For the second game in a row, the St. Joseph-Ogden football team got on the scoreboard early and held an 8-0 first-quarter lead.

Also for the second game in a row, that turned out to be the team’s final point total as SJ-O dropped a 33-8 decision on Friday (Sept. 3) at state-ranked Tolono Unity.

The Rockets held a 13-8 halftime lead and had only expanded the margin to 20-8 until the game’s final 6 minutes.

“We saw our kids take steps in the direction we want to, steps in the right direction,” Spartans’ coach Shawn Skinner said. “Now we simply need to put four quarters together.

“We felt we had about 1 ½ good quarters in the first game, and this week, we put three decent quarters together. Of their first two scores, one came on a big play and on the other, a big pass play set them up.

“In the third quarter, we had some significant plays on the defensive side.”

Coby Miller lifted SJ-O into an early lead, scoring a touchdown and then adding the two-point conversion.

Miller led the Spartans in rushing with 60 yards on 18 carries. Keaton Nolan gained 45 yards on 12 attempts.

Evan Ingram completed 5 of 14 passes for 32 yards. Nolan and Griffin Roesch each had two receptions.

Skinner saw improvement from Week 1 to Week 2.

“Pre-snap, we did things better which allowed our kids to play faster and better,” Skinner said. “From an offensive line standpoint, they did a better job keeping their blocks.

“We gave a challenge to the offensive line and they lived up to it.”

SJ-O’s opening game was played one day after former head coach Dick Duval passed away. The second game was played four days after Jim Cotter – who had a son on the team – passed away.

Senior Austin Cotter not only suited up, but was also a defensive line starter against Tolono Unity.

“In the first game, he played the best football game of his life and earned the opportunity to start,” Skinner said. “What stood out on film was that he did his assignment on every play. He played well throughout (at Unity).”

Another SJ-O standout in Week 2 was punter Tyler Burch, who was called upon seven times.

“He did a fantastic job of punting and flipping the field a couple of times,” Skinner said.

Among Burch’s punts were ones for 50 and 42 yards.

SJ-O (0-2) returns to action on Friday (Sept. 10) at home against Prairie Central.

“It should be a good game to see if we’ve made the strides we think we have,” Skinner said. “The things we do on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday translates into how we play on Friday.

“We’re trying to get all 67 kids in the program to buy into that.”

The post Skinner sees Spartan football take steps in the right direction first appeared on SJO Daily.

fred@mahometnews.com

Twenty eight years.

Three hundred and twenty six games.

Those are some of the numbers in Dick Duval’s football coaching career at St. Joseph-Ogden.

His tenure, which ended with his retirement following the 2015 season, included spending approximately 2,600 days at the football field, whether for games or practices.

If that is put in terms of years, it’s a little more than seven.

Duval, who has been battling pancreatic cancer since April, 2020, is no longer coaching, but his presence at SJ-O will still be felt. And recognized.

Nearly 15 months after the St. Joseph-Ogden Board of Education voted to name the football grounds as Dick Duval Field, the official ceremony took place in front of a packed house on Friday night (Aug. 20) before the current Spartans’ squad conducted a preseason intrasquad scrimmage.

“As good of coach as Dick was, he is a better man and that’s something we all aspire to,” said football assistant Marshall Schacht, who worked on Duval’s staff for 23 years. “It’s appropriate they named the field that way.”

Current SJ-O football coach Shawn Skinner was convinced for years that his former coach would receive this honor.

“It wasn’t a matter of if they would do it, but when,” Skinner said.

***

Dick Duval wasn’t the first choice to be football coach at SJ-O when the search was on in 1988.

“They hired a man from Ohio to be the coach,” recalled a former player who was about to start his sophomore season at SJ-O, Shawn Skinner, “but he quit two weeks before the season.”

Duval was then offered the job, one which started so quickly after his hiring that for weeks he had to commute to the school from his home in the Kankakee area.

St. Joseph-Oden, an eastside Champaign County high school, didn’t have a reputation as a football hotbed at the time. In 14 of the previous 16 seasons leading up to 1988, the football team had a sub-.500 record.

There was one postseason playoff appearance in school history and that was only achieved the year before Duval arrived.

“Coach Duval came in under less-than-ideal circumstances,” Skinner said.

Some assistant coaches, upset with the ouster of the previous coach, chose not to return.

One of the first-year assistants who began working with Duval in August, 1988, was Bob Glazier.

Glazier worked with linebackers and wide receivers.

It’s the same Bob Glazier who, in 2021, is still coaching linebackers and wide receivers at SJ-O in his 34^th – and final – year on staff.

He learned quickly some of the special attributes that Duval brought to the program.

“He was very organized and had a tremendous attention to detail,” Glazier said. “He knew what he wanted to do, and he stuck with it.

“So many times now, guys go for the flavor of the day. People knew (when playing the Spartans) they were going to get a heavy dose of the tailback and play action.”

The transition into one of the state’s premier football programs didn’t happen overnight at SJ-O.

“His first year, for the first game, we had something like six plays (in the playbook),” Glazier said. “We were trying to figure things out and get something started.”

History showed how that worked out.

In the second year that Duval coached at SJ-O, the 1989 Spartans played in the Class 2A state championship game.

As he worked to build the football program, he aimed at something more. Duval wanted to see success across the board for all athletic programs at SJ-O.

“He truly believed you were not just a football player, but you could be a track star or a basketball or baseball player,” Glazier said. “That’s what turned things around for St. Joe.

“Athletes were doing more than one sport.”

Skinner – then a teen-ager who is now in his fifth year as football head coach at his alma mater – picked up on that mindset.

“It was the right time,” Skinner said. “I think kids and parents wanted that kind of leadership and guidance.

“There were not two- and three-sport athletes walking around the halls. He said, ‘If you’re good enough to play football, you should be doing other sports. You’re not just a football player.’”

Duval led by example. For 16 years, he also was the head baseball coach at SJ-O. His first 13 teams had winning records.

“And when the basketball team won state (in 2016), he was so proud because a lot of those kids were football players,” Schacht said.

***

The respect for the job Duval was doing, taking over a football program that Glazier said, “was floundering,” was noticed beyond the school district where he taught mathematics and coached.

In the fall of 1994, Tolono Unity hired a young football coach who found himself in a situation similar to what Duval faced the previous decade when he arrived at SJ-O.

Prior to Scott Hamilton’s coaching stint at Unity, the school had endured sub-.500 seasons in nine of the previous 12 years.

The southside Champaign County school had three playoff appearances on its resume.

