Coming up short, four Spartan seasons end at sectionals

CLINTON - On Sunday morning, three St. Joseph-Ogden wrestlers who qualified for sectionals are grappling with season-ending losses, just one victory away from competing at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals this coming Thursday through Saturday. After two days and 18 matches among the four Spartans, their chance for individual glory will have to wait, at least for two of them.

Freshman Ben Wells rebounded from his quarterfinal loss on Friday, winning his next two matches at the Clinton sectional on Saturday. Facing Olympia's Brandon Gaither (40-9) in the 106-pound consolation semifinal, he struggled and fell 17-1 in the second period, concluding his first season with a 38-13 record. Gaither went on to finish third in the division.

Sophomore Cam Wagner also experienced a tough loss in his consolation semifinal to Peoria Notre Dame's Brady Mullen, who defeated him in just 42 seconds. Wagner, in his debut varsity wrestling season, achieved 37 wins against 15 losses.

Senior Jackson Walsh, finishing his final season with over 40 wins, lost his consolation semifinal to PORTA's Kainin Fillbright, who finished fourth in the 113-pound division. Walsh's prep career ended via pin just 57 seconds into the match.

The fourth SJO wrestler at sectionals, senior Landen Butts, faced a challenging draw and concluded the tournament with a 0-2 record. He wraps up the season with a 35-15 record.

Below is the summary of how all four wrestlers performed at the Clinton sectional tournament:

SJO Sectional Summary

144 - Landen Butts (35-15)

Champ. Round 1 - Hayden Washum, Normal University won by decision over Landen Butts - Dec 10-8

Cons. Round 1 - Landen Butts received a bye

Cons. Round 2 - Austin Kisner, Olympia won by tech fall over Landen Butts TF-1.5 5:05 (17-1)

113 - Jackson Walsh (41-10)

Champ. Round 1 - Jackson Walsh received a bye

Quarterfinal - Briley Carter, Clinton won by decision over Jackson Walsh Dec 13-8

Cons. Round 2 - Jackson Walsh won by fall over Jackson Buehler, Camp Point Central - Fall 3:53

Cons. Round 3 - Jackson Walsh won by fall over Bryan Islas, Beardstown - Fall 4:28

Cons. Semi - Kainin Fillbright, PORTA won by fall over Jackson Walsh - Fall 0:57

285 - Cam Wagner (37-15)

Champ. Round 1 - Cam Wagner won by fall over Liam Dodsworth, Williamsville - Fall 2:33

Quarterfinal - Darian Holloway, Olympia won by fall over Cam Wagner - Fall 0:53

Cons. Round 2 - Cam Wagner won by tech fall over Dawson Thayer, Clinton - TF-1.5 1:44 (15-0)

Cons. Round 3 - Cam Wagner won by fall over Joey Humphries, Dee-Mac - Fall 4:56

Cons. Semi - Brady Mullens, Peoria Notre Dame won by fall over Cam Wagner - Fall 0:42

106 - Ben Wells (38-13)

Champ. Round 1 - Ben Wells won by fall over Cayden Bostic, Clinton - Fall 2:53

Quarterfinal - Jaxsun Owens, Canton won by fall over Ben Wells - Fall 1:43

Cons. Round 2 - Ben Wells won by fall over Jayden Schmider, Farmington -Fall 0:50

Cons. Round 3 - Ben Wells won by fall over Kole Petta, El Paso-Gridley - Fall 3:37

Cons. Semi - Brandon Gaither, Olympia won by tech fall over Ben Wells - TF-1.5 2:37 (17-1)

Off-season work pays off; St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells heads to state wrestling

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells (left) wrestles Urbana's Rickasia Ivy in dual meet in December. Wells and Ivy, who took second place, qualified for the IHSA Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals in Bloomington Feb. 28 - Mar. 1.

HIGHLAND - At the beginning of the season in December, when asked what she wanted to accomplish this season, St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells said, "I'm really hoping to qualify for girls' state for the first time." Mission accomplished.

Wells, a junior who started wrestling three years ago, is a warrior. Yesterday, she became the first St. Joseph-Ogden female athlete to qualify for the IHSA's Girls Wrestling State Finals. Finishing third in the 140-pound division, the junior's grueling path through the bracket to punch her ticket to the state tournament in Bloomington was sealed after six matches at the Highland Sectional.

