. Mater Dei's largest lead, one that short-lived, was four points at 12-9.
SJO and the BMD were tied on the scoreboard six times. After the seventh, knotted at 21-all, Mater Dei nudged forward with three unanswered points en route to seize their berth in the title game tomorrow.
Like her players, Spartan head coach Abby McDonald was disappointed in the outcome, but none the less was proud of how her players fought tooth and nail in the second set and their effort in third.
"I am extremely proud of them. They may not feel that right now because it is not the dream and the goal they had," McDonald said. In the locker room she told the players to be proud of what they accomplished and to enjoy the ride. "There are so many schools that don't get this opportunity.
The Spartans will face a super scrappy Rockford Lutheran squad in the third-place contest at around 12:25p tomorrow.
The Lady Crusaders fell in two sets, 25-22, 29-27 to Bulldogs of St. Teresa who will square off with Mater Dei for the Class 2A title.
On the final day of the fall, two days before Monday's nasty snow and ice blanketed central Illinois, the St. Joseph-Ogden harriers ran to an 18th place finish at the Illinois High School Association's State Cross Country Finals at Detweiller Park last Saturday.
Junior Brandon Mattsey, SJO's top runner, completed his race in 15 minutes and 48.78 seconds earning 28 points with his 43rd overall place finish.
Helping the Spartans edge out 19th place Unity, was senior Eric Poe, Charlie Mabry, Elijah Mock and Luke Stegall who earned 421 points. The Rockets finished with 423 points in the team standings.
It was Poe's final cross country event with the Spartans. In the senior's first and only state run, he clocked in at 16.27.75, finishing in 100th place. Nineteen runners later, Mabry concluded his race 13 seconds later at 16:40.19.
Mock and Stegall finished ten runners apart. Coming in at 17:02.52, Mock crossed finish line seven seconds ahead of Stegall's 17:09.99.
Juniors Logan Wolfersberger and Lukas Hutcherson also ran in the season finale. Not in the top five finishers for the Spartans, their results did not count toward overall the team score. Wolfersberger was 175th overall at 17:28.50 while Hutcherson ran over the finish line at 17:46.59 for 184th place.
Not quite ready for full-fledged membership into the Marvel Cinematic Universe nor recruited by Dr. Charles Xavier for enrollment in his School for Gifted Young Children, Kolton Batty, Luke Cohen, Brayden Grimsey and Zac Seeley, the four seniors on St. Joseph-Ogden's soccer team made a heroic effort to produce a winning soccer season this fall.
Batty, who was named All-Conference First Team, along with an Honorable Mention for Seeley, were recognized as All-Conference players by the Illini Prairie Conference. Seeley was also recognized as the 2019 squad's Most-Valuable-Player at the SJO Fall Sports Awards earlier this week.
The quartet of seasoned and skilled footballers did not reach the level of success they had hoped as a team but will most certainly take the lessons they learned about themselves through the various trials and tribulations they encountered this season to become worthy X-Men or members of the MCU.
The Spartans finished the season with a record of seven wins, 14 losses and four ties. The team lost by two goals or less in seven of their losses.
The four seniors played for a combined 6,038 minutes. Batty was punched in for 1,709 of them.
Back in September after a home game, I interviewed the four about their hero personas. Here is a glance at the soccer team's unsung heroes.
Last week, Kolton Batty was one of three St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team members awarded Illini Prairie all-conference honors. The senior was the Spartans' only First-Team recipient.
Batty, the team's top defensive specialist who appeared in 25 games for SJO this season, scored one goal during several brief forays on the Spartan offense. He scored the only goal in his team's 6-1 loss to Iroquois West at the Cornjerker Classic. He took a total of 13 shots this season.
Also earning all-conference honors were goal keeper Hunter Ketchum (second-team) and Zac Seeley (honorable mention).
Ketchum spent 1,541 minutes defending St. Joseph-Ogden's goal. Only a freshman, he inherited keeper duties from Mason Behrens and finished the season with 145 saves at an average of 6.3 per game.
Seeley, a three-year varsity veteran, scored 11 goals this season and 21 total during his four seasons with SJO. The senior notched a hattrick in the Spartans' 5-1 win over Schlarman in September and recorded 3,066 minutes on the pitch during his career.
PALOS HEIGHTS - Just as her older sister in 2016, Kennedi Burnett will play volleyball on the state's biggest stage under the bright lights of Redbird Arena. The opportunity would not have been possible had it not been for St. Joseph-Ogden's smoldering turnaround midway into the second set of their supersectional match against Chicago Christian last Friday.
Seniors Jenna Albrecht (left) and Lacey Kaiser celebrate their supersectional title win with head coach Abby McDonald.