“When I came here, it was very easy to tell the respect Dick had from everyone,” Hamilton said. “He was the face of the conference, the guy everyone looked up to.

“There are two ways you can go about things. You can sit and find excuses or you can find out what they are doing to be successful and try to do as many of those things as you can.

“When I started in ’94, it was the veteran against the young guy trying to get things turned around.”

Much like Duval, Hamilton got things rolling almost immediately.

His first Unity team made the playoffs as did the next 23 teams he coached at the school. Hamilton has guided five of his teams into state championship games.

When Unity and SJ-O met on the field, it was a fierce rivalry between neighboring schools.

The two coaches, however, became friends, which is how Hamilton describes their relationship.

“Two really good friends in a heated rivalry,” he said. “Up towards the end of his career, we’d do 7-on-7s and then go to Old Orchard for pizza and sit for hours talking football.

“More important than talking football, we talked about fun things we’ve experienced while working in Central Illinois.”

Hamilton believes the naming of Dick Duval Field was a natural choice.

“He changed the culture in this area when it came to football,” Hamilton said. “He demanded excellence, and he set the bar high.

“He’s probably as deserving as anybody.”

While Duval’s won-loss record was outstanding (251-75), Hamilton believes the recognition reflects more than his football coaching.

“He not only had good teams, but they were disciplined and did things the way you’re supposed to do things,” Hamilton said. “I believe he was rewarded equally for all of those things as much as the 250-plus wins.

“It’s for what he has done for so many people, not just at St. Joe, but for coaches and athletic directors around the area.”

**

For those looking for one word to describe Duval, Skinner offers his selection: “Consistent.”

Not only was Skinner a three-year player for Duval, he was an assistant on his staff the final four years that he coached.

“My oldest son (Shane) was a member of his last team that went to the Final Four (in 2013),” Shawn Skinner said. “The things he was saying before the Bloomington Central Catholic game (in the quarterfinals) and the Unity game (in the semifinals), he said to me as a junior in 1989.

“That’s because those lessons and those concepts don’t go out of style. That’s why he was able to endure. Those things don’t expire. They are universal.

“No matter the school or the sport you’re doing, they are truths.”

Duval helped make the playing experience so enjoyable that his former players want to help the tradition continue.

Among the current staff members for Skinner are former Spartans Nick Bialeschki, Ben Gorman, Dylan Koss and Dalton Walsh.

“We are molded in his philosophies, ideals and beliefs,” Skinner said.

Schacht points the finger directly at one person for the willingness of former players to return as coaches.

“The love and desire to come back is amazing,” Schacht said. “There truly is this family, and it all starts with Dick.

“Without Dick, it doesn’t go that way.”

Bialeschki teaches History at Danville High School and coaches the offensive and defensive lineman at SJ-O.

The 2006 graduate joined the Spartans’ coaching staff in 2012.

“A lot of the reasons I’m doing what I do are because of what he did for me,” Bialeschki said. “I love him more than he knows.”

Duval always had an emphasis on community and it was not a concept he merely gave lip service.

“When I came back (to coach), my wife and I had just started dating,” Bialeschki said. “In the football season, you are always busy.

“He showed me how to work through things as a husband and a father.”

In particular, Duval insisted that family time was of vital importance, even during the season.

“He always respected our family life and included family in his football functions,” Schacht said.

“A lot of programs have a lot of expectations, but there are a lot of sacrifices during the football season. Here, family was a priority. Every coach’s child has sat on Dick’s lap (at staff football functions).

“I don’t know if other coaching staffs have that because I have only coached here, but some of my friends in the coaching profession don’t understand that aspect.”

Schacht was schooled in Champaign and graduated from Central. His first connection to SJ-O was when he was assigned to do his student teaching there in the spring of 1994.

“I was a volunteer assistant in the baseball program for Dick and Bob (Glazier),” Schacht said. “They made me feel like family right away.

“Because of Dick and Bob, I participated in something special, and I haven’t left.”

While Duval’s players learned about football – and life – the assistants felt his teaching guidance as well.

“I became addicted to coaching with him,” Schacht said. “I learned about being a coach. I learned about being a man.

“He became like a second father.”

Schacht especially appreciated Duval’s management style.

“He never over-coached or over-reached into the different positions,” Schacht said.

***

St. Joseph-Ogden enjoyed unparalleled success during Duval’s tenure.

The football team never had a losing record in his 28 years on the sidelines. His teams won more than three-fourths of their games and he directed 25 consecutive teams into the postseason.

He coached teams into state championship games in four different decades. And, he is tied for 14^th on the all-time IHSA list for football coaching wins at one school with 251.

As the success mounted, so did Duval’s image.

Dalton Walsh – a current assistant coach – remembers entering high school in the fall of 2010 knowing that his football head coach was already enshrined in the state Hall of Fame.

“Coming in, I’d heard a lot of people say they were nervous, scared and intimidated (by Duval),” Walsh said. “I had those feelings as a freshman.”

Walsh soon gained a different perspective.

“He cares about his players,” Walsh said. “He pushed me to be a better player and a better person every single day.

“I’ve gotten to know him as a person the past few years and it’s cool to see that side.”

That side has little similarity to the image Walsh had pictured.

“As his kids say, he’s kind of a big teddy bear,” Walsh said. “The most special part for me is to know that side of him.”

Skinner said that Duval’s caring nature wasn’t reserved for those involved in athletics.

“He was easily one of the best teachers I’ve ever been around,” Skinner said. “If the best you could do was a C-plus, then you got a C-plus.

“If you were an A student and had a C-plus – if you were not living up to your potential – he sought you out and wanted to know why.

“He established expectations at the beginning, of doing things the right way. Some things he said in the middle of geometry were the same things he said on the field.”

Though intense on the field, Duval was fun-loving away from the game.

“On the field, he was all business,” Glazier said. “Away from the field, he liked to joke around and have fun.

“If anyone was having a problem, he’d be the first to step up and say, ‘How can I help?’ He’s a good guy who would go out of his way to make you feel welcome.”

Skinner said one lesson that Duval preached has remained with him throughout the decades.

“He taught me if you’re five minutes early, you’re late,” he said. “Get there 15 minutes early and show you’re invested and locked in.

“You know your expectations. Do your job, do what’s right whether it’s in math or on the football field.”

When that path is followed, Duval was confident that the end result would be positive.

“He really made school or life or sports that simple: ‘If you do the basic stuff well, you can’t ask for any more and most of the time, it will work out.’”

Duval remained committed to his players even following their graduations.