"I was kind of in disbelief and I was happy for all my friends that I’ve made along the way that also qualified," Wells said after her third-place finish. "I was most excited to eat Chipotle, though."

Except for her quarterfinal loss to Collinsville's Taylor Dawson, who won the sectional title in their division, Wells won four matches by fall and recorded a techfall in her consolation semifinal win over Mt. Vernon's Daniya Musgrave.

Mentally and emotionally, she said her first match of sectionals was the most stressful.

"My qualification match was my toughest," she admitted. "My previous two years I had been knocked out in this round so I was the most nervous."

Wells won her sectional opener, pinning Salem's Alan Finney at 1:44. Her quarterfinal loss to Dawson lasted 42 seconds. She bounced back from the defeat to win her next four bouts.

All the work Wells put in during the off-season paid dividends. She heads to the state tournament at Grossinger Motors Arena with an 18-6 record.

"I do a lot of open gyms," she said. She also attended camps at the University of Illinois during the summer to sharpen her technical skills. "And, I did some off-season girls tournaments."

Now a trailblazer for the Spartan girls' program and one of two girls on this year's squad, she hopes that her success will influence other female athletes to join the sport.

"I feel privileged to be able to pave the path but I feel excited to see the girls that follow," she said. "I hope I inspired girls younger than me to not be afraid of trying new things despite their gender and being able to follow their dreams."

Maddie Wells sectional match results:

Champ. Round 1 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Alana Finney, Salem - Fall 1:44
Quarterfinal - Taylor Dawson, Collinsville 32-3 won by fall over Maddie Wells - Fall 0:42
Cons. Round 2 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Kaisley Shotkoski, Mahomet-Seymour - Fall 1:15
Cons. Round 3 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Jacee Mardirosian, Carterville - Fall 3:34
Cons. Semi - Maddie Wells won by tech fall over Daniya Musgrave, Mt. Vernon - TF-1.5 2:18 18-0
3rd Place Match - Maddie Wells won by fall over Lillien Roughton, Unity Christian - Fall 3:09

SJO wrestlers still in the mix at sectionals for a spot to the IHSA state wrestling tournament

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden Landen Butts heads back to the bench after his match during the Spartans' home dual against Hoopeston last month. The 144-pounder lost his opening match on Friday. He needs two wins today to advance to the IHSA state wrestling tournament next weekend. Butts and three other sectional qualifiers are still active at the Clinton sectional, hoping to advance to state on the consolation side of their brackets.

CLINTON - Four wrestlers from St. Joseph-Ogden launched their sectional campaigns yesterday at Clinton High School, aiming for a spot in this year's state tournament at State Farm Center on Friday. Here's a recap of their performances:

Jackson Walsh fell 13-8 in his quarterfinal match against Clinton's Briley Carter in the 113-pound weight class. Walsh started strong, leading 4-2 in the first period with a takedown and a penalty point. In the second period, he maintained control, extending his lead to 6-5 despite conceding a reversal. However, Carter turned the tide in the final period, securing a takedown and nearfall to take a decisive 13-6 lead. Walsh fought back with a reversal in the closing seconds but ultimately moved to the consolation bracket, now aiming for a third-place finish. Today, he faces sophomore Jackson Buehler (25-22) from Camp Point Central.

Cam Wagner began his sectional debut with a victory, pinning Williamsville's sophomore Liam Dodsworth in 2:33. He faced a first-period defeat in his second match against Olympia's Darian Holloway. Wagner advances to the consolation round in the 285-pound bracket, where he will meet Clinton senior Dawson Thayer (26-6).

Another Spartan, Ben Wells, also contends for a third-place finish today. He is set to wrestle Farmington freshman Jayden Schmider (19-24) in the consolation bracket. Wells secured his sectional opener with a second-period pin against Clinton's Cayden Bostic. In his subsequent match, he was pinned in the first period by Canton's Jaxsun Owens.