After dropping the first set 25-15, the Spartans found their groove after a gritty 25-23 second set and playing the brand of volleyball that fueled 20 consecutive match wins, took the third set and the match, 25-16.
"We came out a little hesitant," said Burnett, who like her sister Abby, will play on a final four Spartan volleyball team for the coveted Class 2A state title. "But then we just jumped back into it. We knew this is what we were waiting for all year. We just kept it together."
Burnett tallied a team-high 11 kills. She also came up big defensively with nine digs and two blocks for the Spartans.
"I think my nerves got into my head a little bit," said outside hitter Katelyn Berry. She was confident that her teammates would do what was needed to get the win, but to secure the win she had to step up her game. "I knew for my team I had to make a change."
The timidity felt by the Spartans in the opening set was both palatable and warranted by the way the Chicago Christian's six-foot, one-inch outside hitter Lia Moore was pounding the ball into the back court. The Michigan State recruit, who will become a Spartan herself next fall, couldn't miss.
Another six-footer for the Knights, Logan Grevengoed and the 5-foot-11 Delanie Grevengoed formed a wall above the tape the Spartan could not penetrate easily.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Rylee Stahl celebrates a point for the Spartans. The senior libero had a team a team-high 19 digs to lead SJO into the Class 2A final four.
"I thought our opponent did a great job of keeping us out of system," said head coach Abby McDonald. The pace of the rallies was faster than what she and her assistant coaches saw in the film they had at their disposal. "It was really fast and intense. We were on our heels on defense."
Leading up to a 17-all score in the second set, the score between was tied seven times with the Knights scoring the go-ahead point.
On the eight tie, SJO surged ahead ticking off three unanswered points to get to a 20-17 tilt before Knights' head coach Karen Van Assen called a timeout.
McDonald used the break to inspire her players.
"She just told us to forget about that set. We've been there before and we know how to come back from that," Berry recounted. She was held to just six kills by the Knights. "We know how to come back from that. A new set is a new set."
Holding on to win the second set would put the final match outcome in SJO's favor. Prior to the supersectional, out of the seven three-setters this season, SJO took the match in all but two. The Spartans lost to St. Thomas More and St. Teresa, who will also play a semifinal on Friday, in deciding third sets. SJO won their last five extended matches and the odds were dramatically in their favor if they finish the second set with a win.
"Honestly, I felt Katelyn did really well," senior Stephanie Trame said about Berry's overall performance. "She had a great attitude when she was blocked. She didn't let it get in her head."
Trame was contributed seven of the SJO's 34 match kills.
"We had more energy in the second set and started playing as a team," she added. "We found ourselves."
With their confidence continuing to swell and the combined defensive leadership of Rylee Stahl and Emily Bigger, St. Joseph-Ogden pulled out the second set, 25-23. At libero, Stahl keep the ball in play with a team-high 19 digs. Bigger had 16 and made 26 passes. In one of their best defensive efforts of the season, SJO players combined for 70 digs in the three-setter.
Payton Vallee bouyed the Spartans on both offense and defense as well. In addition to her two digs, the junior along with senior Lacey Kaiser, who notched 8 digs, were co-leaders in blocks at the net with three apiece. Vallee also put away six well-placed kills in the supersectional effort.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Emily Bigger and Stephanie Trame get their hands up to deflect a shot by Chicago Christian's Olivia Ingelse during first set action on Friday.
"We went into the third set with a lot of momentum," McDonald said. "We were in their heads offensively and defensively. They were having to think about every touch on the ball."
Her team jumped out to a modest 4-1 lead to open the final set. Chicago Christian worked their way out of the deficit to tie the game at 4-4 thanks to an ace.
SJO immediately got a sideout and took the lead. They pieced together a five-point run forcing the Knights to burn a timeout staring 9-5 deficit.
When the action resumed, the Spartans continued to exploited the hole it found in the hard-hitting Chicago Christian armor and increased the scoring gap by eight points to 19-11.
"We've got three kids that can swing. We've got a defense that is quick and aggressive," McDonald said about the momentum shift. "I just thought that once we got going and our kids gained some confidence and knew we could compete with them. I knew we could pull it out."
Eleven serves later, the SJO contingent - players, fans and parents - were celebrating a well-deserved victory.
"There are just so many emotions right now," Burnett said. "I'm just so excited. I'm blessed to be with all these people on the court and I couldn't be happier."
With this year's SJO volleyball team heading to Redbird Arena later this week to once again compete for the Illinois High School Association's state champion trophy, today's Memory Monday looks back to the volleyball program's final four opener three years ago.