“One of the proudest moments in my life was as a senior in college (at MacMurray), he came to watch me play,” Skinner said. “I had one of the best games I had in college.

“He knows how much that meant to me.”

The football field at SJ-O is part of a bigger athletic area that – thanks to the urging of Duval – was named the Glenn Fisher Complex in honor of the school’s long-time janitor who cared for many of the facilities.

Now that Dick Duval Field has been officially christened, it’s up to the players to continue the football legacy.

Among the possible players in the future are three young boys whose grandfather is the person for whom the field has been named.

The post St. Joseph-Ogden names football field after Dick Duval first appeared on SJO Daily.

The tradition continues with the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ cross-country program.

By placing third in Saturday’s Effingham St. Anthony Class 1A Sectional, SJ-O advanced its entire girls’ team to state for the 13th consecutive year and for the 25th time in school history.

They did it by sticking together. The split between the team’s top five runners was 41 seconds. The gap between the second and fifth runners was seven seconds.

“They draw strength from one another on a daily basis,” SJ-O coach Jason Retz said.

In a field of 136 competitors, all seven of the Spartans’ sectional entries finished in the top one-third.  The five scoring runners were all among the top 27.

It didn’t start out that way.

“We got cut off early (starting from an outside position) and after 400 meters, it may have looked like we were out of it,” Retz said.

The schedule prepared the team for that type of challenge.

“No one panicked,” Retz said. “Some of the races we were in this year were big fields, with more than 60 schools.”

The Spartans worked their way back towards the front.

“We kept picking people off,” Retz said.

Senior Jillian Plotner was the team leader, placing 11th overall after completing the 3-mile course in 19 minutes, 33.75 seconds.

The next group of Spartans were closely bunched.

Sophomore Ashlyn Lannert was 23rd in 19:57.69, senior Hannah Rajlich was 24th in 19:58.97, sophomore Ava Knap was 25th in 19:59.21 and sophomore Malorie Sarnecki was 27th in 20:04.79.

“They kept their composure,” Retz said. “That’s one reason we try to race as many big meets as we can. If you get to the back of the field, you work your way back up.”

The other SJ-O sectional runners were sophomore Addie Allen (36th in 20:23.21) and senior Ally Monk (40th in 20:38.27).

In the final runnerspace.com Class 1A state poll, SJ-O’s girls were ranked sixth.

Two of the teams ranked ahead of them were also in front of them at the sectional. Meet champion Monticello (53 points) is ranked first in 1A and sectional runner-up Unity (66 points) is ranked fourth.

SJ-O finished third with 110 points, just in front of St. Thomas More (116 points). Fifth-place Urbana Uni High (132 points) also qualified its team for state, which will be Saturday, Nov. 9, at Detweiler Park, in Peoria.

The girls’ Class 1A race will start at 9 a.m.

Retz believes his team could be part of history while seeking its fifth state trophy in the past five seasons.

“We are on track to have five (runners) under 19 minutes,” he said. “No team has ever lost state with five under 19 minutes.

“This is the fastest team year (state-wide) that I have been a part of in seven years at St.  Joe. It’s a very competitive year.

‘We may do that (five under 19 minutes) and be sixth, seventh or eighth.”

The potential is there for more, however.

“If we move the pack forward, we could be top five and, on a great day, we could be top three,” Retz said. “Anything in the top eight would be a huge accomplishment.”

St. Joseph-Ogden Boys’ cross-country

After a year’s absence, SJ-O’s boys’ cross-country team is headed back to the state meet.

The Spartans, ranked 25th in the final runnerspace.com state poll, took third place in Saturday’s Effingham St. Anthony Class 1A Sectional.

The top five teams secured automatic advancement to state.

“One of the big keys was our preparation,” Spartan coach Jason Retz said. “We were ready for the course and the (wet) conditions.”

Junior Brandon Mattsey was the team-leader, clocking a 3-mile time of 16 minutes, 56.79 seconds. He finished 13th individually.

Senior Eric Poe came in 22nd in 17:16.29.

“Our third through sixth ran as a group and finished within a few seconds of each other,” Retz added.

The split between those four runners was 12 seconds.

Sophomore Charlie Mabry was 36th in 17:40.73, sophomore Elijah Mock was 42nd in 17:50.26, junior Logan Wolfersberger was 48th in 17:52.28 and sophomore Luke Stegall was 50th in 17:53.66.

In all, there were 148 participants at the sectional.

SJ-O’s other entry was junior Lukas Hutcherson (80th in 18:49.14).

With just one senior in the top seven, the program’s future is bright. Part of that future could arrive this week in the state finals at Detweiler Park, in Peoria.

The Class 1A boys’ race will be on Saturday, Nov. 2, starting at 10 a.m.

“At the beginning of the year, I thought we could be in the top 15,” Retz said. “After the last several weeks, I think they could be top 10.

“They put in a good summer and have continued to work hard.”

Last year’s near-miss served as motivation. SJ-O was within five points of advancing its team to state in 2018.

“Last year, four of our seven had never run a high school regional or sectional before,” Retz said.

There were no close calls when the points were tabulated on Saturday.

Meet champion Monticello had 42 points. Runner-up Urbana Uni High had 96. SJ-O came in third with 158 points. The other teams that moved on to state were fourth-place Unity (162 points) and fifth-place Robinson (173 points).

SJ-O teams have qualified for the boys’ state cross-country meet six of the last seven years and 22 times overall.

St. Joseph-Ogden Football

The Spartans gave up four first-quarter touchdowns on Saturday at top-ranked and unbeaten Williamsville and dropped a 54-26 Class 3A first-round decision.

Williamsville (10-0) accumulated 446 total yards, including 280 on the ground.

Crayton Burnett passed for 111 yards and two touchdowns to Ty Pence. The TD strikes were on plays of 3 and 44 yards. Burnett finished the year with 971 passing yards. Pence hauled in a team-best 19 passes and turned four into TDs.

In the season-finale, Pence totaled 86 yards on four catches. Coby Miller hauled in two receptions.

Keaton Nolan (91 yards rushing) and Jarrett Stevenson (51 yards rushing) each scored one touchdown against Williamsville. Stevenson also added a two-point conversion to raise his team-high point total to 70.

Stevenson led the team in rushing for the season with 601 yards. Nolan finished second with 364 yards on the ground.

Against Williamsville, SJ-O managed 141 rushing yards on 42 attempts.

Payton Cain intercepted a Williamsville pass, his team-leading third of the season.

For the second straight year and the third time in the past four years, the Spartans close with a 5-5 season record and a first-round playoff loss.

