Spartan tennis team comes up short in season opener against the Trojans

URBANA - While the final team score was lopsided shutout, the St. Joseph-Ogden tennis team fought an uphill battle against their more experiened opponents from Maroa-Forsyth on Tuesday, August 15. The Spartans suffered losses on all nine courts, three doubles and six singles matches, to fall 9-0 to the visiting Trojans.

Addison Seggebruch led the SJO's singles match effort, winning seven of her 19 games against Maroa-Forsyth's Katherine Nilles.


Tennis player Addison Ross
Addison Ross talks about her double match with partner Makennah Hamilton after their loss to Kristen Tuan and Katherine Nilles from Maroa-Forsyth. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

"It was my first match. I thought I did pretty well," Seggebruch said after her match. "Overall, I thought I did a pretty good job hanging in there."

Playing at #2 singles, the senior lost the first set 6-3 and capitalized as often as she could in the second, carding four more games using her serve as a weapon.

"I felt like there were a few serves she (Nilles) wasn't able to return," she explained, talking about exploiting her opponent's obvious weaknesses. "I had a few really good forehands, and I feel like that threw her off a little bit.

Despite dropping the second set, 6-4, Saggebruch, who started playing in 2022, gave a solid effort against her more seasoned opponent. One of her goals this season is to collect more W's.

"This year, my goal is to win more matches, try to improve, and get better," she said.

Later, MaKennah Hamilton and Addison Ross squared off against the Trojans' top doubles crew. The duo dropped their #1 doubles match in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.

"It didn't go the way we wanted, but we did learn a lot," said Addison Ross, a sophomore playing her second season for SJO. "They were much more experienced than us. They hit harder, but we did learn something from this.

Playing her second year with Ross, Hamilton said despite the two-set shutout against Maroa-Forsyth veterans Kristen Tuan and Katherine Nilles, she believes they are improving.

"I think we hustled more than we have in the past," she explained, recounting a few plays from the match. "They just kept hitting a lot of corners we couldn't get to."

Not long after the loss, the pair had already figured out what the needed to work on this week to prepare upcoming matches. Unfortunately, the heatwave that started on Tuesday this week has kept a lid on training and match play for the Spartans due to heat protocols set by the IHSA.

Ross said her plan was to work on returning serves. "It is kind of my weak spot."

Meanwhile, Hamilton plans to work on her shot selection and placement.

"More experienced teams are going take your shots and hit them down the line, and you can't get to them," she said. "Hitting them where they're not is definitely something we need to work on."

Box Score

Maroa-Forsyth - 9 - St. Joseph-Ogden - 0

Singles:
No. 1 - Ella Sandgren, Maroa-Forsyth def. Caroline Aden, SJO, 6-0, 6-0
No. 2 - Katherine Nilles, Maroa-Forsyth def. Addison Seggebruch, SJO, 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 - Isabella Griffiths, Maroa-Forsyth def. Madison Clampitt, SJO, 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 - Briana Skouras, Maroa-Forsyth def. Lauren Lannert, SJO, 6-2, 6-2
No. 5 - Jasmeet Kaur, Maroa-Forsyth def. Ella Dieteker, SJO, 6-2, 6-0
No. 6 - Hana Qidan, Maroa-Forsyth def. Sonia Patel, SJO, 6-0, 6-2

Doubles:
No. 1 - Kristen Tuan/Katherine Nilles, Maroa-Forsyth def. MaKennah Hamilton/Addison Ross, SJO, 6-0, 6-0
No. 2 - Isabella Nilles/Alexis Nilles, Maroa-Forsyth ef. Lily Rice/Samantha Kelso, SJO, 6-0, 6-0
No. 3 - Aubra Timmons/Shokrea Qidan, Maroa-Forsyth def. Emma Thurman/Olivia Getty, SJO, 6-1, 7-5




Photo of the Day | January 6, 2023

Addison Seggebruch drives to the paint against Pontiac
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Adding it up
ST. JOSEPH - Spartans' Addison Seggebruch drives to the paint around Pontiac's Makyah Hartfield during the second half of the Illini Prairie Conference game on Thursday. The Spartans used a 17-9 second-quarter run to help secure the league win over visiting Pontiac, 57-47. The team's three Addisons tallied 34 of team's 57 points. Seggebruch finished the game with six points, Addison Frick dropped a game-high 17, and Addisyn Martinie contributed seven in the victory.



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Prep Sports Notebook | SJO, Unity set sights on holiday tournament titles


Taylor leads SJO into title game at State Farm tournament
Normal - Coy Taylor drained a career-best 31 points in the St. Joseph-Ogden's semifinal game against Pecatonica on Friday. The Spartans advanced to Saturday's Small School Division title game at the Shirk Center, scheduled to start at 5:15 pm.

Tanner Jacob knocked down 20 points, and Tanner Siems finished with 13 points to help SJO roll over the Indians, 91-61.

Logan Smith just missed a double-double, scoring nine points, but he made it up in the paint, hauling in seven rebounds and dishing out 11 assists.


Unity advances to title game at Williamsville tournament
Williamsville - Andrew Thomas led the Rockets in an explosive first half, scoring 14 of his 16 points to send Illini Prairie rival Prairie Central into the third-place game at the Williamsville Holiday Tournament. The Rockets advanced to the championship game to face the host Bullets after winning the semifinal, 51-35.

It was another all-team outing with nine Unity players putting numbers in the scorebook. Andrew's brother, Henry, was perfect from the free-throw line, going six-for-six, and finished with 14 points. Dalton O'Neill helped round out the top three scorers with six first-half points.


Spartan girls win third-place consolation game at State Farm tourney
NORMAL - The St. Joseph-Ogden basketball program finished their run at this year's State Farm Holiday Classic with a 2-2 record after defeating El Paso-Gridley 48-30 Friday afternoon.