Today, senior Landen Butts (35-14) continues his pursuit through the 144-pound consolation bracket. Butts narrowly lost his opening match to Normal University's Hayden Washum, 10-8. Washum took an early lead with a takedown and near fall in the first period, leading 5-0. Butts responded in the second period with a reversal, closing the gap. Washum earned an escape point, countered by Butts with a takedown, making it a one-point match. In the third period, Butts briefly led 8-6 with a takedown but was outscored by Washum, who secured a reversal and near fall in the final seconds to win 10-8.

Receiving a bye in the second round of the consolation bracket, Butts faces Olympia's Austin Kisner today. He needs two victories to secure a spot in next week's state tournament in Champaign.

Despite earlier milestones, Spartans soccer season ends with loss to Pioneers

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Exhausted and heartbroken, junior Zach Harper (standing) and senior Logan Mills take a moment to regain their composure after Spartans' season-ending loss to Normal U-High at the Monticello Sectional on Saturday.

MONTICELLO - St. Joseph-Ogden’s remarkable soccer season came to a close on Saturday as they fell 6-0 to Normal University High School in the sectional semifinal at Monticello’s soccer complex. The Spartans, who had been dominant throughout the season, were held scoreless for the first time all year in a tough matchup against the defending Class 1A state runner-up.

The loss marked only the Spartans' third defeat of the season, finishing with a 22-3-1 record. Despite the disappointment, SJO can look back on a historic campaign, having scored 172 goals this season, more than any other team in Illinois High School Association (IHSA) history, regardless of class. The Spartans also set a program record with 22 wins, showcasing the team’s growth and offensive prowess.

Coming into the sectional semifinal on the back of a five-game winning streak, where they outscored opponents 45-5, the Spartans had every reason to be confident. However, U-High’s precision and disciplined play proved too much to handle. The Pioneers, now 21-5-1, displayed their experience and senior leadership, especially in the first half, where they quickly established control of the match by scoring four goals.

U-High’s defense was equally impressive. Known for their tight formations and tactical discipline, the Pioneers managed to stifle SJO’s high-powered offense throughout the game. The Spartans, who had averaged nine goals per match in their previous five games, struggled to create meaningful chances. Normal’s defense consistently denied the Spartans any scoring opportunities, particularly during the first 28 minutes of the second half when SJO was desperately searching for a breakthrough.

The Spartans’ best opportunity came late in the match when Zach Harper broke free of U-High’s defensive line with just over five minutes left. Harper’s one-on-one chance against Pioneer goalkeeper Noah Grieshaber could have ended SJO’s scoring drought, but Grieshaber came up with a crucial stop, preserving the shutout and sealing the Pioneers’ victory.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Logan Mills tries to dribble the ball around Normal University's Bryce Nicolas-Penn (right) and Connor Evans during the first half.

Normal U-High’s balanced performance, marked by precise passing and organized teamwork, propelled them into the sectional final. They will face Fisher-GCMS (20-3-1) on Tuesday in what promises to be a highly competitive match.

For St. Joseph-Ogden, Saturday’s defeat brought an end to a memorable season. Led by seniors like Alexis Acosta Reyes, Carter Turner, and Logan Mills, the Spartans will be remembered for their record-breaking offensive achievements and their resilience throughout the year. In head coach Chris Stevens’ second term, the Spartans compiled an impressive 36-11-1 record over two seasons, cementing their status as one of the top programs in Class 1A.

As the Spartans reflect on a year filled with highlights, including three more wins than any previous team in program history, the foundation is in place for a successful campaign in 2025. With underclassmen like Harper and sophomore goalkeeper Jaxson Colvin set to return next season, the future remains bright for St. Joseph-Ogden soccer.

This year's team seniors included Alexis Acosta Reyes, Carson Sharp, Carter Turner, Davin Alvarez, Eli Birt, Logan Mills, Logan Patton, and Will Besson. Juniors on the squad included Branson Pearman, Rudra Chaudhary, Chris Coffey, Cooper Kietzman, Quinn Stahl, and Zach Harper. Jaxson Colvin, Nicholas Harris, Skyler Graham, Steven Newman, Tyler Hess, Waylon Jones, and Yadiel Acosta Reyes made up the sophomore class, with Hunter Cler as the only freshman on this year's varsity squad.

Stevens was assisted this season by Dan Ahart and Marcus Harris.

