July 3, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Nolan, Ingram help spark late-season run by SJO football

Beat Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Friday night, and the St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team is in the playoffs.

It’s a far cry from a forgettable start to the season for the Spartans, who are riding a five-game win streak and carry a 5-3 record into their regular-season finale at PBL in Illini Prairie Conference play. The Panthers are also 5-3 and also eligible for the playoffs, but a win on Friday night assures one team of a playoff berth since six victories clinch a spot in the postseason. Five victories only mean teams are eligible for the playoffs.

But the Spartans should feel good about themselves considering how they’ve played in the last month.

SJO continued its winning ways with a 29-6 home win against Rantoul last Friday night. Keaton Nolan had another strong game running the ball, finishing with 175 rushing yards and one touchdown on 24 carries, while Evan Ingram returned at quarterback and picked up right where he left off. Ingram completed 5 of 9 passes for 76 yards and three touchdowns, hitting Griffin Roesch on a 24-yard touchdown pass, Alex Funk on a 10-yard touchdown pass and Coby Miller on a 5-yard touchdown pass. Ramsey Primmer also hauled in a 34-yard reception.

SJO never trailed against the winless Eagles, leading 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, 15-6 at halftime and 21-6 entering the fourth quarter on a rainy and chilly night at Dick Duval Field. Funk and Nolan each finished with a team-high five tackles as the Spartans’ defense collected five tackles for loss.

Prior to the win against Rantoul, SJO had picked up a 34-13 win at Pontiac on Oct. 8, a 33-0 home win against Bloomington Central Catholic on Oct. 1 and a 60-36 win at Olympia on Sept. 24.
The win against Pontiac featured a standout performance from Nolan, who rushed for 231 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, scoring on runs of 2, 65 and 84 yards. As a team, SJO rushed for 387 yards on a night where field conditions weren’t ideal because of heavy rain. Isaiah Moore (85 rushing yards on eight carries) added a 64-yard touchdown run, while Miller (38 rushing yards on five carries) and Funk (33 rushing yards on nine carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run) also chipped in.

Funk completed 1 of 4 passes for 48 yards, connecting with Miller on his lone completion, with SJO’s backup quarterback playing with Ingram sidelined with an injury.

Moore and Owen Birt each compiled seven tackles to pace the defense.

Miller and a stout defense led the way in SJO’s shutout win of Bloomington Central Catholic. Miller rushed for 178 yards on 20 carries, including a 97-yard touchdown run. Ethan Vanilew sparked the defense with a 100-yard interception return for a score that gave SJO a 12-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Justice Wertz (63 rushing yards on two carries, including a 59-yard touchdown run), Ingram (23 rushing yards on three carries, including a 7-yard touchdown run) and Funk (20 rushing yards on three carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run) complemented MIller’s standout performance.
Ingram completed 8 of 17 passes for 63 yards, with Nolan (27 receiving yards on one catch) and Vanilew (three catches for 25 yards) leading the way.

Funk played a strong game defensively, coming up with 10 tackles, while Tyler Burch added seven tackles.

In the win at Olympia, Ingram and Nolan shined offensively, with Ingram completing 14 of 15 passes for 180 yards and five touchdowns. Nolan rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
Ingram completed passes to seven different receivers, with Nolan (55 yards on three catches), Miller (three catches for 20 yards) combining for three receiving touchdowns. Vanilew (two catches for 38 yards, one TD) and Griffin Roesch (two catches for 34 yards) also chipped in. Tyler Burch also hauled in a 26-yard touchdown catch.

Miller (12 tackles) and Funk (10 tackles) led the way on defense.

SJO will find out its playoff fate on Saturday night. The IHSA postseason pairings show is set to start at 8 p.m. and will be televised on WCIX. The Spartans have made the playoffs in three of coach Shawn Skinner’s six seasons in charge — the condensed spring schedule played earlier this year didn’t feature playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic — and are vying for the program’s 31st playoff appearance all-time.

Banner
Related Posts

Burnett living out dream, signs with Illinois

June 3, 2021

June 3, 2021

Throughout the years, the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team has sent multiple players on to the next level. The...

SJO soccer ties Comets, plays Danville close

September 2, 2019

September 2, 2019

Four matches in, the St. Joseph-Ogden High School soccer team is still searching for its first victory. But the Spartans...

Brazelton, Roesch combine on no-hitter as SJO baseball wins its first six games

April 23, 2021

April 23, 2021

The St. Joseph-Ogden baseball team last played in the state tournament in 2017. With the way the Spartans have opened...

SJO baseball on roll as Haley collects 300th career win

April 10, 2019

April 10, 2019

Some convincing wins have ensued recently for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team. And a historic win happened for...

Heritage softball hires new coach

March 8, 2019

March 8, 2019

Greg Immke is no longer the Heritage softball coach. The Heritage Board of Education accepted his resignation at their February...

Public Statement from Dan Vogelsang

December 23, 2019

December 23, 2019

It was with a heavy heart that I submitted my resignation to the Saint Joseph-Ogden High School Board of Education...

Jacob, Cramer and Barnes help SJO girls’ basketball top Prairie Central

January 20, 2020

January 20, 2020

Needing a big win, the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team delivered last Thursday night. The Spartans stopped a...

Armstrong, Cramer help lead SJO girls’ basketball in two wins

February 1, 2020

February 1, 2020

Postseason play is right around the corner for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team. And the Spartans continue...

Cafarelli, Kern help SJO golf start strong

August 31, 2022

August 31, 2022

The sport to begin during the fall season, the St. Joseph-Ogden High School golf team is off to a rousing...

Vallee, Burnett lead SJO volleyball to superb spring

April 9, 2021

April 9, 2021

Playing a flurry of matches in a short amount of time hasn’t hindered the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball program. The Spartans...

5 question Friday with SJO Tennis Coach Kevin Martlage

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

We asked SJO Tennis Coach Kevin Martlage five questions. Here are his answers. What does it mean to you to...

Athlete of the Month… Keegan McCarty

September 3, 2019

September 3, 2019

Every month in season coaches at St. Joseph-Ogden High School nominate athletes to be the student-athlete of the month. A...

Plotner’s positive attitude key to success

April 30, 2019

April 30, 2019

Jillian Plotner is having an amazing track season. The St. Joseph-Ogden junior helped the 3,200 relay team win first place...

Knap, Jones lead balanced SJO girls’ cross-country effort in Monticello

October 24, 2020

October 24, 2020

Consistent running is key for any cross-country team. Not having one runner separate themselves too far from their teammates or...

‘I’m just glad to be playing my final year with my friends’

March 31, 2021

March 31, 2021

Looking forward.  The St. Joseph-Ogden football team is embracing the unique opportunity of playing football in March and April due...

Comments
Leave a Reply