The Sentinel

65 freshman make SJO 2nd quarter Honor Roll

Sixty-five members of the freshman class at St. Joseph-Ogden High School earn honor roll recognition during the second quarter. Forty-one of them earned High Honor Roll status.

In all, a total of 252 students made this quarter's academic list which was led by the Class of 2020 with 71 students who earned a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on the school's 4.0 scale. Students whose GPA soared above 3.74 are recognized as High Honor Roll students.

Freshman

High Honor Roll

Alyssa Acton, McGwire Atwood, Kaytlyn Baker, Olivia Baltzell, Maddux Carter, Yamilka Casanova, Ariana Chambers, Cale Coursey, Aiden Cromwell, Zachary Dahman, Emily Elsbernd, Leah Finley, Joselyn Frerichs, Kennedy Greer, Andrew Guelfi, Mikyla Haley, Maya Hewkin, Taylor Hug, Shayne Immke, Emily Jeffries, Cameran Kelley, Jacob Kern, Aaron Lane, Collin Livesay, Haleigh Maddock, Aidan McCorkle, Kyle Meccoli, Teagan Miller, Blake Morgan, Allegra Pearman, Ty Pence, Ellen Place, Jack Robertson, Kirsten Schaefer, Johanna Schmitz, Jack Setterdahl, Paige Siegmund, Trinity Tapia, Taylor Voorhees, Alayna Wagle and Maggie Ward.

Honor Roll

Morgan Cramer, Madison Adams, Canyon Alwes, Ethan Blackburn, Tyler Burch, Bryce Collins, Aleah Dial, Abigail Dow, Alex Funk, Hallie Harms, Jonas Hutcherson, Peyton Jones, Hunter Ketchum, Eleni Krall, Carter Mabry, Courtney Myren, Jacob Newman, Ava Northen, William Page, Emma Rydell, Isabel Sexton, Katharine Short, Mallory Wagner and Emma Ward.

Sophomores

High Honor Roll

Addison Allen, Tyler Altenbaumer, Kailyn Anderson, Ella Armstrong, Madison Atwood, Abigail Behrens, Ella Besson, Andrew Beyers, Brandie Bowlin, Mara Burkhalter, Kennedi Burnett, Angela Chahine, Braden Clampitt, Anastasia Conerty, Deanna Cummins, Benjamin Cunningham, Sidney Davis, Zander Dressen, Ashley Eldridge, Jared Emmert, Hannah Fox, Zella Fuqua, Brennan Haake, Liam Hamer, Lauren Harper, Payton Jacob, Alison Kearney, Olivia Klotz, Ava Knap, Ashlyn Lannert, Wyatt Loghry, Sophia McDade, Coby Miller, Conrad Miller, Elijah Mock, Jett Morris, Jessica Palmer, Emma Parkinson, Hope Rajlich, JoLeena Reynolds, Kendra Riddle, Taryn Sexton, Alyssa Shoviak, Luke Stegall, Rebecca Steinbach, Mackenzie Trame, Cole Weinmann and Taylor Wells.

Honor Roll

Nicolas Anzelmo, Alanna Bensyl, Mackenzie Fulk, Avian Gerdes, Alyssa Hamilton, Claire Huffman, Kailyn Ingram, Jacey Lewis, Kelsey Martlage, Ava Meyer, Ava Miller, Jackson Place, Griffin Roesch and Regan Uden.

SJO Honor Roll Student-Athletes
Atleigh Hamilton

Juniors

High Honor Roll

Isabelle Brooks, Crayton Burnett, David Bytnar, Taylor Campbell, Kylie Duckett, Hanna Eastin, Nadirah Edwards, Emily Fisher, Dakota Franzen, Emily Froman, Bella Getty, Atleigh Hamilton, Emmy Houston, Lukas Hutcherson, Logan Ingram, Vania Kaenzig, Cailer Kellenberger, Shelby Kofoot, Ethan Lane, Madigan Loman, Tyson Madsen, Sophia Martlage, Garren Meeker, Abigail Moberg, Samantha Naylor, Alec Painter, Erin Patton, Aidan Roberts, Indira Robinson, Mazie Ronk, Evan Schmitz, Max Shonkwiler, Tessa Smith, Payton Vallee, Nora Walden, Brayden Wendt and Logan Wolfersberger.