Parker Francisco (left) and Bree Trimble celebrates a point for the Spartans during game one of their state semifinal contest against Althoff Catholic back on November 11 in 2016. The Crusaders jumped out a 5-0 lead and never looked back in the set to spanking SJO, 25-10. However, Francisco, who would finish the first day's battle with 10 kills and 5 digs, and the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team let loose and rallied back to take the next two sets advancing to the Class 2A title game against Eureka.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Oh, yeah!
Jannah Mullen celebrates a point for the Spartans in the final set against the Crusaders. After dropping an ugly first set to Althoff, the Spartans take the final two 25-18, 25-8. Mullen served the team's only ace of the game and finished the Friday semifinal credited with three digs.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Resilient, relentless
Bree Trimble passes the ball to the front row in game one. The sophomore contributed nine digs and two assists in the Friday afternoon victory three years ago today. The Spartans shook off the first set loss and won the next two to take the match and improve their season record to 31-3.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Members of St. Joseph-Ogden's Maroon Platoon cheer for the volleyball team during second set action. With only four kills in the first set, the student cheering section didn't have much to cheer about. However, their team stormed back to pound 32 bombs in the last two sets to punch their ticket into Saturday's title match against the Eureka Hornets. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Left: SJO head coach Abby McDonald realigns her players on the floor during set one of SJO's match against Althoff. Right: Senior Kylie Michael leaps with excitement after another point for SJO. Michael led the Spartan offense with at match-high 18 kills and 12 digs. A redshirt freshman during the 2018 season at Eastern Illinois University, she played 68 sets to finish the season with 132 kills along with 115 digs and 26 blocks. (Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Jannah Mullen lunges to make a dig and keep the ball in play during second set action. She was one of six seniors on the 2016 squad that would go on to place second in Class 2A. Mullen continued her volleyball career at Lakeland College where as a sophomore last year she was named second-team All-Region. She led the team with 520 digs, 19th in NJCAA Division I last November. Check the gallery, online for a limited time only, for more than 100 other photos from this match here: PhotoNews RAW Collection (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
St. Joseph-Ogden parents and fans cheer for their team during a timeout in the second set. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Reaching for greatness
Parker Francisco leaps above the net to block a Eureka kill attempt. The two-sport athlete's leadership was key in the Spartans advancing to the Class 2A title match on Saturday at Redbird Arena.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Spartans Bree Trimble and Kylie Michael share a hug after the conclusion of their third set against the Hornets and with the realization that in 24 hours SJO will be playing for the program's first-ever volleyball state championship title on Saturday. For a limited time only, see more than 100 photos from this match and the championship game later this week at PhotoNews RAW Collection. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Ten days from tomorrow the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team open their 2019-20 season at the Lady Falcon & Bunnie Tip-Off Classic on Monday, November 18. Here is the schedule and locations for the early season tourney.
Both the boys and girls cross country teams at St. Joseph-Ogden will be in the running for this year's Class 1A IHSA State Finals on Saturday.
The men's squad finished third in the team standings after last Saturday's sectional meet in Effingham. SJO's top five runners accumulated 158 points behind Urbana U-High (96 points) and sectional champions Monticello with 42 points.
Junior Brandon Mattsey finished the course at 16.56 and Eric Poe clocked in at 17.16. Both runners turned in times nearly minute slower than their times near the end of September due to the muddy, marsh like conditions along the course.
"Our coach had us run without socks," said Poe, a second-year veteran. He was the 22nd runner to cross the finish line. "It made it much easier to run with just spikes."
Saturday will be a first Poe, who will be running in his first state cross country meet. He excited about the opportunity to run against some of the top runners in the state.
"Every team there, every runner is high quality," he said. "The quality of the runners that will be there, that's what I'm excited about."
The senior is glad he left football, he played his frosh and sophomore season, as his fall sport and jumped into the sport of cross country.
"I don't regret the decision," he said with pride. "I'm very thankful for the coach I have and my teammates who have been helping me along. It is not an easy sport."
Also running for the Spartans at the sectional meet was Charlie Mabry, who turned a time of 17.40. Three other runners - Elijah Mock (17.50), Logan Wolfersberger (17.52) and Luke Stegall (17.53) - finished under the 18 minute mark. Lukas Hutcherson was the last St. Joseph-Ogden off the course at 18.49.
The Spartans will run their final race of the season at Detweiller Park in Peoria on Saturday. The girls race starts at 9 a.m.. An hour later boys race starts at 10 a.m..
If you plan to head to Peoria for the state meet, here are the bib number of SJO runners to look out for: 702 — Ethan Blackburn (Fr.), 703 — Braden Clampitt (So.), 704 — Zach Dahman (Fr.), 705 — Lukas Hutcherson (Jr.), 706 — Charlie Mabry (So.), 707 — Brandon Mattsey (Jr.), 708 — Elijah Mock (So.), 709 — Taddy Pettit (Sr.), 710 — Eric Poe (Sr.), 711 — Josh Sexton (Sr.), 712 — Luke Stegall (So.) and 713 — Logan Wolfersberger (Jr.).
