The Sentinel: Search results for Matt Brown

Photo Gallery: Unity offense produces big win in football playoff opener

Chance Ingleman tosses teammate Braxton Manuel up in the air during team introductions prior to the start of Unity's first round playoff game against Newton at Hicks Field. Undefeated in the regular season, the Rockets continued their win streak with a 46-6 win over the visiting Eagles.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Matt Brown puts his shoulder into Newton player

Running with the force of a Mac Truck, Unity's Matt Brown collides with Newton's Gus Bierman during first quarter action of their first-round playoff game. Brown was responsible for 175 of the Rockets' 421 total yards against the Eagles.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Matt Brown scores first of five TDs

Stopped late by Newton linebacker and team captain Meyer Tarr, Unity's Matt Brown scores the first of five touchdown against the Eagles on a short 4-yard run. Brown finished the game with 175 yards on 21 carries.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Newton's Issac Flowers hit

Newton's Issac Flower is stopped in his tracks after a short gain by Unity defensive back Will Cowan and linebacker Boden Franklin during first half action. The Rockets' stingy defense helped the program move to 10-0 on the season.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Dance team waiting to perform

Four members of the Rockettes huddle together under a blanket while waiting to perform during halftime at last Saturday's home football game against Newton.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Austin Langendorf leaps

Junior linebacker Austin Langendorf leaps to block a punt in second quarter. Langedorf and the Unity defense held the Newton offense under 100 rushing yards.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Matt Brown scores again

Matt Brown, the unstoppable 6-foot-1 running back from Unity, drags three Newton players into the end zone for another Rocket touchdown.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

With Halloween 24 hours a way and in the spirit of the day, members of the Rockettes, Unity's competitive dance team, perform a routine to Michael Jackson's Thriller during halftime.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Alto sax players from the award-winning Unity Marching Band perform during the halftime show.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

A Unity flag girl twirls her flag during the halftime show.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Unity fans

Unity fans clap for the girls' cross country team who brought home a championship title from the Decatur St. Teresa Class 1A sectional meet on Saturday. This Saturday the Rockets will attempt to bring home the state title at Detweiller Park in Peoria before their football team's 2pm home game against Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Wide receiver Damian Knoll in action

Rockets' wide receiver Damian Knoll stiff-arms Newton's Gus Bierman as he is wrapped up by Austin Moore on a pass play in the second half.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Matt Brown runs over Newton player

Unity's Matt Brown runs over Newton's Austin Moore before being brought down from behind by Eagles' Mason Mulvey and Gus Bierman.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Camden Mette breaks up a pass play

With Will Cowan looking on behind them, Rockets' Camden Mette breaks up a pass play to the Eagles' Trevor Haarman early in the fourth quarter.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Garrett Richardson scoots by Newton linebacker Kohlten Barthelme

Unity running back Garrett Richardson scoots by Newton linebacker Kohlten Barthelme during the fourth quarter. With a running clock and the Rockets up 46-6 on the scoreboard, the two freshmen squared off in their first postseason football game.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Lineman Kalen Shoot (68) provides a big hole for running back Garrett Richardson during the fourth quarter. The two freshmen players saw their several minutes in the first playoff game of their prep football career.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Unity head coach Scott Hamilton delivers his postgame speech to his players. Saturday, Hamilton and the Rockets will host Illini Prairie newcomer Paxton-Buckley-Loda (7-3) at 2 p.m. next Saturday for a round-two. Earlier in the season Hamilton's team defeated the Panthers 35-0 at Hicks Field.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Publisher's Note: Check later for more photos from this game. Looking for photos of a specific player? Email us at photos@oursentinel.com with the athlete's name and jersey number for details.

Photo Gallery: Unity wins playoff game over PBL, 21-14

Paxton-Buckley-Loda Seth Hitz misses a tackle on Unity's Tyler Hensch during the second-round playoff game last Saturday. The Panthers (7-4), new to the Illini Prairie Conference, put up a good fight against the state-ranked Rockets at Hicks Field before their season came to a close after a 21-14 finish in Unity's favor. Next, the Rockets host the Bullets of Williamsville at 2pm tomorrow.

