Unity soccer topples Judah Christian

TOLONO -- For the first time in school history, the Unity soccer team beat one of the area's traditionally top small school programs. The Rockets literally pounded Judah Christian on Thursday via 3-1 decision.

Junior Gabe Pound delivered a hattrick, scoring one goal in the first 90 minute period on a feed from Brendan Bachert to give the Rockets a 1-0 lead at the break. After the Tribe's Okeke tied the game at 1-all in the second period, Pound found the net again with an unassisted score and later booted his third one in on a pass from Mason Davis for the hattrick.

Cole Saunders made four saves for the Unity.

The Rockets start a two-match home stand on Monday, hosting Georgetown-Ridge Farm-Chrisman at 4:30p. Twenty-four hours later, coach Michel Stringer's and his squad play their first Illini Prairie match with Bloomington Central Catholic.

Prep Sports Notebook: Area cross-country squads shine at Cow Chip

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Four second-half scores gives SJO weekend soccer victory

Spartan Hunter Ketchum scored SJO's final goal of the game to seal a 4-1 win over Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin Saturday morning. Ketchum, the team's starting keeper also recorded seven saves.

Aiden Cromwell padded his stats with two assists, feeding the ball to Jackson Greer and Jacek Slowikowski in the final half. Riker Lockhart also put the ball between the post for St. Joseph-Ogden (4-1-1).

The Blue Devils scored first on a successful penalty kick from Bryson Lithgow in the first half with no response from SJO. In the second period, Greer tied the game for SJO's with the team's first score, followed by Ryker's go-ahead boot.

The St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team returns to their home pitch on Thursday to face the Olympia Spartans.

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Unity girls cross-country team win Cow Chip title

All seven runners from Unity High School finished the annual Cow Chip Classic course in the top 20 on Saturday. The dominating team effort led to 64 points and this year's race title for the Rockets.

Junior Erica Woodard led the field of Unity runners finishing with a time of 19:14.1 and 5th place overall. Sophomore Emily Decker was the next to cross the finish line ten seconds later at 19:24.4. Olivia Shike rounded out the top three in 18th place overall at 19:42.2.

Teammates Mackenzie Pound, Camryn Reedy, Josie Cler, and Ashlyn Denney each finished the course in under 21 minutes and 45 seconds.

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Franzen leads Spartan harriers

Sananna Franzen finished third in Flight 1 at the Cow Chip Classic on Saturday. The St. Joseph-Ogden's top runner circumvented the course at the annual race in Chrisman in 18 minutes and 41.5 seconds. The Spartans, who finished 5th in the team standings, saw strong, early season effort from Chloe Burkhalter (20:48.5), Sophia Kapser (23:28.1), senior Kaytlyn Baker (23:28.4), Hannah Mock (23:53.1), and #7 runner Sydney Steinbach who finished at 24:49.9.

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University High XC girls take 4th

The Illinek running squad tallied 122 points earning a fourth-place finish ahead of St. Joseph-Ogden at the Cow Chip Classic. Senior Kate Ahmari finished the course with the second best time of day in the girls' division at 18:31.4.

In addition to Ahmari, six runners contributed to Uni-High's top-four finish. Finishers included: Kara Mathias (20:38.1), Edie Hoganson (21:14.6), Shriya Nagaraj (22:55.7), Ella Ylagan (24:24.4), Clara Wood (24:31.0), and Bonnie Weaver (24:53.9).

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Richardson the real deal

Garrett Richardson's number was called 29 times during Unity's road game at Dick Duval Field on Friday. His five-TD, 239-yard performance against St. Joseph-Ogden was a stellar debut that will be hard to top for the rest of the season and his next two years of prep eligibility. The sophomore running back scored on runs of 40, 4, 60, 18, and 6 yards in the Week 2 game.

Unity's only other ball carrier, quarterback Cale Rawdin, added insult to injury with 151 rushing yards, which includes an 83-yard touchdown run virtually untouched. Rawdin and the Rockets improved to 1-1 on the season after running the score up 50-7 on the Spartans.

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Sentinel area teams finish in the top 5

Cross-country runners from St. Joseph-Ogden, Unity, and University High were among the 26 teams competing at the Cow Chip Classic on Saturday. The Spartans, who missed winning this year's title by just seven points, finished in second place with 112 points. The Monticello Sages took this year's team title with 106 points.

SJO's Lance Retz was of three runners who ran a sub-17-minute race. He finished second overall with a time of 16:48.1 behind Bryson Grant from Iroquois West, who finished with an impressive time of 16:03.6.

The Unity contingent was led by senior Brenden Graven and his time of 17:43.0. The seven-runner squad accumulated 214 points to finish fourth in the team standings.

Meanwhile, the young squad from University High finished in fifth place, two points ahead of Heritage High School. Sophomore Ross Kimme sped around the grassy course to finish with a time of 17:56.2.

