3rd quarter adjustment saves SJO from Unity upset

For a little more than 19 minutes of clock time, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team's undefeated record was in jeapordy. Entering the game with a three-game win streak to start the season, the Spartans were, by all accounts, the pre-game favorite against the 1 win - 3 loss visiting Unity Rockets.

Taylor Wells takes aim during a free throw attempt in SJO's post-season game against Villa Grove-Heritage in 2020. Wells posted her first double-double of the year against the Rockets.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

With nearly half of the third quarter gone and a 19-17 score in the Rockets favor on the main scoreboard mounted on the gym's north wall, a three-point shot from Ella Armstrong gave SJO their first lead of the contest. The Spartans relenquished it briefly after Unity's Alysson England answered with field goal but regained the advantage with yet another trey from Armstrong on the way to a 47-29 Illini Prairie Conference win last Thursday.

For nearly two quarters Unity out-hustled and out-muscled their host. The three guards, Maddie Reed, Chloee Reed and Lauren Miller were busy bees forcing turnovers and ball control issues for SJO. Miller and Chloee Reed paired up, were credited with five steals.

"The girls came to play tonight," said Rockets' head coach Dave Ellars. "We had a couple days off due to the weather and I believe it helped our legs."

Unity played a solid first half preventing St. Joseph-Ogden from getting any offensive traction. Except for a 6-6 tie midway into the first quarter, the Rockets had the favored Spartans on the rope and kept them there until halftime.

"We did not play well in the first half," said SJO head coach Kevin Taylor concerning how his team started the game. "We were standing around too much against their zone and not moving the ball."

Taylor said he made a simple adjustment in his game plan for the second half.

"We switched up our offense to get more movement and we made an effort to get the ball inside where we had a big advantage in size," he said. "Our post play made really good decisions in the second half. Several times when we went to the post, they kicked it back out for an open shot."

We learned we can compete. I believe we will learn from this game.

The midgame tweak worked and allowed Armstrong score on three baskets for eight points pushing a four point deficit on the Rockets. Ashlyn Lannert extended the lead to nine points on a bucket and trey.

"SJO made a couple of adjustments and they made a few shots," Ellars said, explaining the shift in the game's momentum. "Due to SJO's size we wanted to try to help (our players) inside. She (Armstrong) made some shots in the second half."

Ellars was trying to keep the ball out of the hands of Taylor Wells. Wells finished the game with 12 rebounds and four assists.

"Taylor did a good job tonight using her size. She controlled the lane tonight with her defense and rebounding," Taylor said. "She also had several plays on offense where she found an open teammate when she was doubled-team in the post."

While she contributed just four points, Payton Jacob's presence on the court was crucial for the Spartans.

"Jacob always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. She had several key plays when we needed it tonight," he said about the junior starter. "There were a couple of key offensive rebounds and put backs that stood out to me."

St. Joseph-Ogden's top three scorers were Lannert and Wells with ten points apiece and Armstrong, whose four treys produced a game-high 16 points.

The Rockets offense was compiled by four players. Chloee Reed led the team with 10 points, England added in eight, Miller five and Maddie Reed chipped in three points. Miller led the team in rebounding with four. Miller and Chloee Reed had three apiece.

The loss withstanding, Ellars was happy with the way the team played.

"We learned we can compete," he said about his team. "I believe we will learn from this game. I was extremely pleased with our effort."

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It takes a gritty team to gut check and turnaround a game in the last 11 minutes, especially when you trailed the first two-thirds of it. On the floor, on the bench or in practice, it also takes a group of dedicated fourth-year players willing to do the little things.

"If this team has any mental toughness it is because of the seniors," Taylor said. "Whether they played a lot of mins or just a few, they all are doing a great job trying to lead this team and are doing all the little things that go unnoticed by most.

I can't thank them enough for what they are doing. They were a big part of why we were able to comeback and have that big swing in the score."

Box Score

Unity	16	3	3	7	- 29
St. Joseph-Ogden	9	6	15	14	- 44

Unity
C. Reed 2 (2) 0-3 -- 10, England 4 (0) 0-0 -- 8, Renfrow 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Miller 2 (0) 1-2 -- 5, Stringer 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Steinman 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, B. Henry 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, M. Reed 0 (1) 0-0 -- 3, Moore 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Alagna 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, T. Henry 0 (0) 0-4 -- 0, Flesch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

St. Joseph-Ogden
Lannert 2 (2) 0-0 -- 10, Walden 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Campbell 1 (0) 0-2 -- 2, Jacob 2 (0) 0-2 -- 4, Wells 5 (0) 0-0 -- 10, Hamilton 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Hug 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Behrens 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Smith 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Jones 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Hamilton 0 (0) 0-2 -- 0, Vallee 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Armstrong 2 (4) 0-0 -- 16.

Rockets disrupt Spartan system with their own in 2-0 conference win

(St. Joseph) - With bragging rights and a conference loss on the line, Unity's road match in the St. Joseph-Ogden High School Main Gym had all ambiance and weight of a state semifinal match. There were two vocal student cheering sections, almost 300 fans, and two teams both loaded with athletic talent ready to clash. In the end, the Rockets broke a five-season losing streak, systematically defeating the Spartans, 2-0.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Maddie Reed sets the ball behind her during the second set action against the Spartans. Reed collected 19 assists and seven digs for the Rockets. Tucking away their second conference win of the season, Unity improved to 14-0 with the win over SJO.

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Trading salvos in the first set, SJO (10-4) and the Rockets (14-0) held the scoring deficit at any given time to just points until the score reached 11-all. Suddenly, there was a shift in the offensive momentum that had Unity surged ahead on the scoreboard courtesy of a five-point run to go up 16-11 over the St. Joseph-Ogden. Unable to hold serve or shift the flow of the game in their favor thanks to their opponents' scrappy defensive play, the Spartans were outscored 9-2 from that point on en route to a 25-13 finish.

