St. Joseph-Ogden fall sports award winners

The fall of 2025 was one to remember for St. Joseph-Ogden athletics. Varsity letters were awarded to 129 student-athletes across sports and activities.

---

ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden High School didn’t just wrap up a fall sports season. It closed the book on one of the most memorable stretches of athletic success the program has seen in years.

Last week, the Spartans announced 129 varsity letter winners from fall sports and activities, a number that speaks not only to wins and trophies, but to depth, commitment and consistency across the athletic department. From packed Friday nights on the football field to championship-caliber finishes on the cross country course and the soccer pitch, St. Joseph-Ogden athletes left their mark throughout the fall of 2025.

Football set the tone early.

After absorbing injuries to key players at the start of the season, the Spartans could have folded. Instead, they regrouped, leaned on grit and tenacity, and found their rhythm when it mattered most. St. Joseph-Ogden finished 8-5 and authored an impressive postseason run that reminded opponents the Spartans are rarely an easy out in November.

It was the kind of season that doesn’t show up fully in a record book. It showed up in long practices, next-man-up performances and a squad that stayed connected through adversity. For the players who earned letters, it was a season built on determination as much as talent.

Distance running brought statewide recognition.

Both the boys and girls cross country teams delivered top-10 finishes at the IHSA state meet in Peoria, continuing SJO's place among Illinois’ elite programs. The boys finished seventh overall, while the girls claimed sixth, a testament to months of disciplined training and steady progression.

Cross country success rarely comes overnight. It is built mile by mile, often before sunrise and long after the school day ends on the roads through and around town. The state finishes reflected not only strong front runners but complete teams that could pack together and score when it mattered most.

Soccer might have been the headline act.

Behind the combined scoring punch of senior Zach Harper and junior Tyler Hess, the Spartans rolled through much of their schedule, overwhelming opponents with pace, precision and confidence. St. Joseph-Ogden finished the season 24-2-2, with the only blemish coming in a hard-fought sectional championship loss to Williamsville.

Under head coach Chris Stevens, the Spartans put together a program-best 22-match unbeaten run, winning 20 matches and tying two. It was the kind of stretch that defines a season and leaves a lasting standard for what Spartan soccer can be.

While championships and records grab attention, the heart of the announcement rested with the 129 student-athletes who earned varsity letters. Those letters represent early mornings, late nights, and the willingness to balance academics with the demands of high-level competition. They also represent teammates who may not always appear in box scores but are essential to a program’s success.

Below is the complete list of award winners and varsity letter recipients at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Each fall sport and activity contributed to that total, reinforcing the idea that St. Joseph-Ogden athletics is not built on one team or one season, but on a culture of excellence.

FOOTBALL

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Spartan running back Wyatt Wertz celebrates as he lands in the end zone for a touchdown against Pontiac. The senior shared this season's team Offensive Award with Kaden Wedig.

---

Team Awards

MVP – Kodey McKinney
MIP – Jonathon Moore
Defensive Award – Coy Hayes
Offensive Award – Wyatt Wertz & Kaden Wedig
Scout Team Award – Holden Hausle
Special Teams Award – Lucas Smith
Lineman Award – Brennan Oleynichak
Spartan Team Player Award – Tim Blackburn-Kelley

---

Letterwinners

Matt Alexander, Sr.
Tim Blackburn-Kelley, Sr.
Will Franklin, Sr.
Charlie Hale, Sr.
Coy Hayes, Sr.
Ryker Lockhart, Sr.
Kodey McKinney, Jr.
Jackson Mohr, Sr.
Jonathon Moore, Sr.
Brennan Oleynichak, Sr.
Colton Overstreet, Sr.
Logan Rosenthal, Sr.
Landon Smith, Sr.
Lucas Smith, Sr.
Hunter Van Meenen, Sr.
Wyatt Wertz, Sr.
Willis Canamore, Jr.
Jameson Ennis, Jr.
Paityn Mann, Jr.
Maddux Musselman, Jr.
Cameron Wagner, Jr.
Brayden Waller, Jr.
Kaden Wedig, Jr.
Liam Carter, So.
Caleb Courter, So.
Landon May, So.
Lane McKinney, So.
Mason Osterbur, So.
Logan Umbarger, So.
Ryder Van Meenen, So.
Owen Wall, So.
Lucas Waters, So.

