The playoff streak is at six seasons.
Nowhere near close to the record-setting 26 straight seasons with a postseason appearance by
the St. Joseph-Ogden football team from the 1991 through 2016 seasons.
But consistent regular-season success followed by playing games into November is the
standard for the Spartans.
A standard 10th-year coach Shawn Skinner wants to continue this fall. With added incentive,
too.
Despite the six straight seasons of reaching the Class 3A postseason, SJO has failed to get
past the second round of the playoffs in the last decade. A run to the state semifinals in 2015 is
the last time the Spartans were still preparing to play football with Thanksgiving approaching.
“I think collectively as a team, they have embraced the desire to get farther in the playoffs, but
they also understand that they have to do the work to get into the playoffs,” Skinner said. “I don’t
have any problem with how they’ve worked this offseason. They’ve done everything we’ve
asked them to do. Things are right where we want them to be, but I would say as a program,
these guys are very aware that it’s time to advance.”
Last season saw the Spartans win 10 games for the first time since the 2015 season and an
outright Illini Prairie Conference title. But the lasting image of a memorable two-month stretch of
wins was one of defeat, with the Spartans losing 35-7 at rival Unity in the second round of the
Class 3A playoffs.
The 2024 second-round playoff exit was preceded by a 48-47 loss at Roxana in the second
round of the 2023 playoffs and a 60-28 loss at Olympia in the second round of the 2022 playoffs.
The process of reaching the postseason for a seventh straight season begins this Friday night
when the Spartans make the trip to play at Prairie Central in the season opener. Kickoff is set for
7 p.m. at Lewis Field in Fairbury that also doubles as the Illini Prairie opener for both teams.
“All we’re worried about right now is Prairie Central,” Skinner said. “Our season motto is 1-0
because we’re going to be as locked in as we can be with what’s here and what’s right now. Our
attention has been either us as a team or prepping for Prairie Central.”
Friday night’s game is the first of eight Illini Prairie games for SJO, which carries an 11-game
conference win streak into the season. But with the Illini Prairie shifting to a new four-year
scheduling cycle, the opponents the Spartans have become familiar with since the first year of
the Illini Prairie in 2018 will happen at different points of the season this fall.
SJO’s home opener at Dick Duval Field is set for 7 p.m. on Sept. 5 against Paxton-Buckley-
Loda before the Spartans make another lengthy road trip the following Friday to play at
Chillicothe IVC at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12.
A home rematch with Unity is at 7 p.m. on Sept. 19 and then a road game at Rantoul at 7 p.m.
on Sept. 26 follows before SJO starts October with a 7 p.m. home date on Oct. 3 with reigning
3A state runner-up Monticello.
Two straight road games are up next, with SJO traveling to play at Bloomington Central Catholic
at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10 and then a 110-mile trip north to play at Seneca at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17. The
regular-season finale is at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24 against Pontiac at Dick Duval Field.
Seneca, coached by SJO graduate Terry Maxwell, is the only nonconference game this season
for the Spartans. The Irish finished 8-1 last season, one of six playoff teams from a year ago that
SJO will face this year.
“I say it a lot, and I’ll say it again, collectively, I don’t know if there’s a tougher conference in the
state,” Skinner said. “We put a lot of teams in the postseason. Every single week is a legitimate
game you’ve got to be focused on. If you don’t, you will slip up.”
Having a dynamic offense with many returnees helps alleviate some of those concerns about
slipping up.
Senior quarterback Kodey McKinney returns for his second season as the Spartans’ starter after
he completed 161 of 209 passes for 2,351 yards, 29 touchdowns and just five interceptions last
season. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound McKinney also rushed for 374 yards on 76 carries and nine
touchdowns a year ago.
McKinney is one of 16 seniors on the Spartans’ 45-man varsity roster.
“It’s kind of weird,” McKinney said of being a senior. “It just makes you think about how old you
are that we’re almost done with high school. I think we’re all really good leaders and let the
younger players know they can talk to us.”
McKinney won’t have the state’s most productive pass-catcher at his disposal this fall. Coy
Taylor, who set the career IHSA receptions record last season and is the current record-holder
with 259 receptions, is now a freshman playing football at the College of DuPage after he had
83 catches for 1,075 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Gone, too, is Tanner Siems after
he hauled in 31 passes for 553 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns before he graduated from
SJO.
Back, however, is senior Tim Blackburn-Kelley. The 5-10, 170-pound senior is a three-year
contributor and caught 31 passes for 429 yards and six touchdowns last season.
