June 21, 2025 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.

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