Four Illini Prairie gridiron warriors earn IHSFCA 3A All-State recognition

Four Illini Prairie players make the Class 3A all-state list. Two quarterbacks and a lineman from the Sentinel area will be honored at the state football playoffs.


URBANA - Three Sentinel area athletes earned All-State recognition from the Illinois High School Coaches Association. Monticello Sages' Nolan Buehnerkemper, St. Joseph-Ogden's Cameron Wagner, and Unity's Dane Eisenmenger were names among the 18 Class 3A players on this year list.

Rounding out the Illini Prairie Conference selectees is Bloominton Central Catholic's Valshun Powe. While Powe and Buehnerkemper's seasons came to a close after last Saturday's second-round losses, Wagner's Spartans and Rockets' Eisenmenger have unfinished business to attend to this Saturday in quarterfinal action.

Eisenmenger will try to lead the Unity past Williamsville on the road. The Rockets lead the series 3-2 between the two programs since the 2012 season. The winner of the contest will face the winner of the St. Joseph-Ogden and Vandalia.

Wagner and the Spartans enjoy their first home playoff game on Saturday, hosting the undefeated Vandals. Their opponent's 11-0 record won't intimidate SJO, who knocked off the undefeated Benton Rangers with field goal at the buzzer in their first-round playoff game.

Here is a look at our area 3A all-staters.


Dane Eisenmenger

Senior - Unity - QB
Unity quarterback Dane Eisenmenger looks to throw under pressure
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks


Cameron Wagner

Junior - St. Joseph-Ogden - OL
St. Joseph-Ogden junior lineman Cam Wagner named 2025 All-stater
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks


Nolan Buehnerkemper

Senior - Monticello - DB/QB/K
Nolan Buehnerkemper unloads a long pass against Unity in playoff game.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks


Valshun Powe

Senior - Bloomington Central Catholic - RB/DB
Central Catholic's Valshun Powe explodes through the Unity defensive secondary.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks


The other Class 3A players earning recognition from the coaching association include:

(Name, Year, School, Position)
Grant Bowen, Sophomore - IC Catholic Prep - WR/LB
Hunter Carley, Junior - Richmond-Burton - RB/LB
Caden Considine, Senior - Byron - LB/RB
Kohnor Depew, Senior - Vandalia - WR/DB
Casey Etheridge, Senior - Princeton - RB/DB
Nick Huston, Senior - Monmouth-Roseville - RB/LB
Blake Livdahl, Junior - Richmond - LB/RB
Jimmy Lollar, Junior - Olympia - RB
Levi Mallette, Senior - Hope Academy - OL/DL
Julius May, Senior - Bishop McNamara - RB/LB
Ethan McCommons, Senior - Benton - LB/OL
Matthew Miller, Senior - Williamsville - RB
Andrew Talbert, Junior - Byron - DB/QB
Dylan White, Senior - Durand-Pecatonica - OL/DL



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TAGS: Unity's Dane Eisenmenger named to 3A All-State list, SJO's Cam Wagner makes All-State as sophomore, Monticello quarterback Nolan Buehnerkemper get the nod for all-state
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St Joseph-Ogden unbeaten run ends in playoff loss to Unity

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Cameron Wagner and Tanner Siems hug after SJO's 35-7 second-round playoff loss to Unity. The Spartans' magical season featuring an impressive 10-win streak and conference title ended on Saturday.
TOLONO - St. Joseph-Ogden's impressive 10-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt on Saturday as they fell 35-7 to Unity in the Class 3A second-round football playoffs.

The Spartans, who demonstrated their confidence and enthusiasm all season long, appeared uncharacteristically flat even before the opening kickoff. Unity immediately capitalized on SJO's lackluster performance, landing four solid punches, scoring twice in each of the first two quarters to take a commanding 28-7 lead at halftime.

The game showcased Unity’s improved physicality and discipline on both sides of the ball, contrasting with the regular-season matchup when St. Joseph-Ogden narrowly edged Unity 24-21. Unity head coach Scott Hamilton attributed the win to the rigorous schedule his team faced with teams like Althoff Catholic, saying the experience prepared them for postseason intensity.

"I think defensive we are tackling a lot better. Offensively, I think our edge, parameter stuff, and blocking has got a lot better," Hamilton said.

SJO's sideline, usually full of energy and vocal support, appeared subdued, a rare sight for a team that dominated its competition all season. The Spartans came out uncharacteristically flat, similar to their brief third-quarter lapse in their season opener against Monticello, though that lapse didn’t cost them a win. However, this time, Unity capitalized on SJO's lack of momentum and decisively took control of the game to avenge the earlier loss.

Garrett Richardson led the Unity offense with 215 rushing yards on 42 carries, including a touchdown. Tre Hoggard was a force in the passing game, catching four touchdowns for 124 yards.

