The St. Joseph-Ogden wigwag Here is a quick rundown of what has happened recently with several Spartans’ varsity sports programs:
In volleyball
Smith, Willams help Spartans rally
St. Joseph-Ogden got back in the win column on Tuesday night, with the Spartans rallying for a 18-25, 25-20, 25-21 nonconference home victory against Casey-Westfield.
The win improved the Spartans to 7-4 after SJO went 2-2 this past Saturday at the Mattoon Tournament. SJO lost its opening match in Mattoon to eventual tournament champion Pana, with Pana holding on for a 25-23, 21-25, 15-11 win.
The Spartans rebounded with a 25-19, 25-22 victory against Mattoon and then knocked off Neoga 25-19, 25-15 before Springfield defeated SJO 25-21, 25-21 in the third-place match.
In the win against Casey-Westifled on Tuesday night, junior Vivian Smith supplied a team-high nine kills and senior Emerson Williams contributed significantly with seven kills and 10 digs.
Senior Hadley McDonald came through with six kills and 11 digs, while junior Raegan Wheatley added five kills.
Senior Alivia Learned handed out 15 assists and sophomore Mia Miller also was instrumental in the win with 10 assists. Junior Ava Alexander (15 digs), junior Megan Kearney (two kills) and senior Addi Stevens (two kills) also chipped in during the victory.
In golf
Loschen goes low, but A-P prevails
Senior Garrett Loschen carded the low round on Tuesday during a dual match between St. Joseph-Ogden and Armstrong-Potomac at Willow Pond Golf Course in Rantoul, but A-P left with a close 171-174 victory.
Loschen shot a 39 to garner medalist honors. Senior Tripp Palmer had the next best round for SJO with a 44, while senior Finn Miller and freshman Noah Resendiz rounded out the team score for the Spartans by both shooting a 46.
In cross-country
Farney, Bressner lead the way
The St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ team placed third out of 24 teams this past Saturday at the Cow Chip Classic in Chrisman.
The Spartans compiled 114 points, only behind team champion Monticello (100 points) and runner-up Paris (108 points).
Senior Nate Farney had the best time for the Spartans, placing eighth after he crossed the finish line in 17 minutes, 19.86 seconds. Freshman Camden Fisher finished ninth with a time of 17:21.72, while senior Collin Burnett placed 12th in 17:32.17.
Sophomores Adam Bello (14th, 17:45.39) and Brady Johnson (31st place, 18:28.24) also contributed, while junior Eli Franklin (32nd place, 18:29.72) and senior Aiden Huntley (33rd place, 18:37.07) rounded out the team scores for the Spartans.
On the girls’ side, SJO had four runners compete in the event but did not register a team score. Junior Grace Bressner had the top time for the Spartans in 20:19.42 to place fourth, while fellow junior Tessa Walker placed sixth in 21:00.29 and sophomore Charlene Barbee took seventh in 21:04.22. Senior Abby Bello also chipped in for the Spartans with a time of 23:36.56 to finish 23rd.
In boys’ soccer
Spartans sustain first loss
After a 5-0 start, St. Joseph-Ogden lost its first match of the 2026 season on Tuesday.
The Spartans traveled to Fisher on Tuesday afternoon, with host Fisher/Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley earning a 4-2 victory.
Senior Tyler Hess and sophomore Lucas Stevens each scored a goal for the Spartans (5-1), with Hess and sophomore Karter Peoples each having an assist against the Bunnies.
What’s on tap
The SJO volleyball team hits the road to play at Oakwood at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in a nonconference match, while the SJO girls’ tennis team is set to take on Schlarman at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at the Danville Tennis Center.
On Thursday, the Spartans’ girls’ tennis team is scheduled to play at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley at 4:15 p.m. and the SJO boys’ soccer team is scheduled to play at Warrensburg-Latham at 4:30 p.m.
You must be logged in to post a comment.