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.
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