Oregon kept its football season alive with a 3-0 win over Genoa-Kingston. I was going to call it squeaker, but it really wasn’t. Oregon (1-2) dominated and still must be considered in the second echelon of the BNC behind Byron, Dixon and perhaps Lutheran.
Oregon, G-K, North Boone and Stillman Valley are next in the pecking order, with a tight battle for playoff spots.
After the game, the G-K coach said Oregon might be a better team having scratched the spread offense for ground-and-pound. Not sure about that, as opposing teams can now cheat on defense without much of a worry about a passing attack.
The next critical game for Oregon is Oct. 4 against Stillman Valley (1-2). They need that one to keep their playoff hopes alive, as might the Cardinals. Should be an exciting evening at Landers-Loomis that evening and also into the weekend with Autumn on Parade.
Talk about a must win. After getting upset by Galena 19-18, that’s what at stake for Forreston (1-2) at EPC this week, especially with league favorites Du-Pec and Le-Win to close out the season.
The hype machine tried to build up the Byron-Williamsville game, citing a rematch of a state championship game from five years ago. That’s an uninformed approach, as these are two different teams from five years ago.
Like almost everyone else, Williamsville had no business being on the same field with the Tigers.
With the Oregon Hall of Fame ceremonies concluded, a couple thoughts:
It is a ton of work for the athletic department and the committee to put it all together, from soliciting nominations, making selections, arranging a halftime presentation and facilitating a banquet. A truly complex affair, with Forreston and SV probably experiencing the same in their initial year.
After visiting with some of the HOF members that I used to cover, it once again reminded me of how fortunate I am to live in a small rural community. Though I am not kinfolk to them, there remains a shared bond from being the same sporting arena in another place and time.
Here is one difficulty I envision down the line. How do you separate a whole bunch of good athletes from one another?
Can anyone name a great performer from Oregon/Mt. Morris over past 50 years? I can’t, but know a whole bunch of really good ones.
If I had to pick a couple of potential names in my time of covering Oregon athletics, it would be Jeremy Benesh in wrestling and Jordan Thomas in track. Both were among the very elite statewide in their respective sports throughout their career.
But, then I start thinking about other kids and their achievements and more names pop into my head. No doubt, there is a delicate balance to putting together a HOF.
Regarding Stillman Valley’s HOF, I’m putting in a plug for the 1967 undefeated football team, that I just learned about from chatting with former player Mark Wills at the Oregon HOF function. If I heard correctly, no one scored on the Cardinals until the final game of the season and a team reunion is being held in October.
With all the state championship teams at SV, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Additionally, the state champs had a 14-game slate to navigate; the 1967 team from the old Illinois Route 72 conference only played seven games.
Coincidentally, 2024 is the 50th anniversary of the state football playoffs. As a junior in high school at the time, I distinctly remember that first year and how it completely changed the landscape of the sport.
Suddenly, the main focus went from being a conference champ to advancing through the playoffs. Add in the intrigue of playing teams from far and exotic places other than your own league and this became the biggest thing in the history of IHSA, save for adoption of Title IX in girls sports.
Congratulations to junior Tim Starwalt of Byron for finishing seventh out of 607 entrants at the First to Finish cross country meet in Peoria. Nicolai Martino of Winnebago was the individual champ.
How big is the First to Finish event? Counting 1A, 2A and 3A boys and girls, there were 4,649 total runners. Cross country is definitely a sport where everyone gets to compete.
And in golf, Kaden Brown of Forreston continues to put up solid scores and should contend for all-state honors.
Andy Colbert is a longtime Ogle County resident with years of experience covering sports and more for multiple area publications,
