St. Joseph eighth-grader Lance Retz placed 10^th on Saturday (Oct. 16) in the IESA Class 2A boys’ cross-country state finals at Maxwell Park, in Normal.

There were 234 runners in his race.

Retz completed the 2-mile course in 11 minutes, 30.7 seconds.

A total of 27 teams competed in the 2A division.

St. Joseph finished in 19^th place with 460 points. The 2A champion, Chicago St. Benedict, had 54 points. Tolono Unity was second with 107 points.

The other St. Joseph participants were: sixth-grader Patrick Clark (113^th in 12:37.6), eighth-grader Quinn Stahl (133^rd in 12:50.2), eighth-grader Colton Overstreet (171^st in 13:14.1), seventh-grader Colin Burnett (200^th in 13:52.9), eighth-grader Cyrus Zadeh (211^th in 14:06.8) and sixth-grader Sam Zadeh (215^th in 14:09.8).

Among sixth-graders at the 2A state meet, Clark was ninth.

In the girls’ Class 2A IESA race, St. Joseph sixth-grade Ava Gallo placed in the top half of a 242-runner field.Gallo was 118^th with a time of 14:03.1. Among sixth-graders in the race, she was 20^th.

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Despite having two of the first four finishers, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ cross-country squad was edged out for team honors by Tolono Unity on Saturday (Oct. 16) in the 28-team Peoria Heights Invitational at Detweiller Park.

Tolono Unity had a team composite score of 81 points. SJ-O, ranked sixth in the latest Class 1A girls’ state poll by milesplit.com, had a score of 88 points.

Third-place Monticello ended with 95 points and was followed by Robinson (184).

Spartan freshman Savanna Franzen was the individual runner-up, completing the 3-mile course in 18 minutes and 18 seconds.

Senior teammate Ava Knap placed fourth in 18:28.3.

Rounding out the list of SJ-O competitors was senior Kailyn Ingram (14^th in 19:08.5), sophomore Chloe Burkhalter (33^rd in 20:14.0), senior Addie Allen (36^th in 20:23.7), senior Taryn Sexton (50^th in 20:43.5) and junior Kaytlyn Baker (112^th in 22:33.1).

SJ-O had one entry in the open race. Sophomore Chloe Allen was 24^th in 25:26.9.

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 (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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The St. Joseph Junior High boys’ cross-country team qualified for state as did one runner from the Panthers’ girls’ team.

In an IESA Class 2A sectional hosted by St. Joseph on Saturday (Oct. 9), St. Joseph was second to Tolono Unity in the boys’ race and earned an automatic bid to state.

Unity’s composite team score was 53 points. St. Joseph had 124 points. Third-place Monticello also qualified for state with 134 points.

The Panthers were led by eighth-grader Lance Retz, who ran the 2-mile course in 11 minutes, 36.8 seconds and finished in fifth place.

Rounding out the team’s lineup in the 97-person race were: sixth-grader Patrick Clark (19^th in 12:32.9), eighth-grader Quinn Stahl (31^st in 13:22.1), seventh-grader Colin Burnett (32^nd in 13:28.9), eighth-grader Colton Overstreet (37^th in 13:36.0), eighth-grader Cyrus Zadeh  (71^st in 14:53.2) and sixth-grader Sam Zadeh (74^th in 15:01.2).

The IESA state meet will be on Saturday (Oct. 16) at Maxwell Park, in Normal.

St. Joseph will have one representative in the girls’ race. Sixth-grader Ava Gallo advanced as an individual with a 2-mile time of 13 minutes, 43.4 seconds.

She was the 11th-place finisher overall.

The automatic state team spots for girls went to Tolono Unity (27), Shelbyville (89) and Robinson (116).

St.  Joseph was fourth in the 13-team field with 131 points.

Other Panthers to run at the sectional were: Averie Dietiker (20^th in 14:18.6), Sydney Steinbach (31^st in 14:37.9), Faith King (34^th in 14:44.4), Hannah Mock (35^th in 14:45.1), Ava Overstreet (37^th in 14:52.5) and Tessa Walker (44^th in 15:12.3).

There were 89 runners in the girls’ race.

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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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St. Joseph placed eighth in the 19-team Monticello girls’ junior high cross-country invitational on Saturday (Oct. 2) at Lodge Park.

The Panthers’ top five runners completed the 2-mile course within 57.6 seconds of one another.

Averie Dietiker was 32^nd (14:12.8), Ava Overstreet was 34^th (14:16.9), Ava Gallo was 38^th (14:27.4), Hannah Mock was 44^th (14:35.6) and Sydney Steinbach was 65^th (15:09.4).

Rounding out the St. Joseph lineup were Faith King (66^th in 15:12.7) and Mia Miller (69^th in 15:18).