Photo: Unity Rocket Photos

Unity quarterback Blake Kimball sheds PBL linebacker Dalton Jones keeping the ball for a short gain. On a beautiful November afternoon in Tolono, Kimball set a school record on Saturday for most completions in a single season with the Rockets at 136. Tomorrow, he will have an opportunity to set the bar higher when the Rockets host their third home playoff game this season against Williamsville for a quarterfinal showdown. Saturday's forecast calls for mostly cloudy conditions with the high in the upper 30s. West winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph could be a problem for extending his mark much higher.

Photo: Unity Rocket Photos

Austin Langendorf and another Unity player breaks up a pass play

Austin Langendorf and another Unity player break up a pass play to PBL's Jacob Gronsky. The Rockets, who entered the game scoring 41.9 points per game during the regular season, got the job done with a 21-14 victory is in its 26th playoff appearance in the last 27 fall seasons. A win tomorrow and the following week will mark Unity's sixth playoff appearance in as many years. See more game photos at Unity Rocket Football.

Photo: Unity Rocket Photos

The Unity Rockettes perform on the sidelines for fans during the game on gorgeous fall day.

Photo: Unity Rocket Photos

Braxton Manuel bursts through a banner before the start of second-round game between Illini Prairie Conference foes. Manuel and the Rockets defeated the Panthers earlier in the season, 35-0.

Photo: Unity Rocket Photos

Rockets' Boden Franklin grabs on to Panther ball carrier Tyler Smith on a third-and-three play for a loss. The stop forced PBL to punt the ball putting it on Unity's 9 yard line. See more game photos at Unity Rocket Football.

Photo: Unity Rocket Photos

Paxton-Buckley-Loda senior Tyler Smith along with help from teammate Garret Sanders brings down Unity's Matt Brown. With a chip on their shoulder and something to prove, the Paxton-Buckley-Loda defense held Unity, who averaged 41 points/game during the regular season, to a total of 21 in their playoff game. PBL gave up an average of just 11.9 points in their first nine games in the IPC.

Photo: Unity Rocket Photos

Unity assistant coach and offensive line coach Tony Reetz talks to players during the game. UHS trailed 14-7 early in the second half of an exciting high school football game. The Rockets erased the deficit, first, on a pass from Blake Kimball to Dillon Rutledge on a fourth-and-15 play, and later when Kimball found his way into the end zone on a 13-yard run with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

Photo: Unity Rocket Photos

Matt Brown evades PBL's Tyler Smith. Brown will be key to Unity's advance past Williamsville when they meet on Saturday at Hicks Field. In their last meeting back during the 2012 playoffs, Unity survived 10-7 on a last-second field goal on a day shaping up with similar weather conditions nine years ago. Brown finished the game against the Panthers with 87 yards on 24 carries.

Photo: Unity Rocket Photos

Unity senior Blake Kimball stretches forward to get the ball into the end zone for the game-winning score. Kimball called his own number 23 times tallying 101 rushing yards producing a come-from-behind playoff win for the Rockets. See more game photos at Unity Rocket Football.

Photo: Unity Rocket Photos

4th-quarter comeback propels Unity to Class 3A football championship game

The last time the Rockets played a semifinal football game at home there was three inches of slush on the grassy turf of Hicks Field. Brutally cold with a sustained 15 mile an hour crosswind gusting to 30 at times, last Saturday's weather conditions were in stark contrast to that of the Blizzard Bowl of 2015.

Under a cloudless blue sky and gentle rays of sunlight heating the barely two-year-old artificial turf, the outcome, played by seniors who were still in junior high during the Blizzard Bowl, was identical. Three quarters of solid defensive play yielded yet another shot at a football state title, the sixth since 1994 when head coach Scott Hamilton took the reigns, after defeating visiting Mt. Carmel, 28-21.

Head coach Scott Hamilton is congratulated by fans after Unity's 28-21 win over Mt. Carmel. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

"What a crazy game," Hamilton said while Unity players and fans celebrated the team's fourth 2021 playoff victory. The number one seed in the southern playoff bracket, the Rockets played all four postseason games at Hicks Field. "We'll enjoy this one and wake up tomorrow morning and give her hell."