The SJO girls will be wearing the following numbers for their race: 253 — Addie Allen (So.), 254 — Kaytlyn Baker (Fr.), 255 — Sidney Davis (So.), 256 — Hanna Eastin (Jr.), 257 — Kailyn Ingram (So.), 258 — Ava Knap (So.), 259 — Ashlyn Lannert (So.), 260 — Ally Monk (Sr.), 261 — Jillian Plotner (Sr.), 262 — Hannah Rajlich (Sr.), 263 — Hope Rajlich (So.), 264 — Kendra Riddle (So.), 265 — Malorie Sarnecki (So.) and 266 — Taryn Sexton (So.).
Herscher staved off four consecutive match points in the third and final set, closing the gap to 24-23, before Spartan Kennedi Burnett sealed the deal for the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team at the Class 2A Watseka sectional plaque last night.
Burnett, a sophomore outside hitter, capped the night with a double-double (17 kills, 10 digs) to help the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team extend their season two more days and one match, at the very least. After a grueling 25-19, 12-25, 25-23 victory, SJO carried home their second postseason sectional title in three years and advanced to the Palos Heights supersectional.
St. Joseph-Ogden's magical season is powered by nine seniors on the 14 spot roster that makes up this year's volleyball squad. The Class of 2020 players include (left to right) Katelyn Berry, Lacey Kaiser, Lindsey Aden, Stephanie Trame, Rylee Stahl, Emily Bigger, Jenna Albrecht, Kenly Taylor and Anna Wentzloff. After at 2-1 win over Herscher on Wednesday evening, the Spartans, who will face Chicago Christian on the Knights' home court for the supersectional title, are just one win away from reaching the Illinois High School Association state finals on November 15-16. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
The Spartan win closed the door the Tigers' storybook season after their second-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance in program history. In one of their best seasons in more than a half decade, Herscher (32-6) secured the school’s first regional title since 2012 and a share of the Illinois Central Eight Conference crown with a squad staffed similar to SJO with 10, instead of nine, seniors.
Bringing her A-game to the hardwood, Emily Bigger's passing allowed the Spartan hitting crew of Burnett, senior Katelyn Berry and junior Payton Vallee to stay aggressive enough to smash the ball past their tenacious opponents. Bigger, also a senior and had six digs, was credited with 40 assists.
Berry's vicious swing contributed 10 kills to the Spartan effort. Vallee added another 11. Lacey Kaiser, another senior on the crew, contributed six to round out the attack from the front line.
Another senior, Rylee Stahl, one of the team's three defensive stars, logged 17 digs.
Wednesday night's three-setter win was St. Joseph-Ogden's 35th of the season and kicked their win streak one tick to 20. The last time head coach Abby McDonald won a Sweet Sixteen title, her team placed second at Redbird Arena in the state finals.
Next in their path to a state finals appearance, the Spartans will lock swords with the 32 win, five loss Knights of Chicago Christian Friday evening in Palos Heights. The supersectional match is slated to start at 6:30 p.m. on their opponent's home court.
After their three-set regional semifinal opener against Nobel/Butler, the Knights have given up a total of just 25 points in two matches since then. Chicago Christian also received a bye, courtesy of a double-forfeit, as a result of the Chicago Public School strike last month.
The location suits McDonald just fine who has repeatedly said all season that this year's squad, who are one win away from reaching the IHSA state finals, plays better on the road than at home.
Two of the Spartans' four losses were at home. Of the four, the only team that remains in the postseason is St. Teresa, who faces Orion in the Farmington Supersectional. Champaign Central, St. Thomas More and Mahomet-Seymour have been eliminated from the postseason brackets.
If you live in St. Joseph, don't be surprised if you wake up four days before Christmas and see hundreds of fit-looking Santas running through the village. No, these Kris Kringle knockoffs won't be looking for lost reindeer or handing out early holiday presents to those who've been extra nice this year. The red shirts will be running in the 2019 St. Joe Santa 5K run/walk on December 21.
Runners start out on the 2018 Ho-ho-ho 5K in 2018. Re-dubbed the St. Joe Santa 5k this will be the second installment of the Christmas holiday season race. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Last year's race attracted just over 300 runners and organizers hope that number will grow. The St. Joe Santa 5k Run/Walk is a non-profit organization whose main mission is to raise money to benefit local charities through various health and fitness events.