Keywords: St. Joseph-Ogden soccer sectional semifinal, SJO vs Normal U-High soccer playoff Illinois high school soccer Class 1A, Normal University High soccer win over SJO, IHSA soccer playoff results 2023, SJO soccer record-breaking season

Rockets' basketball season abruptly ended after sectional semifinal

SHELBYVILLE - Seven members of the Unity basketball roster delivered some sort of scoring in their semifinal game against Teutopolis in the Shelbyville sectional semifinal game. While beating the Wooden Shoes by 12 in early December last year, the Rockets were unable to repeat the feat, losing 48-39 on Wednesday.

Henry Thomas led Unity's scoring effort with eight points. Sophomore Coleton Langendorf came off the bench to match senior Dalton O'Neill's output of seven points. Another sophomore, Dane Eisenmenger and Andrew Thomas' matched at five points apiece in the season finale.

Unity fell behind early and tied the score four times, the last at 17-all in the second quarter. The Rockets trailed within striking distance to overtake Teutopolis until the last two minutes of play. It was T-town's free-throw shooting down the stretch that propelled the program into the title game.

The Wooden Shoes made fourteen trips to the line in the final quarter and only missed converting on three attempts, despite the Rockets limiting them to only two field goals in the fourth quarter.

Austin Bloemer and Joey Niebrugge paced the Shoes with ten points each. Tyler Pruemer had eight points, while Garrett Gaddis and Alex Kremer finished with eight points apiece.

Teutopolis advanced to Friday's sectional title game in a rematch against St. Joseph-Ogden (27-6), who is enjoying a nine-game win streak. The Wooden Shoes prevailed in the January 9 game, 53-40.

The Rockets finished an impressive 2023-24 campaign with 26 wins against five losses.

Spartan basketball team takes on Teutopolis for sectional title tomorrow

ST. JOSEPH - The bracket is set. St. Joseph-Ogden (27-6) will face Teutopolis (21-10) for the Shelbyville sectional championship game tomorrow at 7 p.m.

The boys' basketball team needs all the support they can get in their second meeting of the two teams this season. The Wooden Shoes prevailed at home in early January with a 13-point victory, 53-40, over the SJO.

"We want to try to get as many people as we can to this game to support our team," St. Joseph-Ogden athletic director Justin Franzen told The Sentinel earlier this week.

The St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team hopes to have, as they enjoyed at Unity on February 9, hundreds of supportive fans on March 1 for their sectional title game against T-town. The Wooden Shoes will be well-represented for the game just 35 miles from their home. (Photo: PhotoNews Media)

Ticket info:

Tickets for the game are available online now for just $7. Fans attending the game can order them at https://gofan.co/event/1410359?schoolId=IL15331. Spartan fans can also buy tickets at the door for $8 at Shelbyville High School.

Teutoplis advanced to the title game after defeating Unity last night in a close game, 48-39. The Rockets, who beat the Wooden Shoes back on December 2 by 12, closed their season with a 26-5 record.

Postseason basketball: Landrus propels SJO to Friday's sectional title game

SHELBYVILLE - The St. Joseph-Ogden boys' basketball team took a step closer to becoming a Final Four team, defeating Flora in their sectional semifinal game last night, 50-40.

Senior Luke Landrus was on fire, converting 71% on his shot attempts, leading the Spartan scoring effort with 22 points.

Up 21-17 at the half, SJO scored another 29 to advance to Friday's title game against the winner of tonight's contest between Unity and Teutopolis.

Logan Smith, also a senior, finished the night with 16 points and had a pair of steals. Meanwhile, Coy Taylor led the team in rebounds with five and distributed six assists. He and Tanner Jacobs finished with four points each.

Tanner Siems and Collin Thomey rounded the Spartans' offensive effort with two points each in win number 27 of the season.

Cross-Country: Jack Fisher lead SJO's sectional cross country effort

by Daniel L. Chamness
Special to The Sentinel

CHAMPAIGN --The St. Joseph-Ogden boys' cross country team destiny to compete at this year's Illinois High School Association Class 1A State Finals was confirmed at the sectional meet. Hosted by SJO on October 29 at Dodds Park in Champaign, the Spartans dashed to a fourth-place finish in what was arguably the toughest Class 1A Sectional in the state.