The Rockets jumped out in front on their first possession on an 87-yard drive capped off with quarterback Blake Kimball sprinting three yards toward the southeast court of the end zone, and to the dismay of dozens of Golden Aces fans along the barrier behind the end zone, diving just inside the orange pylon for the first TD of the game.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

With a little help from teammate Camden Mette, Unity's Boden Franklin strips the ball from Mt. Carmel's Blayne Sisson during first quarter action. The Rockets recovered the fumble to set up their next scoring drive. See more game photos from iphotonews.com.

Three minutes later, thanks to a fumble forced by junior Boden Franklin, Kimball was back in the end zone after a two-yard run to put his team up 13-0. With another easy PAT and looking at 14-point first-quarter deficit, Mt. Carmel was shell-shocked. Or, so it seemed.

Shaking it off, the Golden Aces started pulling them out of their sleeve. The first, with less than a minute on the scoreboard, Zeke Hadra scored on an 11-yard run. Then, a second barely two minutes into the second quarter to tie the ballgame up at 14-all courtesy of Mt. Carmel quarterback Blayne Sisson's 70-yard gallop through the Rocket defense.

Mt. Carmel wasn't finished. Hadra threw down another ace in the form of a 10-yards touchdown sending both teams into the locker room with MTC looking golden at 21-14.

"Everything looked so bad the whole second quarter, the whole third quarter, and we couldn't do anything," Hamilton said.

Though it has been a rare occurrence for the Rockets to be behind on the scoreboard, teams don't win 17-straight football games by giving up.

"For whatever reason, whether it was the Monticello game, or if you look back to some of the other games last year, they just hung in there," Hamilton said. He also highlighted his team's struggle against Paxton-Buckley-Loda, whose football program loudly announced their entrance into the mighty Illini Prairie Conference this year. He was proud of how they responded with their 'it ain't over until its over' attitude. "They just don't ever give up on each other."

In the first series of the fourth quarter, Rockets' Will Cowan snags a interception in the Unity end zone. Taking full advantage of the opportunity, Kimball and Matt Brown, who broke out for a 56-yard run on the drive, move the ball down the field. Pushed out of bounds at the 15-yard line, the Rockets had to wait until Kimball barreled into the east end zone for a third time to tie up the score.

"These guys just don't quit," Hamilton said, holding back tears of joy. "Their character is unbelievable."

Re-energized the Unity defense squad created another scoring opportunity with another interception. Camden Mette comes up big with 6:40 left in the fourth quarter. Not long after that, Brown finds his way into the end zone and the Rockets get the PAT to go up 28-21. The Rockets are just 5 minutes, ten seconds away from going to state.

"As he does all the time, Coach (Tony) Reetz got it figured out upfront," Hamilton said. A couple of defensive stops, a little game-clock finesse, and Unity would be preparing to play their 14th game this season. "Coach (Dave) Fink and our defensive guys took care of it on that end, and it's off to DeKalb we go."

Refusing to give up ground, the Unity defense stood tall stalling Mt. Carmel's desperate efforts to get a first down. The Rockets take control of the ball on their own 40 and meticulously wind down the clock down for the win.

Next up, the final test. Unity, who will play its first postseason road game at Huskie Stadium on the campus of Northern Illinois University, will square off against Byron.

The Tigers, who will make their third consecutive state final appearance, lost both previous contests by four points. In 2018, Monticello prevailed at Memorial Stadium, 24-20, and Williamsville held on to beat Byron 46-42 in DeKalb for the 2019 title.

Game time is at 4pm.

Photo Gallery: Giving their all, Rockets come up short in 3A title game

(Left to right) Unity football captains Grant Albaugh, Dillon Rutledge, Chance Ingleman, and Blake Kimball hold up the team's runner-up trophy after the Class 3A title game at Huskies Stadium on the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb. In the program's sixth state final appearance since head coach Scott Hamilton took the reigns, the Rockets fell 35-7 to Byron Tigers finishing the season with a 13-1 record on Friday. More photos and recap coming later this week.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Unity's Nick Nosler comforts teammate Oran Varela as the final seconds tick off the game clock in the fourth quarter. Nosler, a junior, led all defenders with a game-high 11 tackles, five of which were solos. Varela finished the game with six tackles for the Rockets.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Lineman Karson Richardson (right) receives a hug from a teammate as time runs out for the Rockets. Byron held the Unity offense was held to just 205 yards of total offense and keep the ball for 32 minutes and five seconds during the combined four quarters.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Unity fans go crazy on a touchdown pass to Dillon Rutledge as time ran out in the first half. The 37-yard pass play would be the Rockets only score of the game.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

