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 10^th place in 15:56.0.

The remaining Spartans were: junior Payton Wendell (16^th in 16:14.1), senior Elijah Mock (22^nd in 16:36.2), junior Ethan Blackburn (28^th in 16:48.2) and sophomore Aden Armstrong (39^th 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 (14^th in 18:59.0), Jack Fisher (29^th in 19:56.7) and E.J. Beckett (67^th 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.

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St. Joseph-Ogden’s top-ranked Class 1A boys’ cross-country team sprinted to victory on Tuesday (Oct. 5) in the 11-school Illini Prairie Conference meet at Stanford Olympia.

In a field of 75 runners, six Spartans placed among the top 16, leading SJ-O to the conference championship.

SJ-O’s composite point total was 36. Fifth-ranked (Class 1A) Stanford Olympia was the runner-up with 68 points and 12^th-ranked Monticello was third (79 points). The rankings are compiled by milesplit.com.

The Spartans’ first six finishers were within 40.7 seconds of one another.

Leading the way was sophomore Carson Maroon, who was fourth individually. His 3-mile time was 16 minutes, 35.8 seconds.

Trailing him were senior Luke Stegall (fifth in 16:36.4), senior Charlie Mabry (sixth in 16:37.4), junior Peyton Wendell (ninth in 16:41.4), senior Elijah Mock (12^th in 16:56.1) and junior Ethan Blackburn (16^th in 17:16.5).

The other SJ-O participant was sophomore Holden Jones (50^th in 19:14.5).

In a 25-runner open race, the individual champion was SJ-O sophomore Aden Armstrong. He cruised to victory by more than 1 minute and 17 seconds.

His winning mark was 17:44.7, a time that would have placed him among the top-25 in the varsity race.

The open race runner-up was SJ-O freshman Mason Guido (19:02.8).

Also running the open race for the Spartans were freshman Jack Fisher (fifth in 19:54.6) and freshman E.J. Beckett (22^nd in 27:31.0).

SJ-O returns to action on Saturday (Oct. 16) in the Peoria Heights Patroit Invitational.

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The top four runners on the St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ cross-country team finished within 27 seconds of one another on Saturday (Oct. 2) in Indiana at the Nike XC Town Twilight Meet.

In a field of 239 runners, SJ-O senior Luke Stegall was 83^rd (17 minutes, 22.7 seconds for 5,000 meters), senior Charlie Mabry was 106^th (17:42.3), senior Elijah Mock was 110^th (17:45.0) and junior Peyton Wendell was 114^th (17:49.8).

Rounding out the lineup for the Spartans, ranked first in Class 1A in Illinois according to milesplit.com, was junior Ethan Blackburn (145^th in 18:23.6.)

Columbus North (93 points) edged Center Grove (95 points) for team supremacy in the 28-school meet. SJ-O placed 17^th with 495 points.

In a junior varsity race, SJ-O had one entry. Freshman Mason Guido finished 86^th in a field of 174 runners with a time of 20:08.1.

The Spartans return to action on Tuesday (Oct. 5) in the Illini Prairie Conference meet at Stanford Olympia.

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The state-ranked St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ cross-country team turned in a solid showing on Saturday (Sept. 25) while dominating their own Spartan Classic cross-country invitational.

The Spartans’ top five runners all entered the finish chute within 32 seconds of one another, leading SJ-O to the team championship.

SJ-O’s composite score was 65 points. Runner-up St. Thomas More had a score of 104, followed by Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond (116) and Monticello (180) in the 23-team field.

Individually, the five scoring runners for SJ-O all captured spots in the top 22 in a field of 156 runners.

The three team leaders were seniors, Charlie Mabry (seventh on the 3-mile course in 15 minutes, 45.89 seconds), Luke Stegall (eighth in 15:48.09) and Elijah Mock (11^th in 15:58.61).

Close behind were Carson Maroon (17^th in 16:11.74) and Peyton Wendell (22^nd in 16:17.81).

The school’s other entries were Ethan Blackburn (29^th in 16:38.53) and Aden Armstrong (54^th in 17:23.14).

In the most recent milesplit.com state rankings for Class 1A, DePaul College Prep was rated first, followed by SJ-O’s second-ranked team.

SJ-O returns to action on Tuesday (Oct. 5) in the Illini Prairie Conference meet at Stanford Olympia.

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The state-ranked St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ cross-country team didn’t have enough runners to be scored as a team on Saturday (Sept. 18) in the Richard Spring Invitational at Peoria’s Detweiller Park.

A total of 61 schools entered full teams and there were 457 runners in the varsity division.

Two seniors led the way for SJ-O.