Honor Roll

Hunter Brooks, Rylee Clements, Raegan Crippen, Makayla Duckwitz, Jacob Dwyer, Britney Evans, Alex Frerichs, Mariska Harshbarger, Camden Hesterberg, Spencer Lahners, Aiden Livesay, Alyssa Maddock, Brandon Mattsey, Flannery McCorkle, Jackson Rydell, AJ Wagner and Mitchell Whitlock.

Seniors

High Honor Roll

Lindsey Aden, Jenna Albrecht, Mallory Ames, Taylor Barnes, Katelyn Berry, Emily Bigger, Kaylee Blackburn, Ginny Bytnar, Payton Cain, Trevon Carr, Brendan Cooperider, Kristen Costa, Drew Coursey, Kathryn Cramer, Andrea Cunningham, Faith Dahman, Hannah Dukeman, Bode Gebbink, Payton Grimsley, Lucas Grindley, Erica Guelfi, Emily Hardimon, Chance Izard, Cody Johnston, Lacey Kaiser, Danielle Kelso, Nathan Maier, Ava Mills, Carson Mills, Allison Monk, Nolan Peacock, Taddy Pettit, Eric Poe, Hannah Rajlich, Jenna Schaefer, Joshua Sexton, Rylee Stahl, Kenly Taylor, Stephanie Trame, Anna Tranel, Isabelle Vliet, Brayden Weaver, Samuel Wesley, Zoey Witruk and Jackson Wooten.

Honor Roll

Joseph Acton, Michara Allen, Kendall Ayers, Kolton Batty, Ross Booker, Erin Bridgewater, Payton Clements, Bailey Dowling, Asjah Fonner, Clayton Frederick, Jaiden Freeman, Sam Gonzales, Brayden Grimsey, Ethan Hinrichs, Conner Hodge, Tyler Jones, Aubrey Kern, Eliza Lewis, Mason McLain, Alivia Norem, Dyllan Price, Luke Renfrew, Lexi Ribbe, Joshua Vice, Anna Wentzloff and Karsyn Wetzel.

SJO alumni earn over 30 spots on fall Dean's List

Over 600 students at Parkland College were recognized on the institution's fall 2019 Dean's List this week. Thirty-one of them, students who listed their hometown as Ogden, Royal or St. Joseph, were included on last semester list.

Mickaela Fleming runs the course at the 2011 Kickapoo Kickoff Klassic cross country meet on August 30. Fleming was named to the Parkland College Dean's List for her academic performance this past fall. Fleming, also a pitcher on the Spartan regional champion softball team last spring, finished 48th in the girls' race at 26:47.0 to help St. Joseph-Ogden win the meet's team title. PhotoNews file photo.

Students from Ogden who earned honor roll status in the fall semester include John Acklin, Zach David, Adam Frerichs, Caleb Johnson, Devon Miezio and Katelyn Smith.

Mickaela Fleming, who was standout high school pitcher for the SJO softball team, was the solo Royal student named to the fall semester list.

In addition to the seven alumni from Ogden and Royal, 24 St. Joseph residents also were recognized on the Dean's List. The former Spartans include: Melanie Broch, Abigail Burnett, Julie Burnett, Rebecca Campbell, Erin Christians, Elena Cotter, Avery Edwards, Tenneal Frerichs, Justyn Fruhling, Dylan Heck, Gabriell Jones, Kaitlyn Landis, Caroline Moore, Allison Morenz, Brendan Olauson, Kristen Polizzi, Megan Schumacher, Nora Slater, Kaitlyn Taylor, Keisha Taylor, Mitchell Thompsen, Hannah Watson, Sarah Wiseman and Nicole Woller.

Students must earn a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 grade scale to earn Dean's List recognition at Parkland College. Those who take fewer than 12 credit hours during the semester can make the Dean's List by achieving a 3.5 cumulative GPA for 12 or more hours in the academic year.

St. Joseph announces 2020 meeting schedule

The St. Joseph Village Board has released their biweekly meeting schedule for 2020. The first meeting of the year is scheduled for next Wednesday, January 14.

Meetings are held at the St. Joseph Municipal Building located at 207 East Lincoln Street and start 7pm. Residents are welcome to attend.

