The future is bright for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ basketball program.

There is no other possibility when 100 percent of the junior high schools that feed into SJ-O have qualified for IESA seventh-grade boys’ basketball state championship games, scheduled for Thursday night.

Royal Prairieview Ogden (22-4) is a finalist in Class 1A and will face Lincoln West Broadwell (28-1) in the 7:30 p.m. title game at East Peoria Junior High.

In Class 3A, St. Joseph (21-5) will take on Taylor Ridge Rock Ridge (21-1) at Wenona Fieldcrest, also at 7:30 p.m.

For both SJ-O feeder schools, it is the first time for reaching the seventh-grade state championship game in boys’ basketball. For both schools, it is the second year in a row for advancing to at least the Elite Eight.

St. Joseph has an enrollment of 183 students. Royal Prairieview Ogden’s enrollment is listed at 48 on the IESA web site.

St. Joseph

The Panthers are under the guidance of 10th-year head coach Wes Miller. A change in defensive philosophy helped the current squad achieve its unparalleled success.

“We’ve been strictly man-to-man,” Miller said. “We’ve had to adjust. This is the first time in my career we’ve run any zone.”

Besides utilizing a 1-2-2 zone at times, St. Joseph has used defensive variations, trying both a box-and-one and a triangle-and-two.

James Barron was employed as the chaser in box-and-one at the state quarterfinal and semifinal games.

“Defense is the key,” Miller said. “He held his guy scoreless in the first game and to no points the first half of the second game.”

In the quarterfinals, St. Joseph topped Piasa Southwestern 30-26. Barron also scored a team-high eight points.

St. Joseph trailed 21-20 after three quarters.

In the semifinals, Tanner Siems’ 16-point outburst included three three-point baskets and sparked a 34-32 win over Williamsville.

The Panthers’ starting lineup includes Jude Coursey, Kendrick Johnson and Collin Thomey along with Barron and Siems. Logan Mills and Kyler Swanson are some of the first bench players who are called upon, but Miller said there have been significant contributions from others on the 15-member squad.

Thomey scored 12 points in the semis.

“The kids who aren’t starting do so much that goes unnoticed and helps us prepare for the next opponent,” Miller said. “Without their work and effort (in practice), we wouldn’t be where we are.

“They are truly what got us where we are.”

Miller had a good feeling about this year’s squad from the time practice started in October.

“From the get-go, I was pretty excited about the coachability of the kids,” Miller said. “They are good listeners and a good group to work with.

“We have good size, good shooters and athletic kids.”

The Panthers lost three of their last four regular-season games, but found their mojo for the tournament.

“We scrimmaged our eighth-graders the day before the sectional championship game,” Miller said. “Our seventh-graders were having some success (in the scrimmage), which gave them a confidence boost they were lacking.”

St. Joseph has won all five of its postseason games to eclipse the 20-win mark for the season.

“They are a group that is positive,” Miller said. “If things aren’t going well, they don’t chirp at each other.

“They keep playing. They are a class act. I attribute that to the way they have been raised.”

Other squad members on the seventh-grade tournament roster are Jared Altenbaumer, Hayden Coffey, Jackson Ennis, Owen Knapp, Jefferey Kuchenbrod, Gabe Mata, Carson Sarnecki and Carter Turner.

Not to be overlooked is the presence of volunteer assistant coach Tyler McCune.

“He has been my assistant the last two years and we’ve gone to state two years in a row,” Miller said. “That is not a coincidence.

“I would never have been able to get here without Coach McCune.”

St. Joseph eighth-grade coach Blake Weaver – whose team is playing for a sectional championship – also helps Miller and McCune.

In its history, St. Joseph Junior High has captured four IESA state titles: 2018 in baseball, 2016 in girls’ volleyball and in both 1999 and 1998 in girls’ cross-country.

 Royal Prairieview Ogden

There was no postseason panic from the 10-member squad, which is split evenly between seventh-graders and sixth-graders.