Spartan defense wraps up Garrett Richardson
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Unity's Garrett Richardson is stopped in his tracks by St. Joseph-Ogden linemen Jackson Ennis, Ryker Lockhart, and Jared Altenbaumer.

In his postgame assessment, Spartan head coach Shawn Skinner stated that his team performed "uncharacteristically" in the first half, leaving them in a hole they could not escape.

"There were so many things that didn't happen in this game that we've done all year," Skinner said after giving his team their last postgame talk on the gridiron. "We didn't convert in the red zone. We dropped interceptions that hit us on the hands. The field position game was in their favor for most of the first half. We haven't done that all year. We controlled the field position game."

St. Joseph-Ogden's normally explosive offense was stifled by Unity's defense. Wyatt Wertz, Tanner Siems, and Coy Taylor, who have combined for 34 touchdowns this season, were held in check. Siems finished with 77 receiving yards, while Taylor, who became the state's all-time leading receiver during the game, had 34 yards.

Cameron Wagner
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Tracking the ball carried by Unity Garrett Richardson, Spartan sophomore Cameron Wagner plays on defense in his team's last game of the season.

"We couldn't really establish a run or pass the whole game. Throwing into the wind was a little difficult," Taylor added. "They had a good defensive plan for us. You can definitely tell that they put in a lot of work."

Unity's physicality and determination were evident throughout the game. They tallied 61 tackles, including 36 solos, and held SJO to just 59 rushing yards.

"We talked about running the ball, being physical, and that's what it takes this time of the year," said Unity head coach Scott Hamilton, happy to have his program advance to the quarterfinals.

Despite the disappointing loss, St. Joseph-Ogden head coach Shawn Skinner praised his team's effort.

"This game does not define this season," said Skinner. "We won ten games in a row. That's hard to do."

Unity will host Nashville in the quarterfinals on Saturday, while St. Joseph-Ogden's season ends with a 10-1 record.

Subscribe St. Joe-Ogden Athletics
KEYWORDS: St. Joseph-Ogden football, Unity Football, Class 3A playoffs, Garrett Ricardson, Tre Hoggard, Coy Taylor
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Photo Gallery |
Spartans beat Rockets in Week 2 thriller at Dick Duval Field

Tanner Siems bursts through the Spartan banner followed by the rest of the team during the pregrame introduction on Friday at Dick Duval Field. Hours later St. Joseph-Ogden would emerge victorious in the home game against Unity, 24-21.
Maroon Platoon

An SJO student fan cheers during first-quarter action against the visiting Rockets. It took a little under eight minutes for the Spartans to light up the scoreboard on their way to their second conference win.

Members of the St. Joseph-Ogden Maroon Platoon cheer for the Spartans during the first half of the game. SJO led the Illini Prairie Conferenc game at the half, 21-14 .

Unity running back Garrett Richardson finds plenty of running room against the Spartans in the first half.
Unity running back Garrett Richardson

Unity running back Garrett Richardson is brought down an 11 yard run.
St. Joe-Ogden Athletics
Kaden Wedig hangs on to pass

Kaden Wedig hangs on to pass during first half action against the Rockets.
Garrett Richardson

Virtually untouched, Rocket running back Garrett Richardson slides into the end zone on a six-yard run for a third-quarter touchdown to tie up the score at 21-all.

Unity's Tyler Henry shoves St. Joseph-Ogden's Tim Blackburn-Kelley out of bounds. Blackburn-Kelley finished Friday's game with seven yards rushing on four carries and two catches for 23 yards. He also tallied a 32-yard run on a kick return and two more on a punt return.

Members of the St. Joseph-Ogden's Class of 1994 are recognized between quarters. The alumni enjoy their reunion weekend with a Spartan football victory.

Drummer for the March Spartans pounds out beat during a break in the action on the field.

A Spartan cheerleader keeps an eye on the action on the field. This year's 20-member squad kept fans and the student section cheering all four quarters of the home game.
Brayden Waller block Unity's Coleton Langendorf

St. Joseph-Ogden linebacker Brayden Waller block Unity's Coleton Langendorf.
Wyatt Wertz scampers past a Unity lineman

Wyatt Wertz scampers past a Unity lineman. Wertz delivered 19 of SJO's 159 yards on the ground.
Unity's Tyler Henry

Unity's Tyler Henry avoids St. Joseph-Ogden's Tayton Gerdes while returning a kickoff. His only return on special teams, Henry took the ball 49 yard before being stopped by the Spartans.

SJO's Carson Sarnecki and Quincy Jones wrap up Unity running back Garrett Richardson during third quarter action.
Spartan receiver Kaden Wedig

Covered by Unity's Ryan Rink, Spartan receiver Kaden Wedig snags the ball for a fourth-quarter catch.
Brennan Oleynichak lifts teammate Coy Taylor

Brennan Oleynichak lifts teammate Coy Taylor into the air after his 26-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Taylor tallied a game-high 105 yards with nine catches.