The Unity Dance Team performs for Rocket fans during halftime. The Rockets trailed on the scoreboard, 21-7.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Rockets' wide receiver Jay Saunders bobbles a pass from Blake Kimball in the third quarter. Saunders caught three passes for 39 yards in the state final game.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Unity offensive linemen line up infront of a propane heater to stay warm. Temperatures at game time was in the upper 20s.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Liam Alt and the Rocket offensive line move after the ball is snapped. The Class 3A game lasted just 2 hours and three minutes.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Wide open in the end zone, senior receiver Dillon Ruthledge hauls in a 37-yard pass in the second half for a Unity touchdown. Rutledge caught another pass, a 12-yard one, to finish the final game of his prep career with 49 yards.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Blake Kimball hands the ball off to teammate Matt Brown. The Byron Tigers effectively bottled up the Unity offense with Brown good for just 77 yards on 17 carries.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Unity fans root for their team during the first half.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Austin McDaniel pulls down a Byron ball carrier during the first half. McDaniel finished the game with seven tackles, one for a loss.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Will Cowan stretches out to push Byron ball carrier Chandler Binkley out of bounds in the first quarter.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Photo Gallery: Unity football shuts out PBL for senior night win

Photo provided

Senior wide receiver and lineback Trustan Price poses for a photo with his parents during Unity's senior night celebration last Friday. Price and the Rockets take their 8-0 season record to Monticello to face the 7-1 Sages.

Photo provided

Senior Chance Ingleman plants a kiss on his mother during Unity's senior night recognition ceremony. The Rockets, riding a 12-game win streak over the past two seasons, honored 14 senior athletes before the start of the team's last regular season home game.

Photo provided

Unity wide receiver Dillon Rutledge makes a catch during their home game against Paxton-Buckley-Loda. The Rockets kept their unblemished intact defeating the Panthers at Hicks Field, 35-0. See more photos at Unity Rocket Football.

Blake Kimball avoids a Panther tackler

Photo provided

Rockets' quarterback Blake Kimball avoids a Panther tackler on Friday night. At 8-0, Unity faces 7-1 Monticello tonight in their final game of the season for the outright possession of the Illini Prairie Conference title. The Rockets football program, ranked 5th in Class 3A, has not lost a football game since a November 2019 loss to McNamara in the IHSA postseason quarterfinals.

Tyler Hensch provides a lead block

Photo provided

Tyler Hensch provides a lead block for running back Matt Brown.

Unity student fans tolerate the rain

Photo provided

Unity student fans tolerate the rain while cheering for their football team at Hicks Field. The Rockets, who have won the last two games via shutouts, have scored 344 points while allowing opponents to score just 90 this season.

Tyler Hensch and Austin Langendorf celebrate

Photo provided

Tyler Hensch and Austin Langendorf celebrate after the Rockets stopped a fourth-and-one Paxton-Buckley-Loda play on the 43-yard line. Failing to secure the upset victory over Unity, PBL needs to beat St. Joseph-Ogden, also with a 5-3 record, tonight to guarantee an automatic bid in the 2021 postseason.

the Unity Dance team performs their routine

Photo provided

In spite of the steady rain from above, the Unity Dance team performs their routine during halftime while the two football teams enjoy refuge in their respective locker rooms. At this point in the rain-soaked evening, Unity led 21-0 on the scoreboard. The Rockets would tack on another touchdown in each of the remaining two quarters for the 35-0 shutout.

Damian Knoll makes a catch in the end zone

Photo provided

With teammate Dillon Rutledge looking on, senior Damian Knoll makes a catch in the end zone during third quarter action for a Unity touchdown on fourth-and-goal play from the 8-yard line. See more game photos at Unity Rocket Football.