Spartan Senior Salute |
12 and out with Wyatt Wertz

Wyatt Wertz scores a touchdown, returning in his first game after an injury

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Few players run harder — or think faster — than Spartan Wyatt Wertz. At a solid 5'11", 180 pounds, the senior back has combined quick reads with relentless determination after returning back to action from an injury suffered earlier in the season. Despite scoring three touchdowns in road losses for the Spartans against Central Catholic and Seneca, Wertz is back to help SJO take a deep stab into the postseason. Averaging 8.7 yards/carry in those two games, upcoming opponents will St. Joseph-Ogden hard to defeat.

As St. Joseph-Ogden heads into Friday’s regular-season finale, here's a few tidbits about Wyatt that he shared earlier this week.

Sentinel: What is your favorite class at St. Joseph-Ogden High School?

Wertz: Forensic Science

Sentinel: What is your go-to pregame meal?

Wertz: Chicken and rice

Sentinel: What is your dream car?

Wertz: Porsche 911 gt3 rs

Sentinel: Name theree people you would invite to dinner if you won the lottery?

Wertz: I wouldn’t tell anyone, so no one

Sentinel: What is the best coaching advice you ever had?

Wertz: Don’t think, just do

Sentinel: Name an Instagram handle everyone should follow.

Wertz: brycecrawford

Sentinel: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you booking a flight?

Wertz: Japan

Sentinel: What is your hype-song?

Wertz: I listen to rain noises

Sentinel: If you were a superhero, what would your alias be and your two main super powers?

Wertz: I would be called The Dude and I would have super speed and time travel

Sentinel: Favorite place to eat with you friends?

Wertz: Cookout in backyard

Sentinel: If you could become a professional athlete, what sport would you be playing?

Wertz: UFC

Sentinel: What other sports have you played at St. Joseph-Ogden and for how long?

Wertz: Track, past 3 years

Photo Gallery |
Spartans beat Rockets in Week 2 thriller at Dick Duval Field

Tanner Siems bursts through the Spartan banner followed by the rest of the team during the pregrame introduction on Friday at Dick Duval Field. Hours later St. Joseph-Ogden would emerge victorious in the home game against Unity, 24-21.

An SJO student fan cheers during first-quarter action against the visiting Rockets. It took a little under eight minutes for the Spartans to light up the scoreboard on their way to their second conference win.

Members of the St. Joseph-Ogden Maroon Platoon cheer for the Spartans during the first half of the game. SJO led the Illini Prairie Conferenc game at the half, 21-14 .

Unity running back Garrett Richardson finds plenty of running room against the Spartans in the first half.

Unity running back Garrett Richardson is brought down an 11 yard run.

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

Virtually untouched, Rocket running back Garrett Richardson slides into the end zone on a six-yard run for a third-quarter touchdown to tie up the score at 21-all.

Unity's Tyler Henry shoves St. Joseph-Ogden's Tim Blackburn-Kelley out of bounds. Blackburn-Kelley finished Friday's game with seven yards rushing on four carries and two catches for 23 yards. He also tallied a 32-yard run on a kick return and two more on a punt return.

Members of the St. Joseph-Ogden's Class of 1994 are recognized between quarters. The alumni enjoy their reunion weekend with a Spartan football victory.

Drummer for the March Spartans pounds out beat during a break in the action on the field.

A Spartan cheerleader keeps an eye on the action on the field. This year's 20-member squad kept fans and the student section cheering all four quarters of the home game.

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

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

Unity's Tyler Henry avoids St. Joseph-Ogden's Tayton Gerdes while returning a kickoff. His only return on special teams, Henry took the ball 49 yard before being stopped by the Spartans.

SJO's Carson Sarnecki and Quincy Jones wrap up Unity running back Garrett Richardson during third quarter action.

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

Brennan Oleynichak lifts teammate Coy Taylor into the air after his 26-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Taylor tallied a game-high 105 yards with nine catches.

Kaden Wedig hauls in a pass despite in-his-face coverage from Unity's Graydin Cler during the fourth quarter. Wedig, who finished with three catches for 42 yards, fell out of bounds in what could have been the go-ahead touchdown for the Spartans.

Waiting to go back in, Spartan quarterback Kodey McKinney gazes at the scoreboard at Dick Duval Field during the fourth quarter. The junior signal caller scored St. Joseph-Ogden's first TD on a one-yard run in the first quarter. He finished his second varsity game with 43 rushing yards and threw for 268 yards against the Rockets.

