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3 Spartans deliver double-digits in 14-point win over Bago at State Farm basketball tournament

NORMAL - The St. Joseph-Ogden's boys basketball team snagged their first win at the annual State Farm Holiday Classic on Thursday, handing Winnebago a 56-42 loss. The Spartans (5-3) manufactured a 32-23 lead after the first two periods, stretching their advantage in the second half by 14 points in the remaining 20 seconds.

Coy Taylor goes up for a shot during the Spartans' Toyota of Danville Classic game against Charleston. Taylor was instrumental in SJO's win over Winnebago. The senior went 4-for-4 in the first quarter to give his team a three-point lead over the Indians.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Coy Taylor led SJO's scoring effort with 19 points. Tanner Siems added another 14 points and Collin Thomey chipped in 10. The trio, frequent visitors to the free throw line, made 12 of their 17 attempts. Taylor went 6-for-7.

The Spartans advance to the Small School Boys bracket quarterfinals to face Tri-Valley at 4:30 PM on Friday. The Trojans advanced after knocking off Rock Falls, 58-40.

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How sweet it is! Spartans extract revenge over Titans in semifinal game

NORMAL - For a third year in a row, the St. Joseph-Ogden boys' basketball program is in the State Farm Holiday Classic small school championship game. The Spartans prevailed in an exciting seesaw battle against El Paso-Gridley, 52-49.

After leading the entire first quarter and nearly half of the second, EPG took the lead behind three treys from Braden Hayes combined with a three from Jayvion Maxon and buckets to start and end the period, 32-29.

Ryker Lockhart (7 points) put the Spartans back on top with back-to-back three-pointers, going up 35-32 early in the third quarter. Hayes, who finished with 22 points, drained two more from the outside to help the Titans to a 45-40 advantage.

EPG stretched their lead to seven after a bucket from Micah Meiss (12 points) to start the fourth quarter. SJO quickly responded, scoring three unanswered buckets after a free throw from Coy Taylor to retake the lead with 2:24 remaining, 49-47. Meiss immediately knotted the score at 49-all and missed a critical free throw.

With less than a minute on the clock, Tanner Siems, who led the Spartans with 19 points, broke the deadlock with his fourth bucket in the frame. Up 51-49 and one second away from revenge for last year's loss, Coy Taylor (12 points) missed his first of two free throws and converted on the second to secure the Spartan victory by three.

The win extended the Spartans win streak to four games while improving to 7-3 overall.

Heading into Monday's title game, Tanner Siems has scored 43 of the 153 produced by SJO during the tournament. Coy Taylor, the second-leading scorer and free-throw shooter (13-19), has 37 points. Meanwhile, Parker Fitch and Collin Thomey have contributed 21 and 19, respectively.

On Saturday, after beating Quincy Notre Dame 80-57 a day earlier, Pecatonica slipped Normal University 56-54 to punch their ticket into the finale. The Indians opened the State Farm tournament with an impressive 83-53 win over Olympia.

This will the the toughest test for the Spartans so far this season. The Indians have four players who need to be contained defensively. Cooper Hoffman has drained 67 of his team's 220 points. Zion Briamah with 32 points, Brody Black with 41, and Jaxon Diedrich with 27 are threats. Hoffman scored 33 against Quincy Notre Dame.

The Small School Division championship game is scheduled to start at 5:15 PM on Monday at Illinois Wesleyan's Shirk Center. Admission is $15 for adults at the door. Ticket prices for Students with ID (K-12), Senior Citizens, Active Military, and Veterans are $10. Admission is good for all four title and third-place contests.

December 7, 2024 .::. 27 Photos

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

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.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Tayton Gerdes celebrates a big play for the Spartans during the third quarter.

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.

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.

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 . . .

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.

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 . . .

St. Joseph-Ogden baseball team notch 20th win

St. Joseph-Ogden's Jack Robertson tries to beat a throw to home plate in the bottom of the third inning. Robertson was called out on the play.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

ST. JOSEPH - Maddux Carter went 3-for-3 at the plate and scored twice in St. Joseph-Ogden's home game against Westville on Wednesday. The Tigers led for two and a half innings before Carter and the SJO bats ignited and fueled a 7-3 non-conference victory at Meier Field.

After Carter reached first on a grounder to left field, Luke Landrus followed up with a line drive to the same outfielder putting runners on first and second for the Spartans. With no outs, Jared Altenbaumer stood his ground against Westville pitcher Cade Schaumburg on a 3-2 count and walked.

Bases loaded, first baseman Adam Price put Schaumburg's third pitch in center field scoring Carter and Landrus for two of his three RBIs on the day.

Price scored the team's third run after Braxton Waller doubles out to right field for the go-ahead run. Two batters later, Coy Taylor drove in Waller and Taylor Voorhees to pad the score at 5-2.

The Spartans picked up two more runs, one in the bottom of the 4th and another in the bottom of the 6th to secure the squad's 20th win of the season.

Sophomore Nolan Earley hurls a pitch in the fourth inning for the Spartans. Earley threw 54 strike while on the bump giving up five hits and three runs after 98 pitches across six frames. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden - 7

Luke Landrus 4-1-2-0-0
Jared Altenbaumer 2-1-0-1-2
Adam Price 4-1-2-3-0
Taylor Voorhees 3-1-0-0-0
Braxton Waller 2-1-1-1-1
Nolan Earley 2-0-0-0-1
Coy Taylor 3-0-1-2-0
Tanner Jacob 3-0-0-0-0
Maddux Carter 3-2-3-0-0

ab-r-h-rbi-bb
Total 26-7-9-7-4

Westville - 3

AB-R-H-RBI-BB
Mcmasters 4-1-0-0-0
Russell 4-1-1-0-0
Wichtowski 2-0-0-0-1
Haurez 4-1-2-1-0
Schaumburg 3-0-2-1-1
Barney 3-0-0-0-1
Maddox 3-0-0-0-0
Darling 2-0-0-1-1
Smith 3-0-0-0-0

ab-r-h-rbi-bb
Total 28-3-5-3-4

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.

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.

KEYWORDS: St. Joseph-Ogden football, Unity Football, Class 3A playoffs, Garrett Ricardson, Tre Hoggard, Coy Taylor

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.

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 is brought down an 11 yard run.

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

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.

St. Joseph-Ogden linebacker Brayden Waller block Unity's Coleton Langendorf.

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

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.

Covered by Unity's Ryan Rink, Spartan receiver Kaden Wedig snags the ball for a fourth-quarter catch.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.