Luke Stegall placed 109^th in 16 minutes, 11.2 seconds for the 3-mile course.

Elijah Mock was 141^st in 16:32.9.

The Spartans’ other varsity participants were Peyton Wendell (196^th in 16:56.5) and Ethan Blackburn (256^th in 17:32.5).

In the freshmen-sophomore race, out of 362 runners, SJ-O sophomore Carson Maroon ran third, finishing the course in 16:08.2.

SJ-O entered a full team and ended 13^th in a 49-team field.

The Spartans’ other participants were: Aden Armstrong (57^th in 17:38.6), Holden Jones (75^th in 17:48.1), Mason Guido (137^th in 18:36.9), Jack Fisher (203^rd in 19:36.0), Joe Griebat (219^th in 19:51.8) and E.J.  Beckett (356^th in 27:20.9).

The team champion was Oak Park-River Forest (71 points), followed by Naperville North (160). SJ-O was 13^th with a team score of 429 points.

St. Joseph-Ogden, ranked fourth in the state in Class 1A by milesplit.com, returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 25) in the Spartan Classic.

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Led by the first- and second-place finishers, Holden Jones and Mason Guido, St. Joseph-Ogden’s boys’ cross-country team ran past Monticello, 24-33, on Tuesday (Sept. 14) in a dual meet at Lodge Park.

In a 2-mile race, Jones was timed in 12 minutes and 4 seconds. Guido’s final time was 12:15.

Four other Spartans secured spots among the top-10: Joe Griebat (sixth in 13:12), Carson Maroon (seventh in 16:12), Aden Armstrong (eighth in 13:13) and Jack Fisher (10^th in 13:45).

SJ-O’s other participants were: Elijah Mock (11^th in 13:46), Ethan Blackburn (13^th in 14:06), Luke Stegall (14^th in 14:06), Charlie Mabry (15^th in 14:09), Peyton Wendell (16^th in 14:10) and E.J. Beckett (20^th in 18:45).

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The St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ cross-country team stepped up its challenge on Saturday in the First to the Finish cross-country meet at Peoria’s Detweiller Park.

The Spartans are ranked second in Class 1A in the latest poll by milesplit.com, trailing only Chicago Latin.

The First to Finish meet is conducted in three separate races, one for the 1A schools, another for 2A schools and a third for the large-school 3A division.

SJ-O entered the 3A portion of the meet and placed 16^th in the 41-school event which had 366 runners.

The 3A winner was New Trier (125 points) followed by Hinsdale Central (135) and Downers Grove North (136). SJ-O’s score was 460 points.

All five of the Spartans’ scoring runners wound up among the top half of the individual field.

Luke Stegall ran the 3-mile course in 16 minutes, 16.3 seconds and was 65^th.

Charlie Mabry was 78^th in 16:22.8, Elijah Mock was 92^nd in 16.33.1, Carson Maroon was 102^nd in 16:40.2) and Peyton Wendell was 153^rd in 17:03.9.

Stegall, Mabry and Mock are seniors.

The other competitors were Ethan Blackburn (175^th in 17:19.7) and Aden Armstrong (237^th in 18:00.4).

There was also an open race that combined entries for the 1A, 2A, and 3A schools. runners. Fifty-six teams participated in a race that featured 933 runners.

Neuqua Valley was the open champion with 71 points. Lyons and Naperville Central were next, each with 79 points. SJ-O was 38^th with 1176 points.

Holden Jones ran 174^th in 18:50.0. Mason Guido was 268^th in 19:33.5.

The school’s other participants were Jack Fisher (378^th in 20:20.7), Joe Griebat (415^th in 20:45.2) and E.J. Beckett (912^th in 30:20.6).

SJ-O will return to action on Tuesday (Sept. 14) against Monticello at Kickapoo State Park.

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St. Joseph-Ogden was the runaway winner on Saturday (Sept. 4) in the Chrisman Cowchip Classic cross-country invitational.

The 26-school event was a flighted race where the No. 1 runners from each school ran only against each other, with other races held for the second through seventh runners from each school.

SJ-O athletes won six of the seven flighted races.

Luke Stegall placed fourth in the race for No. 1 runners, but recorded the Spartans’ top 3-mile time of the day, 17 minutes, 0.1 seconds.

Teammates who dominated their races were Charlie Mabry (17:11.7 in No. 2 race), Elijah Mock (17:36.4 in No. 3 race), Carson Maroon (18:04.2 in No. 4 race), Peyton Wendell (18:15.1 in No. 5 race), Ethan Blackburn (18:07.0 in No. 6 race) and Aden Armstrong (18:18.8 in No. 7 race).