Addison Frick finished the consolation bracket third-place game with 12 points. Addisyn Martinie had 11 points, and Addison Seggebruch finished with seven.

Six other Spartans contributed three points or more in the victory, giving SJO a 7-8 record at the end of 2023.

Myli Ehrhardt paced the Titans (9-4) with 13 points.


Consolation bracket title dashed
Normal - After defeating Rockford Lutheran on Thursday, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball program was butted out of consolation title contention by the eventual winners, the Rams of Port Byron Riverdale on Friday.

Addison Frick nailed three treys on her way to a team-high 15 points for the Spartans. Sophomore Timera Blackburn-Kelley was the second-leading scorer with seven points. Addison Seggebruch, who connected on both free-throw shots, added six points, with Katie Ericksen matching her total with a pair of treys.

Riverdale's Alexis Duke led nine other players from her team with 12 points in the 59-42 win at Normal Community High School.


Unity takes second at holiday tourney
Bismarck - The Unity girls basketball team came up short in their bid for the Heritage/Bismarck Holiday Tournament title. The Rockets fell 59-27 to Benton Central in Friday's championship game. Seniors Raegen Stringer and Addison Ray were named to the All-Tournament team.



SJO holds off comeback to defeat ALAH 49-39 at Country Financial Shootout

SJO's Katie Ericksen passes the ball during second quarter action against ALAH. The sophomore finished the game with four points.

Photo: PhotoNews Media

ST. JOSEPH - Jumping out to a quick 10-point lead in the first quarter, senior Addisyn Martinie hit back-to-back treys near the end of the second to give the Spartans a 15-point advantage, their largest lead of the game at 29-14 over Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond. By halftime, Martinie had scored 15 points, and SJO was up 29-18 on the scoreboard.

Hats off to the Lady Knights, who fought with every ounce of athleticism they could muster, giving St. Joseph-Ogden a fourth-quarter scare before winning the Country Financial Shootout game, 49-39.

Aided by SJO's best players in foul trouble and a streak of missed shots, the momentum shift put the Spartans on their heels.

"We weren't hitting shots we would normally hit," said St. Joseph-Ogden head coach Drew Arteaga. "We got in some foul trouble, too, and had to put girls on the bench."

By the end of the third quarter, ALAH had cut their deficit down from 11 points to six thanks to senior Clair Seal, who lit up the scoreboard with nine points. With under four minutes to play, the Lady Knights trailed by one, 39-38.

"In the third quarter we weren't totally locked on defense," senior Addison Seggebruch said, explaining ALAH's fourth-quarter rally. "We found a way to keep going, fight through it, and stay positive. We got the 'dub'."

Fouled with 3:25 remaining, SJO's Addison Seggeburch drained a clutch free throw, giving her team a short-lived 40-38 lead. ALAH clawed back and earned a trip to the free-throw line, converting to put SJO up by one again.

It was as if someone flipped a switch, when the Spartans hit three unanswered three-point shots to go up 49-39. Katie Ericksen hit a trey, then Frick dropped a long ball through the rim, followed by a three-pointer from Martinie with one minute and six seconds to go.

"We just had a little bit of a drought, and that happens. That's basketball," Arteaga said. "Our girls found a way to come back, compete, and found a way to win."

Martinie, a senior, hit five treys to finish the game with 21 points. The Lady Knight tried desperately to keep the ball out of her hands.


Kayla Osterbur hold up an exhausted Addisyn Martinie after the post-game handshakes.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

"She is really having a great senior year," Arteaga said. "We are really proud of her. She put in the work during the off-season, and it is showing up. She's been a great senior leader."

Addisyn Martinie takes a shot in the first half over Lady Knights Sara Herschberger. Martinie hit both the game's opening and final bucket, draining three-pointers on each.

Photo: PhotoNews Media

Seggebruch added 13 points to her season total, Frick chipped in 11, and Ericksen completed the SJO scoring effort with four points.

Seal finished the contest with a game-high 23 points for the Lady Knights. Teammates Sara Herschberger and Lindsay Rohacs contributed five points each.

The shootout win was satisfying for Arteaga because of his team's lack of success in closing out recent games. After a three-game losing streak was laid to rest with a dominating 55-26 victory over Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin on Thursday, Saturday's finish was the second of newly formed win streak.

"We haven't been able to get over the hump in a lot of close games here as of late," he said. "We finally got over the hump tonight even though we struggled to score. It was good."

He was proud of his players and their effort on Saturday. His senior class and their leadership continues to impress him.

"You win with seniors. I think our core senior three are really good right now," Arteaga disclosed, referring to Martinie, Seggebruch, and Frick - all coincidentally with the first named Addison/Addisyn. "With those three, as they go, we go. When those three are going full speed, we are going to be hard to beat."



Over 270 St. Joseph-Ogden students earn 2nd quarter academic honors

St. Joseph-Ogden High School Honor Roll ST. JOSEPH - Last week, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the second-quarter Honor Roll and High Honor Roll recipients. Just over 270 members of this year's enrollment earned second-quarter Honor Roll recognition.

To receive honor roll recognition at SJO, students must earn a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Students whose GPA soared above 3.74 are recognized as High Honor Roll students.