SJO finished with 164 points behind Decatur St. Teresa, who finished with 77 points.

While every cross-country athlete would like to make the state finals, it is highly-unlikely the current Spartan program will miss any in the forseeable future. Three juniors, two sophomores, one freshman, and one senior made up the SJO's top seven runners on the roster.

"We have been running in competitive meets all season to get to this point," said Jason Retz, SJO's head coach. "It will be great for them to have the state experience."

The team was led by sophomore Jack Fisher, who crossed 26th after he toured the three-mile course in 16 minutes, 29.38 seconds. Freshman Lance Retz finished immediately behind Fisher 28th in 16 minutes and 29.98 seconds.

The other Spartan athletes that finished within a second of each other were sophomore Mason Guido (17:02.61) and senior Ethan Blackburn (17:02.88). They were 50th and 51st, respectively.

Two juniors served as the third and fourth runners. Carson Maroon and Aden Armstrong took 37th and 41st, respectively. Maroon ran the three-mile course in 16:45.99, while Armstrong finished in 16:52.05.

The Spartans have competed in every state final except for two in 2012 and 2018. There was no state championship in 2020. In the seven times they advanced as a team, they were in the top 10 six times. They earned a team trophy in 2015, taking third in the state.

"We want to take advantage of every opportunity we are given," said Retz. "I want to see them show up and compete. We are excited to be here, but the athletes need to have a sense of urgency and purpose."

The Tolono Unity boys finished 10th in the sectional, scoring 260 points. Like their arch-rivals at SJO, the had a very young lineup, with only one senior. Four freshmen ran in the varsity race. One sophomore and one junior were also in the lineup.

Eli Crowe, one of the freshmen, took 25th in the SJO Class 1A Sectional. He finished the race at 16:28.91. The rest of the scoring top five were within a minute of each other. Camden Fairbanks took 44th in 16:53.75. On his heels was the lone senior on the team, Brendan Graven, who finished in 17:00.32, good for 47th place.

Isaac Ruggieri (85th) and Alex Mowrer (91st) rounded out the top five. Ruggieri crossed the finish line at 17:39.59, while Mowrer finished at 17:52.0.

Two freshmen served as the sixth and seventh runners. Carter Tiemann (93rd, 17:57.59) and Collin Graven (155th, 20:44.56), respectively.

The road to state: The Rockets cross country performance was "impressive"

by Daniel L. Chamness
Special to The Sentinel

CHAMPAIGN -- Based on their dominating performance all season, no one could doubt the Unity Rockets were going to win another Class 1A IHSA cross-country state title.

Heading into the Illinois High School Association sectional meet, the program did not lose a meet. Not one race to any team. The program has brought home state titles in 2021, 2017, and 2015. The Rockets also collected trophies in 2016 for second and third-place hardware in 2018 and 2019.

The path to the state finals included crushing it at the St. Joseph-Ogden Class 1A sectional meet held at Dodds Park on the campus of Parkland College back on October 29. The day was just one more chance to show just how dominant they were and had been all season.

The Rockets cemented the sectional title by 86 points, finishing with 40 points. Marshall took second with 126 points.

"Their performances were very impressive," said Kara Leaman, Tolono Unity's head coach of the Rockets' performance at sectionals. "They are excited. While we have won a state title before, we have never done it back-to-back. They want to be the first Unity Rocket team to do it."

Not only did they leave the sectional with the all-important team championship plaque, four of the scoring top five left with individual sectional hardware.

Emily Decker finished the 2.95-mile course in 18 minutes and 2.49 seconds. The sophomore was fifth. Mackenzie Pound (sixth), Erica Woodard (seventh), and Olivia Shike (10th) finished within 21 seconds of Decker. Pound finished at 18:11.21, while Woodard entered the chute at 18:12.55. Shike crossed the finish line at 18:22.89.

The fifth scorer, Reagan Stringer, clocked in at 18:51.59. Camryn Reedy and Josie Cler took 18th and 25th, finishing respectively at 19:25.71 and 19:47.82.

"This Saturday, my hope for every athlete is that they can walk away knowing they competed as well as they could," said Leaman.

While the Spartan girls did not qualify as a team, Savanna Franzen grabbed one of the individual qualifying spots, taking 13th in the sectional. She ended her race at 18:35.28.

