Spartans and Hawks strong at Acklin Meet as Charleston defends title. Paris’ Harrison Hays repeats as top finisher.
PARIS - East-central Illinois cross country teams converged on Paris High School Saturday for the 9th annual Acklin Cross Country Meet, with 19 schools and 146 runners competing in the varsity boys’ race. St. Joseph-Ogden placed fourth overall, while Heritage finished fifth in a field loaded with competitive talent.
Charleston repeated as team champion, winning its second consecutive Acklin title with 72 points. The Trojans, who also claimed the 2024 crown with 67 points, were followed by Cumberland (84) and host Paris (94). The Spartans tallied 114 points, and the Hawks rounded out the top five with 165. Last year, SJO was runner-up with 87 points, and Cumberland finished third at 123.
Leading the way for Heritage was junior Clark Roland, who finished sixth overall in 16 minutes, 57.7 seconds. Freshman Christian Paul was next for the Hawks at 29th in 18:04.6, followed by sophomore Colby Schrock (37th, 18:20.8), freshman Greyson Guevara (42nd, 18:37.9) and senior Joshua Stierwalt (54th, 18:57.0). That top-five effort was enough to edge several larger schools and secure a top-five team finish.
The Spartans put five runners inside the top 30, separated by just 17 seconds. Junior Colin Burnett led SJO with a 20th-place finish in 17:44.5, with freshman Adam Bello (21st, 17:44.7), senior Lance Retz (22nd, 17:44.8), sophomore Eli Franklin (23rd, 17:46.6) and junior Nate Farney (28th, 18:01.0) close behind. Junior Aiden Hundley also contributed with a 30th-place finish at 18:11.1.
Paris junior Harrison Hays successfully defended his Acklin title, taking first in 15:53.57 after winning last year’s race in 16:49.48. He was followed by Dieterich senior Trevor Crutcher (16:04.79), Effingham senior Alex Gordon (16:22.41), Robinson junior Wyatt Herrington (16:40.25) and Cumberland freshman Colby Roedl(16:46.67). Hays, Crutcher, Gordon, Herrington and Roedl all finished among the top 10 a year ago, underscoring their consistency at the Acklin course. Roland was the highest Heritage finisher in the top 10 this year.
Top 10 Individual Finishers
Harrison Hays, Jr., Paris – 15:53.57
Trevor Crutcher, Sr., Dieterich – 16:04.79
Alex Gordon, Sr., Effingham – 16:22.41
Wyatt Herrington, Jr., Robinson – 16:40.25
Colby Roedl, Fr., Cumberland – 16:46.67
Clark Roland, Jr., Heritage – 16:57.77
Nathan Fonner, Jr., Paris – 17:00.40
Gavin Whitaker, So., Cumberland – 17:01.99
Jonathan Brown, Sr., Charleston – 17:06.44
Stanley Himes, Sr., Charleston – 17:08.25
Team Standings – Top Five
Charleston – 72
Cumberland – 84
Paris – 94
St. Joseph-Ogden – 114
Heritage – 165
St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans cross country, Heritage Hawks running team, Acklin Cross Country Meet results, Charleston Trojans repeat title, Illinois high school cross country standings
Big finish in Paris: SJO girls XC secures team crown at Acklin Meet with two top-10 runners.
PARIS - The St. Joseph-Ogden girls cross country team continued its strong fall campaign on Saturday, claiming the team title at the Acklin Cross Country Meet hosted by Paris High School. The Spartans outpaced a 19-school field with a team score of 38 points, placing two runners in the top 10 overall.
Sophomore Grace Bressner led the way for SJO with a third-place finish, clocking 19 minutes, 49.4 seconds. Freshman Charlene Barbee joined her in the top tier, crossing the line in seventh at 20:28.6.
Freshman Allie Bott added a 14th-place finish in 21:12.1, followed closely by junior Kyla Franckey in 15th at 21:24.7. Rounding out the Spartans’ scoring lineup were freshman Taylor Vaughn (25th, 23:03.4) and senior Sydney Steinbach (28th, 23:22.1).
Heritage sophomore Reaghan Stierwalt was the Hawks’ top finisher, placing 21st in 22:25.4.
Marshall senior Molly Farrell won the individual title in 18:54.07, edging teammate Madeleine Fox, who placed second in 19:33.40.
SJO’s balance carried the Spartans to the team crown, holding off Newton (62 points) and Effingham (78) to secure the top spot on the podium.
