February 8, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Franzen, Knap have SJO girls’ cross-country team in solid position heading to state

Faring well at Detweiller Park in Peoria is a common sight for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School cross-country team.

This year’s version will look to continue the tradition of a program that boasts state championships in 1990, 2014 and 2016, along with a second-place finish in 2017 and third-place finishes in 2010 and 2015.

SJO placed second at the 21-team Class 1A St. Teresa Regional held last Saturday at Hickory Point Golf Club in Forsyth. That was more than good enough to send the entire team to Peoria for this Saturday’s 1A state meet that gets going at 9 a.m.

SJO compiled 90 points, with Unity winning a sectional title by recording 57 points. Monticello (108), Uni High (109) and Robinson (164) rounded out the top five schools.

Freshman Savanna Franzen finished second at the St. Teresa Sectional, clocking in with a time of 18 minutes, 31.30 seconds. Only sectional champion Kate Ahmari of Uni High had a faster time in 18:05.09.

Senior Ava Knap was the next SJO runner to cross the finish line, doing so in 18:56.65 to take fourth and give SJO two runners in the top four.
Senior Kailyn Ingram placed 23rd in 20:25.67, with sophomore Chloe Burkhalter (20:50.38, 34th) and senior Addie Allen (20:50.63, 35th) finishing with nearly identical times.

The top three teams at the state meet will take home trophies, with the first 25 runners to finish earning All-State honors.

Banner
Related Posts

SJO falls to Charleston

April 9, 2021

April 9, 2021

—-CHARLESTON—- The St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans varsity football team traveled out of conference on Thursday night, and was defeated 56-14 by...

Thanks for the memories

November 9, 2019

November 9, 2019

We asked the St. Joseph-Ogden Cross Country team to share their favorite memories from the 2019 season. Here are their...

Dowing ties state home run record as SJO softball wins third straight game

May 10, 2019

May 10, 2019

Bailey Dowling is one home run away from cementing her name atop a state record. Add on the fact the...

Dowling, Dukeman power SJO softball to home win

April 10, 2019

April 10, 2019

So far, so good this season for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team. The Spartans (10-0) kept their undefeated...

Get to know SJO Volleyball Player Taylor Hug

October 31, 2022

October 31, 2022

What do you think makes the team so successful? We have a lot of team chemistry and get along with...

Five SJO softball games to watch for in 2019

March 11, 2019

March 11, 2019

This Team Time Out is sponsored by Kelso Heating and Cooling. The season opener is less than a week away...

Athlete of the Month-Hannah Dukeman

August 29, 2019

August 29, 2019

Every month a committee of coaches selects a student-athlete of the month from nominees in–season coaches supply. We then ask...

SJO boys’ basketball starts 2024 with win

January 6, 2024

January 6, 2024

Tanner Jacob has filled the role this season.Same for Coy Taylor. Tanner Siems. Logan Smith. And Luke Landrus. More often...

Making a run: Hug, Frick and Martinie spark SJO girls’ basketball on five-game win
streak

January 30, 2023

January 30, 2023

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball program has made it seem second natureat this point of going on deep...

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 girls’ track and field aiming for another banner year

April 2, 2019

April 2, 2019

Hoisting a state championship trophy is how the St. Joseph girls’ track and field team ended its season last May....

After winning Illini Prairie Conference championship, SJO girls’ basketball to play for regional title

February 18, 2022

February 18, 2022

Postseason accomplishments are significant ways to remember a season.But so are conference championships.And when this chapter is written on the...

SJO girls’ track and field wins Spartan Classic, prep for postseason

May 8, 2019

May 8, 2019

Winning meets on their own track has become a consistent theme for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ track and...

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...

Sparks plans on continuing Spartan success

March 14, 2019

March 14, 2019

Replacing a legend is not an easy task. However, when the legend is the all-time winningest softball coach in the...

Comments
Leave a Reply