SJO girls fall short in first game of the season

ST. JOSEPH - At the end of the first quarter, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team trailed on the scoreboard by four in the season opener at home last Saturday. Despite six different players putting points in the scorebook, the Spartans fell after a gritty effort, 48-41.

Addison Frick led SJO's scoring effort with a team-high 15 points. The senior drained three treys and went 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

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St. Joseph-Ogden's Katie Ericksen looks for an open teammate to pass the ball around the defensive efforts of Pleasant Plains Bailey Leach during second-quarter action of the Spartans' home opener last Saturday. Ericksen finished the game with four points in the first half.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Addisyn Martinie, also a senior, finished the game with ten points, eight collected in the final quarter. Addison Seggebruch, also a senior, closed-out the game two points shy of reach double-digits with eight points.

The Spartans struggled defensively to contain the Cardinals' young forward Anna Weber. The sophomore, who sank five of her eight free throws, led all scorers with 18 points. Dropping ten points in the first quarter Weber set the tone for the remaining three. With SJO's focused on stopping Weber, it allowed Plains' Bailey Leach and Madison Burke to enjoy a number of open looks. Burke, also a sophomore, scored 13 points, while Leach added another ten.

Three other St. Joseph-Ogden players contributed in the team's scoring effort. Katie Ericksen delivered four points in the first quarter, Addison Brooks came off the bench to hit a three in the third quarter, and Timera Blackburn-Kelley chipped in a free-throw.

Next week, the Spartans host Tuscola on Monday and play their first road game of the 2023-24 season at Danville.

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Box Score

Pleasant Plains 48 - St. Joseph-Ogden 41

	1	2	3	4	F
St. Joseph-Ogden	14	9	7	11	41
Pleasant Plains	18	10	10	10	48

St. Joseph-Ogden --
Ericksen 2(0)-0-0--4, Seggebruch 2(1)-2-1--8, Kearney 0(0)-0-0--0, Blackburn-Kelley 0(0)-2-1--1, Frick 2(3)-2-2--15, Brooks 0(1)-0-0--3, Loschen 0(2)-0-0--6, Miller 0(0)-0-0--0, Atwood 0(0)-0-0--0, Martinie 3(1)-1-1--10, Osterbur 0(0)-0-0--0.

Pleasant Plains --
Frasse 0(0)-4-3--3, Leach 0(0)-0-0--0, Crawford 0(0)-0-0--0, Cameron 0(0)-0-0--0, Thenaisie 0(0)-0-0--0, Leach 3(0)-6-4--10, Noble 0(0)-0-0--0, Nestler 0(0)-0-0--0, Dugan 0(0)-0-0--0, Burke 3(1)-6-4--13, Romager 0(0)-0-0--0, Weber 6(0)-8-6--18, Sabatka 2(0)-0-0--4,

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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

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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.

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

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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"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

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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."

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SJO volleyball drops road match, gears up for grueling week ahead

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St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball drops first match of the season 25-13, 25-17. Emma McKinney leads with six digs. Home opener vs. Mahomet-Seymour on Sept. 2.

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BISMARCK - The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team continued its early-season road swing on Thursday, falling in straight sets to Bismarck-Henning, 25-19, 25-16.

Emerson Williams paced the Spartans with four kills and six assists, while setter Emma McKinney dished out 11 assists to go with two kills. Ally Schmitz contributed two kills and three digs, and both Hadley McDonald and Addi Childers added two kills apiece. Childers also led the blocking effort with two at the net.

Defensively, libero Katie Ericksen anchored the back row with 11 digs. Despite the effort, SJO (0-2) mustered only seven kills in each set and couldn’t find the consistency to extend the match.

The Spartans face a demanding schedule next week, starting Saturday with a matchup at Mahomet-Seymour. The Bulldogs, last year’s Class 3A state champions, also visit SJO for the Spartans’ home opener on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Main Gym.

From there, Williams and company hit the road again, traveling to Armstrong-Potomac on Wednesday before heading to Teutopolis on Thursday. The week wraps up with a trip to the Mattoon Volleyball Tournament on Saturday.

