March 10, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Mabry, Stegall pace SJO boys’ cross-country to regional title; sectional meet up Saturday

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ cross-country team has shown the capability it could win a state title all season.

At the start of the postseason, the Spartans haven’t let up, either. SJO convincingly won the 14-team Class 1A Chrisman Regional last Saturday and will send its entire team to the starting line at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Hickory Point Golf Club in Forsyth as part of the St. Teresa Sectional.

Put together another dominant performance on Saturday, and the Spartans will have the same setup in place on Nov. 6 for the 1A state meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

Needless to say, SJO is peaking at the right time.

The Spartans compiled a team-best 33 points to cruise by runner-up Paxton-Buckley-Loda last Saturday as the Panthers finished with 79 points. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin (85), La Salette (107) and Uni High (116) rounded out the top five schools.

Senior Charlie Mabry posted the top time for SJO at Chrisman, placing fourth in 16 minutes, 33 seconds. Teammate and fellow senior Luke Stegall was right behind Mabry, placing fifth in 16:34. SJO senior Elijah Mock was the next runner to cross the finish line to give the Spartans three runners in the top six as Mock was sixth in 16:50.4.

Not to be outdone, SJO juniors Payton Wendell (16:56.6, eighth) and Ethan Blackburn (17:03, 10th) also ran well to give SJO a dominating victory.

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ cross-country team has shown the capability it could win a state title all season.

At the start of the postseason, the Spartans haven’t let up, either. SJO convincingly won the 14-team Class 1A Chrisman Regional last Saturday and will send its entire team to the starting line at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Hickory Point Golf Club in Forsyth as part of the St. Teresa Sectional.

Put together another dominant performance on Saturday, and the Spartans will have the same setup in place on Nov. 6 for the 1A state meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

Needless to say, SJO is peaking at the right time.

The Spartans compiled a team-best 33 points to cruise by runner-up Paxton-Buckley-Loda last Saturday as the Panthers finished with 79 points. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin (85), La Salette (107) and Uni High (116) rounded out the top five schools.

Senior Charlie Mabry posted the top time for SJO at Chrisman, placing fourth in 16 minutes, 33 seconds. Teammate and fellow senior Luke Stegall was right behind Mabry, placing fifth in 16:34. SJO senior Elijah Mock was the next runner to cross the finish line to give the Spartans three runners in the top six as Mock was sixth in 16:50.4.

Not to be outdone, SJO juniors Payton Wendell (16:56.6, eighth) and Ethan Blackburn (17:03, 10th) also ran well to give SJO a dominating victory.

Now, SJO turns its attention to Hickory Point and the course in Forsyth. If the Spartans secure a top-six team finish, the entire team will run at the state meet the first Saturday in November as the program chases its first state championship since 1993.

Banner
Related Posts

SJO to hold summer camps

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

Boys Basketball Youth CampMay 29, 30, 31 8 AM-1:30 PMThe camp will be full of drills and fundamentals. The new...

Meyer, Knott shine in Rantoul for Spartans

April 10, 2019

April 10, 2019

Two trips to Rantoul in a three-day span produced some quality performances from the St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ track...

Showdown with Unity awaits for SJO baseball; Spartans earn top seed in postseason

May 12, 2022

May 12, 2022

The postseason is almost here for the St. Joseph-Ogden baseball team. And that doesn’t the Spartans are coasting into the...

Going the Distance: Smetzer excels at Western

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Ross Smetzer has goals. The 2016 St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate runs cross country and track for Western Illinois University...

Dukeman shines in classroom and in athletics

March 7, 2019

March 7, 2019

School comes easy for St. Joseph-Ogden High School junior Hannah Dukeman. Dukeman, who plays softball for SJO in addition to...

23-24 IPC WRESTLING ALL CONFERENCE TEAMS

February 23, 2024

February 23, 2024

The Illinois Prairie Conference has announced its conference wrestling teams. 1st Team: (U: means Unanimous)  PLAYER NAME GRADE WEIGHT CLASS...

What could district format look like for SJO football?

July 26, 2019

July 26, 2019

This decade has seen plenty of different conference opponents for St. Joseph-Ogden High School’s football team. Playing in three conferences...

SJO girls’ basketball wins tournament title in Fisher

December 2, 2019

December 2, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team already has a tournament championship to its name this season, but the Spartans are...

Behrens, Vallee help Spartans continue strong start

February 11, 2021

February 11, 2021

So far, so good for the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team. The Spartans made the short drive to Champaign on...

Berry, Bigger help power SJO volleyball to five straight wins

September 26, 2019

September 26, 2019

Heading into Thursday night’s home showdown with St. Thomas More, the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team has won five straight matches....

Burnett, Bigger spark SJO volleyball on recent win streak

October 8, 2019

October 8, 2019

A big hitter. And a superb setter. Every quality volleyball team needs that combination, and the St. Joseph-Ogden High School...

All conference basketball teams announced

April 16, 2021

April 16, 2021

The 2021 Illini Prairie Conference Girls Basketball All Conference Team has been announced. Junior Taylor Wells from St. Joseph-Ogden was...

5 Questions with ASHER PRUEMER

March 1, 2024

March 1, 2024

How would you describe your team? I would say that this is very team-oriented and is one that is always...

SJO baseball hits 20-win mark, pushes win streak to four games

May 10, 2019

May 10, 2019

Every year Josh Haley has coached the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team, the Spartans have won at least 20...

Postseason quest begins for SJO baseball after strong finish to regular season

May 15, 2019

May 15, 2019

The regular season ended on a positive note for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team. Now, the Spartans hope...

Comments
Leave a Reply