"We struggled on defense. They did a nice job mixing up their offense, keeping us on our heels all night long," said SJO head coach Abby McDonald. "We were never in system from the beginning. Our defense wasn't there tonight. Defense wins ball games and it was a real struggle for us."

While SJO struggled on defense, the Rockets excelled at it on Tuesday evening.

"We changed up our defense to defend against their outsides better," explained Unity's new head coach, Erika Yerry. "We know they have some pretty good hitters on the outside so we focused on blocking line and moving our defenders behind it so we could dig a few more balls and be in system."

The second set started much like the first with teams trading points until the score was tied at 7-all. The Spartans quickly added two more points forcing Yerry to call a timeout at 10-7. Soon, down by five, the Rockets started to methodically claw their way back into the set.

Yerry credited her team's success to playing tough defensively and serving tough.

"Our main goal was to get them out of system. So as long as we kept digging and serving them to be out of system then we had a chance to score a point," Yerry said. "My libero, Taylor Henry, did a good job of adjusting her defensive position and Katie Moore did a great job of block (the) line."

Down 21-19, Unity closed out the second set with six consecutive points for the 25-21 victory.

"We've got to clean up our serve receive. Our first ball contact was difficult for us tonight," McDonald pointed out. "Our setter was working as hard as she could. We just struggled in lots of areas of the game. I think the biggest part is just or mental game right now has to be stronger."

While it may have been a tough loss to swallow against their cross-county rivals, the Spartans were in a similar position with four losses at the end of September in 2019. The program did not lose another match until the state semifinal, setting up a Class 2A third-place finish.

"We've got to have leadership when we need it and not just when things are going good. It's got to be there when things are rough. These are all learning moments for us," McDonald said looking at the competition that still lies ahead. "Hopefully we can use this to make us better. We always say 'What comes in October'. Hopefully, this match is one they can look back on and learned something from."

Reed leads Rocket ladies in road loss at Pontiac

Last night, Unity's lone senior scored 11 second half points against Pontiac. Despite Chloee Reed's best effort and that of the entire team to pull off a come from behind victory, the Rockets' girls basketball team dropped their conference road game against the Indians, 43-34.

Pontiac was paced by Addison Masding, who scored her 1,000th career point two days earlier against Bloomington Central Catholic. The senior started the game with 12 first half points, six in each quarter, forcing Unity to claw their way back from an early deficit. Combined with Tristina Henry's 12-point contribution, the pair was responsible for 29 of their team's 43 points after the final buzzer.

"We outscored them in the 2nd half," said Unity head coach Dave Ellars. He plans to focus on shooting in upcoming practices and is confident his team will continue to improve with practice. The additional focus on shooting will be beneficial moving forward. "With Covid, kids weren’t allow to shoot as much during the summer or our normal contact days."

Reed went on to finish the Illini Prairie Conference contest with a 14 point effort thanks to her four three pointers.

"Chloee is a good leader," said Ellars, who counts on her experience to guide less experienced players. "She has been involved in close games and learned last year what it takes to win."

While she only contributed three points in the loss, Taylor Henry was huge in the paint for Unity on Thursday. The junior forward hauled in a team-high nine rebounds.

"Taylor is a winner, does all the things that aren’t in the scorebook," Ellars explained. "Most of the time the girl she guards is 4-5 inches taller, she has a big heart and is always up for the challenge."

Unity also received point contributions from Katy Moore with six points along with Lauren Miller and Erika Steinman, who provided four points apiece. Maddie Reed and Taylor Henry rounded out the Rockets' effort with 3 points each as the Rockets drop to 1-2 on the season.

Unity will host Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, better known as ALAH on Saturday morning. The JV game is scheduled to start at 9:30am followed by varsity getting underway at 10:30am.

All things considered, Ellars said his program is excited with the opportunity to play right now. With the constant uncertainities as Illinois athletics navigate the pandemic. "We treat every day as it could be our last game."

Box Score

Unity	7	7	10	10	- 34
Pontiac	12	17	9	5	- 42

Unity
C. Reed 1 (4) 0-0 -- 14, England 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Renfrow 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Miller 2 (0) 0-0 -- 4, Stringer 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Steinman 2 (0) 0-0 -- 4, B. Henry 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, M. Reed 0 (1) 0-0 -- 3, Moore 2 (0) 2-2 -- 6, Alagna 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, T. Henry 2 (0) 1-2 -- 3, Flesch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

Pontiac
T. Einhaus 2 (2) 2-4 -- 12, J. Einhaus 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Fisher 1 (0) 2-3 -- 5, Hartfield 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Collins 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Fox 0 (1) 1-2 -- 4, B. Masding 1 (0) 1-2 -- 3, Coates 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, A. Masding 6 (1) 2-5 -- 17, Fletcher 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Hillary 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Pickett 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Johns 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

Sentinel 2021-22 All-Area girls basketball team

Welcome to the Sentinel's 2022 All-Area Girls' Basketball Team. Our list is a compilation of the best players from three of the four area high school programs we cover.

Among the top 15 players selected for the first and second teams, four are from the Class of 2023, and three are sophomores who we expect to rise to prominence this fall.

The performances of our first-team members were the cornerstones to each of their team's success this season. These player's leadership, commitment, and contributions on offensive or defensive was key to earning a spot on this year's Sentinel All-Area Girls Basketball Team.

