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St. Joseph-Ogden Soccer

St. Joseph-Ogden’s soccer team clinched the Illini Prairie Conference championship on Tuesday (Oct. 8) with a 6-2 triumph at Monticello.

The Spartans were led by Logan Mills, who delivered his fourth hat trick of the season. Besides his three goals, Mills had one assist.

Tyler Hess scored twice for SJ-O and Alex Acosta totaled one goal and one assist.

Jaxson Colvin had 10 saves.

The win also enabled SJ-O to tie its school record for wins in a season. The school’s 2012 squad finished with a 19-4-1 record.

SJ-O (19-2-1 overall this season) produced its fifth shutout in the past six matches on Monday (Oct. 7), an 8-0 decision at home against Watseka.

Zach Harper notched four goals, raising his season total to 40.

Mills recorded one goal and three assists. Acosta finished with one goal and one assist.

Hess and Quinn Stahl both hit one goal. Davin Alvarez added one assist.

Colvin ended with 10 assists in that match as well.

SJ-O returns to action at home on Thursday (Oct. 10) in its regular-season finale against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond.

Overall, the Spartans have posted 13 shutouts this season.

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Three Oakwood/Salt Fork athletes earned first-team recognition on the All-Vermilion County boys’ soccer team.

The Comets’ representatives were senior Brody Taflinger, junior Ethan Merritt and junior Jacob Pricer.

One teammate was selected to the All-County honorable mention squad: junior Macen Phillips.

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In separate voting, Oakwood/Salt Fork had three squad members picked for the All-Vermilion Valley Conference first team.

Taflinger and Merritt were selected as was Phillips.

On the All-Conference second team were Pricer and senior Ty Smoot. Also honored was senior Jacob Taflinger, who was an honorable mention choice.

Oakwood/Salt Fork won both the conference title as well as a regional crown while compiling a 17-8-1 overall record.

Merritt had a team-high eight hat tricks and scored a school-record 38 goals for the season. Brody Taflinger totaled 14 goals and 22 assists. Pricer tallied nine goals.

Phillips posted a school-record 29 assists to go with nine goals scored. Smoot had seven goals and six assists.

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The Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team was eliminated from postseason play on Friday (Oct. 20) in the Class 1A sectional semifinals with a 3-1 loss to Bloomington Central Catholic.

BCC hit the lone first-half goal and expanded its lead to 2-0 before Macen Phillips netted the only goal the Comets would score.

Oakwood/Salt Fork goalkeeper Jakob Rupp posted a season-high 12 saves.

BCC held a 25-7 edge on total shots.

The Comets finish the season with a 17-8-1 overall record and a repeat title in the Vermilion Valley Conference.

Six squad members scored at least five goals for the season, led by a school-record season total of 38 by Ethan Merritt.

Other team leaders were Brody Taflinger (14 goals), Phillips (nine goals), Jacob Pricer (nine goals), Ty Smoot (seven goals) and Thomas Wells (six goals).

Merritt totaled a team-best eight hat tricks.

Four Comets registered at least five assists, led by Phillips’ school-record single-season total of 29.

Following him were Taflinger (22 assists), Wells (seven assists) and Smoot (six assists).

Rupp finished the season with 56 saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork shut out 12 opponents and outscored its opponents by a cumulative 103-36 margin.

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Ethan Merritt scored a hat trick and broke the single-season scoring record for the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team on Saturday (Oct. 14) in the semifinals of the Class 1A regional at St. Anne.

Merritt’s three goals in a 7-0 win over St. Anne raised his season totals to 34. Teammate Macen Phillips assisted on two goals and tied the program record for assists in a season, with 27.

Phillips shares a mark which Grant Powell set in 2022.

Other goal-scorers for Oakwood/Salt Fork were Saul Carrillo, Trevor McCall, Ty Smoot and Thomas Wells.

Derek Drews produced two assists. Contributing one assist apiece were Brody Taflinger and Wells.

 Oakwood/Salt Fork held a 19-5 edge in total shots. Comets’ goalkeeper Jakob Rupp had three saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (16-7-1) faces St. Joseph-Ogden (16-7) in the championship match on Tuesday (Oct. 17) at 7 p.m. The Comets won the regular-season match between the programs, 5-1.

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Ethan Merritt’s sixth hat trick of the season enabled him to tie the all-time Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer record for goals in a season (31) on Thursday (Oct. 5) as the Comets blanked Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin at home, 9-0.

The win allowed Oakwood/Salt Fork to capture undisputed possession of the Vermilion Valley Conference crown for the second consecutive year. The Comets were 10-2 in league matches.

Merritt tied the program record for single-season goals, set by Grant Powell, who netted 31 goals in 2022.

Besides Merritt’s three goals, the team received two goals from both Jacob Pricer and Brody Taflinger as well as one apiece from Macen Phillips and Cooper Myers.

Brody Taflinger contributed assists on three goals. Jacon Taflinger had one assist as did teammates Saul Carrillo, Kaden McDaniel and Macen Phillips.

Jakob Rupp had one save.

The Comets held a 29-2 edge in total shot attempts.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (15-7-1 overall) has shut out 11 opponents this season and heads into the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the St. Anne Class 1A regional. The Comets’ opening regional match will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday (Oct. 14) in the semifinals against the winner of a match between eighth-seeded St. Anne and ninth-seeded Iroquois West.

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Ethan Merritt’s first-half hat trick was part of a six-goal explosion before intermission by the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team on Monday (Oct. 2) at home against Unity.

The Comets were victorious, 7-0.

The hat trick was the fifth of the year for Merritt.

Ty Smoot notched two goals for Oakwood/Salt Fork. Finishing with one score apiece were Derek Drews and Jacob Taflinger.

Brody Taflinger was the only Comet with more than one assist. He totaled two.

Teammates with assists were Trevor McCall, Cooper Myers, Macen Phillips and Saul Carrillo.

Oakwood/Salt Fork held a 33-2 edge on total shots attempted.

On Tuesday (Oct. 3), the Comets fell at Fisher, 4-1.

Merritt hit the lone Oakwood/Salt Fork goal.

Each school attempted 13 total shots in the match.

Jakob Rupp ended with three assists.

The Comets (14-7-1) have recorded 10 shutouts this season. The team returns to action on Thursday (Oct. 5) at home against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin when they will try to secure an outright Vermilion Valley Conference championship.

The Thursday match will be the team’s final one of the regular season.

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For the second year in a row, the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team clinched no worse than a tie for first place in the Vermilion Valley Conference on Thursday (Sept. 28) with a 2-1 decision at home over Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

The win improves the Comets’ league mark to 9-2. Both wins over G-RF were by 2-1 margins.

Oakwood/Salt Fork hit both first-half goals, opening the scoring on a goal by Ty Smoot. The eventual winner was netted by Ethan Merritt, with an assist by Brody Taflinger.

The Comets held a 24-2 edge in total shot attempts.

On Saturday (Sept. 30), the Comets recorded their ninth shutout of the season, blanking Judah Christian, 5-0, at home.

Oakwood/Salt Fork led 2-0 at intermission. The first two goals were scored by Merritt with both assists by Macen Phillips.

The Comets’ second-half goals were from Trevor McCall and Cooper Myers with Jacob Taflinger and Thomas Wells notching assists.

Oakwood/Salt Fork held a 26-0 edge in total shots attempted.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (13-6-1 overall) returns to action on Monday (Oct. 2) at Forest Hills Northern.

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