The atmosphere will have the feel of a playoff game.
It always does. Even if it’s a Week 4 kickoff in the regular season.
The St. Joseph-Ogden and Unity football teams renew their rivalry at 7 p.m. Friday at Dick
Duval Field in St. Joseph in an Illini Prairie Conference game that should have implications on
the league title chase.
SJO (3-0, 3-0 Illini Prairie) is the reigning conference champion and carries a 14-game Illini
Prairie win streak into the matchup. The Spartans easily won 51-16 at Chillicothe IVC last Friday
night that featured an uncanny display of accuracy from senior quarterback Kodey McKinney.
Unity (2-1, 2-1) enters Friday night fresh off sustaining its first loss of the season, with the
Rockets falling 34-27 against Bloomington Central Catholic at Hicks Field in Tolono.
SJO coach Shawn Skinner understands his team will have to be ready for a proven,
experienced Unity team that wants to desperately avoid a two-game losing streak.
“Unity is so talented at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, but it’s their offensive line
and defensive line that set the tone,” Skinner said. “They are huge up front on that offensive line,
and they can just push you around. Defensively, Coleton Langendorf is a game-wrecker, and he
brings such effort every down. Our lines will have their biggest challenge to date, and with them
coming off a tough-luck loss to BCC, they will be even more salty, I’m sure.”
SJO comes into its second home game this season on a positive note. The Spartans never
trailed in their road win against the Grey Ghosts last week, taking a 28-13 lead into halftime and
pulling away in the second half.
McKinney was a main reason why. He completed all 21 of his passes for 257 yards and three
touchdowns.
“Kodey was really locked in,” Skinner said. “His reads on our run-pass-option plays were spot-
on, and he just looked comfortable all night. Even when he got some pressure, you could see his composure, and the stats bare that out.”
Senior Tim Blackburn-Kelley had an impressive night, catching eight passes for 151 yards and
two touchdowns. Junior Kaden Wedig (five catches for 58 yards), junior Brayden Waller (two
catches for 20 yards, one TD) and sophomore Lane McKinney (five catches for 17 yards) also
got in on the record-setting passing performance.
“Our offensive line continues to grow,” Skinner said of a unit headlined by junior left tackle and
Division I recruit Cameron Wagner. “They had a good week of practice, and they are working
hard. The offensive line could be used as a microcosm of our team. We are working hard and
certainly not a finished product. More work and attention to detail is needed from that unit and
across the board.”
Sophomore Logan Umbarger provided a solid complement to Kodey McKinney in the passing
game. He finished with 106 rushing yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns.
“Logan is a kid who’s worked extremely hard in the offseason,” Skinner said. “We’ve seen at the
lower levels he’s a capable runner. He ran hard, and we expect him to keep getting better as he
gets more accustomed to Friday night football.”
The elder McKinney added 49 rushing yards on eight carries and one touchdown.
Defensively, senior linebackers Ryker Lockhart and Logan Rosenthal tied for the team lead with
nine tackles apiece, while Waller, along with seniors Brennan Oleynichak, Hunter Van Meenen
and Matthew Alexander each contributed a sack.
They’ll need the same type of performance and determination facing a Unity offense headlined
by quarterback Dane Eisenmenger, wide receiver Tre Hoggard and running back Crewe
Eckstein that is averaging 36.3 points.
“Ryker stood out at his linebacker spot against IVC as a guy who got to the football repeatedly,”
Skinner said. “Our guys on defense continue to hustle after the ball every play. We need to
shore up our communication throughout the game, but our effort continues to be outstanding.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.