Sentinel All-Area First Team

       

       

       

First Team

Ella Armstrong, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Taylor Henry, Senior
Unity

Payton Jacob, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta, Junior
Urbana

Lauren Miller, Junior
Unity

Maddie Reed, Senior
Unity

Taylor Wells, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Second Team

Destiny Barber, Junior
Urbana

Zineria Edwards, Senior
Urbana

Addison Frick, Sophomore
St. Joseph-Ogden

Peyton Jones, Junior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Ashlyn Lannert, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Katey Moore, Sophomore
Unity

Raegan Stringer, Sophomore
Unity

Erika Steinman, Senior
Unity

Honorable Mention

St. Joseph-Ogden:
Alyssa Hamilton (Sr), Alison Kearney (Sr), Kaytlyn Baker (Jr)

Unity:
Hailey Flesch (Sr), Gracie Renfrow (Sr), Savannah Alagna (Sr), Calli Chandler (Sr), Bridget Henry (Sr), Addison Ray (So)

Urbana:
Amarah Howard (Sr), McKenzie Sprague (Jr), Teri Hall (So), Savannah Blanden (So)

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Editor's Note:

A Certificate of Recognition is available for each of the players listed above. Players, coaches, or parents/guardians can email us at sports@oursentinel.com to receive their 2021-22 certificate.

Prep Sports Notebook: Unity, St. Joseph-Ogden post senior night wins

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Reed tallies 21 assists on Senior Night

After honoring seniors Maddie Reed, Gracie Renfrow, Taylor Wiersema, Emma Bleecher, Macie Knudsen, Taylor Henry, and Payton Kaiser, the Unity volleyball team added another tick in the win column after defeating visiting Rantoul 25-17, 25-21.

As she has done all season, Bleecher led the Rockets' offense with 10 kills and five digs. Knudsen supported her effort with six kills of her own and four digs.

Reed distributed 21 assists in Unity's last home match of the season. Renfrow took advantage of four of those passes to earn four kills for herself.

Wiersema rounded out the stat leaders in Tuesday night's match with eight digs and three aces.

The Rockets finish the final week of the regular season on the road at Olympia on Thursday. Hosting regional competition in the Monticello sectional, the squad returns to action on Tuesday as the #1 seed. The senior-laden team starts postseason play against the winner of the quarterfinal match between Paris (10-seed) and Sullivan (9-seed) on Monday.

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Burnett leads SJO in Senior Night three-set thriller

After dropping the first set by two, the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team rallied back to defeat Paxton-Buckley-Loda 23-25, 25-21, 25-17.

Kennedi Burnett finished the final regular-season home match of her high school career with five aces, eight kills and 13 digs. The senior, who was honored before the start of the contest was also credited with two blocks and one assist.

Fellow senior Becca Steinback had 29 assists, 10 digs and one kill in the Senior Night match. Hannah Fox, also appearing in her last home match, delivered 13 digs, two assists and added another ace to the Spartans' effort.

Shayne Immke and the Spartans take the floor again on Thursday evening in Bloomington to face the Lady Saints of Central Catholic. Immke, a junior, had 11 digs and eight kills in SJO's three-setter on Tuesday.

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Area Sports Scores

Soccer
2A IHSA Regional
Urbana 6 - Danville 0

Volleyball

Unity def Rantoul
25-11, 25-10

St. Joseph-Ogden def PBL
23-25, 25-21, 25-17

Miller leads Unity over Monticello at Tip-off

Gibson City -- Katey Moore went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line and had five rebounds for the Rockets in their pool game against Monticello at the Lady Falcon/Bunnie Tip-Off Classic. Unity beat the Sages 37-28 in their first meeting of the 2021 season. More also led the team in steals with four to her name.

Starter Lauren Miller led all scorers with a game-high nine points.

Taylor Henry also delivered five rebounds to the Rockets' cause and came up with three steals. She finished the game with five points. Meanwhile, Maddie Reed hit two second-quarter treys to help send the Rockets into the locker room tied at the break. Reed finished the game with her six points along with four boards and three assists.

Starting guard Erika Steinman had one 3-pointer and capped the night with seven points. Raegan Stringer came off the bench to chip in four points in the second half.

Hannah Swanson led Monticello on the scoreboard with eight points. Renni Fultz added another seven points in the nine-point loss.

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Box Score

Unity 37 - Monticello 28

Unity -
Miller 4-1-9, Steinman 7-0-7, Stringer 2-0-4, Moore 2-2-6, Reed 6-0-6, Henry 1-3-5.
Totals: 22-6-37

Monticello -
Swanson 2-4-8, Fultz 3-1-7, Hicks 1-1-3, Stiverson 3-0-6, Burger 2-0-4.
Totals: 11-6-28

Rockets pull off rally to win on Miller buzzer-beater

TOLONO -- Looking at a 15-point deficit with 5:15 left to go in the third quarter against an aggressive Bloomington Central Catholic team, the Unity girls' basketball team was going to have to wait a few days for that 18th win of the season. The Saints almost had the door shut until the Rockets clawed their way back into the game to trail by two with 1:05 left to play in the game.

Forty seconds later, Unity got possession of the ball on a rebound after Central Catholic missed a free throw and called time out. The last 21 seconds of the game are worth watching over and over.

After getting the ball past the half-court line, a couple of passes put the ball in the hands of Unity's Lauren Miller at the top of the key. Miller dribbled past three BCC defenders for a layup under the basket and missed. Teammate Raegan Stringer chases down the rebound and tosses the ball back to Miller.

Miller and every fan in the Rocket Center watched the ball after she launched it from in front of the Rockets' bench back in three-point territory. As the ball passed through the net, the backboard lit up. And then the final buzzer sounded. The junior guard was then mobbed and deservingly while head coach Dave Ellars celebrated with three victory hops, arms high above his head. The junior guard had just sealed the Unity's come-from-behind effort with the double-U, 45-44.

