April 13, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

SJO football bows out in first round of playoffs

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team saw its season end this past Saturday with a 54-26 loss at Williamsville in a Class 3A first-round playoff game.

The Spartans (5-5) never led in their season-ending loss, with the undefeated Bullets (10-0) jumping out to a 27-0 lead after the first quarter.

SJO managed its first touchdown in the second quarter on a 6-yard touchdown pass from junior Crayton Burnett to freshman Ty Pence, but Williamsville enjoyed a 33-6 lead at that point.
The Bullets expanded their lead to 47-6 early in the third quarter, putting a running clock in effect for the rest of the game. Pence hauled in another touchdown pass from Burnett, this one from 44 yards out, that trimmed SJO’s deficit to 47-12 midway through the third quarter.

A 15-yard touchdown run by sophomore Keaton Nolan and subsequent two-point conversion run by senior Jarrett Stevenson made it 54-20 with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter and a 5-yard touchdown run by Stevenson with less than three minutes left accounted for the final 54-26 score.

Nolan led SJO with 91 rushing yards on 16 carries, while Stevenson finished with 51 rushing yards on 18 carries. Burnett went 8 of 17 for 111 passing yards, with Pence recording four catches for 86 yards. Senior Jaden Miller (13 yards) and sophomore Coby Miller (12 yards) also hauled in a reception.

Williamsville racked up 446 yards of total offense, with running back Grant Ripperda rushing for 128 yards on 13 carries and three touchdowns. Quarterback Conor McCormick went 8 of 13 passing for 166 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two rushing touchdowns and 79 rushing yards to add to the Bullets’ offensive success.

Banner
Related Posts

Opportunity for growth is outlook SJO boys’ track and field is taking amid pandemic

April 17, 2020

April 17, 2020

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ track and field team had competed in a few indoor meets in February and...

SJO girls’ basketball wins tournament title in Fisher

December 2, 2019

December 2, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team already has a tournament championship to its name this season, but the Spartans are...

Crowe named student athlete of the month

January 30, 2019

January 30, 2019

St. Joseph-Ogden Senior Peyton Crowe loves science. She loves science so much she plans on majoring in it at Parkland...

SJO girls’ basketball wins regional title, sees season end in sectional semifinal defeat

March 5, 2024

March 5, 2024

The beginning of the season didn’t treat the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team well.The Spartans slogged through the first month...

Behrens, Vallee help Spartans continue strong start

February 11, 2021

February 11, 2021

So far, so good for the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team. The Spartans made the short drive to Champaign on...

How sweet it is: SJO volleyball wins sectional title!

November 7, 2019

November 7, 2019

What a moment. What a feeling. And what an opportunity the St. Joseph-Ogden High School volleyball team still has in...

Three relays, three individuals move on to state for SJO boys’ track and field

May 21, 2019

May 21, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ track and field team will have a solid contingent representing the Spartans at the...

Knott, Meyer win conference titles for SJO

May 2, 2019

May 2, 2019

The Illini Prairie Conference track and field meet took place over two days because of inclement weather. But when it...

SJO girls’ basketball to host inaugural Country Financial Shootout on Saturday

December 14, 2023

December 14, 2023

The Christie Clinic Shootout has become an annual staple on the high school basketball calendar in St. Joseph. Same for...

Immke, Martinie help power SJO softball to five-game win streak

April 18, 2022

April 18, 2022

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team is finding its rhythm.And picking up plenty of wins in the process.The Spartans...

Poe named male student-athlete of the month for August

September 20, 2019

September 20, 2019

Photo by Betty Lake Photography Eric Poe is a leader. St. Joseph-Ogden cross country head coach Jason Retz said Poe...

Born to dance: Hess takes passion with her to SIUE

May 30, 2019

May 30, 2019

Kaitlyn Hess has danced nearly all of her life. The recent St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate will continue to do...

Get to know SJO Volleyball player Helene Jones

October 31, 2022

October 31, 2022

What do you think makes the team so successful? Everyone on the team is so close outside of volleyball, so...

Weaver, Miller help SJO football stay unbeaten

September 10, 2019

September 10, 2019

A close game in the fourth quarter ended the way the St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team wanted last Friday...

Haley’s lofty vision with SJO baseball has become reality

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

Josh Haley didn’t do anything elaborate after he achieved a coaching milestone earlier this month. For the St. Joseph-Ogden High...

Comments
Leave a Reply