Freshman High Honor Roll

Lillian Ahart
Zhou Barbee
Zachary Benoit
Alec Bowlin
Colin Burnett
Elizabeth Clark
Abigail Crider
Hayden Dahl
Iris Davis
Nick Ditchfield
Justin Downs
Madison Farber
Nathaniel Farney
Nolan Franzen
Skyler Graham
Anna Hammond
Mark Harbourt
Nicholas Harris
Tyler Hess
Maggie Hewkin
Mia Jones
Alivia Learned
Hadley McDonald
Finnegan Miller
Maddux Musselman
Mason Ramm
Dennis Rineberg
Isa Santiago
Sophie Schmitz
Adeline Stevens
Ani Stine
Isabella Turner
Brayden Waller
Jack Wear
Emerson Williams

Freshman Honor Roll

Yadiel Acosta-Reyes
Samuel Albrecht
Olivia Berlatsky
Brenda Castro Gutierrez
Leah Gaines
Morgan Huls
Brynn Ikemire
Waylon Jones
Avrianna Lyttle
Chase Mabry
Mason Olinger
Tripp Palmer
Peighton Reim
Kiah Riesel
Ava Smoot
Cameron Wagner
Kaden Wedig
Cameron Wright
William Yeazel
Declan Yohnka

Sophomore High Honor Roll

Caroline Aden
Trevor Ames
Kylie Barrowman
Lexie Barrowman
Kaitlyn Beyers
Emily Bird
Tim Blackburn-Kelley
Aiden Bonny
Addison Brooks
Sara Bytnar
Erica Hardimon
William Carlson
Rudra Chaudhary
Adelyn Childers
Christopher Coffey
Katherine Ericksen
Callie Evans
Abigail Getty
Camden Getty
William Haley
Zachary Harper
Claire Hartman
Lydia Huckstadt
Adalyn Jannusch
Kaelyn Jolley
Sophia Kasper
Madilyn Kelley
Cooper Kietzman
Kylan Kincaid
Alexis Lackey
Ryker Lockhart
Mackenzie Loschen
Michael McDaniel
Danny McGinnis
Emma McKinney
Kodey McKinney
Patrick McMahon
Ava Midkiff
Ashlyn Miller
Hannah Mock
Delaney Nekolny
Allison Ochs
Brennan Oleynichak
Kayla Osterbur
Colton Overstreet
Garrick Page
Branson Pearman
Kaleb Peoples
Asher Pruemer
Ainsley Rhoton
Lily Rice
Landon Roberts
Logan Rosenthal
Amber Ruppel
Cameron Schlueter
Allison Schmitz
Lucas Smith
Tao Smith
Karleigh Spain
Quinn Stahl
Sydney Steinbach
Hadley Sweet
Carlee Taylor
Sophia Vliet
Madeline Wells
Wyatt Wertz
Logan Xiao
Cyrus Zadeh

Sophomore Honor Roll

Adalyn Bell
Shelby Campbell
Jacob Carlson
Caleb Dwyer
Brandon Goodwin
Charles Hale
Bryson Houchens
Amelia Huckstadt
Nick Jackson
Malachy Kates
Sami Kelso
Graham Ray
Lance Retz
Trevor Sexton
Gracyn Sjoken
Landon Smith
Luke Tranel
Hunter Van Meenen

Junior High Honor Roll

EJ Beckett
Audrey Benoit
William Besson
Holden Brazelton
Arely Castro Gutierrez
Richi Chimal
Preslee Christians
Madison Clampitt
Lauren Dewese
Ella Dietiker
Luke Ditchfield
Jackson Ennis
Savanna Franzen
Addison Funk
Kaiden Gaines
Tayton Gerdes
Olivia Getty
Makennah Hamilton
Lauren Harris
Haley Hesterberg
Maebree Houston
Kendrick Johnson
Paige Johnson
Dylan Jones
Sara Kearney
Madison Lankster
Logan Mills
Gabriel Mortlock
Grace Osterbur
Chayse Palmer
Sonia Patel
Haley Rudolph
Audrey Ruppel
Charles Schmitz
Kyler Swanson
Collin Thomey
Samantha Uden
Reese Wheatley
Fiona Xiao

Junior Honor Roll

Jared Altenbaumer
Rylie Barton
Eli Birt
Sul Bonny
Landon Brown
Landen Butts
Hayden Coffey
Joshua Courter
Nolan Earley
Lyla Frerichs
Tinley Ideus
Amilliya Kindle
Owen Knap
Aiden Krall
Jeffrey Kuchenbrod
Logan Lackey
Gabe Mata
Brenden Maury
Logan Patton
Nathan Phillips
Sydney Reitmeier
Tanner Siems
Corbin Smith
Thea Smith
Coy Taylor
Ava Worley
Charley Wright

Senior High Honor Roll

Edward Alewelt
Logan Allen
Luke Allen
Aden Armstrong
Samantha Beetz
Chloe Burkhalter
Payton Carter
Garrett Denhart
Samantha Downs
Sadie Ericksen
Joseph Frasca
Mia Frederick
Alana Frerichs-McCurry
Addison Frick
Grace Getty
Chloe Harper
Rachel Harris
Brody Hausman
Annabelle Hueber
Tanner Jacob
Kya Jolley
Helene Jones
Tori Kibler
Lauren Lannert
Quinn Lewis
Taylyn Lockhart
Addisyn Martinie
Ethan McElroy
Shannon McMahon
Talan Miller
Isaiah Mock
Caleb Ochs
Macy Reed-Thompson
Addison Roesch
Addison Ross
Daniel Santiago
Addison Seggebruch
Lucas Skelton
Aescton Slowikowski
Logan Smith
Dylan Smoot
Drew Thurman
Emma Thurman
Braxton Waller
Elissia Ward
Colin Wayland
Brody Weaver
Corbin Wells
Hayden Williams
Peyton Williams
Spencer Wilson

Senior Honor Roll

Halle Brazelton
Tyler Buss
Maya Chahine
Cameron Dressen
Ashton Fonner
Chloe George
Amaya Gula
Ray Gutierrez
Emmitt Holt
Ella Jones
Luke Landrus
Hayden Lewis
Connor Little
Carson Maroon
Rowan Musselman
Cole Pruitt
Kaydence Reynolds
Madison Stevens
Zoey Sweet
Nicholas Wetzel
Mitchell Wright



St. Joseph-Ogden 3rd Quarter Honor Roll

St. Joseph-Ogden High School Honor Roll ST. JOSEPH - Last week, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the third-quarter Honor Roll and High Honor Roll recipients. Over 270 students at the high school earned third-quarter Honor Roll recognition.

