May 21, 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

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...

10 things you don’t know about me…the SJO girls basketball team

February 22, 2019

February 22, 2019

After this weekend, Maclayne Taylor will have 12 state medals and has been apart of five team state trophies.  ...

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...

10 things you don’t know about me… SJO Quarterback Logan Smith

September 2, 2022

September 2, 2022

We asked St. Joseph-Ogden quarterback Logan Smith to tell us 10 interesting things about himself. Here are his answers. My...

5 questions with SJO football team captain Owen Birt

November 5, 2022

November 5, 2022

Why is being a team captain important to you?Being a team captain is important to me because it is important...

Spartans ready to ‘respond better’ in playoff opener at Williamsville

October 28, 2019

October 28, 2019

Jaden Miller is glad he gets another opportunity to play football. Ditto for Blake Dable. And the other St. Joseph-Ogden...

SJO baseball adapting to strange times this spring: ‘The most difficult part is not seeing the players’

April 17, 2020

April 17, 2020

Ever since Josh Haley took control of the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team, success has followed. So have solid...

Smith, Wertz shine as SJO football wins homecoming game

September 26, 2022

September 26, 2022

It was a happy homecoming for the St. Joseph-Ogden football team.And with the Spartans defeating Nokomis 42-12 this past Friday...

10 things you don’t know about me… Shawn Skinner

October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021

1. What is your favorite food? Italian food  2. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas 3. What is your favorite...

SJO football schedule for 2019 set

July 1, 2019

July 1, 2019

Making the playoffs is always a goal for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team. Having qualified in 27 of...

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 loses heartbreaker in sectional title game

June 6, 2019

June 6, 2019

For six innings, Crayton Burnett was unhittable. But all it took were two singles that just fell out of the...

With Illini Prairie title in rearview, Duval and Spartans turn attention to the postseason

February 21, 2024

February 21, 2024

Playing against the likes of Bloomington Central Catholic, Chillicothe IVC, Monticello, Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Pontiac, Prairie Central, Rantoul, St. Thomas More and...

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...

Plotner’s positive attitude key to success

April 30, 2019

April 30, 2019

Jillian Plotner is having an amazing track season. The St. Joseph-Ogden junior helped the 3,200 relay team win first place...

Comments
Leave a Reply