---

VOLLEYBALL

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Emma McKinney, Emerson Williams, Hadley McDonald and members of the SJO volleyball celebrate a point during set one of their regional semifinal match against Unity. Emerson received the team's Offensive Award this fall.

---

Team Awards

MIP – Ally Schmitz
Defensive Award – Katie Ericksen
Offensive Award – Emma McKinney
Varsity Spartan Award – Emma Wells
JV Spartan Award – Greta Goldenstein
Freshman Spartan Award – Ella Buhs

---

Letterwinners

Addi Childers, Sr.
Katie Ericksen, Sr.
Emma McKinney, Sr.
Ally Schmitz, Sr.
Emma Wells, Sr.
Lily Ahart, Jr.
Brynn Ikemire, Jr.
Alivia Learned, Jr.
Hadley McDonald, Jr.
Addi Stevens, Jr.
Emerson Williams, Jr.
Ava Alexander, So.
Megan Kearney, So.
Atleigh Miller, So.
Vivian Smith, So.
Raegan Wheatley, So.

---

TENNIS

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Maddie Wells makes solid contact while play doubles in SJO's road match at Urbana in September. Starting wrestling season last month, look for the senior to qualify for the IHSA girls' state tournament this February.

---

Team Awards

MVP – Sami Kelso
MIP – Shelby Warns
Mental Attitude Award – Madison Farber

---

Letterwinners

Claire Hartman, Sr.
Samantha Kelso, Sr.
Ava Midkiff, Sr.
Ainsely Rhoton, Sr.
Lily Rice, Sr.
Karleigh Spain, Sr.
Maddie Wells, Sr.
Madison Farber, Jr.
Audrie Helfrich, Jr.
Sophie Schmitz, Jr.
Shelby Warns, Jr.
Avarie Dietiker, So.
Kenley Ray, So.
Nora Buckley, Fr.

---

SOCCER

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Junior Yadie Acosta-Reyes dribbles the ball down the field in the Spartans home playoff match against Unity. Look for the midfielder to return next fall to help SJO duplicate their 2025 season greatness.

---

Team Awards

MVP – Zach Harper
Offensive Award – Tyler Hess
Defensive Award – Steven Newman
Freshman MIP – Luke Dunn
Coaches Award – Quinn Stahl

---

Letterwinners

Rudra Chaudhary, Sr.
Zach Harper, Sr.
Michael McDaniel, Sr.
Branson Pearman, Sr.
Quinn Stahl, Sr.
Hadley Sweet, Sr.
Yadiel Acosta-Reyes, Jr.
Lizzie Clark, Jr.
Jaxson Colvin, Jr.
Skyler Graham, Jr.
Nicholas Harris, Jr.
Tyler Hess, Jr.
Waylon Jones, Jr.
Steven Newman, Jr.
Jaxon Potts, Jr.
Miles Atwood, So.
Hunter Cler, So.
Luke Dunn, Fr.
Lucas Stevens, Fr.
Caleb Taylor, Fr.

---

MARCHING BAND

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Emily Bird plays clarinet while performing with the SJO Marchng Band during the halftime show during the football team's home game against Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

---

Band Awards

MVP – Sara Bytnar
Up and Comer Award – Ramsay Arnold
Spirit Award – Delaney Nekolny
Leadership Award – Sydney Steinbach
Spinner Award – Arianna Pecchenino
Heartbeat of the Band Award – Gregory Wells