Team honors were won by Mahomet-Seymour with 55 points. Runner-up Tolono Unity had 68 points. St. Joseph was eighth with 206 points.

The Panthers will return to action on Saturday (Oct. 9) at a Class 2A IESA sectional it will host in St. Joseph.

St. Joseph Junior High Boys’ Cross-Country

Eighth-grader Lance Retz placed fifth on Saturday (Oct. 2) in a 162-runner boys’ junior high cross-country meet at Monticello’s Lodge Park.

Retz finished the 2-mile course in 11 minutes, 25.3 seconds.

Six teammates joined him on the course.

Patrick Clark was 42^nd (12:57.2), Colton Overstreet was 47^th (13:11.9), Quinn Stahl was 69^th (13:48.2), Ramsay Arnold was 70^th (13:48.6), Cyrus Zadeh was 75^th (13:53.6) and Landon Smith was 119^th (15:33.8).

St. Joseph finished sixth in the team standings with a composite score of 233. Meet champion Mahomet-Seymour had 54 points, followed by Tolono Unity (94).

The Panthers will return to action on Saturday (Oct. 9) at a Class 2A IESA sectional it will host in St. Joseph.

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Senior Ava Knap was the front-runner for the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ cross-country team on Saturday (Oct. 2) in Indiana’s Nike XC Town Twilight Meet.

She ran the 5,000-meter course in 19 minutes, 25.6 seconds and ended 17^th in a field of 149 competitors.

Rounding out the Spartans’ contingent were: Kailyn Ingram (57^th in 21:08.5), Addie Allen (95^th in 22:06.2), Taryn Sexton (103^rd in 22:19.4) and Kaytlyn Baker (143^rd in 25:00.5).

SJ-O finished with a 357 score and placed 13^th. Eighteen schools fielded full teams.

The meet winner was Columbus North (56 points) followed by Carmel (60 points).

The Spartans return to action on Tuesday (Oct. 5) in the Illini Prairie Conference meet at Stanford Olympia. In the most recent set of Illinois state rankings, compiled by milesplit.com, SJ-O was rated sixth in Class 1A.

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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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Hannah Mock and Sydney Steinbach were the St. Joseph leaders on Friday (Sept. 24) in the junior high girls’ Spartan Classic cross-country meet.

Mock placed eighth with a 2-mile time of 14 minutes, 23.6 seconds. Steinbach was 12^th in 14:36.5.

The Panthers’ other runners in the race for seventh- and eighth-graders were: Faith King (16^th in 14:57.5), Guin Bartlett (28^th in 15:55.9), Erica Hardimon (42^nd in 18:29.2) and Lilly Sollars (44^th in 19:46.9).

In the race for fifth- and sixth-grade runners, five of the 13 St. Joseph entrants secured top-10 placements.

Leading the way were Averie Dietiker (second in 14:08.5), Ava Overstreet (fourth in 14:28.8), Ava Gallo (fifth in 14:41.7), Mia Miller (sixth in 14:54.7) and Tessa Walker (ninth in 15:33.0).

The Panthers’ other competitors were: Kennedi Dean (13^th in 16:04.0), Tabby Brown (14^th in 16:04.1), Carley Coffey (16^th in 16:17.1), Marissa Smith (24^th in 17:06.6), Nora Buckley (32^nd in 18:21.4), Madison Huls (38^th in 19:30.4), Kiera Landers (39^th 19:58.5) and Riley Mohr (40^th in 20:01.3).

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Lance Retz was the individual winner on Friday (Sept. 24) in the junior high school boys’ Spartan Classic.

His 2-mile time was 11 minutes, 18.5 seconds and Retz finished 36.4 seconds ahead of his closest pursuer in the race for seventh- and eighth-graders.

Other St. Joseph runners in the race were: Colin Burnett (ninth in 12:57.1), Colton Overstreet (10^th in 13:01.6), Quinn Stahl (20^th in 13:33.9), Josiah Beals (28^th in 14:10.1), Cyrus Zadeh (29^th in 14:10.4), Landon Smith (30^th in 14:11.0), Logan Ziao (51^st in 16:27.6) and Rudy Chaudhary (68^th in 27:49.0).

St. Joseph also had the individual champion in the race for fifth- and sixth-grade competitors.

Patrick Clark finished first, clocking a time of 12:48.1

Brady Johnson secured a top-10 finish, placing ninth in 14:03.7.

The Panthers’ other participants were: Sam Zadeh (13^th in 14:44.7), Eli Franklin (16^th in 15:01.2), Luke Dunn (23^rd in 16:51.5), Charlie Martin (26^th in 17:12.4), Ramsay Arnold (34^th in 17:44.4) and Colton Beckett (43^rd in 20:12.4).

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