"I tried to be controlled the first 50 percent of the race," said Franzen. "I was not feeling the best today. This course is not all that fast. I am looking forward to running at Detweiller, which is a very fast course."

She led the Spartans to a 10th-place finish, which scored 271 team points.

Hannah Mock (61st), Sydney Steinbach (69th), Sophia Kasper (82nd), and Kaytlyn Baker (93rd) rounded out the top five for the Spartans.

Mock, Steinbach, and Kasper, all freshmen, all broke the 22:00 barrier. Mock finished in 21 minutes and 09.72 seconds, Steinbach finished the course in 21:35.14, and Kasper finished at 21:58.25. Baker closed out the Spartan effort with a time of 22:26.77.

Photo-of-the-Day: January 3, 2022

Shayne Immke and Rachel Divan go up for a block

SJO volleyball season ends at sectionals

Spartans' Shayne Immke and Rachel Divan try to block a kill attempt by Pleasant Plain's Lauren Buxton during their sectional semifinal at Monticello High School on November 1. St. Joseph-Ogden (23-5) won the first set 25-17 but dropped the last two to the eventual state runner-up Cardinals (34-6), 25-20 and 25-21. The 2-1 loss ended SJO's 2021 run for the program's third state final four appearance. See more photos from this game.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Hamilton dashes by competition, SJO wins track sectional

Amassing 139 points, just five more than runner-up Salt Fork, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls track program earned their first post-pandemic sectional championship title last Wednesday.

It was a spectacular evening for two-time state Long Jump champion Atleigh Hamilton, who led the Spartans with three individual titles. The senior gave gold medal performances in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Later, she broke a long-standing school record of 59.2 in the 400-meter dash.

Hamilton also qualified for this week's state meet on Thursday in her signature event the long jump. The Illinois State University signee finished in second place behind Salt Fork's Gracie Jessup with her best attempt at 5.25 meters.

Meanwhile, Abby Behrens cleared 1.52 meters to win the High Jump competition. Teammate Macy Reed-Thompson finished third to help SJO rise to the top in the 14-team meet.

The Spartans also swept all three relay events.

Kailyn Ingram, Helene Jones, Malorie Sarnecki and Ashlyn Lannert combined for a time of 10:27.70 in the 4x800 Meter Relay besting squads from Urbana University High School (2nd), Clifton Central (3rd) and Milford.

The Spartans faced stiffer competition from Bismarck-Henning-Rossville and Uni High in the 4x200 Meter Relay. The SJO foursome of Payton Carter, Raegan Crippen, Grace Schmitz, and Hope Rajlich finished less than a second ahead of the Blue Devils with their time of 1:51.47. Uni High finished third at 1:55.59.

To close out the meet, Lannert, Ingram and Jones from the four-by-eight, along with Rajlich from the 200-Meter Relay squad punched their ticket to state with a 4:15.17 finishing ahead of Uni High and BHR.

Also turning in top-three finishes were Raegan Crippen, who finished third in the Triple Jump, Ava Knap clocked in at second place in the 1600 meter run

Grace Schmitz and Payton Carter finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively in the Pole Vault

Photo of the Day - December 23, 2020

Henry Dust runs at the 2007 cross country sectional — Unity's Henry Dust [496] runs ahead of Monticello's Josh Clark through a muddy section of the course at the IHSA Cross Country sectional competition at Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School on Saturday, October 27, 2007. The senior finished the rain soaked course in 17 minutes, 12 seconds. Dust's 38th place overall finished helped the Rockets' cross country team qualify for the Class 1A state championship race for the first time since the 2000 season after their 5th place team finish.
Photo: PhotoNews/Clark Brooks

Spartan cross country team places 2nd, Unity comes in 4th

Carson Maroon, Charlie Mabry and Brandon Mattsey finished within six seconds of each other to lift the St. Joseph-Ogden boys cross country team to a second place finish at the St. Teresa Sectional last Saturday. For Spartan harriers finised in the top 20.

Maroon, SJO's top finisher, crossed over in 12th place at 16:31. Mabry and Mattsey finished with a .1 of second split 14th and 15th. Meanwhile, not far behind Logan Wolferberger's 19th place in 16 minutes, 43.6 seconds helped the team pull away from Monticello, who finished in third place. Six runners later, Elijah Mock rounded out St. Joseph-Ogden's top five finishers to tabulate a total of 82 points.

