Unity, SJO, Oakwood and Salt Fork players earn All-State recognition

Eleven area players received All-State recognition from the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association this week.

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Keegan Germano (Unity), Zeke Young (Monticello) and Cameron Wagner (St. Joseph-Ogden) are three of 11 football players earning spots on the IHSFCA All-State list this fall.

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URBANA - In Class 1A, Oakwood running back Kyler Johnson and Salt Fork's Zayden Bromley received first-team recognition from the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association. Fisher defensive back Andrew Todd and Oakwood lineman Walker Enos earned honorable mention nods.

Five players from area Class 3A programs made the annual list. St. Joseph-Ogden offensive lineman Cameron Wagner, Unity linebacker Keegan Germano and Monticello receiver Zeke Young were named among Illinois' top small-school players.

The Spartans' Lane McKinney earned an honorable mention at quarterback, while the Rockets' Michael Hardin made the list at running back.

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Lane McKinney
St. Joseph-Ogden

Michael Hardin
Unity

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From the eastern side of Champaign County, Mahomet-Seymour running back Marco Casillas was the only area player recognized in Class 4A and above.

Rounding out the list was St. Thomas More's Sam Kluesner, who earned an honorable mention in 8-man football.

Players will be introduced prior of their respective classes state championship game at Hancock Stadium and presented with a certificate of recognition from the IHSFCA. Portions of the ceremony will be shown during the State Final game broadcast.

Area All-Staters ====

1A All-State

Kyler Johnson
RB/LB 12 5'10 190
Oakwood High School
Head Coach: Cameron Lee

Zayden Bromley
HB/DB 11 6'1 175
Salt Fork High School
Head Coach: Les Siefert

1A Honorable Mention

Walker Enos
OL/DL 12 6'0 300
Oakwood High School
Head Coach: Cameron Lee

Andrew Todd
DB/QB/LB 11 5'9 180
Fisher Jr/Sr High School
Head Coach: Jeff Palmer

3A All-State

Cameron Wagner
OL/DL 12 6'7 310
St. Joseph Ogden
Head Coach: Shawn Skinner

Keegan Germano
LB 12 5'10 196
Unity High School
Head Coach: Tony Reetz

Zeke Young
WR/DB 12 5'10 155
Monticello High School
Head Coach: Cullen Welter

3A Honorable Mention

Lane McKinney
QB/DB 11 6'0 170
St. Joseph-Ogden Head Coach: Shawn Skinner

Michael Hardin
RB 12 5'11 198
Unity High School
Head Coach: Tony Reetz

5A All-State

Marco Casillas
RB 11 5'10 195
Mahomet-Seymour
Head Coach: Jon Adkins

8-man football

Honorable mention

Sam Kluesner
WR/DL/RB 11 6'2 165
The High School of St Thomas More
Head Coach: Cary Matthews

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TAGGED: Illinois high school football All-State selections, Champaign County football player recognition, IHSFCA All-State football honors, Oakwood and Salt Fork football standouts, St. Joseph-Ogden and Unity football players

Late rally propels Rockets past the Sages into 3A quarterfinals

Unity edged Monticello 21-20 in a dramatic Class 3A playoff rematch at Hicks Field. The Rockets sealed the victory on a last-second interception by Tre Hoggard.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Tre Hoggard makes a leaping catch in front of a pass intended for Monticello's Jake Robinson on a two-point conversion attempt by the Sages. The snag by Hoggard as time expired ended the game with the Rockets on top 21-20 and advancing to the Class 3A quarterfinals.

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TOLONO — The atmosphere was as electric and palpable as expected from the opening kickoff to the final interception that sealed Unity’s one-point victory over Monticello (8-3) at Hicks Field in their Class 3A second-round playoff game on Saturday. In a gritty, hard-fought battle, the Rockets avenged last year’s semifinal loss at Monticello with a dramatic finish of their own, winning 21-20 in a finale for the ages.