To make the honor roll at SJO, students must earn a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Students whose GPA soared above 3.74 are recognized as High Honor Roll students.

Freshman High Honor Roll

Lillian Ahart
Samuel Albrecht
Zhou Barbee
Zachary Benoit
Colin Burnett
Elizabeth Clark
Abigail Crider
Hayden Dahl
Iris Davis
Nick Ditchfield
Madison Farber
Nathaniel Farney
Nolan Franzen
Leah Gaines
Skyler Graham
Anna Hammond
Mark Harbourt
Nicholas Harris
Tyler Hess
Maggie Hewkin
Brynn Ikemire
Mia Jones
Alivia Learned
Chase Mabry
Hadley McDonald
Finnegan Miller
Maddux Musselman
Mason Ramm
Peighton Reim
Kiah Riesel
Dennis Rineberg
Sophie Schmitz
Ava Smoot
Adeline Stevens
Ani Stine
Isabella Turner
Brayden Waller
Jack Wear
Kaden Wedig
Emerson Williams

Freshman Honor Roll

Yadiel Acosta-Reyes
Alec Bowlin
Willis Canamore
Brenda Castro Gutierrez
Jaxson Colvin
Justin Downs
Aiden Hundley
Waylon Jones
Garrett Loschen
Avrianna Lyttle
Steven Newman
Mason Olinger
William Ricketts-Royer
Lilly Sollars
Cameron Wagner
Shelby Warns
Declan Yohnka
Dalton York

Sophomore High Honor Roll

Trevor Ames
Kylie Barrowman
Lexie Barrowman
Kaitlyn Beyers
Emily Bird
Tim Blackburn-Kelley
Aiden Bonny
Addison Brooks
Sara Bytnar
Jacob Carlson
William Carlson
Adelyn Childers
Katherine Ericksen
Callie Evans
Abigail Getty
Camden Getty
Zachary Harper
Claire Hartman
Bryson Houchens
Amelia Huckstadt
Lydia Huckstadt
Adalyn Jannusch
Kaelyn Jolley
Sophia Kasper
Madilyn Kelley
Samantha Kelso
Cooper Kietzman
Alexis Lackey
Ryker Lockhart
Mackenzie Loschen
Michael McDaniel
Danny McGinnis
Emma McKinney
Kodey McKinney
Patrick McMahon
Ava Midkiff
Ashlyn Miller
Hannah Mock
Delaney Nekolny
Allison Ochs
Brennan Oleynichak
Kayla Osterbur
Colton Overstreet
Garrick Page
Branson Pearman
Kaleb Peoples
Asher Pruemer
Ainsley Rhoton
Lily Rice
Landon Roberts
Logan Rosenthal
Amber Ruppel
Cameron Schlueter
Allison Schmitz
Gracyn Sjoken
Lucas Smith
Tao Smith
Karleigh Spain
Quinn Stahl
Sydney Steinbach
Hadley Sweet
Carlee Taylor
Sophia Vliet
Madeline Wells
Wyatt Wertz
Logan Xiao
Cyrus Zadeh

Sophomore Honor Roll

Caroline Aden
DeAva Barnett
Timera Blackburn-Kelley
Shelby Campbell
Rudra Chaudhary
Wade Clark
Christopher Coffey
Cade Crozier
Caleb Dwyer
Brandon Goodwin
William Haley
Erica Hardimon
Nick Jackson
Kylan Kincaid
Vance McComas
Jackson Mohr
Graham Ray
Lance Retz
Ethan Sanders
Trevor Sexton
Landon Smith
Lucas Truong
Hunter Van Meenen
Emma Wells

Junior High Honor Roll

EJ Beckett
Audrey Benoit
William Besson
Sul Bonny
Holden Brazelton
Arely Castro Gutierrez
Richi Chimal
Preslee Christians
Madison Clampitt
Ella Dietiker
Luke Ditchfield
Nolan Earley
Jackson Ennis
Savanna Franzen
Addison Funk
Tayton Gerdes
Olivia Getty
Makennah Hamilton
Lauren Harris
Haley Hesterberg
Maebree Houston
Kendrick Johnson
Dylan Jones
Sara Kearney
Amilliya Kindle
Madison Lankster
Logan Mills
Gabriel Mortlock
Grace Osterbur
Sonia Patel
Nathan Phillips
Sydney Reitmeier
Audrey Ruppel
Charles Schmitz
Tanner Siems
Kyler Swanson
Collin Thomey
Samantha Uden
Reese Wheatley
Charley Wright
Fiona Xiao

Junior Honor Roll

Jared Altenbaumer
Rylie Barton
Eli Birt
Landon Brown
Landen Butts
Hayden Coffey
Joshua Courter
Lauren Dewese
Lyla Frerichs
Kaiden Gaines
Paige Johnson
Owen Knap
Aiden Krall
Logan Lackey
Gabe Mata
Brenden Maury
Chayse Palmer
Logan Patton
Haley Rudolph
Corbin Smith
Thea Smith
Coy Taylor
Ava Worley
Zoe Wright

Senior High Honor Roll

Edward Alewelt
Chloe Allen
Logan Allen
Aden Armstrong
Samantha Beetz
Chloe Burkhalter
Payton Carter
Garrett Denhart
Mia Frederick
Addison Frick
Grace Getty
Chloe Harper
Rachel Harris
Brody Hausman
Annabelle Hueber
Tanner Jacob
Kya Jolley
Helene Jones
Quinn Lewis
Taylyn Lockhart
Addisyn Martinie
Ethan McElroy
Shannon McMahon
Talan Miller
Isaiah Mock
Rowan Musselman
Caleb Ochs
Macy Reed-Thompson
Addison Roesch
Addison Ross
Daniel Santiago
Addison Seggebruch
Lucas Skelton
Logan Smith
Dylan Smoot
Zoey Sweet
Drew Thurman
Emma Thurman
Braxton Waller
Elissia Ward
Colin Wayland
Corbin Wells
Hayden Williams
Peyton Williams
Spencer Wilson
Mitchell Wright

