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

Unity crushes Golden Aces, playoff rematch set for Saturday against the Monticello Sages

The Rockets rolled over Mt. Carmel in the first round and now prepare for a revenge-fueled playoff rematch with the Monticello Sages at Hicks Field.

Unity's Colton Langendorf celebrates a sack

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Colton Langendorf celebrates after putting Mt. Carmel quarteback River Deisher on the turf for a stop during first half action of their Class 3A first-round playoff game. Langendorf was a beast, leading the defensive unit to hold the Golden Aces to just 208 yards in the Rockets' seventh consecutive win.

by Clark Brooks

Sentinel Sports

TOLONO - The echoes of last November still linger in Tolono. A bitter 23-20 semifinal loss to Monticello ended Unity’s state title dreams and sent the Sages to the Class 3A championship game. Now, nearly a year later, the Rockets are rocketing toward redemption - and the rematch is set.

Unity made that clear Saturday afternoon at Hicks Field, where the fourth-seeded Rockets (9-1) dismantled Mt. Carmel 42-14 in a first-round playoff rout that felt over before it began.

Tyler Henry celebrates a second-quarter pass TD

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Tyler Henry celebrates his 46-yard TD catch in the east end zone at Hicks Field. The score came after his 35-yard pick-six less than two minutes earlier in the second quarter.

On a sun-splashed Saturday at Hicks Field, the Unity Rockets didn’t just win a playoff game - they made a statement. From the opening kickoff, it was clear that this wasn’t going to be one of those nail-biters fans talk about years later. It was domination, pure and simple, wrapped in maroon and white. The Rockets scored on their second play from scrimmage - just 28 seconds into the game - and never looked back, building a 42-0 halftime lead before turning the second half into a showcase for their freshman squad.

The win marked Unity’s seventh straight and punched their ticket to a second-round showdown with fifth-seeded Monticello, a rivalry game steeped in history, heartbreak, and high stakes.

But before we get there, though, the Rockets had business to take care of first. Let’s rewind to Saturday’s statement win.

Fast Start, Furious Finish

Crewe Eckstein wasted no time setting the tone. The junior running back sliced through the Golden Aces defense for a 21-yard touchdown run on Unity’s opening possession, then added a second score minutes later on a 10-yard burst. By the end of the first quarter, Unity led 21-0.

Tre Hoggard added to the fireworks with an 18-yard touchdown run in the first frame, then hauled in a 47-yard over-the-shoulder strike from quarterback Dane Eisenmenger in the second quarter. Eisenmenger was nearly perfect, completing 6 of 7 passes, while Hoggard finished with three catches for 70 yards.

Tyler Henry delivered the exclamation point before halftime. With 2:17 left in the second quarter, the senior intercepted a Mt. Carmel pass and sprinted 35 yards to the end zone, igniting the Unity bench and student section. Henry had already scored earlier on a 46-yard reception and finished with 55 yards on two catches.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Golden Aces' Jack Webb makes a leaping catch despite tight coverage by Rockets' Brayden Henry. Webb, a senior, finished the last game of his prep career with just three yards rushing on two touches and six yards on this catch.

Defense Dominates

Unity’s defense was relentless. The Rockets held Mt. Carmel to just 208 total yards on 48 plays - a stark contrast to Unity’s 306 yards on 34 plays. Chason Daly recorded two sacks, Desmond Winfrey added a tackle for loss, and Graydin Cler snagged an interception to cap a suffocating defensive effort.

Mt. Carmel’s lone bright spot came in the second half against Unity’s JV unit. Senior Elliott Acree led the Golden Aces (5-5) with 83 all-purpose yards, including a 22-yard reception and 61 rushing yards on 13 carries. Jack Webb and Owen Blake each scored late touchdowns, but the damage had long been done.

Looking Ahead: Monticello Awaits

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Tre Hoggard runs the ball for a Unity touchdown in the first half. The senior rolled up 24 yards rushing and 70 receiving yards. Hoggard and the Rockets turn to defeating Illini Prairie foe Monticello for a second time this season.

The last time the two teams met, Unity rolled to a 34-7 win on the road in their regular season contest back in September. But the memory of last year’s semifinal heartbreak, when Monticello edged Unity 23-20 to reach the state title game, still lingers and there is redemption that needs to be settled.

Last November, nearly 50 weeks ago, Monticello stunned Unity on the last play of the game on their home field, sending the Sages to the state final. Saturday, with revenge and redemption on the line, the Rockets are will put the 2024 game behind them once and for all.

Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Hicks Field, where the fence line is expected to be packed three deep with fans, for an Illini Prairie team advance to a quarterfinal game.

TAGGED: Unity Rockets playoff football, IHSA Class 3A second round, Unity vs Monticello rivalry, Tolono Illinois high school sports, Unity Rockets dominate Mt. Carmel 42-14, Unity football wins

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.