“Really enjoyed this group of kids and our senior class,” SJ-O coach Shawn Skinner said. “What you want is to watch kids mature into good young men.

“This group gets it. They were a great group to coach all four years and they were just enjoyable to be with. Will miss them, but can’t wait to see how successful they are as they move on.”

SJ-O has a strong underclassmen nucleus returning, including quarterback Burnett, running back Nolan, receiving leaders Pence and Brady Buss as well as members of a junior varsity squad which compiled a 6-2 season record.

“We had a very successful JV campaign, but those athletes are going to need to spend a lot of time in the weight room if we want to get our program past 5-4 and first round of the playoffs that we are currently at,” Skinner added.

The post Tough schedule helps Spartans place at IHSA Sectionals, Skinner appreciative of senior class first appeared on SJO Daily.

St. Joseph-Ogden Volleyball

SJ-O is heading into the postseason with a 16-match winning streak and a school-record-tying 31 victories this season.

The Spartans won all five matches on Saturday to emerge triumphant in the Mount Pulaski Tournament.

SJ-O lost its opening game to Mount Zion, then reeled off wins in 10 consecutive games to claim first place.

For the day, Emily Bigger delivered 97 assists and added 31 digs.

Kennedi Burnett pounded 31 kills, Payton Vallee had 28 kills, Katelyn Berry had 24 kills, Lacey Kaiser had 22 kills and Stephanie Trame added 11 kills.

Rylee Stahl led with five service aces. Burnett, Kaiser and Kenly Taylor chipped in with four aces apiece. Lindsey Aden had three aces.

Other defensive leaders were Stahl with 46 digs, Burnett with 27 digs, Aden with 21 digs and Taylor with 19 digs.

The Spartans’ pool play wins were 20-25, 25-23, 15-12 over Mount Zion, 25-5, 25-17 over Illini Central and 25-18, 25-12 over Olympia.

In the semifinals, SJ-O handled Shelbyville 25-9, 25-14. The championship match brought back a rematch with Mount Zion and SJ-O prevailed, 25-19, 25-15.

On Thursday, Bigger dealt out 29 assists as the Spartans posted a sweep,  25-17, 25-19 at Monticello.

SJ-O finishes in second place in the Illini Prairie Conference season with a 9-1 record. St. Thomas More was 10-0 in league play.

Burnett powered her way for 11 kills and contributed nine digs at Monticello. Stahl added seven digs.

The Spartans are 31-4 overall and return to action on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Oakwood Class 2A regional against an opponent to be determined.

The 30-win season is the school’s third in the past four years. The 31 wins ties a school record set by the 2016 team.

St. Joseph-Ogden Girls’ cross-country

Five St. Joseph-Ogden girls entered the finish chute within 45 seconds of one another on Saturday, helping the Spartans place third at the Tuscola Class 1A regional, securing them a team bid to the sectional.

SJ-O qualified for the Effingham St. Anthony Sectional on Saturday, Nov 2. The girls’ race will start at 10 a.m.

Senior Jillian Plotner was the team leader, clocking a 3-mile time of 19 minutes, 10.71 seconds. She placed ninth.

Four other teammates ended among the top 21 in a field of 74 participants.

Sophomore Ashlyn Lannert was 16th in 19:43.12, sophomore Ava Knap was 19th in 19:48.98, sophomore Malorie Sarnecki was 20th in 19:54.86 and senior Ally Monk was 21st in 19:55.22.

The rest of the Spartans’ regional lineup consisted of sophomore Addie Allen (27th in 20:16.84) and sophomore Kailyn Ingram (30th in 20:43.43).

In the regional team chase, Monticello was first with 37 points, followed by Unity (47 points), SJ-O (85 points) and St. Thomas More (87 points).

At sectional, SJ-O will be seeking its 25th team state berth in the past 31 years. For each of the past 12 years, SJ-O has sent its entire girls’ team to state.

St. Joseph-Ogden Boys’ cross-country

SJ-O’s top five runners registered times within 55 seconds of each other on Saturday in the Tuscola Class 1A Regional, helping the entire team continue its season.

The Spartans took fifth in the regional and will move on to the Effingham St. Anthony Sectional. The boys’ race will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The team’s veterans set the pace at the regional for a youthful group of sophomores who followed.

Junior Brandon Mattsey covered the 3-mile course in 16 minutes, 44.04 seconds and ended in 10th place in a field of 92 runners. Senior Eric Poe was 14th in 17:03.31.

They were followed in succession by four sophomores: Charlie Mabry was 20th in 17:15.06, Elijah Mock was 24th in 17:26.59, Luke Stegall was 29th in 17:39.24 and Braden Clampitt was 35th in 18:02.21.

The team’s other regional competitor was freshman Ethan Blackburn, who was 44th in 18:39.79.

At sectional, SJ-O will be chasing its 22nd team state berth and the sixth in the past seven seasons.

Monticello was the regional champion, totaling 28 points. They Sages were followed in the team race by Urbana Uni High (83), Paxton-Buckley-Loda (95), Unity (95) and SJ-O (97).

St. Joseph-Ogden Football

The Spartans were held scoreless for three quarters on Friday at Monticello and dropped a 35-6 decision to the Sages. Monticello carried a 28-0 lead into the final period.

Despite the loss, the 5-4 Spartans were chosen for the playoffs and a 1 p.m. Saturday first-round Class 3A game at 9-0 Williamsville.

In last week’s Associated Press state poll, Williamsville was ranked as the No. 1 team in Class 3A.

SJ-O coach Shawn Skinner anticipated a matchup like the team drew.

“When you’re 5-4, you understand you’ll get one of the top dogs in the state,” Skinner said. “That’s the bed we made and we’ll lay in it.”

The team’s regular-season finale marked the first entire game without versatile senior standout Brayden Weaver. The 190-pound running back/linebacker suffered a torn ACL, a torn MCL and a torn meniscus in the second quarter of the Week 8 game against Stanford Olympia.

“It’s unfortunate,” Skinner said. “He’s a leader in three sports and he’s a leader in school. He’s a good kid.”

Through eight games, Weaver was the team’s top tackler. His 76 stops were 19 more than any other Spartan. In that same span, he ranked second on the team in rushing, second in scoring and was one of five squad members with at least five pass receptions. Weaver also had one of the team’s four interceptions.

Sophomore Coby Miller filled in at middle linebacker against the Sages and, Skinner said, “had a great second half.”

Miller’s play complemented that of outside linebacker Drew Coursey, whom Skinner said “continues to shine.”