Dropping in 14 points for the night, Taylor Henry was the Rockets' leading scorer. The senior also had four rebounds and was credited with three steals.

Katey Moore, who had a solid night defensively, also finished the game in double figures with 12 points. The talented sophomore nabbed five boards and slapped down four shots in addition to her two assists and a team-high four steals.

Raegan Stringer and Maddie Reed rounded out the top three scorers for Unity with six points apiece. Stringer, whose rebound and pass helped make the game-winning shot possible, contributed four rebs and four assists to the comeback effort. Reed's six-point effort was from two 3-point shots converted in the third period.

The Rockets play their next two games on the road this week. Thursday, the team travels to Prairie Central for a conference match with the Hawks. Twenty-four hours later, Unity is back on the road again, this time to Mt. Zion.

Box Score

Final: Unity 45 - Central Catholic 44

	1	2	3	4	F
Unity	7	10	15	13	45
Central Catholic	8	16	17	3	44

Unity --
Ray 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Flesch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Renfrow 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Miller 1 (1) 0-0 -- 5, Steinman 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Stringer 3 (0) 0-0 -- 6, Moore 5 (0) 2-3 -- 12, Reed 0 (2) 0-0 -- 6, Alagna 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, T. Henry 5 (0) 4-6 -- 14, Chandler 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, B. Henry 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

Central Catholic --
M. Uhren 0 (0) 2-2 -- 2, Evans 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Becker 3 (0) 1-4 -- 7, S. Shanks 0 (1) 4-4 -- 7, Schnierle 1 (1) 0-0 -- 5, C Uhren 0 (0) 2-4 -- 2, L. Shanks 0 (0) 2-2 -- 2, L. Emm 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, E. Stenger 5 (2) 1-3 -- 17, I. Metzdorff 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

Henry's rebounding effort not enough to save Rockets

Taylor Henry and the Unity girls basketball team suffered their second straight loss after a convincing win over Illinois Valley Central on February 8. Just a few days after picking up their first win of the season and despite another strong defensive rebounding effort while hosting the Knights of the Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond coop (ALAH), the Rockets dropped the non-conference game, 67-36.

Henry, a junior, tallied seven of the team's 18 rebounds and finished the game with seven points and one assist.

If was any consolation, the Rockets are just one of two teams to put up more than 35 points on the now 7-0 ALAH program this season.

Unity's scoring effort was spearheaded by Maddie Reed's nine points. The junior shooting guard found the rim three times out of six shots from three-point range. Her two buckets in the third quarter were the only field goals her team could muster when they could have used more.

Meanwhile, inside the arc sophomore Lauren Miller made 80% of her shots, going 4-for-5 to finish the game with eight points rounding out the top three shooters for the Rockets.

It didn't help Unity one bit that ALAH started the contest on fire. Their opponent dropped 16 points in the first quarter and tacked on another 20 in the second to Unity's first half total of 18 points, which was spread evenly across the two periods.

Knights' sophomore Charley Condill lead all scorers with 10 points at the intermission. She finished the game with 13 points, one of three players from her team in double figures.

In front of Condill in the scorebook was classmate Kailee Otto and her game-high 10 points. She went to finished with at game-high 16.

ALAH got another 10 points from Mackenzie Bowles to help sink the Rockets to a 1-4 record.

However, this week the Unity girls basketball team have two games on the schedule they can use to improve their record.

Tonight, the team welcomes 0-3 Olympia to the Rocket Center. Both games will be streamed on the NFHS Network. The JV contest begins at 5:30p and the varsity game at 7pm.

On Thursday, Henry and the Rockets will take a short bus ride to Monticello for another Illini Prairie Conference game. The Lady Sages dropped a 20-point decision last week to Tuscola, 58-38, and posted an IPC 58-39 win over Rantoul.

Box Score

Unity	9	9	8	10	- 36
ALAH	16	20	22	9	- 67

Unity
Reed 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, England 2 (0) 1-2 -- 5, Renfrow 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Miller 4 (0) 0-1 -- 8, Stringer 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Steinman 2 (0) 1-2 -- 5, B. Henry 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Reed 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Moore 0 (3) 0-0 -- 9, Alagna 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, T. Henry 2 (0) 3-4 -- 7, Flesch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond
Frederick 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Condill 3 (2) 1-4 -- 13, Nichols 0 (1) 0-0 -- 3, Brown 4 (0) 4-2 -- 9, Seay 2 (0) 0-0 -- 4, Beachy 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Seegmiller 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, A. Miller 3 (0) 0-1 -- 6, Otto 5 (2) 0-2 -- 16, Bowles 4 (0) 2-2 -- 10, S. Miller 1 (1) 1-1 -- 6.

Prep Sports Notebook | SJO knock off IVC, Unity roll past Rantoul

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Rockets improve to 4-0 in conference play

Taylor Henry recorded five steals in the Rockets home game against Rantoul on Tuesday. She scored eight points along the way and had four rebounds to help the Unity (16-4 overall, 4-0 IPC) girls team clip the Eagles, 37-8.

Maddie Reed, who was 5-5 from the free-throw line, led all scorers with the 13 points she collected in the first half of the conference game.

Though scoreless, Erika Steinman led the team effort in the paint with five boards. Raegan Stringer and Lauren Miller chipped another four rebounds apiece as well as chalked up four points and a pair of assists each in the rout.