Kaden Wedig hauls in a pass despite in-his-face coverage from Unity's Graydin Cler during the fourth quarter. Wedig, who finished with three catches for 42 yards, fell out of bounds in what could have been the go-ahead touchdown for the Spartans.
Kodey McKinney checks out scoreboard

Waiting to go back in, Spartan quarterback Kodey McKinney gazes at the scoreboard at Dick Duval Field during the fourth quarter. The junior signal caller scored St. Joseph-Ogden's first TD on a one-yard run in the first quarter. He finished his second varsity game with 43 rushing yards and threw for 268 yards against the Rockets.

Spartan manager Cameron Kuchenbrod heads back to the sidelines after giving water to players during a timeout.
Brayden Henry breaks up a pass to Tanner Siems

Rockets' Brayden Henry breaks up a pass play to Spartans' Tanner Siems early in the fourth quarter. Siems finished the regular season contest with a 22-yard touchdown in the first quarter and 110 yards.
Dane Eisenmenger

Unity's Dane Eisenmenger looks to make a throw in the fourth quarter. The junior quarterback completed seven of his 12 passes for 110 yards and tacked on 15 rushing yards in the loss to the Spartans.
Garrett Richardson stiff arms

Rockets' Garrett Richardson stiff arms Tim Blackburn-Kelley on a carry during the fourth quarter. Richardson had 22 carries for 90 yards and a 19-yard catch in Unity's second game of the season.
Wyatt Wertz, Cameron Wagner, and Gabe Mata

Surrounded by teammates Wyatt Wertz, Cameron Wagner, and Gabe Mata, SJO kicker Charlie Schmitz enjoys the moment after kicking the game-winning field goal from 31 yards out with 1.2 seconds left on the clock to seal a 24-21 victory.
Spartan lineman Josh Courter

Spartan lineman Josh Courter celebrates with this team after SJO's second-straight regular season win over Unity.
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Friday Night Forecast |
Week 4 Illini Prairie Conference football predictions

It is time for another week of IPC football predictions in The Sentinel’s weekly Friday Night Forecast.

St. Joseph-Ogden's Cameron Wagner

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Cameron Wagner provides pass protection during a play in last year's home game against Unity. The Rockets are back at Dick Duval Field for this year's Illini Prairie Conference regular season football game.


URBANA - Each week, we invite Illini Prairie Conference fans to predict the winners from conference matchups. New experts are welcome every week. Here what the team of experts say this week.


Week 4 predictions

Illini Prairie Game of the Week

Prairie Central (2-1)
vs Paxton-Buckley-Loda (1-2)

Sara: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 24-21
Alan: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 24-21
J: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 35-14
Lyman: Paxton-Buckley-Loda .::. 34-27
Denise: Prairie Central .::. 27-14

Brooks Look: Last week, Prairie Central proved it could contain St. Teresa's balance attack when it needed it most. Despite allowing 407 yards, the Hawks walked away with a 14-13 win in the non-conference game last Saturday. Meanwhile, PBL quarterback Sam Hall threw 11 passes for 265 yards and six - yes, six TD passes in last week's game against Pontiac. The Panthers' star running back Mason Vaughan average 6.9 yards a carry for 125 yards. If the Paxton-Buckley-Loda's defense can bring their A-game this week, they'll have have win #2 in their back pocket.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda 27, Prairie Central 14

Monticello (2-1) @ St. Teresa (1-2)

Sara: St. Teresa .::. 27-24
Alan: Monticello .::. 28-14
J: Monticello .::. 35-14
Lyman: Monticello .::. 21-7
Denise: Monticello .::. 24-10

Brooks Look: This is an exciting football match-up that will be worth twice the price of admission. The question: Can the Sages shutdown the Bulldogs' offense on their home field? This has all the markings of an overtime win for St. T in Monticello.

St. Teresa 28, Monticello 21

Pontiac (0-3) vs Illinois Valley Central (0-3)

Sara: Illinois Valley Central .::. 32-13
Alan: Illinois Valley Central .::. 35-13
J: Pontiac .::. 22-12
Lyman: Pontiac .::. 7-0
Denise: Pontiac .::. 14-6

Brooks Look: Easy choice here. After putting up a season-high 22 points on PBL last week, Pontiac comes out on top in this pairing with their first win of the season.

Pontiac 24, Illinois Valley Central 13

Rantoul (0-3) @ Central Catholic (3-0)

Sara: Central Catholic .::. 50-6
Alan: Central Catholic .::. 42-6
J: Central Catholic .::. 41-0
Lyman: Central Catholic .::. 56-0
Denise: Central Catholic .::. 21-0

Brooks Look: Central Catholic is one of three IPC teams in the top ten of the AP Class 3A polls. With the speed, size, and athleticism this team brings to gridiron, it will be hard for them to lose this one.