Jarrett Stevenson scored the lone SJ-O touchdown in Week 9, on a 14-yard burst in the game’s last 3 minutes. Stevenson led the team with 67 rushing yards. Miller rushed for 25 yards and Keaton Nolan gained 12 on the ground.

Quarterback Crayton Burnett completed 8 of 21 passes for 51 yards and has thrown for 860 yards during the regular season.  Brady Buss hauled in three pass receptions. Miller caught two passes. Finishing with one catch apiece were Payton Cain, Jaden Miller and Ty Pence.

A freshman, Pence has a team-high 15 receptions for the year.

“There were moments that we did good things, but not moments that were sustainable,” Skinner said. “We were not able to convert on third down.”

Skinner hopes his squad members appreciate what they have achieved.

“This is our 30th time in the playoffs in the last 33 years,” he said. “That means we have a high level of standards.

“In football, you have to earn your way into the postseason and this speaks volumes to what the kids have done. I hope the kids understand this is not something to take lightly.”

The post High Spartan standards take Volleyball, Cross Country and Football into postseason first appeared on SJO Daily.

St. Joseph-Ogden Football

St. Joseph-Ogden moved a step closer to the playoffs on Friday with a 41-21 victory over visiting Olympia.

SJ-O is playoff-eligible after reaching the five-win mark. Olympia (3-5) was officially eliminated from playoff consideration.

Head coach Shawn Skinner considers the Week 8 performance as the Spartans’ best thus far this season.

“Our kids played as complete of a game as we have all year,” Skinner said. “All three phases were instrumental in the victory.”

The special teams unit played a pivotal role.

“The kick-off team did a great job of pinning them deep most of the night and we were able to capitalize on an on-side kick,” Skinner said. “Payton Cain and Jaden Miller were really great as our kickers.”

Jarrett Stevenson scored three touchdowns and Chance Izard turned two Crayton Burnett completions into TD passes as the Spartans scored points in every quarter.

The game’s first points came on a 47-yard pass from Burnett to Izard.

Burnett completed 5 of 7 passes for 135 yards. Stevenson reached the end zone on runs of 13, 6 and 15 yards. He rushed for a team-high 139 yards on 20 attempts.

The last SJ-O touchdown came on a 27-yard run by Keaton Nolan, who gained 69 yards on 11 carries.

Besides Izard’s two receptions, other pass-catchers for the Spartans were Ty Pence, Brayden Weaver and Coby Miller.

“Offensively, we really took advantage of our passing opportunities,” Skinner said, “but they were set up by the fact we established the running game so early.

“The offensive line did a nice job firing out and getting a surge. Chance Izard was really special in his catching and running with the ball in his hands.”

The defense forced Olympia into four turnovers.

“Defensive-wise, I was really impressed with how that unit responded to our challenge to them to get us the football this week,” Skinner said.

SJ-O (5-3) returns to action on Friday at Monticello (5-3) in the Sages’ Senior Night game. The winner will automatically assure themselves of a postseason berth.

“They give you so many looks on offense and they have athletes all over the field,” Skinner said. “With both teams fighting for that sixth win, it should be a really good game.”

One key to victory will be the same as it is most weeks.

“Football is consistent from this standpoint,” Skinner said. “The team that wins the turnover battle and plays clean from a penalty standpoint will be the team that finds victory Friday night.”

St. Joseph-Ogden Girls’ cross-country

The Spartans placed all seven of their varsity runners among the top 33 in Saturday’s 253-runner Peoria Heights Patroit Invitational.

The team’s top five scoring runners all finished the 3-mile course within 46 seconds of one another, helping SJ-O to third place in the 31-team event.

Meet champion Monticello had 31 points. Runner-up Unity had 52 points. SJ-O ended with 70 points.

Jillian Plotner led the Spartans with a ninth-place performance. Her time was 18 minutes, 50.8 seconds.

Following her into the finish chute were teammates Hannah Rajlich (14th in 19:15.1), Ava Knap (18th in 19:23.6), Ashlyn Lannert (19th in 19:25.5), Ally Monk (25th in 19:36.8), Malorie Sarnecki (31st in 19:57.4) and Kailyn Ingram (33rd in 20:04.3).

In the open race, SJ-O also placed third. Unity was the open division winner with 50 points. Elmwood had 53 points and the Spartans’ score was 63 points.

SJ-O had two top-10 runners. Addie Allen was second in 19:40.4 and teammate Hanna Eastin was eighth in 20:31.9.

The school’s other placers were: Kendra Riddle (13th in 20:52.3), Hope Rajlich (19th in 21:20.2), Sidney Davis (31st in 22:55.2), Taryn Sexton (36th in 23:49.0), Teagan Miller (40th in 24:14.9), Mary Hinrichs (43rd in 24:50.3), Kaytlyn Baker (46th in 25:26.9), Izzy Sexton (47th in 25:42.5) and Lili Wentzloff (57th in 30:57.9).

SJ-O returns to action in Saturday’s  Class 1A regional at 10 a.m. at Tuscola.

St. Joseph-Ogden Boys’ cross-country

The Spartans ran fourth as a team in Saturday’s 41-school Peoria Heights Patroit Invitational.

Meet champion Monticello had 55 points. SJ-O accumulated 213 points.

The SJ-O leader was Brandon Mattsey, who placed 15th in 16 minutes, 15.8 seconds.

Teammates in the varsity race were Eric Poe (28th in 16:31.3), Charlie Mabry (61st in 17:11.5), Elijah Mock (62nd in 17:12.7), Luke  Stegall (84th in 17:29.6), Braden Clampitt (115th in 17:50.1) and Logan Wolfersberger (217th in 19:37.2).

In all, there were 326 competitors in the varsity race.

SJ-O didn’t have enough runner to be scored in the open race.

The team’s finisher were Ethan Blackburn (ninth in 18:04.0), Lukas Hutcherson (10th in 18:05.0), Taddy Pettit (49th in 19:28.0) and Joshua Sexton (80th in 21:04.5).

The Spartans return to action in Saturday’s Class 1A Tuscola Regional at 10:45 a.m.

The post Team effort instrumental in win No. 5, Plotner and Mattsey lead Spartan runners first appeared on SJO Daily.

St. Joseph-Ogden Football

For the second week in a row, the Spartans were held to two touchdowns and lost an Illini Prairie Conference decision.

Friday’s setback at home was against unbeaten Chillicothe IVC, 33-12, and leaves SJ-O (4-3) still one win from playoff eligibility.