Spartan manager Cameron Kuchenbrod heads back to the sidelines after giving water to players during a timeout.

Brayden Henry breaks up a pass to Tanner Siems

Rockets' Brayden Henry breaks up a pass play to Spartans' Tanner Siems early in the fourth quarter. Siems finished the regular season contest with a 22-yard touchdown in the first quarter and 110 yards.

Unity's Dane Eisenmenger looks to make a throw in the fourth quarter. The junior quarterback completed seven of his 12 passes for 110 yards and tacked on 15 rushing yards in the loss to the Spartans.

Rockets' Garrett Richardson stiff arms Tim Blackburn-Kelley on a carry during the fourth quarter. Richardson had 22 carries for 90 yards and a 19-yard catch in Unity's second game of the season.

Surrounded by teammates Wyatt Wertz, Cameron Wagner, and Gabe Mata, SJO kicker Charlie Schmitz enjoys the moment after kicking the game-winning field goal from 31 yards out with 1.2 seconds left on the clock to seal a 24-21 victory.

Spartan lineman Josh Courter celebrates with this team after SJO's second-straight regular season win over Unity.

St. Joseph-Ogden 2025 football schedule set

IHSA releases 2025 football schedules; SJO eyes another strong season with key games at home. See the Spartans' complete schedule below.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

After taking a handoff from Kodey McKinney, St. Joseph-Ogden's Wyatt Wertz runs the football against Unity during their Class 3A second-round playoff game in 2024.

ST. JOSEPH - The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) released the 2025 Illinois high school football schedules today for the upcoming fall season. This year's playoff pairings will be broadcast on Saturday, October 25. All eight classes will return to Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University in Normal. The Class 1A-4A title games will be played on November 28, and the Class 5A-8A games will follow a day later on November 29.

St. Joseph-Ogden is poised to repeat their undefeated 2024 Illini Prairie Conference run, opening their season on the road at Prairie Central behind senior signal caller Kodey McKinney, who scored once and threw four touchdown passes in last year's 49-20 victory in Week 3.

The Spartans play their first home game on September 5 against Paxton-Buckley-Loda. SJO rolled off two touchdowns in the first three quarters of last October's season finale. Returning senior Wyatt Wertz rushed for 152 yards, scoring three of the team's six touchdowns.

Two home games St. Joseph-Ogden football fans won't want to miss are against Unity and last year's Class 3A runner-up, Monticello.

The Rockets will travel to Dick Duval Field for the first time since 1994 under a new head coach, former assistant Tony Reetz. With 21 years of experience under the legendary Scott Hamilton, the stage is set for the storied rivalry between the two programs after the Spartans claimed bragging rights in a 24-21 nail-biter in Week 2. The two teams met again for a second-round playoff game, with Unity prevailing 35-7.

Monticello has a bone to pick with SJO, who ran up a 20-0 lead in the first quarter of last year's conference opener, leading to a 40-28 loss on their newly renovated field. The Sages, who will be without last year's seniors Ike Young and Carter Foran, won't be pushovers with possibly 14 battle-tested seniors who saw action in last year's state championship game against Montini.

In addition to the road opener against the Hawks, St. Joseph-Ogden will play four additional away contests, traveling to Chillicothe to face IVC, Rantoul, Bloomington, and for a program-first meeting against the Seneca Irish.

2025 St. Joseph-Ogden Football Schedule

Aug 29 - 7:00 A Prairie Central
Sep 05 - 7:00 H Paxton-Buckley-Loda
Sep 12 - 7:00 A Illinois Valley Central
Sep 19 - 7:00 H Unity
Sep 26 - 7:00 A Rantoul
Oct 03 - 7:00 H Monticello
Oct 10 - 7:00 A Bloomington Central Catholic
Oct 17 - 7:00 A Seneca
Oct 24 - 7:00 H Pontiac

Click image to download the 2024 schedule

More SJO Football Stories ~

Photo Gallery: Spartans beat Rockets

Opening statement, Spartans send message to conference opponents

Spartans win game 7th game on the road

Unity shocks St. Joseph-Ogden with dominant defense

Sentinel St. Joseph-Ogden Sports Coverage

SJO wins 'Senior Night' game with 56-21 win over Pontiac

SJO's Wyatt Wertz runs the ball for a huge gain

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

ST. JOSEPH - Spartan running back Wyatt Wertz gets a solid block from teammate Willis Canamore during first half action against visiting Pontiac (2-7). Despite a couple of scares, St. Joseph-Ogden (5-4) two TDs in each quarter on the way to defeating the Indians 56-21. Wertz finished the night with 180 yards rushing and 13 more from two pass receptions. SJO must now wait to see if they made the playoff cut and who will be their first-round opponent.

