The Spartans (4-1) rebounded from a shutout loss the previous week to hold Pontiac scoreless on Friday in a 19-0 homecoming triumph in St. Joseph.

Coach Shawn Skinner sees a pattern in the team’s 4-1 season record.

“We are 4-0 in games when we win the turnover battle,” Skinner said.

Against the Indians, the SJ-O defense forced five fumbles and the Spartans recovered four of them.

Jarrett Stevenson rushed for a team-high 52 yards and scored one touchdown.

Crayton Burnett tossed a 62-yard scoring pass to Brady Buss. Overall, Burnett was 7 of 18 for 120 yards. All seven completions were to different receivers.

Jaden Miller gained 26 yards on his catch. Stevenson had a 15-yard reception and Ty Pence caught a pass for 14 yards.

“We were opportunistic with plays on offense,” Skinner said. “We didn’t sustain drives as needed, but hitting on big pass plays and putting some good runs together for a final score late in the game were things we can build on.

“Our defense can keep us in games. Drew Coursey just gets better weekly at outside linebacker.”

The other Spartan score came on a 68-yard punt return by Payton Cain.

SJ-O needs one more win to become playoff-eligible. The Spartans return to action on Friday against Prairie Central (3-2) in Fairbury.

“Prairie Central has done a nice job with their offensive line and they can move people off the ball,” Skinner said. “Their quarterback and fullback pose threats and they are athletic enough to score from anywhere on the field.”

SJ-O Volleyball

Despite double-figure kill totals from two players, SJ-O had its five-match winning streak snapped at home on Thursday by St. Thomas More.

Kennedi Burnett landed 13 kills and Kaitlyn Berry closed with 10 for the Spartans in a 21-25, 25-20, 25-20 setback.

Burnett and Berry each contributed eight digs.

Emily Bigger handed out 32 assists. Lacey Kaiser ended with eight kills, seven digs and two blocks.

The Spartans (15-4) return to action tonight at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley.

After the loss to the Sabers, SJ-O is 1-1 in Illini Prairie Conference action.

SJ-O Boys’ cross-country

In a field of nearly 200 runners, four SJ-O athletes placed among the top 50 on Saturday, helping the team to a third-place finish in the Spartan Classic.

Urbana Uni High (81 points) won team honors, followed by Monticello (90) and SJ-O (132). A total of 26 schools fielded full teams.

The Spartans’ leader was Brandon Mattsey, who ended in eighth after running the 3-mile street course in 15 minutes, 41.28 seconds.

Other SJ-O competitors were Eric Poe (23rd in 16:21.31); Charlie Mabry (28th in 16:38.50); Elijah Mock (29th in 16:41.49); Luke Stegall (47th in 17:02.19); Logan Wolfersberger (79th in 17:42.72) and Lukas Hutcherson (90th in 17:50.34).

SJ-O returns to action on Tuesday, Oct. 8 in the Illini Prairie Conference Meet at Fairbury.

SJ-O Girls’ cross-country

Five Spartans entered the finish chute within 52 seconds of one another on Saturday, helping the school to a third-place finish in the Spartan Classic.

Team-leader Jillian Plotner ran the 3-mile course in 18 minutes, 29.34 seconds and was seventh in a field of 147 competitors.

The next five Spartans packed together well and placed between 17th and 38th and were separated by less than a minute.

Next in line for SJ-O were Hannah Rajlich (17th in 19:03.56); Ava Knap (26th in 19:34.22); Ashlyn Lannert (29th in 19:38.85); Kailyn Ingram (33rd in 19:45.34) and Ally Monk (38th in 19:55.91).

The team’s other competitor was Hope Rajlich (57th in 21:06.35).

SJ-O captured third among 20 full teams in the meet.

Unity (48) was the meet champion, followed by Monticello (63) and the Spartans (106).

SJ-O’s next meet is on Tuesday, Oct. 8 in the Illini Prairie Conference Meet at Fairbury.

SJ-O Golf

Payton Grimsley and Joe Acton were the SJ-O leaders in Tuesday’s Illini Prairie Conference meet at El Paso.

Grimsley fired an 87.

Acton closed at 91.

Other scores for the team were: Riley Myren (93), Jacob Kern (112), Jack Robertson (117) and Maddux Carter (124).

The Spartans’ final team tally was 392. SJ-O ended in seventh place. Meet champion Prairie Central registered a 319.

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Spartan football bounced back from a first-quarter deficit on Friday in its football home-opener and rallied to defeat St. Thomas More, 36-8.

The visiting Sabers led, 8-0, after one quarter, but SJ-O built a 16-8 lead at halftime.

SJ-O needed to make some in-game adjustments.

“We had prepared for the spread offense and they came out in a version of single wing run-oriented offense,” SJ-O coach Shawn Skinner said. “After the first series, our defense just locked them down.

“Defense did a fantastic job of adjusting to the STM offense.”

Jarrett Stevenson sparked the SJ-O comeback. He rushed for a game-high 173 yards on 20 carries and scored four touchdowns.

His TDs were on runs of 4, 17, 10 and 5 yards. Stevenson also ran in the two-point extra-point conversion three times, totaling 30 points in the opener.

Keaton Nolan added 41 yards rushing, helping SJ-O to a total of 263 yards on the ground.

Brayden Weaver scored the other SJ-O touchdown on a 34-yard run.

