September 3, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Sparty party: A daily roundup of SJO varsity sports (Sept. 2, 2026)

The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team sustained its first loss of the season, while hot temperatures forced a postponement of a Spartans’ girls’ tennis match and an SJO baseball standout committed to a college program. Here is a quick rundown:

In volleyball
Wheatley, Kearney stand out


A busy week for the Spartans started on Tuesday night, with host Mahomet-Seymour holding off SJO for a 25-23, 25-19 win in nonconference play.


The first loss of the season dropped SJO’s record to 3-1.


Juniors Megan Kearney and Raegan Wheatley each delivered four kills to lead the SJO offense, with Kearney adding six digs and five assists.


Senior Emerson Williams (three kills, seven digs), junior Vivian Smith (three kills), senior Hadley McDonald (two kills, five digs) and junior Lyla Patton (two kills) also chipped in offensively. Junior Ava Alexander contributed a team-high 12 digs, while senior Alivia Learned produced 10 assists to go along with eight digs.
SJO doesn’t have much time to reflect on its season-opening loss. Armstrong-Potomac visits St. Joseph for a 7 p.m. nonconference match on Wednesday night.

In girls’ tennis
St. Joseph-Ogden was scheduled to play host Urbana at Blair Park in Urbana on Tuesday, but the match was postponed because of the hot temperatures on Tuesday. The match has been rescheduled for next Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. at Blair Park.

In baseball
Finn Miller played an important role in helping the Spartans win a Class 2A state championship this past June.


On Monday, the SJO senior made an important decision. Miller verbally committed to play college baseball at Parkland.
“I am beyond excited to announce my commitment to Parkland College to continue my athletic and academic career,” Miller wrote in a post on social media. “I would like to thank my teammates, coaches and family for helping me get to where I am today.”

Miller hit .379 with two home runs, 31 RBI and 13 doubles during the 2026 season with the Spartans. The third baseman was the only junior who regularly started on a senior-dominated team that produced a 40-2 record en route to winning the program’s first state title. Miller also went 1-0 on the mound in 17 innings pitched with a 1.24 earned run average, 27 strikeouts and just four walks in 12 relief appearances.


Miller and his SJO baseball teammates are scheduled to open the 2027 season on March 17, 2027 in the Metro East Kickoff Classic in Edwardsville.

What’s on tap
Along with the SJO volleyball team hosting Armstrong-Potomac on Wednesday night, the SJO boys’ soccer team (3-0) is set to host Schlarman at 7 p.m. at Dick Duval Field in St. Joseph.

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