“I’d definitely say I’m ready,” Blackburn-Kelley said. “I don’t want to sound too cocky about it, but
I can’t go out there and play Coy’s game or Tanner’s game. I’ve got to go play my game.”
A player who will generate serious interest every time he steps on the field underneath the
Friday night lights is a guy who didn’t catch a pass last season for SJ-O. Junior left tackle
Cameron Wagner already has 16 Division I offers from the likes of Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio
State, Penn State and a host of other Power 4 programs, and the 6-7, 295-pound Wagner is
entering his third season as a starter.
“One of the things you’ve got to realize is he’s absolutely a unique individual,” Skinner said. “We
also say, ‘Let’s not get bored being good.’ If you can run behind him and you’re going to get 3-4
yards a pop, let’s not overthink it. At the same time, he’s positional flexible, too. He’s not going to
line up at left tackle every play. So stay tuned.”
Wagner and senior center Brennan Oleynichak (5-9, 185) are the two returning starters on the
offensive line. A trio of new starters in junior Willis Canamore (5-10, 190) at left guard,
sophomore Landon May (5-8, 200) at right guard and sophomore Mason Osterbur (6-1, 180) at
right tackle will play alongside Wagner and Oleynichak.
“The reality is there’s going to be growing pains with those guys, but they genuinely love the
sport, and they care about what they’re doing,” Skinner said. “You can see it. They’re getting
better every single day. At the same time, as you look at it, we’re going to have some really good
dudes coming back next year because you only have one senior on the line.”
McKinney will be able to hand off to a returning starter in the backfield in senior running back
Wyatt Wertz. The 5-10, 180-pound senior led the Spartans with 707 rushing yards on 114
carries and 12 touchdowns last season.
“We’re going to acknowledge one of the things we’ve got to do better in November is we’ve got
to run the ball better. Absolutely,” Skinner said. “We’re a wide-open offense and a tempo
offense, but Wertz has done a great job. He’s a fast cat in the open field, but he can also move
the pile. We are absolutely expecting a big season from him. He’s going to be a big part of our
offense, and that running game is hopefully going to be a bigger part than it was the last two
years.”
Along with Blackburn-Kelley, junior Caden Wedig (6-1, 190) returns at wide receiver after
catching 14 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore, while sophomore Lane
McKinney (6-0, 155) could see time at wide receiver, too.
Skinner and the Spartans are also expecting a big year out of senior Ryker Lockhart. The 5-10,
170-pound Lockhart is expected to be the only two-way starter for the Spartans at wide receiver
and at one of their linebacker spots. He didn’t play wide receiver during his junior season, but
finished with 95 tackles last season.
“He started his sophomore year at wide receiver, he started his junior year at linebacker,”
Skinner said, “and this year, we’re going to take them both and blend them together.”
Lockhart is embracing both spots, especially given how successful the Spartans’ offense has
been recently under offensive coordinator Dalton Walsh. The Spartans averaged 38.9 points last
season.
“It’s never boring to watch,” Lockhart said. “When we’re on the field, you never know what’s
going to happen.”
Lockhart returns as one of the leaders of the defense, a unit hit hard by graduation. Senior
Landon Smith (6-1, 195), junior Jameson Ennis (5-10, 170) and senior Will Franklin (5-10, 240)
could see time at defensive end, while senior Matt Alexander (5-10, 260) and sophomore Caleb
Courter (6-1, 290) are options at defensive tackle. Lockhart, senior Coy Hayes (6-0, 180), senior
Logan Rosenthal (5-9, 175), junior Brayden Waller (5-9, 165) and senior Jonathon Moore (6-0,
170) are likely to see the field at linebacker. In the secondary, senior Lucas Smith (5-10, 170),
junior Maddux Musselman (5-8, 145), senior Charlie Hale (6-0, 180) and senior Colton
Overstreet (6-2, 180) are expected to contribute.
On special teams, Smith is set to handle kickoffs and place-kicking duties, while Oleynichak is
the Spartans’ long snapper, Hayes is the holder and either Waller or Lane McKinney will be
SJO’s punter.
Add it all up, and lofty expectations remain for one of the state’s most tradition-rich small school
football programs. Skinner and the Spartans wouldn’t have it any other way as they look to take
SJO not only back to the playoffs, but back to deep postseason experiences that became the
norm.
“One of the things that we’ve talked about as a coaching staff is every year is a different journey
and these are definitely different kids, so we don’t want to minimize the importance of what it
takes to earn the right to get into the postseason, and that’s a big thing,” Skinner said. “We’re
going to play a lot of sophomores this season. But once you get there and get that ticket, we’re
going to have something to really focus on.”
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