If ever there was a time for a team to lose its collective cool, then it was in a state semifinal game where it trailed by 10 points at halftime and by nine points entering the fourth quarter.

Coach Chase Gilliland said his team kept its composure, even while still trailing in the game’s final minute.

“I told them to stick to what we were doing,” Gilliland said, “and they stuck to it.”

The Mustangs kept chipping away and salvaged a 36-35 triumph over Normal Epiphany.

“They remained calm under pressure. Logan (Lackey) hit a three-pointer with 50 seconds left when we were down by two.”

It was the fourth three-pointer in the game for Lackey, who scored a team-high 15 points.

“To be able to win both games (at state) is surreal,” Gilliland said. “We played well. This is what you hope and dream about, getting to the state championship.

“We’re a small school, but the competition we play in the regular season helps us.”

Among the schools that have beaten Royal Prairieview Ogden are neighboring St. Joseph as well as another Class 3A opponent, Georgetown.

“We have really good kids,” Gilliland said. “That’s where it all starts.

“If you don’t play well together, you’re not going anywhere. We’ve had no issues at all with attitudes or grades.”

Gilliland had a good returning nucleus to start the season. Last year’s state-qualifying team featured sixth-graders Lackey, Coy Taylor and James Huisinga.

They are starters this year as seventh-graders along with Brodie Harms and Kodey McKinney, a sixth-grader.

The team’s calling card is the work they do when the other team has the ball.

“We are a good defensive team that prides itself on being able to stop other teams,” Gilliland said. “We also have some good shooters.”

In the 40-31 state quarterfinal win over Kewanee Visitation, Taylor hit 15 points, Lackey had 11, McKinney had eight and Parker Fitch – a sixth-grader who shares the center position with Harms – scored six.

In the semis, following Lackey’s 15 points were Taylor with 14, Fitch with four and McKinney with three.

Other squad members are Tayton Gerdes, Coy Hayes, Vance McComas and Graham Ray.

“They are all in with the game plan,” Gilliland said. “We have kids who step up when we need them.”

Fourth-year head coach Gilliland is assisted by his brother, James, and high school junior Cade Hausman, who is a former player at the school.

This is the fourth time in the past 11 years that the school’s seventh-grade boys’ basketball team has advanced at least to the state’s Elite Eight.

“This year’s team is different than the others I’ve had in that they are best friends,” Chase Gilliland said.

It’s also different in the opportunity that exists to capture the school’s first state title in any sport.

To date, two teams from Royal Prairieview Ogden have placed second in the IESA state finals: the eighth-grade boys’ basketball team in 2009 and the seventh-grade girls’ volleyball team in 2015.

The post St. Joseph and Prairieview-Ogden prepare for IESA State Championship first appeared on SJO Daily.

A hand-knitted sweater, a hat made by grandma, a scarf that has been handed down through generations.

At some point, wardrobes turned from the handmade to the store-bought. But here, in late 2019, there is a movement of people who want to experience the way yarn feels in needles, the pride of giving a handmade gift, the warmth of an item that fits perfectly.

There is something more happening these days going into winter; people in St. Joseph are finding a space and opportunity to gather to make something, to learn something, to laugh about something and to reconnect with something at The Wheelhouse.

The Wheelhouse started as a place where St. Joseph-Ogden alums Abbie and Ryan Rogiers could fulfill their dream of serving unique farm-to-table food for their family, friends, neighbors and new acquaintances.

But the Rogiers had another vision, too: one they are finally seeing begin to come to fruition.

Soon after opening The Wheelhouse in 2017, the Rogiers were approached by their lifelong friend, Wes Miller.

“Wes had talked about hosting a quiz night for a few years and when Ryan and Abbie opened The Wheelhouse, he talked to them about doing it,” his wife Amanda said.

The Millers, who live in the house that Wes grew up in, spend some of their time between the first Wednesday of each month, coming up with questions, keeping five categories in mind: pop culture, general knowledge, music, in the news and words.

