Carterville outlasts SJ-O football
By FRED KRONER
St. Joseph-Ogden’s football team had enough things go their way on Friday (Sept. 22) at state-ranked Carterville that they were in position to win the non-conference game.
SJ-O just needed one more thing to go its way to gain a victory in a game it lost 32-28.
The Spartans were nursing a 28-25 lead late in the game and drove to the Carterville 20-yard line.
“It was fourth-and-8 and we tried to hit Coy (Taylor) in the end zone,” Spartans coach Shawn Skinner said. “It was ruled a breakup (rather than pass interference).”
Carterville then took over on its own 20 with 2:02 left in the game.
“They had to drive 80 yards (to score),” Skinner said. “They had a third-and-10 from the (SJ-O) 18. Their kid made a diving catch in the end zone.”
The TD came with 23 seconds to play and created the final margin as the Spartans suffered their first loss against an opponent which is now 5-0 and ranked seventh in Class 4A.
SJ-O was ranked third in Class 3A.
“It was a good football game between two good teams,” Skinner said. “I’m not a huge fan of moral victories, but the effort was great. We played with energy.
“The kids hung tough. Carterville came up with a couple more plays than we did.”
The Spartans faced obstacles even before embarking on the 3-hour road trip.
Starters Braxton Waller (lineman) and Logan Smith (quarterback) both missed significant practice time during the week due to illness. Waller practiced one day. Smith practiced twice.
“That limited us from a preparation standpoint,” Skinner said.
Smith still turned in a yeoman effort, rushing for 109 yards on 10 carries and throwing for 285 yards while completing 16 of 28 passes.
Smith threw for two TDs and rushed for two others. Joe Frasca converted all four extra-point attempts.
“It came down to who had the ball last was going to win,” Skinner said.
During Carterville’s game-winning drive, “Waller planted the quarterback as he threw (and completed a 25-yard pass),” Skinner said. “A half-second more and it would have been a sack.”
Three SJ-O receivers had multiple catches. Taylor hauled in nine receptions for 166 yards and one touchdown. Tanner Siems had three receptions for 77 yards and one TD. Tim Blackburn-Kelley caught four passes for 40 yards and added an additional 49 yards rushing on six carries.
Justice Wertz had 22 rushing yards and Taylor totaled 20 yards on the ground as the Spartans hit the 200-yard mark for rushing.
“Our stars continued to shine,” Skinner said. “We came up a little short, but I can’t fault how we played.
“A lot of guys did a lot of good things. They were doing things offensively they hadn’t done before. We made some adjustments and our kids stood toe-to-toe with them.”
Caleb Ochs, a first-year football player as a senior, and Holden Brazelton turned in outstanding performances at Carterville.
“Caleb came in and gave us tremendous pressure as an outside linebacker,” Skinner said. “He was repeatedly creating problems.
“Holden had some tremendous hits and was very impressive.”
For the second week in a row, SJ-O will take the field on Friday (Sept. 29) against an undefeated state-ranked opponent.
Bloomington Central Catholic is 5-0 and ranked fifth in Class 2A. The Saints are coming off a 42-14 win at home over sixth-ranked (Class 3A) Tolono Unity.
BCC and SJ-O are the only two remaining teams unbeaten in Illini Prairie Conference action. The winner will be in the driver’s seat for a conference title.
“They have a tremendous dual-threat quarterback,” Skinner said. “To stop BCC, you have to get the quarterback to the ground.
“On film, they remind us of Carterville, but BCC relies more on the quarterback to run than Carterville did.”
Skinner is pleased that the game will be played at SJ-O’s Dick Duval Field.
“Our home crowds have been tremendous this year,” Skinner said. “Our schedule is built the way it is and every Friday we have to show up and compete.”