Minutes from past village board meetings are available online here. Upcoming agendas are available here online.

January 14, 2020	Regular Meeting
January 28, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings
February 11, 2020	Regular Meeting
February 25, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings
March 10, 2020	Regular Meeting
March 24, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings
May 12, 2020	Regular Meeting
May 26, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings
June 9, 2020	Regular Meeting
June 30, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings
July 14, 2020	Regular Meeting
July 18, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings
August 11, 2020	Regular Meeting
August 25, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings
September 8, 2020	Regular Meeting
September 22, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings
October 13, 2020	Regular Meeting
October 27, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings
November 10, 2020	Regular Meeting
November 24, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings
December 8, 2020	Regular Meeting
December 22, 2020	Regular/Study Session Meetings

SJO hosts Christie Clinic Shootout on Saturday

St. Joseph-Ogden High School will host 13 varsity and junior varsity basketball teams on Saturday for this year's Christie Clinic Shootout.

The all-day basketball bonanza at the high school tips off at 11am with Crete-Monee squaring off against Mahomet-Seymour and concludes with the final contest between Farmington and host St. Joseph-Ogden at 8pm.

Varsity games will be played in the main gym while the JV installments will take place in the school's practice gym across the hall.

Admission fee for spectators is just $5 for the entire day. For fans who want to follow other games and teams at this year's event, all seven games will be broadcasted on the air live via WPXN 104.9 FM.

Here are the teams and approximate varsity start times:

11:00 AM: Crete-Monee vs. Mahomet-Seymour
12:30 PM: Kankakee vs. Danville
2:00 PM: Rich Central vs. Champaign Central
3:30 PM: Cissna Park vs. Monticello
5:00 PM: Pleasant Plains vs. Notre Dame La Salette
6:30 PM: Maine South vs. Normal Community
8:00 PM: Farmington vs. St. Joseph-Ogden

Jacob leads SJO in IVC rout

Payton Jacob and Katie Cramer teamed up to score 24 points, enough to have beat Illinois Valley Central on their own in the St. Joseph-Ogden girls first home game of 2020.

Jacob, a sophomore, led all scorers with a game-high 14-point performance. Cramer finished with 10 points.

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Ella Armstrong scoops up a loose ball against IVC

After a quick dive, Ella Armstrong scoops up the ball in SJO's home game against Illinois Valley Central. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

"We tried to make sure we stayed calm and not focus on their record," said Jacob about their Illini Prairie Conference foe. The Grey Ghost had only one win on the books heading into their bout against SJO. "If you just looked at their record it would have been easy to go out and assume we had the win."

Not wanting to take IVC lightly, the Spartans concentrated on their execution to dominate nearly every facet of the game.

"We made sure we were focus on our game and not on the way they were playing," said Jacob.

Taylor Wells came off the bench yet again this season for yet another solid output on both sides of the court. In addition to the sophomore's eight points, she battled under the rim snagging four defensive boards and a pair of offensive ones for a total of six.

Payton Vallee led the team in rebounds with 11 on the day.

Even with a 29-10 first half advantage fueled by Jacob's 11 points, the Spartans kept their foot on the gas adding another 18 points in the third quarter before coasting to the final buzzer.

Remarkably, IVC sent the Spartans to the free throw line just once in the 32-minute affair with Jacob capitalizing on both shots in the third-quarter.

"She's been really working on her shot and some other things," said head coach Kevin Taylor about Jacob. "Today, it paid off. It's nice to see was rewarded for the extra work she has been putting in."

In typical fashion this season, the rout was built on a balanced scoring effort. Abby Behrens and Ashlyn Lannert distributed five assists apiece allowing 10 different players to put points on the scoreboard.

"We're excited to get conference play going and wanted to start the right way," said Taylor after leading SJO to their 14th win of the season. "Overall it was a good effort by the girls to start conference."

Next up, Jaoob and Cramer face St. Thomas More at home on Monday. Varsity tip-off is slated for 7pm.

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Abby Behrens dribbles the ball against IVC

Abby Behrens dribbles the ball down the court with pressure from Illinois Valley Central's Lilly Madl. Behrens was held to just one field goal in the victory and was credited with five assists. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Anna Wentzloff makes a pass during second half action against the Grey Ghost. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

"I've been off kind of lately. It is kind of nice to be back in the rhythm of things."

