August 10, 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

SJO heading to state in boys track and field

June 17, 2021

June 17, 2021

By Jim Cotter After not having any kind of a season in 2020, the St. Joseph-Ogden boys track and field...

What could district format look like for SJO football?

July 26, 2019

July 26, 2019

This decade has seen plenty of different conference opponents for St. Joseph-Ogden High School’s football team. Playing in three conferences...

Dukeman, Martlage help SJO softball get back to winning streak

April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

Challenging road games await the St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team at the start of this week. But the Spartans...

Sjuts saving the best for last

May 9, 2019

May 9, 2019

Rylee Sjuts is starting her final month as a track athlete for St. Joseph-Ogden High School. If the past is...

Dukeman leads Spartans to victory

April 5, 2019

April 5, 2019

Eight games. Eight wins so far for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team. The Spartans carry an 8-0 mark...

Berry, Bigger help power SJO volleyball to five straight wins

September 26, 2019

September 26, 2019

Heading into Thursday night’s home showdown with St. Thomas More, the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team has won five straight matches....

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...

Ward, Martlage and Immke help SJO softball get back in win column

May 5, 2021

May 5, 2021

A flurry of games is usually the norm for St. Joseph-Ogden softball.But usually, at this juncture in the calendar, the...

Spartans find out postseason draw as weather wreaks havoc with schedule

May 2, 2019

May 2, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team hasn’t played a game in more than a week. That should change on...

SJO softball remains unbeaten

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

A strong offensive showing by the St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team and baseball teams led to wins earlier this...

Taylor reflects on SJO coaching tenure

August 16, 2021

August 16, 2021

Kevin Taylor realized he needed to make a change. But stepping aside from coaching the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’...

Spartan Classic up next after Mattsey, Plotner run well in Peoria

September 27, 2019

September 27, 2019

It’s the only chance for St. Joseph residents to see the St. Joseph-Ogden High School cross-country teams in action in...

SJO to name football field in Duval’s honor

May 26, 2020

May 26, 2020

Like most people who have ever known Dick Duval, Brian Brooks can remember their first-ever meeting. It happened 17 years...

A field of art

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Call it art in progress. The fans at St. Joseph-Ogden High School always take note of the painted field, endzones,...

SJO awaits guidance from IHSA

January 27, 2021

January 27, 2021

St. Joseph-Ogden High School is anticipating getting additional guidance from the IHSA today regarding the start of high school sports...

Comments
Leave a Reply