August 29, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

5 questions with SJO football team captain Owen Birt

Why is being a team captain important to you?
Being a team captain is important to me because it is important to lead this team by example and know that guys will see you and want to work hard to make this program as great as it can be. It is important to be able to look back and see that we left the team as good as we can make it and see it prosper in the future.

How was this team able to win its final three games and clinch a playoff berth?
The last three games we played were great and I think that it comes down to the amount of energy that we came on to the field with which was unmatched to any other week during the season which was a result from the pre-game speech’s our coach had given us and really got us fired up right before the game and we came out and started with momentum.

When did you start playing football and why did you stick with it?
I started playing football my 5th-grade year in middle school because I had seen my classmates playing and I wanted to join them. When I started, I never played much but I loved it partly because it was really fun hitting people and not worrying about how rough we were being and also because I loved the game and it was fun to be a part of the team.

When you look back on this season 25 years from now, what are you going to remember most and why?
When I look back at the SJO football program in 25 years I will see a team with its formal glory that it has not seen for years. The thing I will remember is that we were the group that changed the trends and left these young guys who have lots of potential with a fighting chance to bring Football in St. Joe to a point where it once was.

How would you describe what it’s like running on to Dick Duval Field before a game?
Running onto the field on a Friday night right before a big game is like nothing else. There is no feeling as great as looking up into the stands and seeing the whole town cheering for our team. I do not think there is a better feeling in the world.

Banner
Related Posts

A field of art

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Call it art in progress. The fans at St. Joseph-Ogden High School always take note of the painted field, endzones,...

Burnett, Jacobs carry SJO baseball past GCMS

April 24, 2019

April 24, 2019

Road wins aren’t to be taken for granted. Especially dominating road victories like the one the St. Joseph-Ogden High School...

Opportunity for growth is outlook SJO boys’ track and field is taking amid pandemic

April 17, 2020

April 17, 2020

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ track and field team had competed in a few indoor meets in February and...

‘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...

SJO to host Toyota of Danville Classic starting on Tuesday

November 27, 2023

November 27, 2023

The St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ basketball program is no stranger to having tournaments in its own gym.This season is no different....

5 questions with RYKER LOCKHART

March 1, 2024

March 1, 2024

How would you describe your team? Tight knit and together What is the biggest lesson you have learned this season?Don’t...

SJO baseball defeats Westville

March 29, 2019

March 29, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team avoided its first losing streak of the season with a win on Thursday...

‘They are all so unselfish’

February 22, 2019

February 22, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden Girls Basketball team is going to make history this weekend by bringing home a State trophy. And...

SJO girls’ basketball to host inaugural Country Financial Shootout on Saturday

December 14, 2023

December 14, 2023

The Christie Clinic Shootout has become an annual staple on the high school basketball calendar in St. Joseph. Same for...

Commitment pays off for Mattsey

December 10, 2019

December 10, 2019

St. Joseph-Ogden Junior Brandon Mattsey is a leader. That is why his cross country coach Jason Retz, nominated him for...

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...

Relays shine bright for SJO girls’ track and field at Unity Invite

April 14, 2019

April 14, 2019

This past Friday night saw the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ track and field team turn in a sterling performance...

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...

SJO graduate Crowe thriving at Parkland as Cobras vie for national championship

April 23, 2021

April 23, 2021

Peyton Crowe knows a thing or two about championships. Crowe was a part of the 2018-19 St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball...

Smith, Pence and Wertz spark SJO football to first playoff win since 2015

November 5, 2022

November 5, 2022

The wait for a playoff victory from the St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team is no more. Hosting the program’s...

Comments
Leave a Reply