Brady Buss, who had a team-high 71 receiving yards, pulled down a 34-yard pass from Crayton Burnett for the first Spartan TD, which came after IVC had built a 14-0 lead.

The Spartans were kept out of the end zone until the IVC lead had increased to 33-6. Burnett hooked up with Ty Pence on a 21-yard TD.

Burnett completed 8 of 16 passes for 136 yards.

SJ-O managed just 80 rushing yards in 26 attempts. Jarrett Stevenson led the Spartans with 25 yards on the ground. Brayden Weaver gained 23 yards and Burnett rushed for 22 yards.

Payton Cain had two pass receptions. Weaver and Chance Izard each caught one pass.

IVC held the edge in total yards, 393-216.

SJ-O returns to action on Friday at home against Olympia (3-4).

St. Joseph-Ogden Volleyball

The Spartans’ winning streak reached seven matches on Saturday by virtue of a 25-13, 12-25, 26-24 triumph over visiting IVC.

Two of the Spartans’ last four wins have been decided with 26-24 wins in the third set.

Two Spartans registered double-doubles against IVC.

Kennedi Burnett recorded 15 kills and 11 digs. Emily Bigger had 37 assists and 11 digs.

As a team, SJ-O pounded 45 kills while collecting 58 digs.

Katelyn Berry and Payton Vallee each slammed seven kills.

Jenna Albrecht and Lacey Kaiser contributed six kills each. Bigger added four kills.

Kaiser had nine digs and Albrecht had two blocks. Burnett served two aces. Rylee Stahl chipped in with 12 digs and Kenly Taylor had seven digs.

On Thursday, the Spartans scored a 25-12, 25-16 win at home against Pontiac.

Bigger produced a double-double with 25 assists and 11 digs.

SJ-O also had been big nights from Burnett and Berry. Burnett landed seven kills to go with six digs. Berry totaled nine kills and five digs.

Other major contributors were Stahl (five digs), Albrecht (four kills) and Kaiser (three aces).

SJ-O returns to action on Tuesday at Prairie Central.

St. Joseph-Ogden Soccer

Two days after SJ-O and Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond played to a 1-1 draw in St.  Joseph, the teams met again on Saturday – this time in Arthur – in a first-round Class 1A regional match.

This time, there was a winner.

SJ-O (7-13-4), the No. 9 regional seed, defeated sixth-seeded AL/A-H 2-1.

Zac Seeley scored both goals for SJ-O, the first one coming 22 seconds into the match.

Luke Cohen and Logan Ingram had assists. Hunter Ketchum stopped seven shots.

The Spartans will play in the semifinals at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at St. Thomas More against the host Sabers.

On Thursday, Cohen hooked up with Seeley on a second-half goal and SJ-O fought to a 1-1 draw with visiting AL/A-H.

Ketchum finished with three saves.

In its last seven matches, SJ-O is 4-1-2 and has allowed a total of six goals.

St. Joseph-Ogden Girls’ cross-country

With all seven varsity runners placing among the top 21 in a field of 71 competitors on Saturday, SJ-O took second place in the Prairie Central Hawk Invitational at Fairbury.

Meet champion Eureka had 52 points. The Spartans were next with 58 points.

Hannah Rajlich led SJ-O, completing the 3-mile course in 19 minutes, 4.8 seconds. She was seventh individually.

The team’s next five runners finished within 53 seconds of Rajlich.

She was trailed by Jillian Plotner (10th in 19:21.2), Ashlynn Lannert (12th in 19:22.8), Ally Monk (14th in 19:31.9), Kailyn Ingram (15th in 19:37.8) and Malorie Sarnecki (20th in 19:57.1).

The team’s seventh runner, Addie Allen, finished in 20:04.0 and took 21st overall.

SJ-O won team honors in the open division, edging Urbana Uni High, 32-34.

Two Spartans were the race leaders. Hanna Eastin was the individual winner in 20:00.8 and teammate Kendra Riddle was nexxt at 21:03.6.

Following that duo were Ava Knap (eighth in 22:04.0), Kaytlyn  Baker (ninth in 22:07.5), Sidney Davis (16th in 22:57.8), Taryn Sexton  (18th in 23:25.1), Hope Rajlich (19th in 23:25.4), Teagan Miller (21st in 24:09.7), Mary Hinrichs (28th in 25:37.0), Izzy Sexton (32nd in 26:29.9) and Lili Wentzloff (42nd in 31:08.3).

SJ-O returns to action on Saturday in the Peoria Heights  Patroit Invitational.

St. Joseph-Ogden Boys’ cross-country

SJ-O placed fifth among the 14 schools competing in Saturday’s Prairie Central Hawk Invitational, in Fairbury.

Meet champion Herscher totaled 69 points.SJ-O’s score was 107.

Brandon Mattsey led the Spartans with a sixth-place performance. His 3-mile time was 16 minutes, 10.4 seconds.

Teammate Eric Poe was 14th in 16:46.9.

The next four SJ-O finishers were packed within 29 seconds of one another, led by Luke Stegall (29th in 17:06.8). He was trailed by Elijah Mock (30th in 17:09.1), Charlie Mabry (32nd in 17:16.4) and Logan Wolfersberger (44th in 17:5.0).

Rounding out the varsity lineup was Lukas Hutcherson (60th in 18:07.7).

The Spartans didn’t have enough competitors to be scored as a team in the open race.

Those who ran were Ethan Blackburn (fifth in 18:16.2), Braden Clampitt (sixth in 18:21.3) and Taddy Pettit (18th in 18:59.3). There were 76 runners in the open race.

SJ-O returns to action in Saturday’s Patroit Invitational, hosted by Prairie Central.

The post Spartan Soccer to play in semi-finals, Volleyball on seven-game win streak first appeared on SJO Daily.

Freshman receiver Ty Pence scored his first varsity touchdown on Friday at Fairbury, but it wasn’t enough for the Spartans, who suffered a 33-13 loss to Illini Prairie Conference rival Prairie Central.

Pence hauled in a 3-yard pass from Crayton Burnett for the points that trimmed SJ-O’s deficit to 26-13 in the fourth period.

Burnett passed for 151 yards. Pence had 35 receiving yards.

The rushing attack was led by Jarrett Stevenson (70 yards) and Brayden Weaver (46 yards). Weaver scored the team’s first TD on a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter.

The extra-point conversion by Ethan Vanliew created a 7-7 tie.

SJ-O (4-2) returns to action on Friday, trying to maintain its unbeaten streak at home against conference-leader Chillicothe IVC (6-0). The Spartans need one more win to become playoff-eligible and two more to assure themselves of a spot in the postseason.

