Ohio Preps

He taught them how to play as a team, how to win and more importantly, how to be good kids.

Here's a look at the 2022 SVM Football All-Area Team, as well as the final stats leaderboard.

Amboy co-op football coach Scott Payne led his team to a 10-3 record and second-place finish in the Illinois 8-Man Football Assocation this past season, earning him Sauk Valley Media Coach of the Year honors.

Several leagues recently revealed their all-conference teams for football, volleyball and soccer, and plenty of locals were honored.

The tears flowed as freely as the snow flurries on Friday at April Zorn Memorial Stadium, but the sting for Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio will only be temporary. After the hurt of the 44-36 loss in the I8FA state championship game fades, it will spark a burning desire to return next year.

Using their three-headed monster in the backfield, the West Central Heat rushed for 275 yards and six touchdowns to defeat Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio 44-36 in the Illinois 8-Man Football Association state championship game Friday night at April Dorn Memorial Stadium in Monmouth.

BCR Sports Editor Kevin Hieronymus asked the members of the Amboy co-op from Ohio and LaMoille what the Clippers’ ride to the Illinois 8-Man Football Association State championship Friday night meant to them and their towns. Here are their answers:

If football games are won and lost in the trenches, it’s no wonder the Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio Clippers are playing for an eight-man state championship on Friday night. Strong line play on both sides of the ball has been the key to the Clippers’ stellar season.

With the I8FA state championship on the line, Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio gets a rematch with undefeated West Central this Friday in Monmouth, looking to avenge a Week 9 loss at home.

Ohio and LaMoille have not had their own football teams for decades. Both schools have found a good thing as part of the Amboy Clippers co-op.

An injury to senior starting QB Tucker Lindenmeyer in Week 4 could have derailed Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio's season. But backup Eddie Jones stepped up and filled in admirably, and Lindenmeyer has returned to help lead the Clippers to the eight-man state championship game Friday night.

It’s not an easy thing to watch another team celebrate on your home field, with a state finals berth on the line. Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio team avoided that scenario on Saturday, following a 54-22 rout of Champaign St. Thomas More in the Illinois 8-Man Football Association semifinals.

Sterling visits to-seeded Sycamore in a Class 5A showdown, while Fulton hosts Lena-Winslow and Forreston hosts Dakota in a pair of NUIC quarterfinals in 1A. Polo and Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio both play home games in the Illinois 8-Man Football Association semifinals.

For the second straight season, Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio came from behind to win its Illinois 8-Man Football Association quarterfinal playoff game. This year, the Clippers did it on the road, erasing a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Milford-Cissna Park 30-28 on Saturday.

Sterling visits Chicago Goode in a 5A game Friday, while Forreston hosts Chicago Hope Academy in a 1A game Saturday. Forreston plays at Rockford Lutheran in a 1A game on Saturday, while eight-man teams Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio, Milledgeville and Polo all hit the road Saturday.