Central Catholic 56, Rantoul 6

Unity (2-1) @ St. Joseph-Ogden (3-0)

Sara: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 36-27
Alan: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 31-28
J: Unity .::. 27-20
Lyman: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 31-24
Denise: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 24-17

Brooks Look: There has never been a boring St. Joseph-Ogden - Unity game. Last year, the Spartans came out on top thanks to kicker Charlie Schmitz booting the game-winning field goal from 31 yards out with 1.2 seconds left on the clock to seal a 24-21 victory at Dick Duval Field. The Rockets extracted revenge with a 35-7 second-round playoff victory eliminating SJO. This year, the game comes down to which team has the better defense. The Spartans will come close to making it three-consecutive regular season wins against the Rockets but won't be able to finish the job in overtime.

Unity 28, St. Joseph-Ogden 21


Week 3 Scores

Central Catholic 34, Unity 27
St. Joseph-Ogden 51, Illinois Valley Central 16
Prairie Central 14, St. Teresa 13
Monticello 36, Rantoul 14
Paxton-Buckley-Loda 48, Pontiac 22


Week 3 Results

Rank Name Record Notes
1 Sara 4-1 Week 3 winner ** Tie-Break
2 Alan 4-1
2 Denise 4-1
3 Brooks Look 3-2
3 Lyman 3-2
3 Keith 3-2
3 J 3-2

Cumulative Standings (After Week 3)

Rank Name Total Record Wins Notes
1 Brooks Look 12-3 1 Week 2 winner
2 Denise 11-4 0
3 Alan 10-5 0
4 Sara 9-1 1 Week 3 winner
5 J 8-2 1 Week 1 winner
6 Keith 3-2 0
7 Lyman 3-2 0

Previous predictions:
Week 1 Predictions | Week 1 Results
Week 2 Predictions | Week 2 Results
Week 3 Predictions |

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Photo Gallery |
Strong first half cements victory for SJO at Monticello

Tim Blackburn-Kelly runs to a TD
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
After hauling in a screen pass on the first play of St. Joseph-Ogden's road game at Monticello, Tim Blackburn-Kelley races down the field for the first TD of the season while playing running back in Saturday's 40-28 win. The quick score that burned just 20 seconds off the game clock set the tone for the first half before the Spartans ripped off three more scores before halftime.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
SJO's Ryker Lockhart nails Monticello's Matt Swartz to the turf during first quarter action on Saturday. The first game for the two Illini Prairie Conference members was postponed until noon due to a large storm system passing through Piatt and Champaign county Friday evening.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Spartans' Nolan Earley rushes into the Monticello backfield looking to tackle the Sages' quarterback for a loss.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
SJO's Nolan Earley latches on to Monticello's Ike Young on his way to record a TFL in the first half.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Spartan's Coy Taylor barrels his way into the endzone on a 1-yard play for his team's second touchdown in the first quarter.
Tayton Gerdes celebrates
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Tayton Gerdes celebrates a big play for the Spartans during the third quarter.
SJO quarterback Kodey McKinney
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
SJO quarterback Kodey McKinney looks to the northeast corner of the field for an open receiver. The junior signal caller scored on 67-yard run in the first quarter and tossed three TD passes in his first varsity start. See all the photos from the game here . . .
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Wyatt Wertz looks for running room while following his blockers on a 37-yard dash through the Sages' defense. The junior running back rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries.
Jared Altenbaumer
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden senior Jared Altenbaumer lunges forward to pounce on Monticello quarterback Ike Young.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Almost a nailbiter as Monticello's momentum grows in the second half after another touchdown, SJO head coach Shawn Skinner strolls down the sideline while the Spartans get a lesson in tenacity during their season opener. See all the photos from the game here . . .
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Sages' Ike Young unloads a pass before Spartans' Gabe Mata can disrupt the third-quarter pass play.
Cameron Wagner and Brodie Harms
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
SJ0 linemen Cameron Wagner and Brodie Harms stack pancakes in the trenches with Monticello's Ryan Frazee and Brody Billedo during fourth-quarter action. See more photos from the game here . . .
Monticello's Ike Young
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Monticello's Ike Young looks for running room on a keeper. The senior finished 27 of 44 for 292 yards and threw two second-half touchdown passes in his first varsity start at quarterback. He also led Monticello in rushing with 18 carries for 66 yards and scored two of the Sages' four touchdowns.
Spartan Coy Taylor
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Leaping above Sages' Zeke Young, Spartan Coy Taylor hauls in a pass for second-half touchdown in the southeast corner end zone at Wilkey Sports Complex. See more photos from the game here . . .
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