Box Score

Final: Unity 37 - Rantoul 8

	1	2	3	4	F
Unity	9	16	10	2	37
Rantoul	4	0	2	2	8

Unity --
Ray () - -- 0, Flesch 0 (0) 1-2 -- 1, Renfrow 0 (0) 0-1 -- 0, Miller 1 (0) 2-2 -- 4, Steinman 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Stringer 2 (0) 0-0 -- 4, Moore 1 (0) 2-2 -- 4, Reed 1 (2) 5-5 -- 13, Alagna 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Henry 2 () 4-6 -- 8, Chandler 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Henry 0 (0) 3-4 -- 3,

Rantoul --
Walton 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Emery 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Jackson-Rope 2 (0) 0-2 -- 4, Poke 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Dixon 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Sutherland 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Autman 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Martin 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Naverette 1 (0) 1-2 -- 3, Vermillion 0 (0) 1-2 -- 1, Ortiz 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0,

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Armstrong rains treys

St. Joseph-Ogden senior Ella Armstrong hit three treys in the first quarter on her way to a game-high 14 points against Illinois Valley Central (8-12) in Thursday's 46-26 win over the Grey Ghost.

The Spartans exploded early to a 14-point lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to five points from Ashlyn Lannert, two baskets from Payton Jacob, and Armstrong's nine.

Marley Williamson led IVC's offense with 13 points. Sage Geltmaker added six points to round out the top scorers for the hosts.

Undefeated in conference play, the Spartans (13-5 overall, 3-0 IPC) play their next two contests on the road starting tomorrow with Mattoon. After their non-conference battle down south, SJO plays St. Thomas More on Monday in north Champaign.

Box Score

Final: St. Joseph-Ogden 46 - IVC 26

	1	2	3	4	F
St. Joseph-Ogden	23	10	6	7	46
IVC	7	11	5	3	26

St. Joseph-Ogden --
Lannert 2 (2) 0-1 -- 10, Hug 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Williams 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Frick 0 (2) 0-0 -- 6, Jacob 2 (0) 0-0 -- 4, Wells 3 (0) 0-0 -- 6, Baker 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Baltzell 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Behrens 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Jones 0 (1) 1-2 -- 4, Martinie 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Hamilton 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Kearney 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Armstrong 0 (4) 2-2 -- 14, Harms 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Ward 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0,

IVC --
Earlywine 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Williamson 5 (0) 3-5 -- 13, Fager 1 (0) 0-1 -- 2, Geltmaker 2 (0) 2-4 -- 6, Mercer 0 (0) 3-6 -- 3, Birkett 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Boze 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Zerfass 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Urbanc 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Smith 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Bramer 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0,

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Tigers fall at Danville

The Urbana girls basketball team fell 48-38 to Danville on the road. The Tigers are back on the road on Saturday against St. Teresa and finish up their road campaign at Rantoul on Tuesday.

Rockets post another buzzer-beating win to beat Mt. Zion

MT. ZION -- Brittney Spears' Oops! I did it again might have to be the Unity girls basketball team's new theme song. Earlier this week Lauren Miller hit a 3-point shot at the buzzer to give Unity a 45-44 win over Bloomington Central Catholic.

On Friday, sophomore Katey Moore dropped in a buzzer-beater of her own to give the Rockets a 45-43 non-conference win on the road at Mt. Zion.

Despite three Lady Braves players finishing with double figures, Unity's unrelenting defensive effort and tenacity proved to be a better asset in yet another thrilling finish.

In his all of his years coaching high school basketball, head coach Dave Ellars has never won two games in the same seven-day stretch with a shot as time expired. His team improved to 18 wins against five losses after the victory.

"We won Monday, lost on Thursday, won on Friday," Ellars said. "The girls I have are winners, played on the 4th place state softball, ran on state championship cross country team, went to state track, played on Volleyball team that won 30 matches. We have a lot of confidence that if we get behind we can come back."

Raegen Stringer led Unity's scoring effort with 12 points. Maddie Reed also finished with double digits piling on another 11 points. The pair contributed three assists apiece.

Meanwhile, Moore and senior Taylor Henry hauled in a combined total of 21 rebounds. Moore, who also had three blocks and the same number of steals in the contest, recorded 10 of those boards. Henry led the effort with 11 rebounds and two steals in addition to her nine-point finish.

Unity's Lauren Miller was also active in the paint, pulling down four rebounds and poaching two steals. She finished with six points and three assists against the Lady Braves.

Denver Anderson led the Braves with 12 points, Bracie Barnes added another 11, and Karsyn Sloan rounded out her team's top three contributors with 10 points.

Unity returns to their conference schedule to host Pontiac tomorrow evening at the Rocket Center. The JV contest starts at 5:30pm and the varsity game is slated to start directly after.

Box Score

Final: Unity 45 - Mount Zion 43

	1	2	3	4	F
Unity	12	8	13	12	45
Mount Zion	9	15	14	5	43

Unity --
Ray 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Flesch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Renfrow 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Miller 2 (0) 2-4 -- 6, Steinman 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Stringer 5 (0) 2-1 -- 12, Moore 3 (0) 1-3 -- 7, Reed 0 (3) 2-4 -- 11, Alagna 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, T. Henry 1 (1) 4-8 -- 9, Chandler 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, B. Henry 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0,

Mount Zion --
Schmahl 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Becker 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Flemming 4 (0) 0-1 -- 8, Sommer 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Meons 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Rockey 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Kendall 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Barnes 5 (0) 1-2 -- 11, Scharf 0 (3) 1-2 -- 10, Anderson 3 (1) 3-5 -- 12, 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, () - -- 0, () - -- 0,

Unity tournament champions!

Photo: PhotoNews Media Archive

Emma Bleecher waits for a serve during Unity's road game against St. Joseph-Ogden on September 21. The senior collected 41 kills, 34 digs and 11 aces over five matches to help the Rockets win this season's Lady Warrior Classic title at Reed-Custer High School on Saturday.

