January 31, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Student athlete of the month Ava Knap

Ava Knap
Grade: 12
Sport: Cross Country
Reason nominated: Knap won the Doc Acklin Invite and was help lead the team to a win.
Nominated by: Jason Retz

What is your favorite class?
My favorite class this year is calculus. Calculus ties everything together and I really like my class.

What are your plans after high school?
I don’t know where I am going yet but I plan on running collegiately and majoring in neuroscience.

What is the best thing about being a student athlete?
We have all the resources to be successful and accomplish our goals. It’s an hour to be apart of such a respectable program and team.

What is the most difficult part of being a student athlete?
To truly access in sports and academics, you have to be disciplined and willing to do things differently than other high schoolers.

Banner
Related Posts

Wells, defense shine as balanced SJO girls’ basketball team wins regional title

February 22, 2022

February 22, 2022

The high school girls’ basketball season has taken St. Joseph-Ogden High School all across the state of Illinois. With plenty...

Armstrong, Spartans start off Arteaga Era with unbeaten opening week

November 23, 2021

November 23, 2021

What a way to start the season. And the Drew Arteaga Era. The St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team...

SJO softball remains unbeaten

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

A strong offensive showing by the St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team and baseball teams led to wins earlier this...

Born to dance: Hess takes passion with her to SIUE

May 30, 2019

May 30, 2019

Kaitlyn Hess has danced nearly all of her life. The recent St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate will continue to do...

Mattsey, Poe highlight SJO boys’ cross-country’s recent success, while Plotner, Rajlich do the same for SJO girls’ cross-country

October 22, 2019

October 22, 2019

All the miles, all the training and all the preparation will come to a head this Saturday for the St....

McCarty hurls shutout, SJO baseball cruises to win at STM

April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

Excellent pitching has defined the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team throughout much of its 2019 season. The trend continued...

Plotner’s dedication to cross country pays off

October 4, 2019

October 4, 2019

Jillian Plotner works hard every day to be the best she possibly can be. St. Joseph-Ogden Cross Country Head coach...

Spartans advance in sectional

June 10, 2021

June 10, 2021

—-ST. JOSEPH—-
There is an adage in baseball that a good offense wins games, but good defense wins championships. It does...

SJO baseball on roll as Haley collects 300th career win

April 10, 2019

April 10, 2019

Some convincing wins have ensued recently for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team. And a historic win happened for...

Martinie, Brooks lead SJO girls’ basketball past Rantoul

February 1, 2024

February 1, 2024

When the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team is making three-pointers at a high rate, watch out.The latest example of the...

Rajlich, Mattsey thrive for SJO cross-country in Peoria

September 17, 2019

September 17, 2019

Thank you to Carrie Mattsey photography for the photo! The St. Joseph-Ogden High School team got its first look at...

SJO soccer knocks off Comets via penalty kicks

September 17, 2019

September 17, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School soccer team picked up its second win of the season last Friday. The Spartans played...

SJO baseball off to superb start

April 7, 2022

April 7, 2022

High-scoring wins. Dominant pitching performances. Balanced hitting up and down the lineup. These are just some of the staples the...

Christie Clinic Shootout in St. Joseph still on, but SJO won’t play

January 11, 2020

January 11, 2020

The heavy rainfall that hit St. Joseph on Friday night and into Saturday morning, along with the potential for severe...

Mattsey, Plotner key strong starts for SJO cross-country

September 10, 2019

September 10, 2019

The Chrisman Cow Chip Classic features seven different waves of runners. Run over a pasture near Chrisman High School, hence...

Comments
Leave a Reply