Two running backs topping 100 yards usually adds up to a good Friday night for a high school football team.
Add in a defense that only yielded one touchdown, and that formula worked to perfection for the still unbeaten St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team.
The Spartans defeated Bloomington Central Catholic 18-7 last Friday night at home to improve to 3-0 on the season and 3-0 in Illini Prairie Conference action. SJO is one of only two undefeated teams in the Illini Prairie, tying with Chillicothe IVC for first place in the 10-team league one-third of the way into the season.
Brayden Weaver and Keaton Nolan played a big part in why SJO will carry a three-game win streak into its 7 p.m. game this Friday at league rival Unity (2-1, 2-1).
Nolan, a sophomore, ran for a game-high 107 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries to spark the SJO offense. Nolan’s 3-yard touchdown run with just a little more than a minute left in the second quarter gave the Spartans a 12-0 lead they carried into halftime.
Weaver, a senior, wasn’t far behind Nolan with 104 rushing yards on 17 carries. His 3-yard touchdown run with 1:56 left in the first quarter put SJO ahead 6-0.
Junior quarterback Crayton Burnett accounted for the other SJO touchdown, scoring on a 6-yard run with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter that extended the Spartans’ lead to 18-0. Burnett finished 6 of 16 for 131 passing yards and one interception, with junior Brady Buss hauling in two receptions for a team-high 83 yards. Freshman Ty Pence contributed two catches for 21 yards, while sophomore Coby Miller (15 yards) and senior Payton Cain (12 yards) each had one reception.
The Spartans’ defense stood tall for the third straight game, limiting BCC (0-3) to only 155 yards of total offense and the Saints scored their lone touchdown with a little more than two minutes left in the game with SJO holding onto a comfortable 18-0 lead.
SJO has outscored its first three foes 76-25 during its second straight 3-0 start. The Spartans will look to get to 4-0 also for the second straight season when they travel to Tolono to take on Unity at Hicks Field. The Rockets have won two games in a row and have not yielded a point in either of those games after losing 21-20 at home to Chillicothe IVC in Week 1. Unity defeated Pontiac 41-0 in Week 2 at home before winning 22-0 at Prairie Central this past Friday night.
You must be logged in to post a comment.