Saturday's finishers include: Lance Retz (St. Joseph-Ogden) 16:48.1, Jack Fisher (St. Joseph-Ogden) 17:21.2, Ethan Blackburn (St. Joseph-Ogden) 17:28.4, Brenden Graven (Unity) 17:43.0, Aden Armstrong (St. Joseph-Ogden) 17:44.3, Ross Kimme (Uni-High) 17:56.2, Camden Fairbanks (Unity) 18:12.0, Holden Jones (St. Joseph-Ogden) 18:32.0, Eli Crowe (Unity) 18:40.1, Joe Griebat (St. Joseph-Ogden) 18:47.2, Felix Lee (Uni-High) 18:48.4, Kelby Svendsen (Uni-High) 18:54.5, Carter Tiemann (Unity) 18:54.8, Mason Guido (St. Joseph-Ogden) 18:58.4, Isaac Ruggieri (Unity) 18:59.2, Walter Kraetz (Uni-High) 19:10.0, Bruce Tang (Uni-High) 19:13.0, Luke Fahnestock (Uni-High) 19:17.3, Matthew Ulozas (Uni-High) 19:28.3, Collin Graven (Unity) 19:39.0, and Alex Mowrer (Unity) 20:14.4.

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SJO volleyball wins tournament title

The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team won four matches and lost one at the Mattoon Invitational volleyball tournament on Saturday. The Spartans' solo loss was courtesy of the host Green Wave in a thrilling three-setter that ended 17-25, 25-18, 14-15. In the final match of the day, the two teams squared off again in the tournament's championship match, but this time the Spartans prevailed, 2-1.

Taylor Hug was credited 107 assists across 13 sets. She also scraped up 29 digs and served five aces. Fellow seniors Emma Ward and Shayne Immke had six aces apiece, with Immke leading the team in kills (44). Addie Roesch, who led the team with 38 digs for the day, hammered 40 kills of her own for the Spartans.

Peyton Williams contributed 21 kills and 33 digs to the cause, while Mikyla Haley's 34 digs also helped the Spartan defensive effort.

SJO defeated Pana, 25-19, 25-21; Mt. Vernon 25-9, 25-11, Taylorville 25-20, 15-25, 15-14; and Mattoon 25-10, 20-25, 15-12.

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SJO football falls to Unity at home

After the convincing debut in their season-opener on the road at Monticello, the St. Joseph-Ogden (1-1) football team took one on the chin with a 50-7 loss to the Unity Rockets (1-1).

The Spartans netted just 18 rushing yards on offense. Alex Funk and Tyler Burch had 7 yards apiece, Coy Taylor picked up 5, and quarterback Logan Smith finished the game with 2 yards.

SJO's passing attack faired much better against the Rockets, with Taylor's five catches for 38 yards and Ty Pence's 18-yard total. Pence's spectacular 10-yard catch in the east end zone and Joe Frasca's PAT summed up the team's point production.

Today, the Spartans prepare for their next contest on Friday at Prairie Central. The Hawks (2-0) are at the top of the Illini Prairie Conference after defeating Unity a week earlier, 34-12, and thrashing Pontiac last Friday, 55-13.

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Covid-19 booster shots available starting Monday, Sept 12

CHAMPAIGN -- Champaign County residents over the aged 65 and older will be able to receive the latest Moderna or Pfizer Coronavirus booster shoot starting Monday, September 12, at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District office.

Due to the current limited supply of the vaccine, administration of the boosters shots will prioritize to the vulnerable members of the population, according to CUPHD. An appointment is required and can be made online at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B054CA8A82CA5F94-bivalent or by phone at (217) 531-4934.

The COVID-19 bivalent vaccination, which contains updated protection from the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants, was approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on September 1. The updated COVID-19 booster from Pfizer-BioNTech is recommended people ages 12 years old and older and those 18 years and up for the Moderna version.

The booster shot will also be available at area hospitals. Availability and appointment information for OSF HealthCare will be posted here: https://www.osfhealthcare.org/covid19/vaccine/. Carle Health will also offer the booster shots and will announce availability in the near future here: https://carle.org/Home/COVID-19-Resources/COVID-19-Booster-Information. At this time, Christie Clinic recommends patients utilize community vaccine clinics or visit vaccines.gov for local availability of the vaccine.

