Unity falls to Stillman Valley

CHAMPAIGN -- The third time wasn't the charm for the Unity Rockets.

Stillman Valley rushed for 463 yards and Unity couldn't stop the Cardinals' offense all day as Stillman Valley won its fourth state championship with a 52-22 win Friday at Memorial Stadium.

Unity (13-1) led early in the first quarter and pulled to within 31-22 on Dylan Sturgeon's 70-yard run on the first play of the third quarter, but it was all Cardinals from there.

Stillman Valley (14-0) followed up Sturgeon's run with a 21-play, 71-yard scoring drive that lasted nearly eight minutes, demoralizing the Rockets.

For more on the game, please pick up next week's County Star.

The News-Gazette recap will be available here, and the IHSA recap is available here.

Remembering Will Tate

Nearly four years ago, Unity eighth grader Will Tate died of leukemia. In 2009, his former classmates are trying to remember his memory on their march toward a state championship.

News-Gazette high school reporter Marcus Jackson had a story in Wednesday's paper about Tate and his classmates, and the story can be found here.

Class 3A state championship prediction

No. 4 Unity (13-0) vs. No. 3 Stillman Valley (13-0)

Last meeting: Stillman Valley def. Unity, 21-6 (Nov. 15, 2003).

CHAMPAIGN — The state championship game is finally here, and you can tell. There's a different feeling of excitement surrounding Unity High School and its five towns this week, and a regular day at UHS seems to be a little more exciting than say, a plain old Wednesday in March.

The Rockets are ready to go, and they want this to be the year. Unity has never won a state championship in any sport, though the Rockets have played in a state championship five times. Unity two seconds in football and volleyball and one in wrestling. The Rockets also have a second in girls' cross county, a third and fourth in volleyball, a fourth in boys' basketball and three trips to the state semifinals (1999, 2003 and 2004) in football.

They've been close enough for long enough, it's time.

Looking ahead at the Xs and Os, I think Friday's game should be a doozy. Stillman Valley has a tremendous defensive team, and while their offense doesn't put up the numbers the Rockets do, they can still score. Everyone I've talked to keeps asking me how Unity's offense matches up against the Stillman Valley defense, which makes me think the Rockets' defense will be the key to the game.

Unity's defense has to hang tough. The Cardinals are going to try and run the ball right at them, and their slight size advantage on the offensive line will be a key. If Unity can come up into the box and keep the Cardinals from the big play, I think their offense will do enough. It's going to be tough, but I think the Rockets are ready.

No. 4 Unity 29, No. 3 Stillman Valley 21.

Bonus Okaw Picks

Tuscola 20, Lexington 7.

Morrison 28, Maroa-Forsyth 16.

Rockets hope to end struggles with Stillman Valley

By LUCAS DEAL

The County Star

TOLONO — This year is the third in 10 seasons the Unity Rockets will meet the Stillman Valley Cardinals in the IHSA state playoffs.

The Rockets are 0-2 against the Cardinals to this point, and are obviously hoping for a change.

It won't be easy.

Stillman Valley comes into Friday's game undefeated and currently riding the momentum of a 21-14 win over defending state champion Illini West last Saturday. The Cardinals raced out to a 14-0 lead early against the explosive Chargers, and were able to make enough stops down the stretch to pick up the victory.

"They were able to pull off the upset, though with the program they have up there they might not even consider that an upset," Unity coach Scott Hamilton said. "They probably felt like they were the favorites in that game."

With the success they've had, the Cardinals feel like they're the favorites in about every game.

Stillman Valley is 116-27 in 11 seasons under coach Mike Lalor, winning three state titles and picking up six 10-win seasons.

The Cardinals have never lost a state championship game, and picked up their wins in 1999, 2000 and 2003.

The 2000 victory was a 35-14 win over the Rockets, as was the Cardinals' 21-6 semifinal win in 2003.

"They do a great job of playing sound and disciplined football," Hamilton said. "I'm sure Coach Lalor will have them ready to play."

The Cardinals will come at Unity with a powerful running game that's totaled 3,913 yards in 2009.

"They have a pair of great fullbacks and some great halfbacks," Hamilton said. "Our defensive line is going to be a little undersized, but we'll need them to really play well for us."

Nate Bond leads the Cardinals in rushing with 1,062 yards, and Adam Cox is second with 967 yards. The Cardinals have four players with more than 450 yards on the ground.

All-State Honorees

Unity seniors Dylan Sturgeon and Dustin Krause were named to the 2009 all-state team, as was St. Joseph-Ogden junior Jake Bock.

Sturgeon leads the News-Gazette area in rushing with 2,278 yards, while Bock was the area leader after the regular season and finished with 1,878 yards.

Krause has started at right tackle and defensive end for the Rockets' this season.

There are short stories on all three players' awards in this week's editions of the County Star and The Leader.

Ferguson bests the family

Last Saturday's semifinal football game at Greenville was a close one for all involved, but especially for Unity junior left tackle Alex Ferguson. A large contingent of Ferguson's family is from and still lives in the Greenville area, and his father Bill graduated from Greenville High School in 1979.

News-Gazette high school reporter Marcus Jackson had a feature on the Ferguson in last Saturday's paper, and text of the story can be found here.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for more news and a prediction for Friday's game.

Unity to hold pep rally Wednesday

TOLONO — Cindy Hughes and the Unity dance team are organizing a pep rally for the football team at 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday at the high school gymnasium.  Please try to arrive by 6:20 p.m. to get seated.  The pep rally will last less than an hour, and the school would love to pack the gym to let the team know that Rocket Nation is behind them. 