Bismarck-Henning (1-1), which lost its opener to Unity, heads to Danville on Tuesday before hosting Villa Grove on Thursday.

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Match Leaders – SJO at Bismarck-Henning

• Emerson Williams: 4 kills, 6 assists
• Emma McKinney: 11 assists, 2 kills
• Ally Schmitz: 2 kills, 3 digs
• Hadley McDonald: 2 kills
• Addi Childers: 2 kills, 2 blocks
• Katie Ericksen: 11 digs

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TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball 2025 schedule,SJO vs Bismarck-Henning volleyball recap, Mahomet-Seymour vs St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball preview, Spartan athletics volleyball coverage

St. Joseph-Ogden Volleyball 2025 Results

Date	Opponent	Location	Result	Score	Record
Aug. 26	@ Maroa-Forsyth	Road	L	13-25, 17-25	0-1
Aug. 28	@ Bismarck-Henning	Road	L	19-25, 16-25	0-2

Looking Back: Spartans defeat Indians by 10 in conference showdown

With the hectic 2022-23 season behind us, we want to use the summer to catch up publishing some of the great moments we captured this season but didn't have the time or resources to publish. Here is The Sentinel's first installment of our summer feature called Looking Back. Visit our website weekly for more photo features starting next week.

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Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Addison Frick puts the ball up for a first half shot during the Spartans' home basketball game against Pontiac. Frick finished the game with a team-high 17 points powering SJO to a 57-47 victory. See more photos from this game here.

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Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

SJO senior Taylor Hug fires a jumper from outside the arc for one of her four treys against the visiting Pontiac Indians.

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Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Driving past Pontiac's Makyah Hartfield, SJO's Addie Seggebruch attacks the paint in January 5 home game at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.

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Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Freshman point guard Katie Ericksen moves the ball around during the second half against Pontiac.

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Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Surrounded by Pontiac players, Spartans' Kaytlyn Baker protects the ball during second half action. Baker, a senior, contributed a field goal and one free throw in the Illini Prairie Conference win for the St. Joseph-Ogden program on Saturday.

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Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Spartan Katie Ericksen loses control of the ball after colliding with Pontiac senior Mackenzie Coates in the second half. View 14 more photos from the SJO girls' first game of 2023 here.

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72 freshmen at SJO earn High Honor Roll recognition

St. Joseph - Earlier this week, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the third quarter Honor Roll and High Honor Roll recipients. This year's freshman class labored to produce 72 scholars who earned High Honor 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 is above 3.74 are recognized as High Honor Roll students. Below is the list of this semester's students who achieved High Honor Roll recognition. Follow this link to see the names of students who made the Honor Roll.

Seniors

Alyssa Acton
McGwire Atwood
Kaytlyn Baker
Olivia Baltzell
Cara Blanchard
Taylor Burch
Tyler Burch
Maddux Carter
Yamilka Casanova
Ariana Chambers
Madelynn Cook
Morgan Cramer
Aiden Cromwell
Zachary Dahman
Aleah Dial
Emily Elsbernd
Leah Finley
Joselyn Frerichs
Jessica Gadbury
Brent Golladay
Kennedy Greer
Kylie Greer
Andrew Guelfi
Mikyla Haley
Hayden Henkelman
Maya Hewkin
Taylor Hug
Shayne Immke
Emily Jeffries
Peyton Jones
Cameran Kelley
Jade Kelley
Jacob Kern
Aaron Lane
Collin Livesay
Haleigh Maddock
Kyle Meccoli
Teagan Miller
Courtney Myren
Ava Northen
Madeline Osterbur
Allegra Pearman
Ty Pence
Jack Robertson
Kirsten Schaefer
Johanna Schmitz
Jack Setterdahl
Isabel Sexton
Paige Siegmund
Payton Vander Logt
Taylor Voorhees
Alayna Wagle
Emma Ward
Maggie Ward