Tags: Acklin Cross Country Meet 2025 results, St. Joseph-Ogden girls cross country highlights
Illinois high school cross country team standings, Paris High School cross country invitational winners, Grace Bressner St. Joseph-Ogden runner profile
Attention coaches: Want to see more coverage of your cross country program? Send meet results to sports@oursentinel.com.
Historic win: SJO Spartans beat University High 5-3, led by Hess, Harper, and Stevens.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden's Zach Harper challenges Uni-High's Aldo Zepeda for possession during first half action at Dick Duval Field. Harper delivered a goal and three assists in the Spartans first-ever win over the Illineks. ST. JOSEPH - On Wednesday, the St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans soccer team achieved a milestone that had eluded them for years, defeating Urbana University High for the first time in 13 meetings.
The Illineks, known for their disciplined play and elite ball handling, fell to SJO thanks to second-half goals from Lucas “Buddy” Stevens and Zach Harper. The 5-3 victory marks a program-first for St. Joseph-Ogden, now 3-0 on the young season.
Tyler Hess sparked the offensive surge with two first-half goals on passes from Harper, tying the game at 2-all late in the half. Harper then broke the deadlock with a goal at 1:54, finding the east goal at Dick Duval Field to give the Spartans a 3-2 lead heading into halftime.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
University High's Muhammad Iftikhar attempts to block the ball as goes off the head of St. Joseph-Ogden's Lucas Stevens. Steven, who lined up an assist earlier, scored the Spartans' fifth goal on the second-half play.
The second half saw Hess complete his hat trick on a header from a Stevens cross at 37:10, extending the lead to 4-2. University High's Robert Tu responded at 25:54 with a well-placed shot in the box, trimming the deficit to 4-3 with his third goal, but a resilient Spartan defense, anchored by goalie Quinn Stahl, held firm to prevent any further scoring.
With just 17:13 remaining, Stevens sealed the historic win with a header from a Harper assist, finalizing the score at 5-3.
Statistically, SJO was led by Harper with one goal and three assists, Hess with three goals and one assist, and Stevens contributing a goal and an assist. Stahl recorded eight saves to secure the victory.
"They are always a good team," head coach Chris Stevens said about the Illinek. "Whether they lose 20 players or 15, it doesn't matter. They always have a good team."
Stevens said he is excited to watch this year's squad come together.
"We have a good team this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do," he said. "I'm looking forward to having the guys who played all year back out there."
Last year, the SJO soccer team started the season with one win and two losses, including a loss to Uni High. The Spartans then went on an 18-game win streak before falling in the IHSA sectional semifinal. Now 3-0, the program and its core players are positioned for another successful season.
Stevens said this year's team strength lies in its ability to communicate and stay dedicated.
"Some of these kids have played together for more than eight years," he said. "I have 27 kids who show up for every practice."
Looking ahead, undefeated St. Joseph-Ogden faces a challenging stretch with three matches in four days: hosting Mt. Pulaski/Hartsburg-Emden on Sept. 2, traveling to Schlarman on Sept. 3, and ending the run at Decatur Eisenhower.
University High, now 1-1, also begins a three-game week starting on the road against Champaign Central on Sept. 2, followed by home matches against Monticello on Sept. 4 and Fisher/Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley on Sept. 6.
While the loss stun and stung the Illineks, for them it was a step forward in their quest for another regional or even sectional title.
"Obviously, Robert Tu scoring three goals was amazing. He was working hard the entire game," said Uni head coach Joe Krehbiel. "I think we didn't match their physicality, especially in the first half."
After losing 15 seniors, the Illinek are a relatively young team. While the squad certainly has its strengths, Krehbiel said the team needs time to mature. Despite the loss and with only three senior to handle the leadership roles, he believes his program is still competitive among the top Class 1A teams in the area.
"Overall, we are less experienced than we were this time last year," he said. "Our midfield is pretty strong. We were able to move the ball around pretty well and create chances for Robert."
More photos
St. Joseph-Ogden soccer first win over Urbana University High, Tyler Hess hat trick high school soccer, Illinois high school soccer upsets 2025, SJO Spartans soccer results September 2025, High school soccer program milestone victory
ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden's Tyler Hess is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal in the first half. The junior led the team to a 5-3 win over University High on Wednesday at Dick Duval Field. Hess, who is the top finisher in the area with a hat trick in the team's first three matches this season, will try to make it four in a row in the undefeated Spartans' road game against the Vermilion Valley Conference's Hoopeston Area Cornjerkers on Friday. More photos and a game recap coming soon.