Senior Honor Roll

Kaden Allinger
Owen Baltzell
Mya Bott
Halle Brazelton
Kyler Brown
Tyler Buss
Maya Chahine
Cameron Dressen
Sadie Ericksen
Joseph Frasca
Alana Frerichs-McCurry
Grace Goldenstein
Ray Gutierrez
Jayci Hayes
Emmitt Holt
Ella Jones
Holden Jones
Tori Kibler
Luke Landrus
Lauren Lannert
Hayden Lewis
Connor Little
Carson Maroon
Seth McBride
Aescton Slowikowski
Brody Weaver
Nicholas Wetzel


St. Joe-Ogden Athletics


Prep Sports Notebook | Spartans beat Tuscola, Urbana still looking for first win

Unity's Addison Ray
Unity's Addison Ray
Ray rains treys in Rocket home win

TOLONO - Unity downed visiting Clinton 50-43 behind double-figure production from three seniors. Addison Ray led all scorers with 14 points. Ray drained three three-pointers to help the rally in the third quarter. Raegen Stringer finished with 13 points, and Reagan Little added another 12 points in the non-conference win. The Maroons were paced by starter Clara Dempsey, who scored 11 points in the first quarter, with 12 points.


SJO first half lead results in win over visiting Tuscola

ST. JOSEPH - Addison Seggebruch led St. Joseph-Ogden's scoring effort with a team-high 14 points in their 61-47 non-conference win over Tuscola. Addisyn Martinie added another 12 points, and Addison Frick finished with 10 points. Warriors' Sicily Moss led all scorers with a game-high 16 points.


Tigers improving

MONTICELLO - Aziyiaha Davis finished with a team-high eight points in Urbana's 42-22 road loss at Monticello. Zion Reid added another seven points to make up the bulk of their team's scoring effort in their best outing this season. The Tigers are at home on Thursday against Charleston.


Hoopeston's Root scores 31

HOOPESTON - Owen Root made 12 of his 20 shots to score 31 in Hoopeston Area's 68-40 win over Judah Christian on Monday. Kendrick Sigerill finished with 12 points. Junior Trenton Montez, who led the team with six assist, rounded the team's top three scorers with nine points. Root also had six rebounds and three steals for the Cornjerkers.



St. Joseph-Ogden fall 2023 Honor Roll students

St. Joseph-Ogden High School Honor Roll ST. JOSEPH - At the end of October, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the first quarter Honor Roll and High Honor Roll recipients. Nearly 300 members of this year's school population earned first-quarter Honor Roll recognition.

To receive honor roll recognition at SJO, students must earn a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Students whose GPA soared above 3.74 are recognized as High Honor Roll students.

Freshman High Honor Roll

Lillian Ahart
Zhou Barbee
Zachary Benoit
Alec Bowlin
Colin Burnett
Elizabeth Clark
Abigail Crider
Hayden Dahl
Iris Davis
Nick Ditchfield
Justin Downs
Madison Farber
Nathaniel Farney
Nolan Franzen
Skyler Graham
Anna Hammond
Mark Harbourt
Nicholas Harris
Tyler Hess
Maggie Hewkin
Mia Jones
Alivia Learned
Chase Mabry
Hadley McDonald
Finnegan Miller
Maddux Musselman
Mason Olinger
Mason Ramm
Peighton Reim
Kiah Riesel
Dennis Rineberg
Isa Santiago
Sophie Schmitz
Ava Smoot
Adeline Stevens
Ani Stine
Isabella Turner
Brayden Waller
Jack Wear
Kaden Wedig
Emerson Williams

Freshman Honor Roll

Yadiel Acosta-Reyes
Samuel Albrecht
Brenda Castro Gutierrez
Jameson Ennis
Leah Gaines
Elijah Garrett
Gunnar George
Morgan Huls
Aiden Hundley
Brynn Ikemire
Faith Jackson
Waylon Jones
Jaydon Lewis
Avrianna Lyttle
Tripp Palmer
Shelby Warns
Cameron Wright
Tyler Wright
William Yeazel
Declan Yohnka

Sophomore High Honor Roll

Trevor Ames
Kylie Barrowman
Lexie Barrowman
Tim Blackburn-Kelley
Kaitlyn Beyers
Emily Bird
Aiden Bonny
Addison Brooks
Sara Bytnar
Shelby Campbell
William Carlson
Rudra Chaudhary
Adelyn Childers
Christopher Coffey
Katherine Ericksen
Callie Evans
Abigail Getty
Camden Getty
William Haley
Zachary Harper
Claire Hartman
Lydia Huckstadt
Adalyn Jannusch
Sophia Kasper
Madilyn Kelley
Kylan Kincaid
Cooper Kietzman
Alexis Lackey
Ryker Lockhart
Mackenzie Loschen
Emma McKinney
Michael McDaniel
Danny McGinnis
Kodey McKinney
Patrick McMahon
Ava Midkiff
Ashlyn Miller
Hannah Mock
Delaney Nekolny
Allison Ochs
Brennan Oleynichak
Kayla Osterbur
Colton Overstreet
Garrick Page
Branson Pearman
Kaleb Peoples
Asher Pruemer
Ainsley Rhoton
Lily Rice
Landon Roberts
Amber Ruppel
Cameron Schlueter
Allison Schmitz
Landon Smith
Lucas Smith
Tao Smith
Quinn Stahl
Sydney Steinbach
Hadley Sweet
Carlee Taylor
Luke Tranel
Sophia Vliet
Madeline Wells
Wyatt Wertz
Logan Xiao
Cyrus Zadeh