Photo Gallery: Unity beats St. Joseph-Ogden, 50-7

St. Joseph-Ogden's Alex Funk is brought down during first quarter action by a Unity defender. After dropping their season opener on the road seven days earlier to Prairie Central, the Rockets (1-1) stunned the host Spartans at Dick Duval Field last Friday with a dominating 50-7 win. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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A Unity player celebrates the team's first quarter touchdown against the Spartans (1-1). The Rockets drew first blood on a 40-yard run from sophomore Garrett Richardson to go up 6-0 after the PAT failed. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Spartans' Logan Smith tries to outrun Rockets' senior Kyus Root later in the first quarter. Smith finished the game with just 2 rushing yards and completed 8 of 17 passes for 57 yards. One week earlier against Monticello in SJO's season opener, the junior signal-caller collected 165-yards (11-20) passing in their 21-14 victory. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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St. Joseph-Ogden's Bryson Helfrich blocks Unity's Hunter Duncan in the second quarter. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Senior Cale Rawdin scrambles in the backfield while looking for an open Unity reciever. Rawdin chewed 151 yards rushing and threw for another 93 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown pass to junior Jay Saunders in the second quarter. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Unity head coach Scott Hamilton throws up the U's after Jay's Saunders'34-yard catch second quarter catch against the Spartans. The snag plus the 2-point conversion put the Rockets up 28-0 with 6:41 left to go in the first half. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Spartan lineman Spencer Fitch holds off Unity's Mason Perry and a teammate while playing on the offensive line. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Spartan defensive backs Tyler Burch and Coy Taylor bring down Unity quarterback Cale Rawdin. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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With a commanding 28-7 lead on the scoreboard at the start of the second half, Cale Rawdin hands off the ball to running back Garrett Richardson. The sophomre took the ball 21 yards to chalk up his fourth touchdown of the game. In for an injured Matt Brown, Richardson capped off his varsity debut with one more TD in the 4th quarter. He finished the night with 239 yards on 29 carries. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Alex Funk finds open grass as he runs the ball down the field on kick return against the Rockets. Funk, a senior, finished the SJO's second game of the season with 23 all-purpose yards. His longest run came on 16-yard kick return. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Finding plenty of wide open turf in front of him, Unity's Cale Rawdin sprints down the field on his way to an 83-yard touchdown. The run accounted for more than half of his total rushing yardage of 151. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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SJO's Tyler Burch fields the last Unity kickoff of the game. Burch gained 5 yards on the play. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Spartans' Justice Wertz and Aiden McCorkle stop Unity's Cale Rawdin in the 4th quarter. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Guest commentary: Biden proves many Americans are dummies

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

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If you worked hard for a scholarship, paid your way through school, paid back loans or your family sacrificed for you to go to school, President Biden has shown that you were a big dummy.

Don’t knock yourself out. Just sit back and the government will throw you some crumbs to take care of you.

In a move that Biden had promised during his campaign he erased between $10,000 to $20,000 of debt from millions of Americans college spending spree extravaganza. Years ago, Americans starting learning to spend money like it’s water. Maybe they thought, “I won’t have to pay it back”. Their dream has come true. You and I along with the rest of America’s tax payers will get to pay at least a half trillion dollars of this debt.

This is just what you had been hoping for! More taxes! Oh wait, just those rich people in America will have to pay this off, right? Every American on some level will share in this new financial burden.

Universities are legally raping America’s families because we sign up and agree to pay the tuition. We do it to ourselves. Universities don’t put a gun to the heads of Americans and make us pay. Americans foolishly agree to this debt. Yet, most universities are the last sector in America to feel the pain of the economy. In 2020-2021, most of them received millions of free government paycheck protection program money. This is more government money that will be eaten by you – the taxpayer. Millions of American businesses also received tens of thousands to millions of dollars of free PPP money in the last two years that will also slam all Americans in more taxes.

Some tenured professors are making over $200,000, a year. Many University Presidents across the country are making over one million dollars a year, plus major perks. Many coaches make a million or more a year. Universities spend money like its water. They are the ones who need to be lending and collecting or forgiving some of this debt. Not you.

You probably already paid once. Now we get to pay more for the students and the Universities who just kept spending money. Why are you responsible for the foolish people who borrow $50,000 to $100,000 and more?

I believe in helping people, but Biden needs to pass some of this lending and collecting burden to the Universities. You the taxpayer keep giving the money. The universities want $30,000 to $50,000 a year and more. American families foolishly swallow the poison. Next, their financial insanity becomes everybody’s problem. Does this seem right to you?

Sadly, millions of Americans rack up college debt and never complete their degrees. Millions more get degrees they never use. You don’t need a college degree for a lot of jobs. Most jobs do require training that can be accomplished in far less time and money.

Congratulations if your debt is $10,000 to $20,000 lighter, but your debt will still have to be paid, by your friends, family, neighbors and others.

Consider spending the first two years in a community college or trade school. You can move on to the big-name school for your Junior and Senior years. The first two years are generally electives and classes you don’t enjoy that much anyway. You’ll save a lot of money and maybe grow up some before you land in a dorm room 200 miles away from home.

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Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of Grandpa's Store, American Issues, and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.

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This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Sentinel. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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