May 24, 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

Armstrong leads balanced offense in win against Pontiac

February 25, 2021

February 25, 2021

Recovering from a tough home loss with a road win is always a good sign.Especially with multiple road games on...

SJO cross-country teams eager to start season off and running

August 31, 2019

August 31, 2019

The end goal for every high school cross-country runner in Illinois is to end the season racing at Detweiller Park...

SJO soccer ties Comets, plays Danville close

September 2, 2019

September 2, 2019

Four matches in, the St. Joseph-Ogden High School soccer team is still searching for its first victory. But the Spartans...

Wendling doesn’t give up, ready for state meet

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

When Jake Wendling first suffered a knee injury earlier this season, wrestling at the state meet didn’t seem likely. But...

SJO Board to discuss basketball at November meeting

November 4, 2020

November 4, 2020

Basketball isn’t a sure thing at St. Joseph-Ogden High School this winter. The district will have to decide whether to...

Mattsey, Knott leading SJO boys’ track and field this spring

May 13, 2021

May 13, 2021

Almost a month into its first full outdoor season since 2019 and theSt. Joseph-Ogden boys’ track and field team has...

Cafarelli, Kern help SJO golf start strong

August 31, 2022

August 31, 2022

The sport to begin during the fall season, the St. Joseph-Ogden High School golf team is off to a rousing...

‘There is no one more deserving of this honor’

June 26, 2020

June 26, 2020

Glenn Fisher loves St. Joseph-Ogden High School. For decades, Fisher’s main concern was that the facilities and sports fields at...

Smith combines love of running and charity

June 6, 2019

June 6, 2019

Keely Smith loves to run. You see it in her Twitter handle which is keelyruns101. You see it after talking...

Cain, Pence help SJO boys’ basketball post two wins

January 27, 2020

January 27, 2020

Playing a competitive nonconference schedule is nothing new for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ basketball team. The Spartans face...

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...

DeJarnette to lead soccer program at SJO

May 21, 2020

May 21, 2020

Bill DeJarnette is no stranger to the St. Joseph-Ogden soccer program. DeJarnette was the first coach of the SJO soccer...

St. Joseph Pony League wins tournament championship

July 13, 2021

July 13, 2021

By Jim Cotter —-URBANA—- In baseball, as is usually the case with most other sports, finishing a season better than...

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...

First night game in program history in books, SJO soccer looks to continue successful start

September 11, 2023

September 11, 2023

The St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team was scheduled to play Uni High on Thursday, Aug. 24. At a normal time for...

Comments
Leave a Reply