“Kids played well,” Skinner said. “Offensive line did a nice job of opening up holes for our backs to run through.”

Quarterback Crayton Burnett completed 4 of 7 passes for 29 yards. Brady Buss caught two of the completions.

“Burnett’s numbers weren’t great, partly because our line needs to pass block a lot better, but he did a great job of running the offense,” Skinner said. “His decision-making was really impressive.”

The Spartans return to action on Friday at Rantoul (0-1).

Soccer

SJ-O doubled its season’s total for goals scored, but was edged by Danville, 3-2, on Saturday.

On Thursday, SJ-O dropped a 7-1 decision to Urbana Uni High. Zac Seeley scored the team’s goal.

Goalie Mason Behrens had seven saves.

The Spartans (0-3-1) return to action today at home against Schlarman Academy.

Volleyball

SJ-O (3-1) bounced back from a season-opening loss to end the week with three victories in a four-day span.

The Spartans went on the road Saturday and secured a two-set sweep over Mahomet-Seymour, 25-16, 25-12. SJ-O amassed 26 kills and had just six hitting errors.

Team leaders were Kennedi Burnett (nine kills), Katelyn Berry (six kills) and Stephanie Trame (four kills). Emily Bigger posted 21 assists and five digs. Lacey Kaiser also totaled five digs.

The Spartans handled Bismarck-Henning on Thursday, 25-15, 25-13. Bigger had 22 assists and nine digs. Berry had nine kills. Kaiser had seven digs and six kills. Burnett accumulated nine digs and Rylee Stahl ended with seven digs.

In Wednesday’s 25-8, 25-2 conquest of Georgetown-Ridge Farm, Bigger put up 18 assists, Burnett collected five kills and five digs. Berry chipped in with four kills and three service aces.

SJ-O returns to action on Tuesday at home against Cissna Park.

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Dwight Colvin scored three first-half touchdowns as St. Joseph-Ogden overpowered visiting Unity 38-14 Friday night in an Illini Prairie Conference game.

Colvin rushed for a game-high 191 yards on 22 carries.

SJ-O is 4-0 for the season. Unity is 0-4.

Colvin scored the game’s first three TDs on runs of 2, 5 and 3 yards.

The Spartans led, 25-0, at halftime.

Also scoring TDs for SJ-O were Brayden Weaver, Jack Cook (on a pass from Keanen Swanson) and Sam Wesley (on an interception return).

Aiden Coon added two conversion kicks.

Weaver completed 7 of 14 passes for 37 yards. Cook had 19 receiving yards. Joel Orcutt hauled in two receptions.

Wesley was one of three Spartans with interceptions. Teammates who also picked off passes were Cook and Swanson.

Weaver led the defensive effort with 14 tackles, 10 of which were solos. Kaden Jacobs had nine stops, and one sack.

Head coach Shawn Skinner lauded the play of his defensive brigade.

“Our defense played a huge roll in our victory,” he said. “Up until the third quarter, Unity did not cross our 40-yard line.

“That’s a testimony to the job Coach (Bob) Glazier (31st-year assistant) and the entire defense did.”

SJ-O forced the Rockets into four turnovers.

Besides the interceptions, special teams player Jarrett Stevenson recovered a fumble.

“Brayden Weaver and Kaden Jacobs continued their great play in the middle of that defense and Jack Cook and Keanen Swanson both played very well at the cornerback spots,” Skinner said.

SJ-O plays another 4-0 opponent, Pontiac, at 7 p.m. on Friday in a road game.

“Pontiac will be a true test,” Skinner said. “A hostile environment, as we like to call it, and a long bus trip.

“Two similar teams. We want to establish the run, control thde line of scrimmage and time of possession.”

In some ways, the teams are mirror images.

“They are 4-0 for many of the same reasons we are,” Skinner added. “Solid special teams and really try not to beat themselves.

“They are physical, and tackle as well as any team we see in the conference.”

Oakwood 48, Hoopeston Area/Schlarman Academy/Armstrong-Potomac 21

Colby Smiley, Nick Grubb and Cody Hansbraugh combined for 542 rushing yards as the Comets posted their first football victory of the season in a Friday game played at Hoopeston.

Smiley gained 214 yards while Grubb’s 193-yard effort raised his season rushing total to a team-best 673 yards.

Oakwood returns to action on Friday at home against Iroquois West (0-4).

Soccer

Dawson Rogers broke the Oakwood/Salt Fork record for goals in a match, with six, as the Comets shut out Georgetown-Ridge Farm 7-0 on Thursday.

He had all four first-half goals as the Comets built a 4-0 lead.

Also scoring for Oakwood was Caleb Lashuay. He also had an assist.

Joe Lashuay had two assists while teammates Sam Howie and Ayden Hanson each had one.

Goalkeeper Chris Winkler had five saves.

Volleyball

Oakwood (11-6) won its third consecutive match, 25-23, 22-25, 25-18, over Georgetown-Ridge Farm on Thursday. Oakwood’s McKenzie Doan had 10 kills and nine assists.

Golf

Teammates Ryan Hicks (41) and Logan Hoshauer (43) swept the top two spots as Oakwood topped Danville, 191-214 in a Thursday dual meet at Turtle Run, in Danville.

The post St. Joe handles Unity, Oakwood wins, Rogers breaks single-game goal record first appeared on SJO Daily.