Dade Allinger doing what he can to help Spartans

Moving into a new school for your senior year is not something many kids look forward to.

But Dade Allinger, a transfer from Mahomet-Seymour High School, has embraced the opportunity to be at St. Joseph-Ogden High School this year.

“At first, I thought it was going to be tough, but the teachers, the team, the coaching staff has made it a great place to be,” Allinger said.

Allinger was not a stranger to everyone at St. Joseph-Ogden, though. 

Having played basketball with fellow seniors Chance Izard and Payton Cain in AAU, Allinger reached out prior to making the move to see what being a Spartan might be like.

“They said it was a great program, so that made the move official,” he said.

Allinger worked with the Spartans over the summer, going to games and tournaments, weight lifting and conditioning, just like everyone else.

“From the jump, I learned that you come here and you earn what you want, so we push each other every day in practice and that’s what I like about it,” he said.

The Spartans, who are 6-0 in the Illini Prairie Conference after a 57-52 win over Monticello Tuesday, are 16-6 overall. The Spartans also won the Toyota of Danville Classic at the beginning of the season.

Allinger has appeared in seven games and contributed 12 points.

“I just want to help the team as much as I can.”

The Spartans return to action at Pontiac Friday before participating in the Sangamo Conference/Illini Prairie Conference Challenge on Saturday.