SJ-O had a final score of 68 points. Runner-up Monticello totaled 133 points and third-place Tuscola had 195 points.

In the preseason state rankings compiled by milesplit.com, SJ-O was rated third in Class 2A.

The Spartans return to action on Tuesday (Sept. 7) at Oakwood.

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Three seniors led the way as St. Joseph-Ogden outstepped the field on Saturday (Aug. 28) to capture team honors in the 10-school Doc Acklin Memorial boys’ cross-country invitational in Paris.

The senior leaders entered the finish chute within 6.3 seconds of one another.

Luke Stegall was fourth overall, finishing the 3-mile course in 17 minutes, 18.5 seconds.  He was trailed by Charlie Mabry (fifth in 17:24.4) and Elijah Mock (sixth in 17:24.8) in a field of 71 runners.

They were followed by Carson Maroon (ninth in 17:42.7), Payton Wendell (11^th in 18:25.0), Ethan Blackburn (18^th in 19:03.9), Isaiah Mock (22^nd in 19:41.2) and Aden Armstrong (27^th in 20:15.7).

Other SJ-O participants were Holden Jones (35^th in 20:47.6), Mason Guido (37^th in 20:59.0), Jack Fisher (41^st in 21:35.6), Joe Griebat (52^nd in 23:27.9) and E.J. Beckett (71^st in 33:42.2).

Guido, Fisher, Griebat and Beckett are all freshmen who were competing in their first high school event.

The Spartans finished with a winning score of 30 points, far outdistancing Newton and Tuscola, which tied for second with 62 points.

SJ-O returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 4) at the Chrisman Cowchip Classic.

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St. Joseph-Ogden completed a unique three-match homestand in three nights on Wednesday with its third two-game sweep in as many days.

The Spartans (13-3) turned back Danville 25-13, 25-13 on Wednesday.

Katelyn Berry had 10 digs, Kennedi Burnett had eight digs and Rylee Stahl had six digs.

Burnett and Lacey Kaiser each swatted six kills. Bigger handed out 16 assists to go with two service aces.

On Tuesday, the Spartans secured a 2-0 sweep over visiting Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

Bigger handed out 26 assists and SJ-O displayed a potent and balanced offensive attack.

Kaiser landed nine kills while Berry and Burnett each delivered seven kills.

Burnett sparked a defense that produced 42 digs. She had nine.

Other team leaders were Berry (seven digs), Lindsey Aden (six digs), Kaiser (six digs), Berry (five digs) and Stahl (five digs).

Bigger had 16 assists and eight digs on Monday as the Spartans blitzed visiting Hoopeston Area, 25-5, 25-5.

Kaiser (six kills), Jenna Albrecht (five kills) and Burnett (five kills) were the offensive sparks.

Berry contributed a team-high 11 digs.

SJ-O (12-3) returns to action on Monday at Urbana.

SJ-O Boys’ cross-country

SJ-O runners were dominant on Tuesday in a non-scored dual meet against Monticello at Kickapoo State Park.

The Spartans swept the second through 10th positions.

SJ-O’s Brandon Mattsey was the meet’s runner-up, running the 3-mile course in 18 minutes, 7 seconds.

The next six Spartan runners finished consecutively and were within 29 seconds of one another.

Eric Poe was third in 19:01, followed by Lukas Hutcherson (fourth in 19:04), Luke Stegall (fifth in 19:07), Logan Wolfersberger (sixth in 19:09), Braden Clampitt (seventh in 19:11) and Elijah Mock (eighth in 19:30).

Completing the top 10 were SJ-O’s Ethan Blackburn (ninth in 20:37) and Charlie Mabry (10th in 20:51).

SJ-O returns to action on Saturday at the Peoria Notre Dame Invitational.

SJ-O Girls’ cross-country

In a non-scored dual meet on Tuesday against Monticello at Kickapoo State Park, SJ-O runners swept all of the first five positions.

Jillian Plotner was the individual winner in 21 minutes, 15 seconds for the 3-mile course.

She was followed by Hannah Rajlich (second in 21:20), Ava Knap (third in 21:27), Ashlyn Lannert (fourth in 21:53) and Ally Monk (fifth in 22:07).

SJ-O returns to action on Saturday at the Peoria Notre Dame Invitational.

SJ-O Soccer

It was a different day, but the outcome was the same for the St. Joseph-Ogden soccer program.

Three days after losing to Monticello 5-0 in a tournament match at Hoopeston, the Spartans lost a 5-0 decision to Monticello on Tuesday at home.

Monticello is 10-0-1 for the season, SJ-O is 2-8-1 entering a match today at St. Thomas More (9-1-3).

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