When runners pick up their race day packets, each participant will receive a Santa hat, Santa beard and a red race shirt to wear while running the course. Each runner will also receive a commemorative medal as they cross the finish line.
The event, organized by veteran runners Brenda Hixson and Max Painter, is slated to start time at 9 am. The registration fee is $25.00 for each runner.
For the latest information runners and spectators can find more information on the St. Joe 5K Facebook group page or on the official race website at https://sjsantarun.weebly.com/. Online registration is going on now here: St. Joe 5K.
The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team is back in familiar territory. For a second straight season the girls team will play for a sectional championship award.
The Spartans (32-4) defeated Seneca 25-17, 25-11, making a reservation as one of the two teams to play for the Watseka title. The other team, Herscher, will square off with SJO at 6pm at Watseka.
Last year, SJO fell in the title match to eventual state bronze medalists St. Thomas More, 25-22, 25-13. The Sabers also knocked Abby McDonald's 2017 squad out of the postseason after a 2-0 win for the regional title.
On Monday, sophomore hitter Kennedi Burnett led the SJO offense against Lady Irish with 12 kills and four digs. Heather Stahl added another seven digs to help her team who have not dropped a match since September 26 and who are enjoying a 17-match win streak.
Senior passer Emily Bigger had 18 assist and six digs to help put the Spartans just two matches away from a possible return to Illinois High School Association Class 2A state tournament. Three season ago the SJO volleyball team, who went 31-4, finished the season as division's runner up in 2016.
In high school volleyball it is pretty hard to beat a good team twice in a row.
The trick for St. Joseph-Ogden was to win the Oakwood regional title on Thursday and do it again against Monticello, who they played a week earlier in the last match of the Illini Prairie Conference regular season. The Spartans got the treat they were looking for and the first of a few more to come in the postseason after clipping the Sages in two sets, 25-17, 25-14.
Setter Emily Bigger passes the ball during St. Joseph-Ogden's first set against Monticello at the Oakwood Regional on Thursday. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
The hard work the team has put in showed throughout the season showed in SJO's seemingly stress free, effortless play. One of things that senior Lacey Kaiser says the team had to do reach their currently level of play was talk more.
"Our communication has improved since the beginning," she said. "It was hard for a lot us because not many of us are super outgoing."
Kaiser led the team with three aces from the service line. She padded her stats with three kills and a trio of digs against the Sages.
"I believe in my teammates," she said. "If we get down, I know we can pull through and get back to win."
The Spartans were up 19-9 in the first set, but didn't close it out right away. Monticello dug in their heals and won eight of the next 13 points before SJO shut the door.
"I think we have definitely improved on capitalizing on certain points, and pushing whenever we should," said fellow senior Rylee Stahl. "We've worked a lot on siding out on the next point and not giving teams consecutive points in a row."
The Sages took a 4-1 lead in the second set before the Spartans reestablished control of the momentum going up 7-5 behind the pile driving swings of Katelyn Berry, Payton Vallee and sophomore Kennedi Burnett.
Berry finished the contest with a team-high nine kills and five digs. Vallee, a junior and outside hitter, contributed four kills and Burnett, who played strong defensively, had four kills and 10 digs.
Thursday's victory would not have been possible if it wasn't for the passing accuracy of Emily Bigger who took credit for 23 assists. She also scored a rare kill and contributed seven of the team's 45 digs.
"I think this win means a lot, but we are not super, super, super excited about it because it is just regionals," said Stahl, who like the rest of team, has her sights set on the king size of postseason candy, a state trophy. "We have a lot more to accomplish this season."
While teammate Lacey Kaiser (on the left) looks on while teammate Emily Bigger holds the team's new regional plaque for Payton Vallee to kiss. After beating Monticello 2-0, the Spartans advance in the IHSA volleyball postseason to face Seneca on Monday. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
The Spartans advance to Monday's sectional semifinal against Seneca at Watseka.
The Lady Irish defeated Manteno in both sets 25-22 to win the Peotone Regional. On Tuesday, they dropped the first set of their semifinal to Manteno 20-25 and came back to take the last two, 25-21, 25-21. The two teams are scheduled to start at 6pm.
It will be back to work analyzing the Lady Irish for SJO, but in the mean time, Kaiser and the Spartans will savor the new regional hardware.
"It feels awesome," Kaiser said. "We knew we wanted to get this."