Unity, which advanced to the state quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive season and the 18th time in program history, will play at Williamsville (11-0) at 2 p.m. next Saturday.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Monticello's Zeke Young goes up for a pass between Unity defensive backs Tyler Henry and Adam Reedy early in the second half of their playoff game.

The matchup between the rival Illini Prairie Conference programs was a classic gridiron struggle filled with big plays and momentum swings on a gray, overcast day. Fueled by determination, athleticism, and sound fundamentals on both sides, “epic” might have been an understatement.

“Monticello is a great team with a great game plan,” Unity head coach Tony Reetz said. “We knew they would give us everything we could handle. They did a great job of making long drives and keeping our offense off the field. We never really got the field flipped the way we wanted. Hats off to them.”

Monticello senior quarterback Nolan Buehnerkemper’s swan song was bittersweet. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior played quarterback, safety and kicker, seemingly everywhere for the Sages. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns.

Buehnerkemper scored Monticello’s first touchdown on a 1-yard plunge that gave the Sages a 7-0 lead with 5:56 left in the first quarter. Just over two minutes later, he connected with Zeke Young on a 75-yard touchdown strike, stunning the heavily favored Rockets with a 14-0 advantage.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Crewe Eckstein pushes Sages' Drake Weeks away on his way to the tying touchdown before the end of the first half. The senior ran for 157 yards on 25 touches.

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Down two scores at the start of the second quarter, Unity responded immediately. On the first play of the quarter, Tre Hoggard ran nine yards for a touchdown. With 6:16 left in the half, Crewe Eckstein found the corner of the west end zone for another score. Kicker Ty Rodems converted both extra points to tie the game 14-14 at halftime.

“A lot of respect to them. They are a good team,” Eckstein said after posing for photos with friends. The senior finished with 157 yards on 26 carries. “They filled all their gaps. They hustle and they play hard.”

Neither team scored in the third quarter as both defenses stood firm.

Unity took a 21-14 lead with 9:41 left in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Dane Eisenmenger.

“We were all clicking in the second half. The first half was a little iffy,” senior defensive back Coleton Langendorf said. “But we picked it up in the second half.”

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Keegan Germano tries to fold Monticello tight end Jake Robinson in half with a solid tackle during third quarter action. Teammate Coleton Langendorf said Germano delivered an outstanding effort on defense for the Rockets. "He was just flying around everywhere. He was making things happen," Langendorf said singing praises.

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Monticello didn’t back down. With less than nine seconds remaining, Buehnerkemper found Heyden Ramano, who scooped the pass just inches above the ground for a touchdown to make it 21-20.

Instead of kicking the extra point to force overtime, Monticello head coach Cully Welter made the gutsy decision to go for two. Buehnerkemper threw over the middle to senior Jake Robinson, but before the ball could reach his neon-gloved fingertips, Hoggard leapt into the air and intercepted it — ending the Sages’ season and sending Unity to the quarterfinals.

“When the ball touched my finger, it was amazing,” Hoggard said. “I just knew the game was over.”

Not bad for a player who hadn’t played defense all year but stepped in for an injured teammate in the Sages' last drive in the third quarter. He was on the field for just six plays, but his presence made the difference.

“It feels good. I wouldn’t say I was responsible for the win. There are others on our team who stepped up when they needed to. Defense stepped up in the fourth quarter for sure.”

After the game, Monticello players, even after a heartbreaking loss, displayed an impressive level of class, sportsmanship and conference camaraderie during postgame handshakes, telling their opponents, “Go get the big win.”

“They were wishing us good luck,” Eckstein said. “A lot of respect to those guys. They are all nice. They are all great.”

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Desmond Winfrey and Coleton Langendor celebrate a defensive stop in the third quarter. The Rockets move on in the Class 3A bracket with a roadtrip to Williamsville next Saturday.