Juniors

Edward Alewelt
Logan Allen
Aden Armstrong
Owen Baltzell
Samantha Beetz
Chloe Burkhalter
Payton Carter
Rachel Divan
Sadie Ericksen
Addison Frick
Grace Getty
Chloe Harper
Rachel Harris
Brody Hausman
Annabelle Hueber
Tanner Jacob
Kya Jolley
Helene Jones
Lauren Lannert
Hayden Lewis
Quinn Lewis
Taylyn Lockhart
Addisyn Martinie
Shannon McMahon
Talan Miller
Isaiah Mock
Caleb Ochs
Macy Reed-Thompson
Addison Roesch
Addison Ross
Daniel Santiago
Addison Seggebruck
Lucas Skelton
Logan Smith
Dylan Smoot
Drew Thurman
Emma Thurman
Braxton Waller
Elissia Ward
Colin Wayland
Corbin Wells
Hayden Williams
Peyton Williams
Spencer Wilson

Sophomores

EJ Beckett
Audrey Benoit
William Besson
Sul Bonny
Preslee Christians
Madison Clampitt
Ella Dietiker
Luke Ditchfield
Jackson Ennis
Savanna Franzen
Addison Funk
Tayton Gerdes
Olivia Getty
Makennah Hamilton
Lauren Harris
Maebree Houston
Paige Johnson
Dylan Jones
Amilliya Kindle
Madison Lankster
Logan Mills
Gabriel Mortlock
Grace Osterbur
Chayse Palmer
Sonia Patel
Nathan Phillips
Audrey Ruppel
Charles Schmitz
Kyler Swanson
Collin Thomey
Samantha Uden
Kailynn West
Reese Wheatley
Charley Wright
Fiona Xiao

Freshman

Trevor Ames
Kylie Barrowman
Lexie Barrowman
Kaitlyn Beyers
Emily Bird
Tim Blackburn-Kelley
Aiden Bonny
Addison Brooks
Sara Bytnar
Shelby Campbell
Jacob Carlson
William Carlson
Rudra Chaudhary
Adelyn Childers
Christopher Coffey
Katie Ericksen
Callie Evans
Abigail Getty
Camden Getty
Brandon Goodwin
William Haley
Zachary Harper
Claire Hartman
Amelia Huckstadt
Lydia Huckstadt
Adalyn Jannusch
Kaelyn Jolley
Sophia Kasper
Madilyn Kelley
Cooper Kietzman
Alexis Lackey
Ryker Lockhart
Mackenzie Loschen
Michael McDaniel
Isabelle 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
Amber Ruppel
Cameron Schluter
Allison Schmitz
Trevor Sexton
Landon Smith
Lucas Smith
Tao Smith
Karleigh Spain
Quinn Stahl
Sydney Steinbach
Hadley Sweet
Carlee Taylor
Luke Tranel
Hunter Van Meenen
Sophia Vliet
Madeline Wells
Wyatt Wertz
Logan Xiao
Cyrus Zadeh

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Prep Sports Notebook | Back to business, area teams start 2024 with wins

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Spartans wrestlers post six pins in victory over BHRA

BISMARCK - Emmit Holt, Camden Getty Holden Brazelton, Brandon Goodwin, Nathan Daly, and Quincy Jones won their matches by fall on Tuesday in a dual meet against Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin.

The St. Joseph-Ogden wrestling program won the first match of 2024, dominating the Blue Devils, 60-18.

Corbin Smith, a junior, picked a forfeit at 175-lbs. Sophomores Coy Hayes and Devan Swisher also earn wins via forfeits. Maddie Wells, also a sophomore, was awarded a forfeit at 132-lbs.

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Rockets double-trouble for visiting Panthers

TOLONO - Going 5-for-7 from the free-throw line, Reagan Little scored a game-high 15 points in the Rockets' first home basketball game of the year. Paxton-Buckley-Loda (1-16) was no match for Unity, falling, 56-26.

Claire Meharry added 11 points, and Addison Ray contributed eight points in Unity's 30-point conference win over the visiting Panthers.

Meharry led the Rockets (11-7) in the paint with five rebounds. Little collected four boards and three assists against PBL, and Raegen Stringer padded her stats with five assists, four rebounds, and a pair of steals.