Opening statement, Spartans send message to conference opponents

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Fighting his way past Monticello's Hunter Romano, St. Joseph-Ogden defensive back Tayton Gerdes flows across the field to contain the Sages quarterback. The Spartan proved stout, holding the host to just 90 yards on the ground.

MONTICELLO - Monday and Tuesday's weather forecast called for spotty rain for last Friday. By Wednesday, the updated forecast said rain after 9 p.m., and on Thursday it looked like St. Joseph-Ogden's season opener against Monticello would be rain-free. But no, said Mother Nature late Friday afternoon. A meandering storm system producing heavy rain—nearly 2 inches, according to a couple of Monticello residents—and frequent lightning forced the long-awaited game to Saturday.

After receiving the opening kickoff, like the lightning storm that passed through Piatt and Champaign County Friday evening, the Spartans struck frequently, scoring five times in the first half before Monticello could reply.

Thanks to solid offensive planning and execution, a balanced offensive effort, and four talented scoring weapons, SJO won the delayed season opener, 40-28.

Junior Tim Blackburn-Kelley caught a screen pass on the opening play and sprinted 80 yards to the south end zone at Monticello's Wilkey Sports Complex. "I caught the pass and my guys were blocking for me," Blackburn-Kelley explained. "I saw green grass and I just had to get on my horse and go."

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO running back Wyatt Wertz take the ball through a hole in the Monticello defense. Wertz lead the Spartan ground game with 102-yards on 14 carries. See the Sentinel photo gallery for more pictures.

Blackburn-Kelley finished the game with 95 yards on three catches and added 28 yards on four carries.

On the Spartans' next possession, Jared Altenbaumer intercepted the ball with just under six minutes left in the first quarter. Kodey McKinney kept the ball on a draw play and dashed 67 yards through the Monticello defense to put SJO up 12-0.

The Sages' defense faltered again four minutes later. Coy Taylor carried the ball 37 yards to the 2-yard line and scored on the following play for a two-yard plunge to give SJO a 20-0 lead after Charlie Schmitz's PAT.

"We did a lot of things right. We came out very strong in the first quarter," Taylor said. "The first play of the game, we sent a message, and that's what we wanted to do."

Shawn Skinner's Spartans were on fire, unveiling another offensive weapon in Tanner Siems. His two catches totaled just 13 yards—each resulting in a touchdown. Siems announced himself as a playmaker, showcasing his wingspan and speed. Siems may be the first receiver in the Skinner era to join the ranks of exciting ball magnets like Cole Berry (2013-15) and Lukas Gones (2006-08).

Up 34-0, SJO pumped the brakes and relaxed a bit too early.

With a minute and a half left in the first half, Monticello's Ike Young scored on a 13-yard run to make it 34-7 at halftime.

Coming out of the locker room after the intermission, the Sages weren't quite ready to accept their first conference loss.

Showing both confidence and courage, Young threw back-to-back five-yard TD passes — one to Nolan Buehnerkemper in the third quarter and another to Carter Foran in the fourth—narrowing the deficit to two scores.

"I think the team, including myself, thought they would just roll over," Blackburn-Kelley said. "We had to get in each other's grill and finish the game."

One area he feels the team needs to work on for next week is staying focused for all four quarters.

"I think we need to work on staying focused and playing hard when we're tired," he said, looking ahead to Week 2 against Unity at home this Friday.

Taylor, who had nine catches for 82 yards and 43 yards on five carries, believes he and his Spartan teammates also need to work on leadership.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Senior Jackson Ennis celebrates the Spartans' first win of the season with the Maroon Platoon. His leadership was key in the victory and SJO will need more of it during the regular season to come out on top of the Illini Prairie.

"During the second half, we started out slow on both sides of the ball. We need to make sure we're not asleep or anything like that because a good team will take advantage of that."