Right to left: Emily Bigger, Katelyn Berry, Jenna Albrecht and Rylee Stahl step forward to receive St. Joseph-Ogden's regional championship plaque from Oakwood principal Tim Lee after defeating Monticello, 2-0. The Spartans advance to the Watseka sectional semifinal on Monday to face Seneca in the 6pm match. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Saturday, the St. Joseph-Ogden football team will meet Williamsville in the IHSA postseason for the second time in the Class 3A playoffs. This week's Throwback Thursday feature is a look back at their first meeting back on November 16 in 2013, when the Spartans defeated Williamsville in the quarterfinal matchup on their home turf, 38-26. In the photo above, SJO's Ryan Koss (54), Wesley Kibler (51) and Nick Poe (32) run through the team banner during team introductions. The trio, just a small part of the hard-hitting, determined Spartan team that season that went on to play in the state title game that season.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Quarterback Dalton Walsh makes a short pass in the second half. The Spartans notched their first quarterfinal victory since 2006. The team advanced a semifinal road game in Greenville on the following Saturday. This Saturday, Walsh hopes to earn a second win against the Bullets, this time as one of SJO's assistant coaches. See more photos from this week's Throwback Thursday here . . .
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Left: Kicking it into high gear, St. Joseph-Ogden's Orion Ciota runs the football for second half touchdown. Follow this link to see more photos from Ciota's football career at SJO. Right: St. Joseph-Ogden fans packed the stadium for the Williamsville. Despite a light drizzle during parts of the game, the majority of loyal fans hung around to watch the Spartans celebrate their quarterfinal win on Saturday. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Linemen Seth Griswell and Nolan Woller provide an impenetrable wall on a pass play to protect their quarterback from Bullets defender Nathan Jerome. See more photos of Griswell here and more of Woller here.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
For more St. Joseph-Ogden Football coverage from The Sentinel
Despite chilly temperatures and drizzle, hundreds of St. Joseph-Ogden fans were on hand to watch the Spartans win their quarterfinal football game. An equally as large of group of fans made the trip the following weekend to the semifinal game in Greenville.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Left: Student fans were loud in their support for the Spartans. Here, Maroon Platoon members rally behind their team. Right:Hunter Hart celebrates another touchdown for his team in the second half. The receive made key catches in the game to help SJO march the ball down the field. A three-sport athlete, Hart continued his athletic career at the college level playing baseball. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
The Williamsville quarterback rolls to the ground after being sacked by Spartan linebacker Jordan Hartman in the second quarter. The St. Joseph-Ogden defense was relentless and unyielding in their contribution to the playoff win. The Spartans improved to 10-2 on the season after the victory. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Jacob Buoy congratulates teammate Dylan Koss as the final 15 seconds tick off the game clock. Buoy, who suffered a season-ending injury, was on the sidelines assisting whenever necessary in Saturday night's home game. See more photos from this game here. . . (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team opened their postseason play with an unusual victory on Tuesday. The Spartans served 16 aces across two short games to beat regional host Oakwood, 2-0.
Emily Bigger serves one of her nine aces against the Comets in the St. Joseph-Ogden High School's regional volleyball game on Tuesday. The Spartans won 2-0 and advance to Thursday's title game against Monticello. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
In the opening set, the Spartans tallied the first 17 points largely thanks to the serving prowess of senior Emily Bigger. The setter served 17 unanswered points before Oakwood finally lit up the board with a tipped ball.
"I didn't feel nervous. I was pretty confident," Bigger replied when asked if she experienced any stress from having to serve as many points as she did. "I just had to get the ball over the net."
Tuesday wasn't the first time in Bigger's volleyball career that she serve a high number consecutive service points. In a junior high game against Schlarman years ago, she vividly remember serving all 25 points.
"It takes a lot of mental toughness for Emily to stay back there that long," said head coach Abby McDonald. "It was a good start."
Nine of the 16 aces were courtesy of Bigger. Rylee Stahl had four, Kennedi Burnett added two and Lindsey Aden chipped in one for good measure.
After the Comets scored their first point at 17-1, the Spartans took advantage of the next side out to go on a five-point mini run advancing the count to 22-1. SJO casually allowed four more points to take the first set, 25-5.
The second set featured much longer rallies that kept the Comets back up against the wall from the opening point. St. Joseph-Ogden jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never had look over their shoulder once on the way to a 25-8 finish.
"Our kids kept fighting and stayed rather stable to the end," said McDonald, who watched her team pound 24 kills. "We are playing really complete volleyball right now."
Burnett, a sophomore, led all hitters with nine kills and five digs. Payton Vallee lumped on another six. Katelyn Berry had six.
"This time of year brings out a different level of play," McDonald said. She likes the level of cohesiveness that her team is bringing to the floor. "They are really dialed in right now."
Bigger is eager to play for the title on Thursday.
"I feel like our bond is stronger than any other team," she said. "We've worked just as hard as we can to get where we want to be in the end."
The Spartans will face Monticello in an Illini Prairie Conference rematch at 6pm on Thursday.