There are three games remaining in the regular season.

St. Joseph-Ogden Soccer

For the third time this season, SJ-O played an opponent to a 0-0 tie after regulation.

The Spartans’ match on Saturday at Warrensburg ended in a scoreless draw.

Goalkeeper Hunter Ketchum stopped six shots while posting his second shutout of the week.

“Hunter made some key blocks to keep SJ-O in the game,” Spartans’ coach Dan Vogelsang said.

On Thursday, SJ-O fell to Bloomington Central Catholic 3-1 in Bloomington.

Mason Behrens scored the Spartans goal in the second half. Ketchum had nine saves against the Saints, who led 2-0 at intermission.

SJ-O (4-13-3) returns to action today at Watseka.

The post Spartans look to bounce back for playoff eligibility, Ketchum works hard in goal first appeared on SJO Daily.

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.

The post Spartans rebound for homecoming win, Spartan’s strong at Classic first appeared on SJO Daily.

SJ-O Football

The gains made by St. Joseph-Ogden’s football team Friday night were not enough.

The Spartans’ offense was stymied by Unity’s defense and the Rockets made SJ-O its third successive shutout victim with a 20-0 win for homecoming at Hicks Field.

“Their defensive players are fast to the football,” SJ-O coach Shawn Skinner said.

SJ-O was only able to generate 44 second-half yards on 20 plays.

The game was scoreless until the final 40 seconds of the first half.

Unity gained possession on the SJ-O 29-yard line with 1 minute, 59 seconds left in the second quarter following an 11-yard punt.

The Rockets had no timeouts remaining, but moved quickly, scoring on a 6-yard pass from Nate Reinhart to Nate Drennan with 38 seconds left in the period.

For the Spartans, there was a lot to like from the first two quarters. SJ-O matched Unity on first downs (6-6), had no penalties and no turnovers.

“I like how we played with effort,” Skinner said. “There wasn’t a lot I didn’t like other than the lack of scoring on our part. Everything had gone about as we wanted until that last possession when we gave them good field position.”

SJ-O took the ball to start the third quarter, but had to punt 57 seconds later.

Crayton Burnett sailed a punt 45 yards, but the Rockets completed a 64-yard scoring march thanks to three third-down conversions.

Again, Drennan hauled in a scoring strike from Reinhart, who converted his second extra point.

“They are very good, but we feel that we left some plays on the field,” Skinner said. “We’ll lick our wounds, but we will watch film and learn from this.

“Our guys were not satisfied. I liked the look in their eyes after the game. Our guys were ready to keep playing.”

Overall, SJ-O had 64 yards rushing on 25 carries.

Coby Miller and Keaton Nolan each gained 23 yards. Burnett finished with 15 yards rushing. He also completed 10 of 20 passes, for 66 yards.

Ty Pence hauled in four receptions for 21 yards. Chance Izard had 16 yards on two catches.

Izard’s 12-yard catch in the second half was the Spartans’ only play from scrimmage the last two quarters to generate more than eight yards.

In all, six Spartans had pass receptions.

Unity (3-1) finished with a 262-130 edge in total yards.

SJ-O’s four first-half possessions started on their own 18-, 15-, 3- and 17-yard lines.

The Spartans’ first possession of the third period began on their own 13-yard line.

“We made them have to drive the length of the field and we think it’s tough to do that against our defense,” Unity coach Scott Hamilton said. “Defensively, we’ve got a hungry group.”

SJ-O (3-1) returns to action on Friday in its homecoming game against Pontiac (1-3).

SJ-O Girls’ cross-country

The Spartans finished seventh on Saturday in the freshmen-sophomore division of the Richard Spring Invitational at Detweiler Park, in Peoria,

Leading the way for SJ-O were Kailyn Ingram (52nd in 20 minute, 29.7 seconds for 3 miles), Addie Allen (64th in 20:43.4), Malorie Sarnecki (70th in 20:48.2), Kendra Riddle (136th in 21:45.5) and Sidney Davis (188th in 23:09.8).

There were 278 runners in the freshmen-sophomore race.

Meet champion Elmhurst York had 30 points. SJ-O totaled 190.

In the varsity race, SJ-O had three competitors and was not scored as a team.

Jillian Plotner was 101st in a 454-runner field with a time of 19:15.0.

Trailing her were Hanna Eastin (212th in 20:23.8) and Ally Monk (252nd in 20:50.9).

In the open race, the Spartans ended in 40th place with a score of 1194. Meet champion York had 60 points.

The top SJ-O runners were: Kaytlyn Baker (252nd in 23:35.2), Taryn Sexton (362nd in 24:55.9), Teagan Miller (477th in 26:45.9), Izzy Sexton (533rd in 28:32.0), Mary Hinrichs (554th in 29:56.2) and Lili Wentzloff (579th in 34:53.2).

SJ-O returns to action on Saturday when it hosts the Spartan Classic.

SJ-O Boys’ cross-country

Brandon Mattsey and Eric Poe placed among the top half on Saturday in the varsity division of the Richard Spring Classic at Detweiler Park, in Peoria.

Mattsey ran the 3-mile course in 16 minutes, 42.7 seconds and took 188th in a field of 446 competitors. Poe was 198th in 16:46.1.

Other Spartan placers were Logan Wolfersberger (340th in 17:56.0), Lukas Hutcherson (358th in 18:05.9), Taddy Pettit (409th in 19:26.9) and Joshua Sexton (439th in 22:3.1).

In the team standings, SJ-O was 54th with a score of 1426. Meet champion St. Charles East had a score of 57.

SJ-O captured 27th in the 53-school freshmen-sophomore team chase with a score of 777. Meet champion Deerfield had a score of 88.

The Spartans’ leaders were Charlie Mabry (84th in 17:09.8), Elijah Mock (86th in 17:10.3), Luke Stegall (167th in 17:59.1), Braden Clampitt (200th in 18:17.6), Ethan Blackburn (247th in 18:55.3) and Zach Dahman (331st in 21:17.1).

SJ-O did not have any participants in the open race.

The Spartans return to action on Saturday when they host their own Spartan Classic.

SJ-O Golf

Medalist Payton Grimsley carded a 36 to lead the Spartans past Okaw Valley in a three-school meet on Thursday at Tri-City Country Cub. The Spartans carded a team composite of 170 and earned a team win by 23 strokes.

Following Grimsley were teammates Joe Acton (40), Riley Myren (44), Maddux Carter (50), Jack Robertson (52), Jacob Kern (54) and McGuire Atwood (55).