With just over six minutes left in the game, McKinney found Taylor in the end zone for a 12-yard TD. Up 40-21, the Spartans missed on a few cylinders, giving Monticello the chance to score once more before the final buzzer.

McKinney finished his varsity quarterback debut spectacular fashion, going 12-for-14 passing for 208 yards, and four TDs.

Monticello drove down the field, and Young scored again on a keeper from the three-yard line, making the final score 40-28 after the PAT.

Spartan head coach Shawn Skinner attributed the second-half slump to the squad's youth and inexperience. He noted that for many players, it was their first extensive varsity experience.

"Good teams don't stop playing football, and that was true of our opponent today," Skinner said thoughtfully. "We need to learn that to be a good team. We can't just stop playing when we get up big early."

The Spartan offense totaled 454 yards for the day. The passing game barely skipped a beat from the previous season, with the receiving corps amassing 208 yards. Meanwhile, the ground attack added another 246 yards. The Sages finished with 405 total yards.

Skinner said he didn't think the Spartans could have played the first quarter and a half any better.

"We did a lot of things right. I think that's a credit to the work our kids have put in," he said. "We clearly have some guys who can play well on both sides of the football. They have to understand, they have to play all 48 minutes."

Box Score:

SJO 20 - 15 - 0 - 6 - 40
MONTICELLO 0 - 6 - 7 - 14 - 28

Week 7 IHSA football scores from around the state

SJO Wyatt Wertz runs the ball against BCC

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

BLOOMINGTON - St. Joseph-Ogden's Wyatt Wertz runs the ball in his first game back after a injury in SJO's Week 2 home game last month. Wertz had 11 carries for 54 yards against Central Catholic (7-0) on Friday. The Spartans (4-3) fell 67-28 on the road to the Saints, who became this year's conference champions with the victory.

Illini Prairie Conference scores

Central Catholic 67, St Joseph-Ogden 28
Illinois Valley Central 28, Rock Falls 0
Monticello 27, Pontiac 6
Prairie Central 40, Rantoul 6
Unity 47, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 0

Big Twelve Conference scores

Peoria Notre Dame 53, Bloomington 19
Normal Community 41, Danville 0
Normal West 48, Manual 0
Peoria 64, Champaign Central 27
Richwoods 0, Urbana 0
Champaign Centennial 40, Thornridge 17