The Paxton-Buckley-Loda was paced by junior Tanner Grahm's ten points, all delivered in the second half.

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SJO girls squeak by Pontiac, 59-57

Pontiac - Pontiac starter Bailey Masching may have put on a clinic with her 28 points, but it was nowhere near enough to keep the Spartans from picking up a close 59-57 win over the Indians. Thanks to double-digit contributions from Katie Ericksen, Addison Frick, and Addiysn Martinie, St. Joseph-Ogden improves to 8-8 on the season with the first conference victory.

Ericksen had another big game, draining 19 points across all four frames. Martinie did the same, closing out the game with 17 points, and the pair tallied seven of SJO's nine treys. Frick finished 12 points through a strong performance in the fourth quarter.

The Spartans host Prairie Central on Monday and play the next two games on the road at Illinois Valley Central on Monday and St. Thomas More on January 15.

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Williams, Alexander lead SJO volleyball to sweep over Hoopeston

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The Spartans swept all singles and doubles matches. SJO's singles and doubles squads were flawless, taking key wins on the road.

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ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden bounced back in commanding fashion Monday night, defeating Hoopeston Area in straight sets in front of a supportive home crowd. Just days removed from a 2-0 loss to Oakwood, the Spartans regrouped and rolled to a 25-15, 25-10 sweep, ending the Cornjerkers’ hopes early and extending Hoopeston’s losing streak to eight matches.

Outside hitter Emerson Williams powered the offense with six kills across the two-set match. Addi Childers chipped in four kills, while Hadley McDonald and Ally Schmitz added three apiece. On defense, Emma McKinney anchored the back row with six digs, and senior libero Katie Ericksen followed with five. McDonald rounded out her solid night by contributing four more digs.

The Spartans also found momentum at the service line. Ava Alexander was unstoppable, landing four aces in her seven serves. McDonald backed her up with four aces of her own in 13 attempts, giving SJO a decisive edge in both sets.

With the victory, the Spartans improve to 4-8 overall and look ahead to a road trip tonight to face St. Teresa in Decatur. The Bulldogs (2-9), who opened the season with seven straight losses, are seeking to gain traction. SJO then returns home Wednesday to host the Danville Vikings. Hoopeston falls to 1-9 with the loss.

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TAGGED: SJO volleyball win over Hoopeston, St. Joseph-Ogden vs Hoopeston volleyball, Emerson Williams SJO volleyball, Ava Alexander aces SJO, Hoopeston losing streak volleyball

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St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball squad secures first win of the season

TUSCOLA - The St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team notched its first win of the season Tuesday night, defeating Tuscola 38-30 in a hard-fought road game. The Spartans used a strong second-half surge to seize control after a tightly contested opening.

The Spartans (1-3) were paced by standout Kayla Osterbur, who delivered a game-high 17 points, including nine in a decisive fourth-quarter performance. Timera Blackburn-Kelley added nine points, while Hayden Dahl provided a crucial spark off the bench, sinking four of six free throws en route to seven points. Contributions from Addie Brooks and Katie Ericksen rounded out the Spartans’ balanced attack.

Tuscola (2-3) held a slim 7-5 lead at the end of the first quarter and remained in front by a point at halftime, 16-15. Ava Boyer led the Warriors with 15 points, while Reese Davis added six. However, Tuscola struggled to maintain momentum as St. Joseph-Ogden turned up the defensive intensity in the second half.

The third quarter saw the Spartans shift gears, holding the Warriors to just five points while gaining a 24-21 lead. Key three-pointers from Osterbur and Dahl, combined with Blackburn-Kelley’s field goal and plus one free throw, fueled the rally. In the final period, the Spartans found their offensive rhythm, tallying their highest-scoring quarter with 14 points to seal the win.

Looking ahead, and still on the road, St. Joseph-Ogden faces Oakwood (2-5) on Wednesday before hosting their first home game of the season Thursday against Danville.

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Spartans struggle in 2-0 non-league loss at Maroa-Forsyth

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St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball drops first match of the season 25-13, 25-17. Emma McKinney leads with six digs. Home opener vs. Mahomet-Seymour on Sept. 2.

