March 15, 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

Coursey, Rose help carry SJO baseball into regional title game

May 18, 2019

May 18, 2019

All hands are on deck come Saturday morning for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team. With postseason hardware at...

SJO boys’ basketball to host 14-team Christie Clinic Shootout on Saturday

January 6, 2024

January 6, 2024

An annual staple on the high school boys’ basketball calendar is back in St. Joseph again this year.The Christie Clinic...

Mattsey, Poe highlight SJO boys’ cross-country’s recent success, while Plotner, Rajlich do the same for SJO girls’ cross-country

October 22, 2019

October 22, 2019

All the miles, all the training and all the preparation will come to a head this Saturday for the St....

Armstrong leads balanced offense in win against Pontiac

February 25, 2021

February 25, 2021

Recovering from a tough home loss with a road win is always a good sign.Especially with multiple road games on...

Primmer trying to keep hope as SJO baseball waits on possible start to season

April 7, 2020

April 7, 2020

Blake Primmer’s senior season wasn’t supposed to play out like this. As the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team was...

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....

Full day of basketball on tap at SJO as Christie Clinic Shootout returns Saturday

January 7, 2022

January 7, 2022

The Christie Clinic Shootout is back at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. The 14-team, seven-game boys’ basketball event starts at 11...

Hamilton, Taylor spark SJO girls’ track and field at Sages Invitational

April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

The regular season is winding down for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ track and field team. And the Spartans...

What could district format look like for SJO football?

July 26, 2019

July 26, 2019

This decade has seen plenty of different conference opponents for St. Joseph-Ogden High School’s football team. Playing in three conferences...

How sweet it is: SJO volleyball wins sectional title!

November 7, 2019

November 7, 2019

What a moment. What a feeling. And what an opportunity the St. Joseph-Ogden High School volleyball team still has in...

5 Question friday

August 26, 2022

August 26, 2022

Each Friday we will ask some SJO athletes five questions. Up first, junior football player Ethan McElroy. What made you...

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...

Plotner’s dedication to cross country pays off

October 4, 2019

October 4, 2019

Jillian Plotner works hard every day to be the best she possibly can be. St. Joseph-Ogden Cross Country Head coach...

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...

Armstrong, Cramer help lead SJO girls’ basketball in two wins

February 1, 2020

February 1, 2020

Postseason play is right around the corner for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team. And the Spartans continue...

Comments
Leave a Reply