Unity football comes home for rivalry meeting with Monticello

Unity, Illinois hosted its annual football rivalry game this year against Monticello on Friday, August 28 at the Unity Rockets' home stadium. The Unity Rockets and Monticello have faced off each year since their Class 3A championship game last season, with the Rockets emerging victorious in both regular season matchups. However, the playoff encounters have been evenly divided.

Senior Hudson Deheart expressed his anticipation for the annual showdown, stating, "We're both going to bring our best game and coming from sophomore year, junior year, so we're one-and-one against each other." Deheart emphasized that this year is crucial in determining the ultimate victor.

Monticello graduate and current head coach Tony Reetz has a deep connection to the rivalry, having grown up in the area and coached for many years. He reflected on the significance of the game, saying, "Win or lose, I think we're going to learn a lot about ourselves this week. I think Monticello would probably say the same thing, you know, because hopefully they look at us as a challenge and something that's going to sharpen their knife."

The game, which WCIA 3 is highlighting as their Spotlight Game of the Week, promises to be an intense contest between two local rivals with a long history of competition.