Spartans advance to second round of IHSA playoffs
By FRED KRONER
The film was studied. The game plan was prepared and the players were instructed on the plan of attack for St. Joseph-Ogden’s IHSA Class 3A first-round playoff contest on Saturday (Oct. 28) at Dick Duval Field.
The Spartans will never know if their strategy would work.
Carlinville unveiled offensive looks that hadn’t been shown all season and SJ-O needed to make in-game adjustments.
After a slow start, the Spartans kicked into high gear in the second half and overpowered Carlinville 38-15 to move into the second round of postseason play.
“It took a while, but in the second half, we were able to assert ourselves,” SJ-O coach Shawn Skinner said. “They ran a short-yardage offense, double tight end, double wing and pounded the ball.
“They had been more of a spread team all year, with a 60-40 pass ratio. They knew their best hope was to try and keep our offense off the field.”
In the second half, the Spartans expanded a 10-7 halftime cushion by scoring on their first four possessions to build an insurmountable 38-7 lead before the SJ-O junior varsity team played the final 6 minutes.
“We made two or three adjustments (during the first half), but at halftime, we were able to walk the kids through in detail what we were trying to do,” Skinner said.
The SJ-O defense had its moments in the first half.
“We weren’t giving up points, but we weren’t getting the defense off the field as fast as we would like,” Skinner said.
Carlinville’s opening drive was the perfect example.
The Cavaliers put together 17-play, 64-yard drive that found them at the Spartans’ 1-yard line. The drive consumed more than 9 minutes of the opening period.
The entire SJ-O defense was steadfast on the fourth-and-1 running attempt, and kept Carlinville out of the end zone.
“Our defense responded with that goal-line stand,” Skinner said. “That was a huge thing, they drive and drive, and come up empty.”
The Spartans had better success in their first offensive possession.
“We scored in five or six plays,” Skinner said, referring to the team’s quick 99-yard march.
Logan Smith orchestrated the Spartans’ offensive attack that amassed 452 yards (248 yards rushing and 204 through the air),
He completed 11 of 15 passes – with no interceptions – and tossed TD strikes to Coy Taylor and Tim Blackburn-Kelley.
“In all three phases of the game (offense, defense and special teams), we were outstanding,” Skinner said.
Taylor hauled in eight passes for 149 yards. Blackburn-Kelley had two receptions for 29 yards. Both Taylor and Blackburn-Kelley had one TD catch. Tanner Siems had three catches for 26 yards and each gained the Spartans a first down.
The running attack was again headlined by Justice Wertz, who eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the second week in a row. He ran for a game-high 119 yards on 11 carries, and tallied one TD.
“His vision was good, he ran hard and on the long TD run (of 50 yards), there were a couple of fantastic downfield blocks (by Jackson Ennis and Cam Wagner),” Skinner said.
Smith gained 70 yards on four carries and scored once. Blackburn-Kelley also ran for a TD and generated 54 yards on six carries. Taylor turned his lone run from scrimmage into a 5-yard gain.
SJ-O broke a 7-7 tie with 3 minutes and 20 seconds left in the first half when Joe Frasca booted his fifth field goal of the season – on his fifth attempt of the season.
“Joe has done a great job. The few times our offense has stumbled, he has come through,” Skinner said. “On other teams, he would have had 10 or 15 attempts, but we’re a good offensive team.
“He has come through in big games.
Blackburn-Kelley made sure the three-point lead was intact at halftime. In the waning seconds of the second period, he blocked a 29-yard field goal attempt by the Cavaliers.
While the Spartans’ offense was flourishing in the second half, the defense was stifling.
On two of Carlinville’s first three possessions of the third quarter, the team punted after three plays. On the other play, the Cavaliers managed one first down and then punted three play later.
“The defense was outstanding,” Skinner said.
Sixth-seeded SJ-O (8-2) plays at third-seeded Roxana (10-0) on Saturday (Nov. 4) in a 3 p.m. second-round game. Roxana upended Paris, 50-22, in the first round.
Skinner said Roxana’s record is a reflection of the team’s abilities.
“They are the real deal,” Skinner said. “They are fast and have big kids. Their middle linebacker is as good as anybody we’ve seen.
“It will be a tough task against a good opponent. Every round of the playoffs is tough.”
Roxana is outsourcing its opponents by an average of 46.6 to 12.5 points per game. The team’s closest game to date was a 24-point win over Breese Central (now 8-2) in Week 7, 52-28.
Skinner, however, isn’t willing to trade any of his players.
“I appreciate their effort,” he said. “They play hard every time they cross the line.”
SJ-O’s eight wins this season are the most in one year since the 2015 squad compiled a 12-1 record.
The SJ-O coach is awaiting word on the status of senior linebacker Braxton Waller, who suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter against the Cavaliers.
Waller entered the game as one of six SJ-O players with at least 45 tackles for the season.
Carlinville (6-4) was the 11th-seeded team.
