The third-ranked Monticello Sages football team will open the 2021 campaign on the road taking on St. Joe-Ogden in week 1 Illini Prairie Conference High School football action.
Monticello will be once again driven by a high powered offense with playmakers back from last year's pandemic shortened spring season where the development of junior quarterback Joey Sprinkle was nothing short of impressive. Coach Cully Welter gives his seniors high marks for his leadership this summer and looks forward to what he'll be able to accomplish this year.
Last year's defense made the Sages the surprise of the spring season, leading to upsets over state-ranked opponents like Prairie Central, Bloomington Central Catholic and Olympia. Coach Welter says they're going to be relying on an almost entirely new cast and crew.
Tonight's game will be an emotional one for the Spartans as they lost one of the most successful coaches in the history of high school football in Illinois, Coach Dick Duvall. Coach Welter indicates it was always a pleasure to Coach against Duvall but when he came to Monticello to teach after his retirement, he got to know the legendary coach even better.
Tonight's matchup from St. Joe-Ogden kicks at 7 pm and can be heard on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
>>High School Football Week 1 Matchups
Illini Prairie
Prairie Central at Tolono Unity
Monticello at St. Joseph-Ogden
Paxton-Buckley-Loda at Illinois Valley Central
Pontiac at Bloomington Central Catholic
Rantoul at Olympia
8-Man Football
Decatur LSA at South Fork (Sat.)
Milford at Champaign St. Thomas More (Sat.)
Big Twelve
Champaign Centennial at Urbana
Champaign Central at Danville
Normal Community at Bloomington
Peoria at Peoria Richwoods
Central State Eight
Decatur Eisenhower at Springfield Southeast
Normal U-High at Decatur MacArthur
Rochester at Jacksonville
Springfield at Chatham-Glenwood
Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin at Springfield Lanphier
Sangamo
Auburn at Maroa-Forsyth
Non-Conference action tonight:
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at Tri-Valley
Limestone at Mt. Zion
West Central vs. Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland
Carlinville at G.C.M.S. (Sat.)
Cerro Gordo-Bement at Harrisburg
Dunlap at Galesburg
East Peoria at Streator
Effingham at Decatur St. Teresa
El Paso-Gridley at Meridian
Blue Ridge at Kirkland-Hiawatha
LaSalle-Peru at Morton
Dee-Mack vs. Ridgeview
Central A & M at LeRoy
Mt. Vernon at Taylorville
Oakland Tri-County at Heyworth
O'Fallon at Normal West
Pekin at Rock Island
Peoria Manual at Peotone
Peoria Notre Dame at Metamora
Shelbyville at Toledo-Cumberland
Tremont at Sangamon Valley
Tuscola at Arcola
Warrensburg-Latham at Argenta-Oreana