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The Unity volleyball team dropped just one set on their way to winning the Lady Warrior Classic volleyball tournament title on Saturday. Winning all five matches, the Rockets now boast a 20-0 record.

Cissna Park was the only team that challenged this season's so far undefeated squad during tournament play. After dropping the first set 25-10, the Timberwolves adjusted their offense and won the second set 25-15. Tightening up their play, Unity won the tie-break set, 15-10.

The Rockets defeated Morris in two sets, 25-20, 25-21, and cruised by Dwight 25-5, 25-13. They also went 2-0 against Putnam County (25-13, 25-13) and Maroa-Forsyth (25-15, 25-10).

Emma Bleecher notched 41 kills, 34 digs and served up 11 aces for Unity during the five tournament contests. Payton Kaiser led the team in blocks with seven. She also added 17 kills and eight digs to her season stats.

Three-sport standout Taylor Henry amassed 46 digs and Macie Knudsen added another 22 along with her 20 tournament kills. Setter Maddie Reed tallied up 57 assists and another 20 digs for the Rockets.

Unity's two matches are on the road week. Bleecher and the Rockets travel to St. Teresa tomorrow to take on the Bulldogs and then head to Monticello on Tuesday for an Illini Prairie Conference battle.

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Stringer scores 13 in Rockets' win over LeRoy

Raegan Stringer delivered a 13-point performance in Unity's road game at LeRoy on Monday. Jumping out to a 20-point lead in the first half, the Rockets improved to 5-0 on the season after a 48-32 non-conference win over the Panthers.

Stringer, a sophomore, also had three rebounds and a pair of steals.

Maddie Reed, Lauren Miller, Taylor Henry, and Katey Moore combined effort netted 33 points for the Rockets.

Reed contributed 10 points, three assists, and like Stringer, two steals. Miller also grabbed the ball twice for steals and was the second leading rebounder for Unity with five boards. She was also credited with six assists to go along with her nine-point finish.

Scoring just eight points, Henry led the team with team-highs in rebounds (6), steals (4), and assists (6). Moore added another six points in the victory and had three rebounds. Like four of her teammates, she was credited with two steals, too.

The undefeated Rockets host their first home game on Monday when the Clinton Maroons invade the Rocket Center. A junior varsity game will start the evening with the varsity game to follow.

Prep Notebook | All four area teams take one on the chin Saturday

The St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team didn't score a single point the first quarter of their road game against Teutopolis in their non-conference game on Saturday. By the end of the first half, Taylor Wells led SJO's scoring effort in the 43-27 loss to the Lady Wooden Shoes on Saturday.

After the final buzzer, it was Payton Jones and her team-high 10 points, all earned in the second half, that was the only bright spot for the Spartans (7-4). SJO received another six points from Ashlyn Lannert.

Still at #2 in the Illini Prairie Conference, St. Joseph-Ogden plays #4 Monticello, in a three-way tie with St. Thomas More and Olympia, at the new Arthur “Buz” Sievers Center tomorrow night.

Katey Moore big on the boards

Unity's Katey Moore was responsible for 12 of her team's 30 rebounds in their 51-40 loss at Tuscola on Saturday. Senior Chloee Reed led the Rockets charge with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Maddie Reed added nine points to the cause with a three-pointer in each of the first three quarters. Meanwhile Lauren Miller tallied 7 rebounds and four assists for the team. She finished with seven points to round out the top Unity scorers.

The Lady Warriors had three players in double figures. Erica Boyer turned in a game-high 16 points with Sophie Kremitzki and Marissa Russo each adding another 13 points apiece in the victory on their home court.

Kimball has another big game

Unity's Blake Kimball scored 24 points in the team's 64-54 loss at home on Saturday to Tuscola. Nate Drennan, who was quiet in the final quarter, managed to finish with nine points and Austin Langendorf buried four field goals for eight points.

The Warriors were led in scoring by Jalen Quinn who poured in 28 points the last three quarters of the contest. Tuscola also had a double-digit performance out of Josiah Hortin with four treys.

Spartans split weekend bill

The St. Joseph-Ogden boys basketball team dropped their home game on Saturday to Teutopolis, 69-48. The loss comes after a dominating 81-58 win over Olympia in Illini Prairie Conference action less than 24 hours earlier. The Spartans are on the road again this Tuesday in a conference game against Monticello.

Prep Sports Notebook: Two volleyball teams advance, two fall in regional openers

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Spartans blast past Blue Devils

Kennedi Burnett collected 11 kills and six digs in St. Joseph-Ogden's 2-0 win over Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin on Tuesday. The senior added a match-high five aces to her season stats and Shayne Immke pounded three of her own over the net in the two-setter.

Immke (5 kills, 1 block, 6 digs) and the Spartans advance to the regional title match against Decatur St. Teresa.

After nearly even play, SJO pulled away on the scoreboard in the first set with a six-point run reaching 10-5. BHRA, unable to sustain any momentum with Immke and Burnett on the other side of the net, lost the first set, 25-14.

"Our girls are playing confidently," said head coach Abby McDonald. "We're excited to be where we are at the end of October. Our goal was to be at our best at the end October."

The second set was much of the same with the Spartans jumping out to a 7-1 one lead. Taking their foot off the gas, SJO allowed the Blue Devils to erase a seven-point deficit to get within two at 11-9.

McDonald called timeout after the Blue Devils scored six unanswered points. When play resumed, Burnett notched another kill and rotated to the back line to serve. She promptly hit a well-placed ace to help her team go up 13-9 on the scoreboard. From that point on, the Spartans were firmly back in control of the reigns on their way to a 25-16 finish.

On a scale of 1-10, McDonald said the team's effort was a 7.

"I always think we can play better," she said. "We will work on what we need to in practice tomorrow."

