By Fred Kroner
St. Joseph-Ogden’s top-ranked Class 1A boys’ cross-country team (according to milesplit.com) ran to team honors on Saturday (Oct. 16) in the 39-school Peoria Heights Invitational at Detweiller Park.
All six SJ-O runners finished among the top 40 in a race with 297 competitors.
The top five scoring runners entered the finish chute within 52.8 seconds of one another.
Seniors Charlie Mabry and Luke Stegall set the pace for the team. Mabry ended in ninth place with a 3-mile time of 15 minutes, 55.4 seconds.
Stegall was a step behind, in 10th place in 15:56.0.
The remaining Spartans were: junior Payton Wendell (16th in 16:14.1), senior Elijah Mock (22nd in 16:36.2), junior Ethan Blackburn (28th in 16:48.2) and sophomore Aden Armstrong (39th in 17:05.2).
SJ-O’s winning team score was 80 points. Runner-up Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond had 101 points. They were followed by Port Byron Riverdale (132 points) and Monticello (162 points).
In an 80-runner open race, SJ-O sophomore Holden Jones was the individual winner, with a 3-mile time of 17:30.7.
His margin of victory was 24.3 seconds.
The other Spartans who participated in the open race were all freshmen: Mason Guido (fourth in 18:11.8), Joe Griebat (14th in 18:59.0), Jack Fisher (29th in 19:56.7) and E.J. Beckett (67th in 23:39.1).
In the team chase, Sterling Newman won the open race with a point total of 63. Williamsville was second (64 points) and was followed by SJ-O (84 points).
SJ-O returns to action on Saturday (Oct. 23) in the 15-school Chrisman Class 1A regional.