SJ-O returns to action on Tuesday at the Illini Prairie Conference meet in El Paso.

SJ-O Soccer

For the third match in a row, SJ-O was held scoreless on Thursday and dropped a 7-0 Illini Prairie Conference decision to St. Thomas More in Champaign.

SJ-O rebounded on Saturday with a 3-3 draw against Chillicothe IVC.

Freshman Emily Eisbernd scored the first goal for the Spartans, giving the team a 1-0 lead at halftime.

She was assisted by Luke Cohen, who hit a second-half goal as did teammate Garrett Siems.

Siems also had one assist.

The Spartans (2-9-2) return to action on Tuesday at Rantoul.

The post Grimsley leads Spartans past Oakhaw Valley, SJ-O Running at Richard Spring Invitational first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Spartans had two players eclipse the 100-yard mark in rushing on Friday and continued their unbeaten start to the season with an 18-7 conquest of visiting Bloomington Central Catholic.

One highlight for SJ-O was the play of the defense, which head coach Shawn Skinner said was “outstanding.”

He continued: “I thought our DBs were solid all night. Drew Coursey was a factor at outside linebacker getting pressure on their quarterback and setting an edge to stop their outside runs.”

The SJ-O defense limited the Saints to 48 yards rushing on 22 attempts.

Keaton Nolan ran for a game-high 107 yards and Brayden Weaver gained 104 to lead SJ-O, which registered 339 yards of total offense.

Weaver’s first-quarter touchdown accounted for the only scoring until Nolan reached the end zone in the final 90 seconds of the first half.

Crayon Burnett, who completed 6 of 16 passes for 131 yards, added the final TD in the fourth quarter.

Brady Buss caught two passes from Burnett and turned them into gains of 83 yards. Other teammates with receptions were Ty Pence (two), Payton Cain (one) and Coby Miller (one).

“The offense took some strides in throwing the ball,” Skinner said, “but we left some plays on the field.

“Obviously, when you get two backs who run for over 100 yards, it’s a credit to your offensive line and the ability to get those backs free.”

The Spartans (3-0) return to action on Friday at Unity (2-1).

“We need to keep getting better,” Skinner said. “It’s really that simple.

“If we continue to play with effort and come to practice focused, and continue to play better, that’s all we can ask as coaches.”

SJ-O Boys’ cross-country

Brandon Mattsey placed 56th for SJ-O on Saturday in the 505-runner Class 2A division of the First to Finish race at Detweiler Park in Peoria.

Mattsey’s 3-mile time was 16 minutes, 30.2 seconds.

SJ-O had a team score of 702 and ended in 24th place. There was a total of 59 full teams. Meet champion Kaneland had a score of 71 points.

Other leaders for the Spartans were Eric Poe (120th in 17:05.5), Elijah Mock (146th in 17:22), Luke Stegall (182nd in 17:34.3), Charlie Mabry (220th in 17:54.1), Logan Wolfersberger (293rd in 18:27.5), Lukas Hutcherson (298th in 18:28.6), Braden Clampitt (327th in 18:43.8) and Ethan Blackburn (353rd in 18:59.9).

In a separate open race, SJ-O’s Tad Pettit was 363th in 19:56.5.

SJ-O returns to action on Tuesday against Monticello at Kickapoo State Park.

SJ-O Girls’ cross-country

SJ-O placed ninth in the 47-school First to Finish Class 2A race on Saturday at Detweiler Park, in Peoria.

The first five Spartans placed among the top 100 in a field of 412 competitors.

Hannah Rajlich was the team-leader, completing the 3-mile course in 19 minutes, 48.5 seconds. She was 45th.

Teammates following her were Ava Knap (59th in 20:00.9), Ashlyn Lannert (80th in 20:18.6), Ally Monk (83rd in 20:20.9) and Kailyn Ingram (97th in 20:32.2).

SJ-O compiled a team score of 364 points. Meet champion Vernon Hills had a score of 87.

Other Spartan times were Hope Rajlich (141st in 21:21.4), Hanna Eastin (149th in 21:29.6), Addie Allen (160th in 21:37.6), Kendra Riddle (170th in 21:43.6) and Malorie Sarnecki (220th in 22:17.5).

There was a separate girls’ 3-mile open race for runners who did not participate in any other race.

A total of 817 runners finished the open race.

SJ-O’s leaders were Sidney Davis (404th in 24:47.8), Kaytlyn Baker (477th in 25:45.2), Taryn Sexton (490th in 25:53.4), Mary Hinrichs (634th in 28:07.4), Izzy Sexton (691st in 28:35.0), Teagan Miller (707th in 29:09.2) and Lili Wentzloff (804th in 35:45.3).

Of the 52 full teams that competed in the open race, SJ-O was 41st with 1,232 points.

The Spartans will return to action Tuesday against Monticello at Kickapoo State Park.

SJ-O Soccer

In a match which was officially scoreless, the SJ-O soccer squad earned a victory on Friday over Oakwood/Salt Fork in the Hoopeston Area Cornjerker Classic.

The teams were tied 0-0 after regulation before the Spartans prevailed on penalty kicks 3-2.

When the schools played to open the season, that match also ended in a 0-0 deadlock.

SJ-O (2-7-1) lost its other two matches in the tournament, falling to eventual third-place finisher Iroquois West 6-1 and to eventual champion Monticello 5-0.

The Spartans return to action at home on Tuesday against Monticello, which is 8-0-1 for the season.

SJ-O Volleyball

All-tournament pick Kennedi Burnett paced SJ-O to four two-set sweeps before the Spartans lost in Saturday’s championship match of the Bulldog Invitational to the host Mahomet-Seymour squad.

The Spartans (10-3) opened with pool play victories over the St. Teresa JV team 25-10, 25-5, Springfield Southeast 25-10, 25-6 and Peotone 25-11, 25-12.

In the semifinals, SJ-O upended Manteno 25-15, 25-18.

In the finals, against an M-S team the Spartans had beaten earlier in the season, the Bulldogs prevailed 25-9, 25-22.

For the five tournament matches, Burnett swatted 31 kills and contributed 35 digs. Emily Bigger had 99 assists as well as 28 digs and seven service aces.

Other Spartan leaders were Katelyn Berry with 30 kills and 33 digs, Rylee Stahl with 28 digs and Payton Vallee with 18 kills.

SJ-O returns to action tonight at home against Hoopeston Area.

The post SJ-O football remains unbeaten, Soccer places third at Cornjerker Classic, Volleyball second at Bulldog Invite first appeared on SJO Daily.