St. Joseph-Ogden's Becca Steinback was credited with 21 assists, a block and four digs.

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Rockets continue to soar with win over Sullivan

Macie Knudsen led the Unity volleyball team's effort in their 2-0 regional semifinal victory on Tuesday over the 5-26 Red Skins.

The Rockets took the first set 25-10 and delivered a similar effort to take the second one, 25-13.

Knudsen delivered 10 kills and eight digs and Emma Bleecher added six kills and six digs of her own for the #1 seeded Rockets. Maddie Reed served up four aces and distributed 14 assists in the two-setter. Bleecher served three aces of her own against Sullivan.

Now at 33-3, the Rockets will face #5 Monticello tomorrow night. In their first meeting of the season a month ago, UHS prevailed by way of a 25-19, 25-16 victory.

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Urbana volleyball seasons are over

Both Urbana and University High volleyball seasons came to an end on Tuesday.

U-High dropped their postseason opener to Salt Fork in the Class 1A bracket, 25-10, 25-3.

Meanwhile in Class 3A, Urbana suffered a 2-0 loss in their postseason opener at the Mahomet-Seymour Regional. Normal University ended the Tigers' season after a 25-7, 25-10, loss.

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Rockets improve to 14-0, shock Spartans with road win

Unity remains undefeated

(Left to right) Unity's Macie Knudsen, Gracie Renfrow, Maddie Reed and Katey Moore celebrate the team's 2-0 win over host St. Joseph-Ogden. The Rockets remain undefeated at 14-0 under new head coach Erika Yerry after beating the Spartans, 25-13, 25-21. More photos coming soon. Here is a recap from this exciting match.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Watch tonight's area basketball teams play online

The St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team hosts Prairie Central (12-5) in their second Illini Prairie Conference match-up in the new year.

Coming off a 57-23 road win over Pontiac, the Spartans are 11-5 for the season.

Meanwhile, the Unity girls' basketball squad, who were supposed to play Tuscola on Saturday, make a short trip to northwest Champaign to take on St. Thomas More. The non-conference contest was canceled due to freezing rain and icy road conditions.

In the Rockets' last outing, Maddie Reed and Taylor Henry combined efforts to produce 20 of Unity's 37 points in the home win over Paxton-Buckley-Loda's girls' team.

Below is tonight's line-up on the NFHS Network.

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Tonight's Live NFHS Broadcasts

January 10, 2022

ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN HIGH SCHOOL 5:30 PM Central Girls Junior varsity Basketball vs Prairie Central 6:00 PM Central Boys Freshman Basketball vs Oakwood 7:00 PM Central Girls Varsity Basketball vs Prairie Central UNITY HIGH SCHOOL 6:30 PM Central Girls Varsity Basketball @ St. Thomas More

** Just so you know: The Sentinel is reader-supported. When you make a purchase via a link on our site, we might earn an affiliate commission that we will use bring you more area news and sports coverage.

Prep Sports Notebook: SJO beats BCC in two, Rockets go the distance at Rantoul

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Bleecher, Knudsen notch 12 kills at Rantoul

The Eagles of Rantoul proved no match for the visiting high-powered Unity volleyball team on Thursday. The Rockets added another mark in the win column after a 2-1 finish on the road in their final regular-season match of the season.

Both Emma Bleecher and Macie Knudsen tallied 12 kills apiece in the three-set affair. Bleecher also led the team with eight digs, Knudsen had five.

Unity won the first set 25-13 and was forced into a third after dropping the second set, 25-19. Back in system, the Rockets rolled to a 25-11 third set finish.

Maddie Reed was credited with 31 assists and contributed seven digs in the three-setter. Taylor Henry was the defensive leader with 13 digs.

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Spartans overpower Central Catholic

St. Joseph-Ogden picked up a road win in their last regular-season dual match on Thursday. Addie Roesch notched seven kills and Kennedi Burnett chalked up six more in the 2-0 Spartan volleyball win over Central Catholic.

Roesch, a sophomore, had three digs and an ace. Burnett had nine of her own and served up five aces.

SJO won the first set of the conference match 25-18 and took the second one, 25-10.

Becca Steinbach dished out 20 assists while Rachel Divan led the team's defensive effort at the net with three blocks. Divan, also a sophomore, had four kills.

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Prep Sports Notebook: Rockets, Spartans sweep volleyball opponents

Unity football celebrates senior night

Unity's unblemished record will be on the line as the Rockets will host 5-2 Paxton-Buckley-Loda at Hicks Field tonight. It is the first time the two teams have met on the gridiron since 2006.

Fourteen senior athletes, who have already clinched a playoff spot for their 7-0 team, will be recognized at the football team's last home game of the season prior to kickoff.

This year's senior players include Nat Nosler, Blake Kimball, Tyler Hensch, Braxton Manuel, Dillon Rutledge, Damian Knoll, Trustan Price, Liam Alt, Oran Varela, Karson Richardson, Austin McDaniel, Cameron Marvin, Colby Loftsgaard, and Chance Ingleman.

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Rockets pick up 23rd win

The Unity volleyball team battled past Pontiac in straight sets 27-25, 25-19 improving to 23-3 on the season after the conference match.

Emma Bleecher pounded 12 kills and had nine digs against the Indians. Three-sport star Taylor Henry had 13 digs of her own.

The Rockets also got 14 assists and 8 digs from senior Maddie Reed. Payton Kaiser, also a senior, contributed a pair of kills of her own next to seven digs.

Up next, Unity hosts Urbana on the upcoming Monday evening. A freshman bout will start at 5pm and the varsity main event somewhere around 6pm.

