Rajlich, Coursey Spartans of the Week

Week 3 Lady Spartan of the Week: Hannah Rajlich

Back in July, Hannah Rajlich ran to a second place finish with a time of 19:48.00 in the Female 14 to 18 division at the 2019 SJO 5K. Last Saturday in Peoria she nearly matched that time. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Senior Hannah Rajlich ran a season-best time of 19:48.5 at the First to the Finish cross country meet at Detweiller Park on Saturday. She finished 45th overall running against runners from 2A schools from around the state. Last year she ran the same course at the IHSA State Cross Country Finals turning in a time of 19:20.79, which helped the St. Joseph-Ogden to a fifth place team finish. Her prep career best time in the three mile race is 18:35.0.

Honorable Mentions: Lindsey Aden (volleyball), Ava Knap (cross country), Ashlyn Lannert (cross country), Sophia Martlage (soccer), Allison Monk (cross country), Rylee Stahl (volleyball) and Payton Vallee (volleyball).

Week 3 Spartan of the Week: Drew Coursey

Having never played a down of varsity football until this season, outside linebackerDrew Coursey has made a significant contribution to St. Joseph-Ogden's early 3-0 record. With his help, the Spartans look to extend their current win streak to four games and move one step closer to playoff eligibility tomorrow night at Unity. Coursey, who is not only growing more comfortable playing in the trenches physically, is building his football IQ exponentially.

"There's a kid who is getting more comfortable on Friday nights. His preparation is really good," said head coach Shawn Skinner. "He watches a lot of film and he is a smart kid."

Honorable Mentions: Kolton Batty (soccer), Mason Behrens (soccer), Crayton Burnett (football), Brady Buss (football), Blake Dable (football), Conner Hodge (football), Hunter Ketchum (soccer), Brandon Mattsey (cross country), Eric Poe (cross country).

Previous Spartans of the Week

Week 1: Jarrett Stevenson / Katelyn Berry
Week 2: Emily Elsbernd / Jaden Weaver

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Attention high school coaches: Help us recognize our area prep athletes each week. Please send game scores and stats to us for freshman and junior varsity as well as varsity games. Send game, race and match results and weekly stats to sports@oursentinel.com.

SJO wins home volleyball match, faces in the crowd

SJO's Maroon Platoon making themselves known to the waiting Panthers at the start of the game.

A spectator closely watches set one action of the Spartans' home volleyball match against PBL.

On the left, SJO volleyball players engage in an interesting conversation. On the right, two fans pose for pictures on the gym floor after the Spartans beat visiting Paxton-Buckley-Loda in straight sets, 2-0. (All photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Student fans and SJO volleyball players celebrate the team's 12 victory of the season, a 2-0 win over PBL, after the game near the student section.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda fans display a look of concern for their team as the Spartans pound the ball into the mid-court. See more match photos here . . .

Spectators talk after the Spartans match. SJO home matches are always a great place to meet up with friends, family and other fans. Click here to see more than 300 photos of St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball coverage by PhotoNews Media.

More postgame photos with friends and athletes. Nothing better than a home win to put a smile on everyone's face.

SJO beats PBL, tough volleyball schedule continues

(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks) Lindsey Aden celebrates a point for SJO in the second set of the team's match against Paxton-Buckley-Loda. Aden tallied six digs in the 2-0 win by the Spartans. See more photos from this match here: SJO vs Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball is playing one of the most grueling portions of their 2019 schedule. SJO was back in action yesterday after a five-match day on Saturday and a match they cruised to victory in just 24 hours earlier on Monday to face Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Tuesday.

Kennedi Burnett led the Spartans with nine of the team 42 digs in an exciting defensive battle that tested the starting line-up's mental and physical resilience after playing six matches in three days.

Thanks to nine kills from middle blocker Lacey Kaiser, plus seven from Burnett and the same number from Katelyn Berry, SJO improved to 12-3 on the season after declawing the Panthers, 2-0.

Emily Bigger was credited with 26 assists.

And the tribulation isn't quite over yet. Tonight, in a few hours, the lady Spartans host Danville in a non-conference, non-division match-up before a well-deserved four day reprieve to heal and prepare for the next chapter in this year's campaign.

The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team will then play six matches in nine days starting next Monday, September 23, starting on the road at Urbana High School and ending with an Illini Prairie showdown at home versus Bloomington Central Catholic on October 2.

Left: Lacey Kaiser leaps above the net to attempt a block on a kill attempt by Paxton-Buckley-Loda's Jasmine Miles during second set action on Tuesday. Right: Emily Bigger sets the ball as teammate Katelyn Berry moves in position behind her. See, share or order photos from this match here: Spartans vs Panthers. (Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)