---

Letterwinners

Emily Bird, Sr.
Sara Bytnar, Sr.
Claire Hartman, Sr.
Cooper Kietzman, Sr.
Michael McDaniel, Sr.
Patrick McMahon, Sr.
Delaney Nekolny, Sr.
Kaleb Peoples, Sr.
Sydney Steinbach, Sr.
Carlee Taylor, Sr.
Zain Bialeschki-Hua, Jr.
Isabella Turner, Jr.
Cole Beckett, So.
Tyler Bonny, So.
Patrick Clark, So.
Aubrey Matheny, So.
Connor McMahon, So.
Alyssa Robinson, So.
Nayeli Steele, So.
Ramsay Arnold, Fr.
Reid Bewley, Fr.
Bailey Blakley, Fr.
Brady Blunier, Fr.
Jade Gains, Fr.
Arianna Pecchenino, Fr.
August Rosser, Fr.
Ryan Schmitz, Fr.
Taylor Vaughn, Fr.
Greg Wells, Fr.
Gwen Welsh, Fr.

---

GOLF

Team Awards

MVP – Asher Pruemer
MIP – Trevor Ames

---

Letterwinners

Trevor Ames, Sr.
Wade Clark, Sr.
Nathan Daly, Sr.
Asher Pruemer, Sr.
Graham Ray, Sr.
Devan Swisher, Sr.
Garrett Loschen, Jr.
Finn Miller, Jr.

---

SPORT

SIDELINE CHEERLEADING

MIP – Addison Wright
Spirit Award – Abby Reynolds
Lexi Barbour Award – Addison Walsh

---

Letterwinners

Iris Davis, Jr.
Leah Gaines, Jr.
Faith Jackson, Jr.
Peighton Riem, Jr.
Ava Smoot, Jr.
Abby Reynolds, So.
Samantha Ryan, So.
Addison Walsh, So.
Sorena Welsh, So.
Presley Ideus, Fr.
Addison Wright, Fr.

---

CROSS COUNTRY

Team Awards

Boys MVP – Colin Burnett & Lance Retz
Girls MVP – Grace Bressner
Boys MIP – Sam Zadeh
Girls MIP – Grace Bressner
Tim Mies Effort Award – Nate Farney
Ashley Wright Effort Award – Allie Bott
Rick Walden Most Consistent Award – Colin Burnett

---

Letterwinners

Lance Retz, Sr.
Sydney Steinbach, Sr.
Cyrus Zadeh, Sr.
Abby Bello, Jr.
Colin Burnett, Jr.v Nate Farney, Jr.
Kyla Franckey, Jr.
Mark Harbourt, Jr.
Aiden Hundley, Jr.
Kiah Riesel, Jr.
Grace Bressner, So.
Hunter Dilley, So.
Eli Franklin, So.
Nathan Hinkel, So.
Tessa Walker, So.
Sam Zadeh, So.
Ramsay Arnold, Fr.
Charlene Barbee, Fr.
Adam Bello, Fr.
Allie Bott, Fr.
Brady Johnson, Fr.
Caylah Roberts, Fr.
Taylor Vaughn, Fr.

---

More SJO Sports Articles

---

St Joseph Ogden varsity letter winners 2025, St Joseph Ogden fall sports awards list, SJO football cross country soccer 2025 season, IHSA state cross country St Joseph Ogden results, St Joseph Ogden High School athletics feature

Area basketball scores for December 12

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Oakwood's Drake Roberts keeps St. Joseph-Ogden's Kodey McKinney at bay during their Toyota of Danville Classic pool play game last week. On Friday, the Comets dropped their home game to Vermilion Valley Conference rival Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin, 65-34. See more area scores for Friday, December 12 below.

---

December 12 Boys Basketball Scoreboard

Bismarck-Henning 65, Oakwood 34
Clifton Central 51, Hoopeston Area 29
St. Joseph-Ogden 47, Riverton 33
Paris 66, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 36
Peoria Manual 71, Urbana 61
Peoria 73, Centennial 57
Normal Community 67, Champaign Central 55
Momence 52, Urbana University 47

---

Latest area basketball stories

---

High school basketball scores, St. Joseph-Ogden basketball score, Urbana loses Big 12 basketball game, Oakwood suffers loss to Bismarck-Henning

Krutsinger MVP in Bishop Mac's tournament win over host Spartans

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

ST. JOSEPH - Bishop McNamara's Karter Krutsinger is denied an easy path to the paint by St. Joseph-Ogden's Ryker Lockhart during their Toyota of Danville championship game on Saturday. Krutsinger, who finished the game with 25 points, led the Fightin' Irish to a back-to-back tournament title after defeating the Spartans 62-49. B-Mac improved to 6-0 while SJO suffered their first loss of the season, dropping to 3-1. More stories and articles coming later this week from this year's tournament. Krutsinger was named as this year's All-Tournament Team MVP while Lockhart earned a spot on the All-tournament Team.