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Maroa - The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team fell 2-0 to the Maroa-Forsyth in a non-league matchup Monday, struggling offensively in a 64-minute contest.

The Spartans, playing in Maroa, dropped the first set 25-13 and the second 25-17. St. Joseph-Ogden managed just four kills in its season opener, with contributions from Addi Childers, Ally Schmitz, Vivian Smith, and Emerson Williams.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO's Ally Schmitz passes the ball to the front row during last season's home match against Casey-Westfield. Schmitz moves into a leadership role this season as one of five seniors on the Spartans' varsity roster.

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Emma McKinney paced the Spartans defensively with six digs, while Emerson Williams and Hadley McDonald added five apiece. Alivia Learned contributed the team’s only ace of the match.

SJO enters the season with a young roster, featuring just five seniors. Team leaders this season include Adelyn Childers, Katie Ericksen, Emma McKinney, Ally Schmitz, and Emma Wells, supported by seven juniors and five sophomores.

Despite Monday’s setback, the Spartans are looking to improve on last year’s campaign. The 2024-25 team finished with a 16-19 overall record and just two Illini Prairie Conference wins, placing eighth in the league.

St. Joseph-Ogden will look to rebound Thursday, August 28, in a non-league contest against the Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin Blue Devils, who also opened the season 0-1 following a 2-0 loss to SJO rival Unity. The Spartans’ home court opener is set for Tuesday, September 2, against defending Class 3A state champion Mahomet-Seymour.

Maroa-Forsyth, now 1-0, prepares for its next match against Sullivan, which enters its non-league contest with a 1-0 record following a 2-0 win over Meridian.

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St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans volleyball 2025 schedule, Maroa-Forsyth Trojans vs SJO results, Central Illinois high school volleyball scores, SJO home opener volleyball 2025, Illinois high school volleyball young teams

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Seggebruch leads Spartans, SJO falls to St. Thomas More in regional title match

OAKWOOD – The St. Joseph-Ogden (18-19) Spartans faced a formidable opponent in the St. Thomas More Sabers during the Oakwood Regional Championship on Thursday night, ultimately falling in straight sets, 25-18, 25-15. The loss marked the end of the season for the Spartans, whose relentless efforts came up short against a disciplined and polished Sabers team that finished second in the Illini Prairie Conference.

The Sabers (33-4), led by a balanced offense and impenetrable defense, established dominance early in the first set. Despite SJO's strong efforts, which included 13 kills in the opener, they struggled to maintain momentum.

Senior Ava Seggebruch spearheaded the Spartans' offense, tallying six kills and contributing two blocks and five digs. The Spartans aimed to turn the tide after the initial setback, but St. Thomas More's cohesive play kept SJO on the defensive in the second set.

Fellow senior Reese Wheatley joined Seggebruch in leading the defensive efforts, contributing the Spartans’ two blocks, while Ally Schmitz and Tinley Ideus added offensive depth with five and four kills, respectively. Ideus also showcased her defensive agility, totaling 10 digs, while Thea Smith supported with four saves. x

Setter Emma McKinney delivered 16 assists, keeping the offense in motion as SJO fought to stay within striking distance of the Sabers.

This year's St. Joseph-Ogden varsity squad was made up of Katie Ericksen, Kylie Barrowman, Timera Blackburn-Kelley, Tinley Ideus, Ally Schmitz, Amelia Huckstadt, Thea Smith, Addison Brooks, Hadley McDonald, Emma McKinney, Lillian Ahart, Adelyn Childers, Reese Wheatley, Emma Wells, Ava Midkiff, Ava Seggebruch, Vivian Smith, McKenzie Atwood, Adeline Stevens, Alivia Learned, Kayla Osterbur, Lexie Barrowman, and Emerson Williams.

St. Thomas More advances to the Monticello section semifinal on Tuesday against Maroa-Forsyth.

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Keywords: St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball, Oakwood regional championship, high school volleyball playoffs, St. Thomas More volleyball, SJO Spartans volleyball