Scores from around the state

Abingdon-Avon 31, Havana 26
Amboy 62, Ridgewood 12
Annawan-Wethersfield 17, Princeville 14
Antioch 49, Grayslake North 8
Arlington Heights Hersey 52, Buffalo Grove 2
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 43, Nokomis 20
Aurora. Christian) 49, Chicago Christian 7
Aurora Waubonsie Valley 51, Stagg 0
BHRA 49, Momence 0
Barrington 23, Fremd 7
Batavia 28, Wheaton North 7
Bensenville Fenton 33, Aurora (East) 6
Bishop McNamara 29, Wheaton Academy 14
Bradley-Bourbonnais 48, DeKalb 19
Brown County 66, Beardstown 0
Carbondale 52, Herrin 14
Carmel 54, DePaul 14
Cary-Grove 56, Crystal Lake South 13
Casey-Westfield 21, Mt. Carmel 20, OT
Central 18, Le Roy 8
Central 20, Huntley 7
Central 46, Routt 3
Central 54, Hoopeston 0
Christopher 48, Carmi-White County 14
Coal City 49, Peotone 7
Deer Creek-Mackinaw 46, Warrensburg-Latham 13
Dixon 50, Winnebago 15
Downers Grove North 41, York 28
Du Quoin 48, Anna-Jonesboro 13
Durand-Pecatonica 34, Forreston 20
El Paso-Gridley 40, Eureka 0
Elgin 25, Streamwood 6
Elk Grove 57, Wheeling 13
Erie-Prophetstown 40, Orion 14
Fenwick 48, Benet 7
Flora 28, Fairfield 20
Fulton 56, Southwestern, Wis. 40
Galva 38, Peoria Heights 12
Geneseo 31, Sterling 10
Glenbard East 41, West Chicago 6
Glenbard North 16, Geneva 13
Glenbard South 42, Ridgewood 7
Glenbard West 44, Hinsdale Central 20
Glenbrook South 42, Deerfield 0
Glenwood 56, Lincoln 0
Grant 65, Round Lake 17
Hampshire 19, McHenry 17
Herscher 19, Reed-Custer 13, OT
Highland Park 38, Niles North 13
Hoffman Estates Conant 43, Schaumburg 28
ICCP 57, Aurora Marmion Academy 14
Illini West 28, Bureau Valley 20
Johnston City 44, Hamilton County 6
Kankakee 48, Bloom 0
Lake Park 41, St Charles East 35
Lake Zurich 35, Mundelein 0
Lakes 46, North Chicago 7
Le Roy 14, Heyworth 12
Lena-Winslow 46, Galena 0
Libertyville 35, Zion Benton 20
Lincoln-Way East 42, Homewood-Flossmoor 14
Lockport 28, Sandburg 7
Macomb 42, Knoxville 19
Maine South 56, Glenbrook North 0
Maine West 49, Maine East 0
Manteno 35, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 13
Marion 48, Collinsville 35
Marshall 34, Lawrenceville 7
Metamora 49, Bartonville (Limestone) 13
Milledgeville 56, Orangeville 16
Minooka 10, Oswego 3
Monmouth-Roseville 57, Hall 14
Montini Catholic 49, Arlington Heights (St. Viator) 3
Morris 42, Ottawa 0
Morrison 48, Dakota 16
Morton 66, East Peoria 32
Mt Carmel 35, Joliet Catholic 7
Mt Prospect Prospect 35, Rolling Meadows 32
Mt Zion 31, Effingham 7
Naperville Central 28, Aurora Metea Valley 21, OT
Naperville North 29, Neuqua Valley 23
Nashville 55, Pinckneyville 7
Newman 24, Riverdale 14
Newton 24, Robinson 21
Oakwood 48, Iroquois West 0
Olney 41, Paris 22
Olympia 50, Maroa-Forsyth 36
Oregon 34, Winnebago 21
Ottawa Marquette 51, Elmwood 6
PORTA 22, Athens 18
Pekin 30, Canton 20
Plainfield East 27, Joliet West 7
Pleasant Plains 27, Pittsfield 14
Polo 50, River Ridge 8
Prairie Ridge 35, Crystal Lake Central 14
Quincy 44, Galesburg 22
Richmond-Burton 21, Woodstock North 0
Riverton 36, Auburn 33
Rochelle 21, Kaneland 20
Rochester 51, MacArthur 14
Rockridge 61, Aledo (Mercer County) 24
Springfield SHG 56, Springfield 33
Salt Fork 48, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 20
Seneca 48, St Bede 16
Shelbyville 42, Clinton 6
South Beloit 38, Abundant Life-St. Ambrose, Wis. 8
South Elgin 55, Bartlett 19
St. Francis 42, Marian Catholic 20
Stillman Valley 21, Oregon 15
Sycamore 34, La Salle-Peru 28
Tri-Valley 21, Tremont 13
United 54, Astoria South Fulton 18
University 55, Eisenhower 12
Villa Grove/Heritage 25, Sangamon Valley 24
Warren 28, Stevenson 13
Washington 23, Dunlap 15
Wauconda 53, Grayslake Central 27
West Carroll 70, Ashton (A.-Franklin Center) 8
West Hancock 62, LCSRV 6
West Prairie 46, Bushnell-Prairie City 8
Westville 55, Watseka 0
Wheaton Warrenville South 33, St Charles North 7
Wilmington 45, Streator 0
Woodstock 42, Sandwich 26

TAGS: Illinois high school football scores, Seneca beats St. Bede by 36 points, Oakwood blanks Iroquois West footballt team,St. Joseph-Ogden falls in flag fest, IHSA football scores

A perfect season, SJO goes 9-0 into 2024 IHSA football playoffs

ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden running back Wyatt Wertz is hoisted into the air by teammate Nolan Earley after scoring his third and final touchdown of the evening during the Spartans' home game against Paxton-Buckley-Loda (5-4) at Dick Duval Field. Wertz, who led all rushers with 148 yards, scored on runs of 14, 25, and 41 yards.

The Spartans defeated the Panthers in their last regular season contest 42-14 to become the 12th team in program history to finish with an unblemished record. The last time SJO enjoyed a lossless season was in the fall of 2015 under longtime head coach Dick Duval.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

***Editor's Note: This story has been updated. Initially, we identified the running back as Justice Wertz. The correct name of the player is Wyatt as shown above.