---

More area basketball stories

---

Tags: St. Joseph-Ogden basketball tournament, TODC basketball tournament, Kankakee Bishop Mac, high school basketball tournament, SJO basketball tournament

Top central Illinois teams set for full day of action at Country Financial Girls Basketball Shootout

St. Joseph-Ogden will host eight central Illinois programs for the Country Financial Girls Basketball Shootout on Saturday. Pleasant Plains and Cissna Park open the showcase with a matchup of postseason contenders.

---

ST. JOSEPH - With the annual Toyota of Danville Classic boys basketball tournament complete, it is the girls’ turn. St. Joseph-Ogden High School will host the 2025 Country Financial Girls Basketball Shootout on Saturday, featuring eight central Illinois small-school programs.

The shootout opens with a 1 p.m. varsity game between Pleasant Plains and Cissna Park, last year’s Class 1A third-place finisher, in a matchup of postseason contenders.

The Lady Timberwolves are 6-1 as of last week, with their only loss coming by three points to Deer Creek-Mackinaw. In their six wins, Cissna Park has outscored opponents by at least 20 points. Three of those victories came in dominant fashion against Illini Prairie teams: St. Thomas More (64-14), Paxton-Buckley-Loda (57-27) and Unity (52-23).

Pleasant Plains has also handled an Illini Prairie opponent. The Cardinals improved to 5-0 after defeating Bloomington Central Catholic 62-30. They opened the season with wins over Peoria, Normal West and Edwardsville, all schools with much larger enrollments. In a rematch of last year’s sectional semifinal, Pleasant Plains defeated Carlinville 61-21 before Thanksgiving.

Game 2 promises similar excitement. Paris (7-1) faces Eureka (5-1) at 2:30 p.m. in the teams’ first meeting since 2007.

Host St. Joseph-Ogden, off to a 5-0 start, will take on Watseka at 4 p.m. The Spartans feature a tightly bonded group of nine seniors on their varsity roster. The Warriors enter at 5-1. The two programs last met on Valentine’s Day in 2019, with SJO owning a 7-2 advantage in the series.

The finale is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. between Unity (3-5) and Tri-Valley (6-1). The Vikings opened the season with a 5-0 run before falling 67-60 to Lincoln (7-1) last Wednesday.

Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for students with a valid student ID.

Junior varsity teams will play in the school’s small gym, beginning two hours before their corresponding varsity game.

The third installment of the girls’ shootout is sponsored by The Arteaga Group Country Financial Insurance Group.

---

More area basketball stories

---

Girls high school basketball showcase central Illinois, St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball shootout preview, Cissna Park Pleasant Plains girls basketball matchup, Tri-Valley Unity girls basketball tournament coverage, Country Financial Girls Basketball Shootout SJO event details

Photo Gallery |St. Joseph-Ogden overpowers Oakwood at basketball tourney

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Parker Fitch releases a shot between Carsen Dudley and Alex Wallace in the first quarter of their Toyota of Danville Classic game on Friday. Picking up their third win of the season, the Spartans defeated the Comets 79-46 and advanced to Saturday's championship game against Bishop McNamara. Here are more photos from Friday's pool game.

---

---

More area basketball stories

---

St. Joseph-Ogden's Kaden Wedig goes up to force the ball away from Oakwood's Ben Darling during second half action of their pool game on Friday.

---

---

TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden basketball, Oakwood Comets basketball, Toyota of Danville Classic basketball tournament, SJO sports, high school basketball