Sophomore Honor Roll

Caroline Aden
DeAva Barnett
Josiah Beals
Jacob Carlson
Wade Clark
Parker Fitch
Charles Hale
Erica Hardimon
Bryson Houchens
Amelia Huckstadt
Jordan Johnson
Kaelyn Jolley
Sami Kelso
Vance McComas
Graham Ray
Lance Retz
Logan Rosenthal
Trevor Sexton
Gracyn Sjoken
Karleigh Spain
Lucas Truong
Hayden Utley
Hunter Van Meenen

Junior High Honor Roll

EJ Beckett
Sul Bonny
Holden Brazelton
Landon Brown
Arely Castro Gutierrez
Richi Chimal
Preslee Christians
Madison Clampitt
Ella Dietiker
Luke Ditchfield
Jackson Ennis
Savanna Franzen
Addison Funk
Tayton Gerdes
Olivia Getty
Makennah Hamilton
Lauren Harris
Maebree Houston
Kendrick Johnson
Dylan Jones
Sara Kearney
Amilliya Kindle
Madison Lankster
Logan Mills
Gabriel Mortlock
Grace Osterbur
Sonia Patel
Nathan Phillips
Audrey Ruppel
Charles Schmitz
Tanner Siems
Kyler Swanson
Collin Thomey
Reese Wheatley
Charley Wright
Fiona Xiao

Junior Honor Roll

Jared Altenbaumer
Audrey Benoit
Will Besson
Chaz Bowlin
Landen Butts
Hayden Coffey
Joshua Courter
Aerolyn Davenport
Lauren Dewese
Nolan Earley
Lyla Frerichs
Kaiden Gaines
Joe Griebat
Haley Hesterberg
Paige Johnson
Owen Knap
Logan Lackey
Gabe Mata
Brenden Maury
Chayse Palmer
Logan Patton
Sydney Reitmeier
Haley Rudolph
Samuel Shonkwiler
Corbin Smith
Coy Taylor
Samantha Uden

Senior High Honor Roll

Edward Alewelt
Logan Allen
Kaden Allinger
Aden Armstrong
Samantha Beetz
Chloe Burkhalter
Payton Carter
Garrett Denhart
Samantha Downs
Sadie Ericksen
Joseph Frasca
Mia Frederick
Alana Frerichs-McCurry
Addison Frick
Grace Getty
Chloe Harper
Rachel Harris
Brody Hausman
Annabelle Hueber
Tanner Jacob
Kya Jolley
Helene Jones
Tori Kibler
Lauren Lannert
Quinn Lewis
Taylyn Lockhart
Seth McBride
Shannon McMahon
Talan Miller
Isaiah Mock
Rowan Musselman
Caleb Ochs
Cole Pruitt
Macy Reed-Thompson
Addison Roesch
Addison Ross
Daniel Santiago
Lucas Skelton
Aescton Slowikowski
Logan Smith
Dylan Smoot
Drew Thurman
Emma Thurman
Braxton Waller
Elissia Ward
Colin Wayland
Brody Weaver
Corbin Wells
Hayden Williams
Peyton Williams
Spencer Wilson

Senior Honor Roll

Chloe Allen
Owen Baltzell
Mya Bott
Halle Brazelton
Kyler Brown
Tyler Buss
Maya Chahine
Cameron Dressen
Chloe George
Grace Goldenstein
Amaya Gula
Ray Gutierrez
Jayci Hayes
Emmitt Holt
Ella Jones
Holden Jones
Ryan Kroll
Luke Landrus
Hayden Lewis
Connor Little
Grace Mabrey
Carson Maroon
Ethan McElroy
Kaydence Reynolds
Addison Seggebruch
Madison Stevens
Zoey Sweet
Mitchell Wright


Prep Sport Notebook | Catching up on area scores and performances


Undefeated St. Joseph-0gden basketball top seed at State Farm tournament

BLOOMINGTON - The SJO boys basketball team is seeded #3 in this year's edition of the State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament. Last year's small school champs was one of six schools that received #1 seed votes. The Spartans (5-0) open tournament play on December 27 against East Dubuque at Normal West.

The top seed went to Aurora Christian with four first-place votes. Normal University High secured one vote and is the #2 seed. El Paso-Gridley, the #4 seed, received one vote. St. Joseph-Ogden received three first-place votes from a poll of head coaches, the media, and committee members.


Spartan girls draw tough first round seed

BLOOMINGTON - The St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team is back in the field of competition at the State Farm Holiday Classic. Senior Addison Frick and the Spartans (2-3) play their first game 20 days from today against #4 seed Bishop McNamara (7-1) at Normal Community.

This year's top small-school girls seeds are Camp Point Central/Augusta Southeastern in the #1 position and Paris at #2. The Panthers beat the Tigers in last year's championship game, 36-32. Galena earned the #3 spot, and Bishop McNamara was voted #4 in the poll given to coaches, media around the state, and committee members.

SJO is scheduled to play at 10:30 am on the Wednesday after Christmas.


Cornjerkers post second win of the season

Hoopeston Area 52 - Armstrong Potomac 45
GIBSON CITY - Owen Root scored 14 points in Bismarck-Henning's win over Armstrong-Potomac. Mason Rush and Kendrick Sigerill scored 11 points each. Root and Sigerill led the team on the boards with six rebounds apiece. Wyatt Eisenman chipped in eight points and tallied three of the team seven steals at the GCMS Thanksgiving Tournament.


Spartan girls suffer home loss

Paris 44 - St. Joseph-Ogden 38
ST. JOSEPH - Three SJO players tallied double figures in the scorebook, but it was enough to surpass their extended meeting with the visiting Tigers on November 11.

