The postseason is in play for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team.
Now, the Spartans just need to close out the regular season with a win to ensure they reach the playoffs for the 30th time in school history.
SJO made sure it is eligible for the playoffs with a 41-21 home win this past Friday night against Olympia in Illini Prairie Conference action. SJO (5-3, 5-3 Illini Prairie) can reach the elusive six-win mark needed that guarantee teams a spot in the playoffs this Friday night when it travels to face Monticello (5-3, 5-3) at 7 p.m. in the regular-season finale. Five-win teams are eligible for the playoffs, but not ensured a spot in the playoffs.
SJO relied on senior running back Jarrett Stevenson and junior quarterback Crayton Burnett against Olympia to post a season-high point total. Stevenson rushed for 134 yards on 20 carries and three touchdowns, while Burnett went 5 of 7 for 135 passing yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Burnett completed passes to four different receivers, with senior Chance Izard hauling in two receptions for 68 yards. Burnett connected with Izard for a 47-yard touchdown pass with less than three minutes to go in the first quarter to start the scoring for the night, giving SJO a 6-0 lead. Stevenson contributed a 13-yard touchdown run with less than eight minutes left in the second quarter and sophomore Ethan Vanilew converted the first of five extra point attempts to put SJO up 13-0. SJO increased its lead to 20-0 two minutes later on a 6-yard touchdown run by Stevenson, and carried a 20-7 lead into halftime.
SJO quickly added another touchdown early in the third quarter, with Izard catching a 21-yard touchdown pass with 9:35 left in the quarter. Vanilew’s extra point made it 27-7 in favor of SJO.
Stevenson capped off his scoring capabilities on the night with a 15-yard touchdown run with 1:52 remaining in the third quarter to extend SJO’s lead to 34-14. Sophomore Keaton Nolan capped SJO’s scoring spree with a 27-yard touchdown run with 6:10 left in the fourth quarter that helped SJO push its lead to 41-14.
Along with Izard, freshman Ty Pence (38 yards), senior Brayden Weaver (23 yards) and sophomore Coby Miller (6 yards) each recorded one catch. Nolan also chipped in on the ground with 72 rushing yards on 11 carries.
If SJO defeats Monticello on Friday night, the Spartans can rest assured they’ll reach the playoffs. But if SJO can’t knock off the defending Class 3A state champions, they’ll have to wait a bit on Saturday to find out if they’re in the Class 3A playoff field. All 256 playoff qualifiers across all eight classes are slated to be unveiled about 5:15 p.m. on Saturday at the IHSA website before the playoff pairings are unveiled on TV starting at 8 p.m. WCIX will carry the playoff pairings announcement in the area.
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