TOLONO -- Six photos hang to the left of Scott Hamilton's desk inside his office at Unity Junior High School.

All represent the six Unity football teams he has led to a state championship game appearance, with the Rockets reaching the season's final day in 2000, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2015 and 2021.

A game ball from his 200th win as the Rockets' coach -- a 48-18 win at Rantoul on Oct. 10, 2014 -- sits on a shelf behind his desk, where he's busy making and taking phone calls while working at his computer on Tuesday morning.

The accomplishments Hamilton has achieved in 31 seasons coaching the Rockets are clear to see in the office he's typically at before the sun rises each weekday.

How many more accomplishments Hamilton will add to his Hall of Fame coaching career -- he was part of the 2017 class of inductees by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association -- is unclear, though.

He's still chasing a state championship after six runner-up finishes.

And he sits 13 wins shy of 300 career wins going into Friday night's Illini Prairie Conference showdown at Hicks Field, with the host Rockets (5-3, 5-2) welcoming in state-ranked Monticello (7-1, 6-1).

But Friday night might -- key word might -- be the last time he coaches the Rockets at Hicks Field.

"I don't know. We still haven't decided," Hamilton told The News-Gazette. "There's some plans in place if I don't, and we'll make that decision when it's all said and done. My wife and I will sit down and talk through things. I don't know.

"It's something I've thought about a lot. I don't want to make a decision immediately after the season, but I don't want to wait too long. I don't know if I'll make it before our December school board meeting or make it sometime over Christmas break and then get things moving right after we come back."

Hamilton does know he won't have the same daily routine next school year. That's because he is retiring as the Unity athletic director at the end of the 2024-25 school year, a decision he has already announced.

"In the education field, when you get to your 35 years, you're kind of maxed out the retirement system," said Hamilton, who arrived at Unity in 1994 after starting his teaching and coaching career at Hardin Calhoun. "I've reached that point in my tenure here and with my years at Hardin Calhoun. I think it's a good time to move on and start a new chapter."

Will the chapter in 2025 involve him coaching the Rockets for a 32nd season?

"No idea," Hamilton said. "It'll obviously be different if I am coaching and not being the AD. Rather than stressing out throughout a school day before practice, maybe it's a round of golf and then practice. I don't know."

Hamilton understands his coaching future is a topic of conversation around the football-centric communities of Tolono, Philo, Sidney, Pesotum and Sadorus that make up the Unity school district. Having a 287-73 record with 28 playoff appearances in his tenure illustrates the success he has had with the Rockets.

"I know that some people will say I haven't won a state title or that I'm close to 300 wins," Hamilton said. "Honestly, it would be great to have a state title or six of them, but I don't know when it's all said and done, if that's what's really important. Hopefully, we've done good things for the school and the community. It'll be more about that and the longevity of doing things the right way versus you had 300 wins or six runners-up or six state titles. I'm pretty at peace with everything."

The Unity administration plans to honor Hamilton by recognizing him before Friday night's 7 p.m. kickoff.

"I don't want them to do anything," Hamilton said with a grin, "but they're not leaving that as an option for me."

Hamilton has options to consider in the coming weeks and months.

"We don't start our offseason, one way or another, until we come back from Christmas break," Hamilton said. "If I'm not going to coach, I want to make sure that somebody has the right opportunities to get things going."

But, for this week, he is mainly concerning himself with how to slow down Monticello. The Sages have won seven straight games after a season-opening loss to still undefeated St. Joseph-Ogden, with dual-threat quarterback Ike Young emerging to lead another dynamic Monticello offense. An offense that, even as Hamilton and his Hall of Fame defensive coordinator, Dave Fink, have watched countless film of through the years, has the Rockets' staff spending hours this week trying to put plans in place for the Rockets to succeed on Friday night.

"Coach Fink and I and our defensive guys would like to thank Coach Welter for the hours and hours of scribbling all over paper," Hamilton said with a laugh. "It is good prep for the playoffs. The last thing we wanted was to have four wins going into this game because anything can happen in this game. There's been times where I've thought we were better and they won, and there's been times where I thought they were better than us, and we won. It's just one of those games."

The fact Unity is finding its stride at the right time of the season and carries a three-game win streak into Friday night's game gives Hamilton confidence. The Rockets were dealing with an uncharacteristic 2-3 record after a 20-10 home loss to Bloomington Central Catholic on Sept. 27. The other two losses Unity has are a 24-21 loss at St. Joseph-Ogden on a last-second field goal on Sept. 6 and a 53-52 last-second home loss to undefeated Belleville Althoff on Sept. 20.

"I thought the St. Joe game would be a 50-50 type game, and it was a great game," Hamilton said. "I remember putting on the film for Althoff and I thought, 'Yikes.' It's one of those deals where we have so many people that refuse to play us for whatever the reason. We get frustrated about it, but I'm not going to be a hypocrite. Althoff was open, they needed a game and we needed a game. They were as good as anybody we've ever played."

The Rockets, however, are showing they're a team no opponent wants to see in the Class 3A playoffs. Junior quarterback Dane Eisenmenger has completed 69 percent of his passes for 1,834 yards, 23 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Junior wide receiver Tre Hoggard is his primary option, with Hoggard having 52 receptions for 891 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior running back Garrett Richardson has already topped 1,000 rushing yards, bringing 1,063 yards on 150 carries and 14 touchdowns into Friday night. Junior Coleton Langendorf has a team-high 78 tackles and junior defensive back Brayden Henry has a team-high five interceptions.

All main reasons why Unity will hear its name when the playoff pairings are revealed on Saturday night. With the possibility of a first-round home playoff game if the Rockets can knock off Monticello before Unity enters November aiming to reach a seventh state championship game under Hamilton.

"The important thing is we've got to keep taking steps forward because it's a process of building and getting ready for November," Hamilton said. "Luckily, we're going to get there. I knew there was a point in time where I was wondering that. If this is the last go at it for me, I certainly didn't want it to end in Week 9."