Junior Katie Erickson led the Spartan effort with 12 points in the overtime effort. Addison Frick connected drained three treys and a jumper for ll points and Addisyn Martinie contributed ten points in the loss.


Tigers' season starts with road loss

OLYMPIA FIELDS - The Urbana boys' varsity basketball team lost their road opener to Manley at Rich Central, 76-72.


Seggebruch leads Spartans in first win of the season

St. Joseph-Ogden 61 - Tuscola 47
ST. JOSEPH - SJO's A-Team came together rolling over the visiting Warriors for their first win of the season. Addison Seggebruch scored a team-high 14 points on her home court on November 11. Addisyn Martinie finished with 12 points, and Addison Frick rounded out the top three scorers with 10 points. The Spartans made nearly half their total points from outside the arc, hitting nine three-pointers in the non-conference game.

Sicily Moss led Tuscola's effort with 16 points across all four frames. The loss broke a four-game win streak for the Warriors and remains their only loss as of today.



Martinie scores team-high ten in SJO loss

Pleasant Plains - Hoping to extend their 1-game winning streak to two, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team came up short after this afternoon's road game at Pleasant Plains. Addisyn Martinie led the Spartans' in scoring with 10 points in the 55-26 loss to the host Cardinals.

Addisyn Martinie looks for an open teammate to pass the ball during the Spartans' Turkey Tournament game against Mahomet-Seymour. The junior led all SJO scorers on Saturday in the team's away game at Pleasant Plains. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

SJO struggled on offense, scoring just five points in each of the first two quarters. Martinie knocked down a pair of field goals, and Taylor Hug kicked in five points with one shot inside and one outside the arc. Junior Addison Seggebruch hit one of her two free throw attempts in the team's first half scoring effort. Seggebruch's first quarter trip to the line was the Spartans' only opportunity for free points.

Freshman Addie Brooks came off the bench in the fourth quarter to hit two treys for six points to finish as the second-leading scorer for SJO. Addison Frick chipped-in four points in the third quarter to sum up Saturday's offense.

Meanwhile, Pleasant Plains (8-3) was paced by Jaycee Smith's 15 points and frosh Anna Weber's seven points.

St. Joseph-Ogden is back in action on Monday with a home contest against Cissna Park and travels to Oakwood to face the Comets on Thursday this week.


Box Score

Final: Pleasant Plains 55 - St. Joseph-Ogden 26

St. Joseph-Ogden  5 -  5 - 10 -  6 - -26
Pleasant Plains    13 - 15 - 12 - 15 - -55

St. Joseph-Ogden: Uden 0(0)-0-0--0, Seggebruch 1(0)-0-0--2, Baltzell 0(0)-0-0--0, Ericksen 0(0)-0-0--0, Frick 2(0)-0-0--4, Baker 0(0)-0-0--0, Brooks 0(2)-0-0--6, Blackburn 0(0)-0-0--0, Kearney 0(0)-0-0--0, Martinie 5(0)-0-0--10, Osterbur 0(0)-0-0--0, Ward 0(0)-0-0--0.

Pleasant Plains: Frasse 2(0)-2-0--4, Morley 0(0)-0-0--0, Taft 0(0)-0-0--0, Cameron 0(0)-0-0--0, Derrick 3(0)-0-0--6, Leach 3(0)-0-0--6, Hiltabrand 0(0)-3-3--3, Lynch 0(0)-0-0--0, Smith 5(1)-2-2--15, Burke 1(0)-0-0--2, Hadley 3(0)-0-0--6, Weber 1(1)-2-2--7, Long 0(0)-0-0--0, Redmon 1(0)-2-2--4, Sebatka 1(0)-0-0--2.


SJO tennis program overflowing with players and positive energy

St. Joseph-Ogden head coach Kevin Martlage talks to players during their first day of practice for the 2023-24 season. The Spartans' ranks have swollen to 29 players as the program enters its fourth competitive season.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

URBANA - On Monday this, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' tennis team took up three courts at Atkins Tennis Center for their first official practice of the 2023-24 season. The program continues to grow in popularity as a fall sport. SJO welcomes 11 newcomers to the sport, filling their roster of 29 to the brim.

"We have 18 returning players this year. A lot of them took lessons over the summer and during the off-season," said head coach Kevin Martlage, who is entering his fourth season. "I'm looking forward to getting out there and seeing what we are capable of doing."

This year's squad has eight seniors. Led by three-year veteran Lauren Lannert, the class of 2024 includes Maya Chahine, Grace Getty, Brianna Grant, Addison Ross, Addison Seggebruch, Emma Thurman, and Ellie Ward. Chahine and Ward are first-year players, while the rest of the class has seen two years of action for the Spartans.

Addison Saggebruch returns to the SJO tennis program
Senior Addison Saggebruch concentrates on a ball drill during opening day practice at Atkins Tennis Center on Monday. Last year's sectional qualifier hopes make another run toward competing at the IHSA state tournament in October. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

The juniors represent the largest contingent of players, with ten student-athletes. Audrey Benoit, Sara Kearney, Audra Marshke, Haley Rudolph, and Alexis Wirth enter their first tennis season under Martlage. The other five players returning for their second season include Madison Clampitt, Ella Dietiker, Olivia Getty, Makennah Hamilton, and Sonia Patel.

Martlage, overflowing with enthusiasm and an abundance of positive energy, is looking forward to the upcoming season.

"I'm really excited about the team," he said on Monday while his players jogged laps around three courts at Atkin's Tennis Center for their warmup. "I just want to go out there and teach these girls the game of tennis and also be very competitive in the tough division we are in here in central Illinois."