“We have also done theme nights like 90s TV or Oscar-Winning Directors. I’m a huge Seinfeld fan so naturally we’ve done two Seinfeld nights,” Amanda said.

The Rogiers usually supply the prizes, but the Millers have explored the trove of their home to see what they can come up with from time-to-time.

“Wes grew up in our house so it has 40 years of treasures stored away in the attic and basement,” Amanda said. “Once we did an advertising mascots category and we happened to find a 7-Up Spot keychain in the basement that we used as a bonus prize.”

The Millers host Trivia at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month, and Joel and Loren Sanders have started hosting it on the second Wednesday.

“We have some regulars that come, but it’s also fun when people just happen to come in on a Wednesday and join in the fun,” Amanda continued.

The introvert of the group, Amanda said she usually sits at the bar and watches Wes work with the crowd.

“But what I’ve liked most about the experience is how it has brought people together and helped to make The Wheelhouse a place to gather,” she said. “I know that was one of Abbie’s hopes for the restaurant and I like we have contributed to that in a small way.”

Starting earlier this month, Amanda, alongside Jill Lagerstam, is contributing a little bit more to Abbie’s vision. The friends put together an opportunity for people to learn how to knit on Sundays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Jill actually taught Amanda how to knit about eight years ago.

“There were probably six to eight of us at that original lesson and I think I’m the only one that continued knitting after that night,” she said.

“My mom was always crafty and she taught me to cross-stitch growing up. I took on knitting pretty quickly and I find it relaxing. I also love that it makes me feel productive when I’m sitting around watching really bad TV — at least I’m making something.”

Over the years, Amanda has knitted scarves, cowls, blankets, shawls, hats, mittens, socks, ear warmers, hair bows, and a bag to hold her yoga mat.

She has even attempted to teach her three children and her niece. The children did not take to the hobby immediately, but they do have remnants of their projects, which they work on from time-to-time.

Amanda said that although she is not knitting all the time, there is a resurgence among adults.

“Knitting has made a huge comeback and is very trendy right now,” she said.

“I think people like it because it’s relaxing and productive. You feel a great sense of accomplishment when you’ve completed a project.

“It’s also much more accessible than it used to be. There are a million great videos on YouTube that can help you learn a new stitch or fix a mistake. It’s so much easier than trying to learn from a diagram or having to find someone who can show you.”

Through talking about her hobby, Amanda found that there might be a need for one-on-one training in the St. Joseph community.

“When people find out I knit, they often tell me how they’d like to learn. It seemed like there was an interest out there,” she said.

When an inquiry about book and knitting groups came up on the St. Joseph Community Facebook page, Amanda and Jill decided that there was a larger interest than they first thought.

“I texted Jill and Abbie and we started to plan,” Amanda said. “We created a class and provided yarn and needles and committed to hosting knitting sessions every Sunday in October from 3:30-5:30.”

The first group, which met on Oct. 6, grew in numbers last Sunday. Those new to knitting are working on making a basic scarf, while others, who already know how to knit just bring their projects to socialize while they are working. a

“I hope people just enjoy themselves and connect with new people,” Amanda said. “Ideally, they will all become master knitters and love the art, but I don’t think that’s what’s most important.”

In a world that is seemingly disconnected, Amanda said that isolation has led to a very divided society.

“It’s nice to have something to come together around that is very neutral,” she said.

“Experiences like this allow us to get to know each other as people, not by who we support politically or how we feel about hot-button issues. It’s a beautiful respite from the politically charged life we encounter through radio, TV and social media.”

Anyone interested in joining The Wheelhouse Knitting group should contact Amanda Miller on Facebook (Amanda Payton Miller), email amnda86@hotmail.com or visit the group’s Facebook page.

A fee is included for newcomers, and includes knitting needles, yarn, a pattern and instruction.

The post Miller brings love of knitting to The Wheelhouse first appeared on SJO Daily.