The Sages, who advanced to the championship game after escaping a 25-21, 32-30 scare from the Tuscola Warriors, dropped the final match of the regular season to the Spartans, 25-17, 25-19.
On Tuesday, St. Joseph-0gden High School announced that 266 students earned Honor Roll status for their work during the first quarter of classes this academic year.
The senior class led in number of honors with 73 students achieving a 3.75 or higher average grade during the period. The sophomore and junior classes boast 42 high honor receipients, followed by the senior class with 41 honor roll students and the class of 2024 with 39.
Students named to the High Honors earned GPAs of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Those attaining GPAs of 3.25 to 3.74 are recognized as Honor Roll students.
Above: SJO senior Jordan Hartman celebrates his 12-yard tackle-for-a-loss on Williamsville during their 2013 home playoff game. The Spartans, after shutting out Monticello 35-0 in their second round game, won the contest after a thrilling 38-26 finish. The Spartans would win the next game and advance to the state title game in DeKalb against Stillman Valley. Below: Dylan Koss celebrates the Spartans' win with assistant coach Marshall Schacht. This weekend the pair will coach together hoping to beat the Bullets and advance to week 2 of the playoffs. (Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
By conventional wisdom, the #15 seeded St. Joseph-Ogden football team faces improbable odds of winning their first-round Class 3A game on the road this Saturday. Facing the undefeated #2 seed Williamsville at Paul Jenkins Field the Bullets have a high-powered offense that has produced touchdowns, lots of them, both on the ground and in the air all season long.
In their nine games so far, thanks to the efforts of two college caliber players and supportive cast of able-bodied linemen, the team averages an impressive 48 points/game.
Against Pittsfield (1-8) back on October 18, quarterback Connor McCormick went 10-for-10 in passing, good for 178 years and four touchdown. Williamsville ran the score up to win, 55-14.
The other marquee player the Spartans have to contain is Grant Ripperda. Listed at 5 feet 10 and 210 pounds, he was a state-qualifier in wrestling back in February and is quick enough at his size to run on 4x2 and 4x4 squads in track. In Williamsville's away contest at Auburn on September 13, Ripperda scored on a 6-yard run in the first quarter and he then preceded tack on three more TDs in the second. He finished the night out with 145 yards on 14 carries in Bullet's 34-17 victory.
In the same game, McCormick passed for 240 yards on a 15-for-22 effort and produced one touchdown during the regular season Sangamo Conference game.
The Spartans must also contend with a stingy defense that has held opposing offenses to two or less scores in seven of their nine regular season contests. North Mac (5-4) was able to break the barrier with three and Maroa-Forsyth (8-1) scored six times. In both cases, both teams suffered losses contributing to Williamsville's perfect season so far.
There is only one way to shutdown a versatile, high-powered high school offense like Williamsville. It's called a blizzard.
Remember 2015 semifinal game in Tolono when SJO had a similar offense, touting a 12-0 record, that would have easily advanced to the 3A title game had it not been for that unexpected, early season snowstorm with blizzard like conditions that put two inches of slush on the ground between the goal post at Hicks Field.
In 2015 when SJO faced the Unity Rockets on the road in the infamous Class 3A 'Blizzard Bowl' semifinal. See the Big Picture special edition from the game here . . . . (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
In more favorable conditions, the Spartans could have aired out the ball all day long against the Rockets had it not been for the sustained 20+ mph breeze out of the northwest. Freezing cold along with ankle deep muck made up of snow, wet grass and mud kept the SJO ground game in check. Throwing the ball against the variable wind direction and unexpected gusts, wasn't the answer.
Unity prevailed 30-8 in that contest ending the chance for St. Joseph-Ogden's first-ever back-to-back state championship game appearances.
That one hurt the Spartans, but Mama Nature has also been generous to SJO.
According to football alumnus Nathan Buss, St. Joseph-Ogden was #15 seed or so back during the 91-92 season. With the help of a blizzard on game day, the Spartans won their first-round game.
"We played Casey-Westfield at home," he said in a social media post. "They had to plow the out of bounds and 5-yard markers."
SJO narrowly won the game, 8-6.
"We had a punt return for a TD and a 2pt conversation," Buss wrote. "Didn’t have a lineman weighing over 200 pounds!!! Killer Dwarves !!! And a Sophomore QB! Hell of a year!!!"
After last Friday's loss to Monticello, head coach Shawn Skinner had a little trouble coming up with good things to say about the game. Despite that, he was happy that his team and coaching staff has one more game to prepare for this week.
"When the kids come in Monday, what they are going to understand is they are going to be excited and not going to have to leave with this being the last one they have in their mouth all off season," Skinner said last Friday. "They have another opportunity to fix this."
