Making the playoffs is always a goal for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team.
Having qualified in 27 of the past 28 seasons — and 29 times overall since the playoff system went into effect in 1974 — it’s usually an obtainable objective for the Spartans. SJO finished 5-5 last season and qualified for the Class 3A playoffs, where they lost to eventual state champion Monticello in the first round.
The chance to return to playoffs in 2019 starts in a little more than two months, and the buildup to do so continued on Wednesday afternoon when the Illinois High School Association released all statewide high school football schedules for the upcoming season.
Four playoffs team from last season highlight the nine-game schedule for SJO, with all nine games also counting as Illini Prairie Conference games. The Spartans will play five home games and four road games in 2019.
The Spartans, under the leadership of fourth-year head coach Shawn Skinner, begin the season at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30 when SJO hosts St. Thomas More. STM finished 4-5 last season, with SJO defeating the Sabers 30-9 in Champaign.
The second week of the regular season sees SJO hit the road for the first time when the Spartans play at 7 p.m. on Sept. 6 at Rantoul. SJO defeated the Eagles 21-6 last season in St. Joseph as Rantoul went 2-7 in 2018.
SJO will return home the following Friday night for a 7 p.m. kickoff against Bloomington Central Catholic on Sept. 13. The two programs met last year in Bloomington, with the Spartans winning 42-21. BCC finished 0-9 last season.
Week 4 presents one of SJO’s longest rivals when the Spartans make the trip to Tolono to face Unity in a game slated for a 7 p.m. start on Sept. 20. SJO beat Unity 38-14 last season in St. Joseph, part of Unity’s 3-6 record in 2018.
SJO will be back at home on Sept. 27 when the Spartans host Pontiac in a 7 p.m. kickoff. Pontiac is the first 2018 playoff qualifier that SJO will face this season as the Indians went 9-2 last season and reached the second round of the 4A playoffs.
SJO will travel to Fairbury on the first Friday night of October, taking on Prairie Central at 7 p.m. on Oct. 4. The Hawks, who defeated SJO 34-14 last season, went 7-3 in 2018 and qualified for the 4A playoffs.
SJO is back at home the following Friday when it hosts Chillicothe Illinois Valley Central at 7 p.m. on Oct. 11. SJO lost 19-16 to the Grey Ghosts last season in Chillicothe. Chillicothe IVC went 5-5 in 2018 and qualified for the 4A playoffs.
SJO plays its final home game of the regular season at 7 p.m. on Oct. 18 when Stanford Olympia pays a visit to St. Joseph. SJO defeated Olympia 28-7 last season in Stanford, the final win of the 2018 campaign for SJO.
The Spartans conclude the regular season at 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Monticello, the team that knocked SJO out of the playoffs before winning its first-ever state championship. Monticello, which went 14-0 last season, defeated SJO 50-7 in both the 2018 regular-season finale and in the 3A first-round playoff game between the two schools.
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