Unity finished in fourth place behind fellow Illini Prairie Conference Monticello with 120 points. Led by senior Connor O'Donnell, the Rockets' squad crossed 11-17-21-47-49 after running their second consecutive weekend at Hickory Point Golf Course in Maroa.

O'Donnell's ran the three-mile course in 16 minutes, 28.8 seconds good for an 11th place finish. Twelve second later, teammate Ben Gavel finished at 16:40.3 as the 17th finisher of the Class 1A boys race. Thomas Cler rounded out the effort of Unity's top three runners nearly a minute later at 17:37.9.

Both the Spartans and Rockets would have advanced to the next race hosted by the Illinois High School Association this weekend under normal circumstances. Due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, the IHSA canceled this year's race making sectional titles will be the highest honors for cross country during the current academic season.

2020 St. Teresa Sectional Results -

11. Connor O'Donnell (Unity) 16:28.8, 12. Carson Maroon (SJO) 16:31.0, 14. Charlie Mabry (SJO) 16:37.0, 15. Brandon Mattsey (SJO) 16:37.1, 17. Ben Gavel (Unity) 16:40.3, 19. Logan Wolfersberger (SJO) 16:43.6, 21. Jarrett Cox (Unity) 16:44.9, 25. Elijah Mock (SJO) 16:56.6, 40. Luke Stegall (SJO) 17:29.8, 44. Spencer Wilson (SJO) 17:34.2, 47. Thomas Cler (Unity) 17:37.9, 49. Clayton Jamison (Unity) 17:39.3, 103. Bryson Denny (Unity) 19:43.9.

Rockets runner-up at sectional cross-country meet, SJO finishes 5th

The top five places at Saturday's IHSA sectional cross country meet in Forsyth was dominated by the Illini Prairie Conference.

The Unity girls cross country team tallied 69 points for a second-place finish at yesterday's sectional cross country meet at Hickory Point Golf Course on Saturday. The St. Joseph-Ogden contingent placed 5th with 150 points. Monticello won the sectional title scoring 51 points.

It took the Rockets' Erica Woodard, who was The Sentinel area's top finisher, 38 seconds longer to complete the course she ran seven days earlier. The freshman standout crossed the finish line sixth place at 18:59.9. Meanwhile, senior Taylor Joop, the second Unity runner to finish, turned in a nearly identical time to last week's regional run at 19:18.5. Woodard was sixth overall and Joop was the 11 runner to end her prep cross country career.

Rounding out the Rocket's top three was another frosh harrier, Caelyn Kleparski, who circumvented the course in 19 minutes, 24.8 seconds good for 13th place.

The Spartans' top three finishers crossed in the same order as they did on their previous journey around the familiar course.

Junior Ava Knap led SJO's effort clocking in at 19:37.3 with only a four second difference between this and the previous weekend's performance. She finished 19th out the field of 117 runners.

Helene Jones (19:49.7) and Chloe Burkhalter (20:25.2) finished in 23rd and 36th place, respectively, for the Spartans.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there will be no IHSA state meet this season.

2020 St. Teresa Sectional Results -

6. Erica Woodard (Unity) 18:59.9, 11. Taylor Joop (Unity) 19:18.5, 13. Caelyn Kleparski (Unity) 19:24.8, 19. Ava Knap (St. Joseph-Ogden) 19:37.3, 21. Olivia Shike (Unity) 19:44.6, 23. Helene Jones (St. Joseph-Ogden) 19:49.7, 27. Elizabeth Hulick (Unity) 20:06.3, 28. Malia Fairbanks (Unity) 20:07.3, 29. Briana Ritchie (Unity) 20:10.8, 36. Chloe Burkhalter (St. Joseph-Ogden) 20:25.2, 38. Malorie Sarnecki (St. Joseph-Ogden) 20:32.2, 51. Kailyn Ingram (St. Joseph-Ogden) 20:53.5, 65. Ashlyn Lannert (St. Joseph-Ogden) 21:35.9, 70. Addie Allen (St. Joseph-Ogden) 21:47.1.