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Tags: Unity Rockets Class 3A football playoffs, Monticello Sages vs Unity playoff game recap, Illinois high school football quarterfinal preview, Unity football Hicks Field Tolono Illinois, IHSA Class 3A playoff highlights 2025

Friday Night Forecast | Week 2 Illini Prairie Conference football predictions

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Ryder Van Meenen blocks Prairie Central linebacker Kinser Benjamin on a first-quarter play for the Spartans. This week, SJO (1-0) faces Paxton-Buckley-Loda (0-1) on the road while the Hawks (0-1) host their first home game of the season against Pontiac (0-1).

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URBANA - We start this season’s Friday Night Forecast with a nine-way tie. Last week, the Sentinel and eight challengers finished with perfect 5-0 records. Coltrane, DoubleJ, Best Look Magazine, SCOTTY P, Sagesrunner, Frank, Bement Bulldogs and Steve know their stuff.

This week, five brave prognosticators return, putting their reputations and Illini Prairie Conference football knowledge on the line with their picks for Week 2 winners in the 2026 race for the conference football title. Below are their projected winners and probable scores.

	Best Look Magazine	Doublej	Frank
Central Catholic vs Illinois Valley Central	Bloomington Central Catholic 35-7	Bloomington Central Catholic 42-0	Bloomington Central Catholic 45-6
Prairie Central vs Pontiac	Pontiac 21-14	Prairie Central 24-12	Prairie Central 28-14
St. Joseph-Ogden vs Paxton-Buckley-Loda	St. Joseph-Ogden 35-21	St. Joseph-Ogden 54-6	St. Joseph-Ogden 50-20
Monticello vs Unity	Unity 28-21	Unity 22-19	Unity 28-21
Rantoul vs Mattoon	Mattoon 28-14	Mattoon 18-12	Mattoon 35-14

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

TOLONO - Monticello's Zeke Young hauls in a pass during his team's second-round playoff game against Unity. Young sprinted to the goal line to give the Sages a 13-0 first-quarter lead. Young, now a senior, returns to Hicks Field on Friday, hoping to avenge last year's 21-20 playoff loss to the Rockets. Both Monticello and Unity opened their 2026 campaign with win in Week 1 competition.

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	The Sentinel	Coltrane	Scotty P
Central Catholic vs Illinois Valley Central	Bloomington Central Catholic 35-12	Bloomington Central Catholic 55-0	Bloomington Central Catholic 42-6
Prairie Central vs Pontiac	Prairie Central 36-21	Prairie Central 32-14	Prairie Central 28-14
St. Joseph-Ogden vs Paxton-Buckley-Loda	St. Joseph-Ogden 42-12	St. Joseph-Ogden 41-14	St. Joseph-Ogden 63-14
Monticello vs Mattoon	Unity 28-21	Unity 27-14	Unity 14-7
Rantoul vs Mattoon	Mattoon 21-20	Rantoul 26-12	Rantoul 28-7

Week 1 Illini Prairie Conference Scores

Unity 30, Rantoul 8
Monticello 26, Illinois Valley Central 6
Central Catholic 41, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 0
Coal City 40, Pontiac 6
St. Joseph-Ogden 64, Prairie Central 20

Friday Night Forecast Standings

1. Coltrane (5-0)
1. DoubleJ (5-0)
1. Best Look Magazine (5-0)
1. SCOTTY P (5-0)
1. Sagesrunner (5-0)
1. Frank (5-0)
1. Bement Bulldogs (5-0)
1. Steve (5-0)
1. The Sentinel (5-0)

See the panel's Week 1 predictions

Look back at some of our previous Friday Night Forecasts

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Photo Gallery |Strong first half cements victory for SJO at Monticello

