SJO football looks to bounce back against Olympia

The playoff mentality will need to start this week for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team.

Why? Because the Spartans carry a two-game losing streak into their final home game of the regular season when they host Olympia at 7 p.m. on Friday.

SJO is coming off a 33-12 home loss this past Friday night to Chillicothe IVC, the only undefeated team still left in the Illini Prairie Conference.
The Grey Ghosts (7-0, 7-0 Illini Prairie) already clinched a playoff berth with a win a little more than two weeks ago. And with two weeks left in the regular season, the only way SJO (4-3, 4-3) ensures it gets a playoff berth is to win its final two games. Teams with five wins are eligible for the playoffs, but not guaranteed a spot in the postseason.

Olympia (3-4, 3-4) already has its most wins since 2015, with the program still clinging to postseason possibilities, something Olympia hasn’t done since reaching the Class 4A playoffs in 2014.

A win by SJO would eliminate Olympia from playoff contention and enhance its own case of making the playoffs. Especially with defending Class 3A state champion Monticello (5-2, 5-2) looming in Week 9, on the road no less in Monticello.

SJO never led in its loss to Chillicothe IVC, falling behind 7-0 late in the first quarter before the Grey Ghosts took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. SJO cut into its deficit, however, on a 32-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Crayton Burnett to junior receiver Brady Buss with less than three minutes left in the second quarter. SJO’s two-point conversion try was no good, keeping Chillicothe IVC’s lead at 14-6.

But the Grey Ghosts expanded their lead to 20-6 right before halftime by scoring with 25 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Chillicothe IVC didn’t let up in the second half, taking a 33-6 lead into the fourth quarter before Burnett hit freshman Ty Pence on a 21-yard touchdown pass with less than five minutes left in the game to account for the 33-12 final score.

Chillicothe IVC outgained SJO 445-216 in terms of total offense. Burnett finished 8 of 16 for 136 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Buss hauled in three receptions for 71 yards to lead the SJO receivers. The SJO run game was bottled up, only managing 80 rushing yards on 26 carries, with senior Jarrett Stevenson (seven carries for 25 yards), senior Brayden Weaver (23 rushing yards on 11 carries) and Burnett (22 rushing yards on three carries) leading the way.