The Spartans have five home matches, the first on tap on August 17 at Atkins against Maroa-Forsyth. Then there are nine road matches lined up to played around central Illinois. Fans unable to catch a home match can watch the team play against local opponents on August 19 at the Charger Invitational (Atkins/Blair Park), on August 29 against Urbana, and on October 12 against Mahomet-Seymour (Illini Grove Tennis Courts).

Martlage said he enjoys coaching the girls' team because of the abundance of raw enthusiasm from the players while watching their appreciation and skill in the sport mature.

"This was never a sport [at SJO] before Covid," he explained. He recounted how a few students approached him to start the program during the pandemic. "Ten girls were like, 'Hey, want to play tennis because the IHSA says you can play tennis and nothing else.'"

Now, starting the program's fourth season, participation in the newest sport at St. Joseph-Ogden has tripled.

"The thing I like the most is the girls have the opportunity to learn a sport they probably would have never had the opportunity to learn, represent their school, and each other."


Top left: Lily Rice and teammate Makennah Hamilton watch teamate execute a drill while waiting for their turn. The duo were sectional qualifiers last fall and look to make a repeat appearance in a bid to advance to the state tournament. Center: Addi Ross uses her racquet to bounce the ball during a team drill. Top right: Ella Dietiker focuses on bouncing the ball on the racquet during a team warm-up drill. Below: Totally in the zone, Caroline Aiden puts the ball back over the net with a backhand shot during the team's 3-on-3 hitting drill on Monday.

Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


St. Joseph-Ogden's top returning players include Saggebruch and sophomore Lily Rice, who won their opening match at sectionals in the previous season. Double partners and sectional qualifiers Ross and Hamilton also return to this year's lineup.

Martlage is excited to see his top four players grow this season.

"They will be coming back strong," he said. "There are a handful of others I'm excited about. There are even some players today I haven't seen since last season, and I am pretty impressed with. I asked if they had been taking lessons, and they said, 'Yes, Coach!'"

The underclass has seven sophomores returning from 2022. Caroline Aden, Abby Getty, Claire Hartman, Samantha Kelso, Grace Preston, Ainsley Rhoton, and Lily Rice look to build on their success last season and help guide new classmates Sophia Vliet and Shelby Campbell, who join the team for their first season.

The roster is complete with three freshman, which includes Madison Farber, Audri Helfrich, and Isabella Santiago, who joined the team this year.



Prep Sports Notebook | Wednesday noteworthy tidbits


Urbana takes 6th place at Crimson Lady Invite
JACKSONVILLE - Four Urbana wrestlers performed well at Jacksonville High School's Crimson Lady Invite, earning a 6th place finish in the team standings with 74 points. Freshman Rickasia Ivy (140) and senior Jurdan Tyler (235) both received second-place medals, while junior Franciana Kalanga finished in 5th place in the 170-pound division. In the 130-pound division, classmate Randi Campe took sixth place.


Unity's Phoenix rises at Crimson Lady Invite
JACKSONVILLE - Phoenix Molina went undefeated, winning all three bouts to win the 235-pound title at Crimson Lady Invite Wednesday. After enjoying a first-round bye, Molina stuck Triad's Claire Boehne in 34 seconds. Her next two bouts went the distance. Next, the sophomore defeated Robinson's Rylee Hammond 2-0 in their quarterfinal match and won the championship title after a narrow 3-2 victory over Urbana's Jurdan Tyler.

Going 2-2 for the day, sophomore Anna Vasey finished 4th in the 155-pound weight class.

Rockets Claire Zorns (130) and Riley Petkus (140) also represented Unity at the 39-team wrestling meet but did not place.


Spartan girls take one on the chin at State Farm Holiday Classic
NORMAL - Addisyn Martinie mustered just seven points to lead St. Joseph-Ogden's scoring effort against Bishop McNamara on opening day at the State Farm Holiday Classic Wednesday. The Lady Irish's aggressive, full-court defense produced turnover after turnover that kept SJO out of sync.

While her defensive play rose to the occasion in the second half, senior Addison Seggebruch scored just five points. Addison Brooks came off the bench to score five points in the 50-18 loss. Meanwhile, Kayla Osterbur hit one of two free-throw attempts, rounding out SJO's scoring effort.

The Spartans advance to the consolation bracket at the tournament, playing Rockford Lutheran at 9:30 am on Thursday.


Unity 47 - Salt Fork 43
The Rockets balanced their record at six wins, six losses after beating Salt Fork at the Blue Devil Classic on Wednesday. Raegen Stringer led all scorers with 17 points. Reagan Little tallied 13 points, and Addison Ray also finished in double figures with 11 points.


Rockets notch second tournament victory
Up 21-18 after two quarters of play, Unity picked up their seventh win of the season with a 46-35 win over Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin Wednesday.

Making 7 of 17 shots, Reagan Little finished with 15 points for the Rockets. Raegen Stringer made buckets in every quarter to contribute 14 points. Addison Ray made three treys, adding nine points to UHS' side of the scoreboard.


Unity snags opening day win at Williamsville Tournament
It was almost like shooting ducks in a pond. Unity (10-0) rattled off 32 points in the first quarter and tacked on another 24 in the second to start the next half up 56-10 against Havana. The Rockets kept their unbeaten streak alive, rolling to 76-27 win at the Williamsville Holiday Tournament.

Dalton O'Neil led the Rockets in scoring with 14 points. Colten Langendorf had a 13-point effort, and Henry Thomas finished with 11 points. The three combined for half of the final score.


Area high school coaches
We need your help covering your team this season to help keep fans, college recruiters, and area readers informed.

If you are coaching basketball, wrestling, competitive cheer or competitive dance at Unity, Uni-High, Urbana High School, or St. Joseph-Ogden, please send us your game or meet results for our Prep Sports Notebook. The best way to send us box scores and other info is via email to sports@oursentinel.com or editor@oursentinel.com.






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