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

After hauling in a screen pass on the first play of St. Joseph-Ogden's road game at Monticello, Tim Blackburn-Kelley races down the field for the first TD of the season while playing running back in Saturday's 40-28 win. The quick score that burned just 20 seconds off the game clock set the tone for the first half before the Spartans ripped off three more scores before halftime.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO's Ryker Lockhart nails Monticello's Matt Swartz to the turf during first quarter action on Saturday. The first game for the two Illini Prairie Conference members was postponed until noon due to a large storm system passing through Piatt and Champaign county Friday evening.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Spartans' Nolan Earley rushes into the Monticello backfield looking to tackle the Sages' quarterback for a loss.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO's Nolan Earley latches on to Monticello's Ike Young on his way to record a TFL in the first half.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Spartan's Coy Taylor barrels his way into the endzone on a 1-yard play for his team's second touchdown in the first quarter.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Tayton Gerdes celebrates a big play for the Spartans during the third quarter.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO quarterback Kodey McKinney looks to the northeast corner of the field for an open receiver. The junior signal caller scored on 67-yard run in the first quarter and tossed three TD passes in his first varsity start. See all the photos from the game here . . .

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Wyatt Wertz looks for running room while following his blockers on a 37-yard dash through the Sages' defense. The junior running back rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden senior Jared Altenbaumer lunges forward to pounce on Monticello quarterback Ike Young.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Almost a nailbiter as Monticello's momentum grows in the second half after another touchdown, SJO head coach Shawn Skinner strolls down the sideline while the Spartans get a lesson in tenacity during their season opener. See all the photos from the game here . . .

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Sages' Ike Young unloads a pass before Spartans' Gabe Mata can disrupt the third-quarter pass play.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJ0 linemen Cameron Wagner and Brodie Harms stack pancakes in the trenches with Monticello's Ryan Frazee and Brody Billedo during fourth-quarter action. See more photos from the game here . . .

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Monticello's Ike Young looks for running room on a keeper. The senior finished 27 of 44 for 292 yards and threw two second-half touchdown passes in his first varsity start at quarterback. He also led Monticello in rushing with 18 carries for 66 yards and scored two of the Sages' four touchdowns.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Leaping above Sages' Zeke Young, Spartan Coy Taylor hauls in a pass for second-half touchdown in the southeast corner end zone at Wilkey Sports Complex. See more photos from the game here . . .

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IHSA semifinal football playoff schedule

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Class 3A All-Stater Zeke Young looks for open turf during Monticello's first game of the season. After the opening loss to St. Joseph-Ogden, Young led the Sages on a seven-game win streak.

That was until the season finale against Unity, now Monticello's only barrier to berth in the Class 3A state title game on November 29 at Redbird Stadium in Normal. Will the Sages avenge the earlier two-score, 42-28 loss in Week 9? Kickoff is at 2 PM at Monticello. Here is a listing for all eight football classes this weekend.

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Class 1A

mifinals (Nov. 23)

• (2) Lena-Winslow (12-0) at (1) LeRoy (12-0), 2 p.m. Saturday
• (3) Camp Point Central (11-1) at (1) Belleville Althoff (12-0), 2 p.m. Saturday

Championship game: 10 a.m. Nov. 29

Class 2A

Semifinals (Nov. 23)

• (6) Chicago Christian (11-1) at (1) Farmington (12-0), 2 p.m. Saturday
• (2) Maroa-Forsyth (11-1) at (1) Johnston City (11-1), 3:30 p.m. Saturday

Championship game: 1 p.m. Nov. 29

Class 3A

Semifinals (Nov. 23)

• (2) Wilmington (12-0) at (9) Montini (10-2), 1 p.m. Saturday
• (9) Tolono Unity (9-3) at (6) Monticello (10-2), 2 p.m. Saturday

Championship game: 4 p.m. Nov. 29

Class 4A

Semifinals (Nov. 23)

• (9) DePaul (9-3) at (7) Coal City (10-2), 1 p.m. Saturday
• (12) Mt. Zion (9-3) at (10) Normal U-High (10-2), 7 p.m. Saturday