The fourth-ranked Rockets (13-0) will play No. 3 Stillman Valley (13-0) in the IHSA Class 3A state championship game at 4 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium. This is the second time this decade the Rockets and Cardinals have met in the state finals. Stillman Valley beat Unity 35-14 in the Rockets' first state championship game appearance in 2000.

More football information:

There will be a Unity Rockets' tent in the tent city at Memorial Stadium (southwest of the Stadium) on Friday. The tent will feature music, cheering and games.  The Rockets are leaving from the high school at 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon if you want to send them off or caravan behind them. When you get to Memorial Stadium, you can't miss tent city on First Street.

 

The team will return to the high school at 7:30 p.m. Friday evening for a Pep Rally. We would love to pack the parking lot/gym for them when they come home!

 

The senior parents also want to thank Rocket Nation for the amazing support this season. You have made it incredible for our boys in their last year as Rockets. Special thanks to all those wonderful people who donate so much time to the football program — too many to mention.

If you'd like a 2009 Unity football video, please contact Karen Sturgeon at mandksturgeon@comcast.net, Bonnie Woolard at woolard@mrktshare.com or pick up a order form at Wednesday's pep rally. Remember, there won't be extra videos when they arrive in March, so if you want a Unity video order today!

BE SURE TO CHECK BACK WITH COUNTYSTARLEADER.BLOGSPOT.COM ALL WEEK FOR ANY AND ALL INFORMATION LEADING UP TO THE ROCKETS' GAME FRIDAY.

Semifinal playoff picks

No. 4 Unity (12-0) at No. 5 Greenville (12-0)

Last meeting:  None on record.

Two wins away. One to the carpet, and one for the trophy. That's how close the Unity Rockets are from winning the school's first state title. The Rockets will try to climb one of those hurdles this Saturday when they take on undefeated Greenville in the semifinals of the Class 3A state playoffs. The Comets are the first team Unity's seen since week six that still has a perfect record, and Greenville's impressive season includes a defense that gives up less than 10 points per game. But the Comets aren't as big or powerful as the Nashville team Unity saw last week, and their speed is something the Rockets have dealt with all season.

I think Unity's going to put their speed up against the Comets' spread Saturday and let the best team win. I expect the game to be close for a while and I know Greenville has an offense capable of scoring, but I doubt they can score enough to keep up with the Rockets. When the dust settles, I think the Rockets are heading home Saturday night one short trip from a state title.

No. 4 Unity 38, No. 5 Greenville 22. 

Bonus pick: No. 1 Illini West 56, No. 3 Stillman Valley 21.

Quarterfinal playoff picks

No. 4 Unity (11-0) at Nashville (7-4)

Last meeting: None on record.

After pasting DuQuoin in the second round last week, the Rockets are rewarded a quarterfinal game against a team with the least amounts of wins in 3A. Nashville opened the season slow and was 3-4 before winning two straight to get into the playoffs, and they've kept their momentum going since with upset wins over Sesser-Valier (9-1) in the first round and Auburn (8-3) last Saturday. The Hornets have been playing playoff games for the last five weeks, so they won't be intimated by the Rockets' sparkling 11-0 record like some other teams would. 

I'm told Nashville has one of the biggest lines around and the Rockets will be pushed by their size and athleticism. They'll need to combat that with speed in an effort to slow down the Hornets' offense. I think they will, and I don't think it will be overwhelmingly difficult. The Rockets are the best team in the south and should be playing in the state championship in two weeks. They know that, I don't think they'll do anything to put themselves in danger of slipping up.

No. 4 Unity 46, Nashville 17.

Round Two Playoff Predictions

St. Joseph-Ogden (8-2) at No. 2 Wilmington (10-0)

Last meeting: Wimington def. St. Joseph-Ogden, 41-6 (Oct. 31, 2008).

This will be the rubber game in the SJ-O vs. Wilmington playoff rivalry, as the two teams have met each of the last two seasons. The Spartans were victorious in 2007 and the Wildcats took home the victory in 2008. This game is expected to be a very competitive one, matching the Spartans' defense against the vaunted Wildcats' offense. The unit that comes up more successful will win the game, plain and simple. The only problem I see in this game is the winner has to play Illini West, and nothing good can come from that.

I think the Spartans will hang with the Wildcats Saturday because they've seen enough of them the past two years. The SJ-O coaching staff knows what they're up against and they'll have the team ready to play. The Spartans should be able to score a little, but they'll need the defense to make some stops to keep them close. I think they will, but in the end the Wildcats and their home-field advantage is just a little more than the Spartans can handle.

No. 2 Wilmington 30, St. Joseph-Ogden 26.

No. 7 DuQuoin (9-1) at No. 4 Unity (10-0)

Last meeting: None on record.

This has the potential to be a great playoff game, but it's somewhat unfortunate it's being played in the second round. Between you and I, I think DuQuoin and Unity are the two best teams in the 3A south bracket, and I think the winner of the game will play in Champaign no matter who they are. Undefeated Greenville could be tough, but I don't see them having the firepower to take down Unity or the Indians.

As important as home-field advantage normally is, I think part of the Rockets' edge will be neutralized due to the Indians' incredible following and fan-base. They'll fill the south stands and then some, and I wouldn't be surprised to see DuQuoin bring more than 1,000 fans. That said, the Rockets will have that many, too, so Saturday afternoon's game will be a raucous affair. When it comes right down to the action on the field, I think the Rockets just score too many points to be stopped. If Unity's defense can keep the Indians from long, back-breaking touchdown drives that kill the clock, they should be fine.

No. 4 Unity 36, No. 7 DuQuoin 22.