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Burnett double-double lifts SJO

Outside hitter Kennedi Burnett posted 10 kills and recorded 10 digs in the St. Joseph-Ogden road match at Olympia last night. Libero Hannah Fox also contributed 10 digs to help SJO cruise past the other Illini Prairie Conference Spartans, 2-0.

Becca Steinbach notched 19 assists while Rachel Divan, who was a wall at the net with three blocks, contributed three kills.

SJO's Shayne Immke added another four kills and chipped in another seven digs in the conference sweep that ended, 25-8, 25-15.

The Spartans play again at Illinois Valley Central tomorrow at noon.

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Prep Sports Notebook: SJO volleyball wins at home, spring sports fires up today

Spring sports season gets underway

Today was the first official day of baseball, softball and track for area high schools. The spring season, which is off to a late start, will conclude on June 19.

Last month, there was a bit of good news for athletes in these three sports. The IHSA said that "all tournaments are currently expected to conduct all rounds of competition, including a State Final. State Final qualifiers in some individual sports may be modified to better meet gathering mitigations."

Unity soccer

Fighting back valiantly from a 2-0 first half deficit, the Unity soccer team posted a 4-2 conference loss against Illinois Valley Central this afternoon.

The Rockets netted two goals, one from senior Zach Ohlsson and another from junior midfielder Grace Brock, on their home field in the second half.

The Grey Ghost also scored twice in second half to seal the Illini Prairie Conference win.

Vallee pounds 9 kills in SJO win

The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team notched a 2-0 win over visiting Urbana tonight behind 9 kills Payton Vallee. The senior's defensive effort yielded seven digs in the non-conference victory.

Senior hitter Kennedi Burnett added another seven kills of her own to help the #4 Class 2A ranked Spartans to take the first set 25-16 and prevail in the second 25-20. Burnett led team in service aces with four and had 12 digs.

Becca Steinbach was credited with 22 assists.

Next, SJO travels to Unity to take on the Rockets at the Rockets Center on Tuesday. The varsity contest is set for a 7pm start.

Unity ranked in preseason softball polls

The Unity softball program started practice today for the spring season and they did so with a #7 preseason ranking in Class 2A by the Illinois Coaches Association.

"It is really good for our program," said head coach Aimee Davis. "Having not played last year, it is a nice compliment to our program and the young ladies that make it special."

With just two seniors on the team this season, Davis said Summer Day and Taylor Joop's will lead a strong junior class.

"They know what it takes to win," she said about the duo. "Having those two return with a few other key players in Taylor Henry (junior), Maddie Reed (junior), Gracie Renfrow (junior), Grace Frye (junior) and Ally England (junior) all playing roles in our 2019 run, plus five other juniors and some underclassmen should be a good combo heading into this season."

She added that the players that wear the Unity softball uniform are a special bunch. "They work hard on and off the field. Being ranked in the preseason polls is a nice feeling, but we know there will be teams itching to play us and beat us."

While the pandemic and a canceled season may have left a scar on Davis and players, they are looking forward, not backwards, to heal the wounds.

"Last year was a big loss for our program, but we aren't unique in that situation, no teams played last year," she explained. "We have to compete everyday to own the vision we have for this program and this season."

Looking forward to late May, early June and the postseason, the coach with three regional titles under her belt in her five seasons at Unity does so with cautious apprehension.

"I am truly excited for our program to get the opportunity to showcase our talent, however, we are all too familiar with how quickly decisions can be made," she said referring the public health protocols that forced sports for nearly a year to cease in Illinois. "June is a bit too far away for me to get too excited. Once we get all of our girls back on the turf, the excitement will be there from coaches and players."

St. Joseph-Ogden was also listed in the preseason poll at #20 on the list.

Prep Sports Notebook: Unity volleyball gets conference win, Spartans miss the cut in golf

Unity cruises to win over Paris

Emma Bleecher posted 10 kills and three digs in Unity's 2-0 win on the road against Paris. Sophomore Katy Moore added another four kills as Unity roared past the Tigers 25-13, 25-12.

Meanwhile, Maddie Reed served up three aces and had 33 assists to help the Rockets improve to 22-1 on the season.

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SJO golf season ends

Two St. Joseph-Ogden golfers who advanced to today's sectional at Beecher failed to make the cut for a slot at this weekend's state tournament in Bloomington-Normal.

Jacob Kern finished 24 strokes over with a 91 on the PAR 72 course at Balmoral Woods Country Club on Monday. Teammate McGwire Atwood turned in a score of 102 in 85th place.

Kern was 70th in the overall standings and Atwood in 85th place in the field of 110 athletes at the sectional meet.

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Cornjerkers post shutout

Hoopeston Area held Clifton Central scoreless winning 3-0 at home. Talan Gredy-Nelson and Ben Brown scored a goal apiece in the first half. Brown, a senior, scored the third goal for a 3-0 lead on a header. Nick Hofer book the assist on all three scores.

Goaltender Derek Drayer had seven saves to earned another Cornjerker victory and shut-out.

Hoopeston Area will have their Annual Pink Night Kick Cancer and celebrate senior night at Tuesday's home game against Bismarck-Henning Rossville-Alvin.

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Oakwood football field dedication on Friday

Oakwood - This Friday, the Oakwood High School football field will have a new name. The athletic program will christen the field with its new name, "Marty McFarland Field" before the Comets kick off their week seven game against visiting Hoopeston-Armstrong.

During his 23-year career guiding the OHS football program, McFarland won 126 games, four conference championship titles, and led the Comets to nine IHSA playoffs appearances. He is also the only coach in school history to reach a state football quarterfinal game. A 1998 Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, he was selected as an assistant coach for the annual East/West All-Star football game during his final season with the Comets.

The dedication ceremony are scheduled to begin at 6:30p on Friday.