Championship game: 7 p.m. Nov. 29

Class 5A

Semifinals (Nov. 23)

• (4) St. Francis (10-2) at (3) Nazareth (10-2), 1 p.m. Saturday
• (13) Morris (8-4) at (6) Joliet Catholic (9-3), 2 p.m. Saturday

Championship game: 10 a.m. Nov. 30

Class 6A

Semifinals (Nov. 23)

• (1) Cary-Grove (12-0) at (3) Geneva (11-1), 1 p.m. Saturday
• (2) Richards (11-1) at (1) East St. Louis (11-1), 2 p.m. Saturday

Championship game: 1 p.m. Nov. 30

Class 7A

Semifinals (Nov. 23)

• (4) Batavia (11-1) at (24) Lincoln-Way Central (9-3), 5 p.m. Saturday
• (19) Mt. Carmel (9-3) at (10) St. Rita (10-2), 3 p.m. Saturday

Championship game: 4 p.m. Nov. 30

Class 8A

Semifinals (Nov. 23)

• (12) Loyola (10-2) at (1) Lincoln-Way East (12-0), 6 p.m. Saturday
• (14) York (10-2) at (7) Naperville Central (11-1), 6 p.m. Saturday

Championship game: 7 p.m. Nov. 30

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Keywords: Monticello Football, Unity Football, IHSA Football Playoffs, State Football Semifinal Schedule

Illini advance, first-round results from the Neitzel Family Open

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Former University of Illinois player Alexander Petrov lines up a down-the-line shot during his match against Zeke Clark. In the sweltering late afternoon heat on Wednesday, Petrov, who had lost two previous matches to Clark, won the day at the International Tennis Federation-sanctioned tournament held at Atkins Tennis Center.

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URBANA - One former and two current University of Illinois tennis players were on their home court at Atkins Tennis Center on Tuesday. The trio, each having to battle three-set matches, advanced to Wednesday's second-round competition at the Neitzel Family Open.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Karlis Ozolins stays in the point against Andre Ilagan as an afternoon storm rolls in toward Atkins Tennis Center. After a two-hour rain delay Ozolins fell 6-3, 7-5.

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In an alumni match, Alexander Petrov took down Illinois assistant tennis coach Zeke Clark in a grueling three-setter, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0. Despite the loss, Clark still owns the series between the two former Big Ten players at the pro level, 2-1.

William Mroz, who enters his senior year at Illinois, defeated Canadian Dan Martin in a marathon match 6(2)-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Later, Kenta Miyoshi dropped his first set 6-3 and then took the next two, 7-6(5), 6-4.

The third installment of the Neitzel Family Open has a total purse of $25,000. The week-long, ITF-sanctioned event has attracted young players from all over the world.

Below are the complete results from the tournament's first round.

Main Draw Results ~
Tyler Zink def Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez 6(5)-7, 6-4, 6-2
Kenta Miyoshi def James Tracy 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
Connor Bruce def Nathan Powwith 6-3, 6-4
Harrison Adams def Cleeve Harper 6-3, 6-1
Andre Ilagan def Karlis Ozolins 6-3, 7-5
William Mroz def Dan Martin 6(2)-7, 6-2, 6-1
Aidan Kim def Axel Nefve 7-6(5), 6-2
Gavin Young def Enzo Wallart 6-4, 6-3
William Grant def Ryuki Matsuda 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
Noah Schachter def Lucas Horve 6-3, 7-6(5)
Adhithya Ganesan def Alexander Bernard 6-3, 6-4
Cannon Kingsley def Gabrielius Guzauskas 6-2, 6-3
Duarte Vale def Kody Pearson 6-2, 6-1
Colton Smith def Kyle Kang 6-4, 6-4
Alexander Petrov dev Ezekiel Clark 5-7, 6-2, 6-0
Aidan McHugh def Emilio Gomez 6-4, 6(3)-7, 6-3

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