Short of divine interference from Mother Nature, the key to St. Joseph-Ogden advancing to the second round is playing smart, ball-control football.
"All we have to do is figure out how to go one and O next week," Skinner said. "That's what it's about. No matter who the matchup is we have another opportunity to play and that's good."
Brady Buss sheds one tackler and looks for more pasture while carrying the ball in the Spartans last regular season game for 2019. The Spartans (5-4) earned a first-round bid against 9-0 Williamsville. Game time is set for 1p on Saturday. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
There are four things Skinner & Co. need to reach that goal.
First, they can take a hint from Maroa-Forsyth (8-1), who nearly beat the Bullets in their week 4 game. The Trojans up on the scoreboard 41-37 late in the fourth quarter, the Bullets needed a score to win. With less than two minutes on the clock, they crafted a successful final drive for the go-ahead score and a 43-41 victory.
The takeaway is Maroa ran 71 plays and averaged seven yards per carry against the Bullets. If the Spartans can yield a little more than half that number, they will be in the position to hand out the upset the Trojans didn't. Pick up four yards per play, and SJO can be a close game.
That means coaches have to come up with some creative methods to keep the Williamsville's offense off the field and wear down their defense, which is stacked with a lot of one-way players. That won't be easy.
Jarrett Stevenson, Coby Miller and Keaton Nolan will have their work cut out for them on Saturday. However, if they can grind out those four yards on every play - nothing big, nothing fancy - they will set SJO up handsomely for the first playoff victory in the Skinner era.
Second, the offensive linemen need to become pesky gnats and force Williamsville defenders into longer engagements. The first two games of the season, SJO blocking was grade A. Opposing defenders were kept out of the play longer by Max Chatterton, Blake Dable and Conner Hodge. That allowed Stevenson to put up solid rushing numbers in those contests.
The O-line has to keep the Bullet defenders busy fighting them off longer. The 'bump and quit' will not create scoring opportunities for the SJO run or passing game. Blocking to the whistle will be key.
Third on the list, the Spartans need to capitalize on their strength as a team. St. Joseph-Ogden players are quick-thinkers, possess a combination of speed and strength, and are tenacious competitors.
The challenge for the coaching staff is to find a weakness in Williamsville's casings and exploit it using the talent they have. The bigger and strong guy doesn't win all the time. The odds are on their side, but usually it is the smarter - and there are some intelligent student-athletes at SJO, faster and most tenacious guy who wins. If coaches and can rapidly adapt, improvise and overcome as the game wears on, SJO could playing yet one more week.
Finally, the players on the sidelines must to feed the beasts on grass.
The surefire way to tell which team is going to win a football game, with 92.4% accuracy (that's the author's estimation and not exact science), is pay attention to the athletes not on the field. Players standing on the sidelines of really good teams are cheering for their teammates. They slapping pads, butting helmets and handing water when players come out. On E-V-E-R-Y play they are supplying their fellow beasts with a continuous flow of positive energy to get the job done. Those teams win almost every S-I-N-G-L-E time.
Discover the headlines published on each of these days from our news and sports coverage from Champaign‑Urbana and the wider community. From local news and sports to community events, politics, and opinion pieces, The Sentinel archives capture the stories that shaped life in Champaign County year after year.
Last week, 
Saturday, the St. Joseph-Ogden football team will meet Williamsville in the IHSA postseason for the second time in the Class 3A playoffs. This week's Throwback Thursday feature is a look back at their first meeting back on November 16 in 2013, when the Spartans defeated Williamsville in the quarterfinal matchup on their home turf, 38-26. In the photo above, SJO's Ryan Koss (54), Wesley Kibler (51) and Nick Poe (32) run through the team banner during team introductions. The trio, just a small part of the hard-hitting, determined Spartan team that season that went on to play in the state title game that season.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks) 
Quarterback Dalton Walsh makes a short pass in the second half. The Spartans notched their first quarterfinal victory since 2006. The team advanced a semifinal road game in Greenville on the following Saturday. This Saturday, Walsh hopes to earn a second win against the Bullets, this time as one of SJO's assistant coaches. 
Linemen Seth Griswell and Nolan Woller provide an impenetrable wall on a pass play to protect their quarterback from Bullets defender Nathan Jerome. See more photos of Griswell 
Despite chilly temperatures and drizzle, hundreds of St. Joseph-Ogden fans were on hand to watch the Spartans win their quarterfinal football game. An equally as large of group of fans made the trip the following weekend to the semifinal game in Greenville.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Jacob Buoy congratulates teammate Dylan Koss as the final 15 seconds tick off the game clock. Buoy, who suffered a season-ending injury, was on the sidelines assisting whenever necessary in Saturday night's home game. 