~ Senior Katie Cramer

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Payton Jacob keeps the ball away from Grey Ghosts' Marley Williamson. Jacob scored 11 of her game-high 14 points in the first quarter. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Ella Armstrong goes up for a shot against IVC

Ella Armstrong takes a shot over IVC's Aynna Johnson. Armstrong, who finished with six points, was one of 10 SJO players that put points on the scoreboard on Saturday. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Box Score

Team 1	17	12	18	8	- 55
Illinois Valley Central	6	4	8	1	- 19

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 4, Payton Jacob 14, Taylor Wells 8, Atleigh Hamilton 2, Katie Cramer 10, Abby Behrens 2, Taylor Barnes 3, Payton Vallee 2, Ella Armstrong 6 and Anna Wentzloff 4.

Illinois Valley Central: Johnson 2, Williamson 5, Madl 1, Wolf 5 and Palmer 6.

Ladies basketball team get conference win

After snagging an defensive rebound, Spartan Anna Wentzloff looks for an open teammate to pass the ball during the her team's first home game in 2020. The senior finished with four points in St. Joseph-Ogden's 55-19 drubbing over visting Illinois Valley Central today. St. Joseph-Ogden, who finished 5th at this year's State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament, moves forward with their 14-4 record to face St. Thomas More in Illini Prairie Conference action at home on Monday. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Basketball team starts new year with a victory

The St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team picked the program's first win of the new year after beating Cissna Park, 68-51. Improving to 9-4 on the season, four Spartan players delivered double-digit scoring in what was also the team's first home basketball game of 2020.

Chance Izard finished the non-conference game with a game-high 18 points. The senior made seven of his 15 field goal attempts and was 1-for-2 from the free throw line.

Despite a cold streak from beyond the arc, frosh Ty Pence made five of his six shots inside the half circle adding another 13 points the St. Joseph-Ogden cause.

The Paytons, Grimsley and Cain, each piled on another 12 points a piece. The pair also led the Spartans in rebounding with five each.

The Timberwolves also had four players finish with double figures. Penn Stoller led Cissna Park squad with 15 points and 5 boards.

SJO plays at home again this Tuesday at 7pm when they will face the Wiliamsville Bullets who are 5-6 overall and 0-2 in their conference.

ViewPoint | What was she thinking?

Dear Editor,

What was Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton thinking when she purchased recreational marijuana in Chicago on the first day of its legal sales in Illinois? Does she not understand that as a public official she is setting a reckless and foolish example, especially for children and teens?

Illinois policy makers are sending a dangerous message to our young people. First, we called it "medicinal". Now, we call it "recreational". Gone are the days of "this is your brain on drugs". Instead, elected officials like Stratton are celebrating drug use by welcoming the marijuana industry to communities throughout the state.

Their feckless example will mislead citizens into a diminished understanding of the dangers of drug use until it affects them personally. As the perception of risk plummets, drug use (and addictions) will climb.

Not only have lawmakers failed to do their due diligence before passing this marijuana law, but they have also failed to heed the compelling research that indicates how regular use of marijuana affects young people, including an increased risk of psychiatric illnesses and loss of IQ points.

Parents, grandparents, teachers, and religious leaders would do well to counter Stratton’s irresponsible example by returning to the sensible message, "just say no to drugs".

David E. Smith, Executive Director
Illinois Family Institute

There is nothing like the Siberian Express

There is nothing like it.

That's how Deb Studniarz describes the annual Siberian Express Trail Run held at Kickapoo State Park for almost four decades. The 7.45 mile trail race, the first on this side of Illinois every calendar year, will run this Saturday at its usual location.

The 36th installment is scheduled to start at 11 am.

Last year, just over 300 runners turned out to race thanks unseasonably warm weather.

"You never know what Illinois weather will be like," said Studniarz, who is also this year's race director. "Last year we had record turnout because the weather was exceptional. The year before was record cold."

Corey Plotner, who finished 19th at last year's race, has run the Siberian Express in nearly every form of manic January weather that Mother Nature has offered.

"The challenging part is the weather. I have run it in shorts, and I have run it in 6 plus inches of snow," Plotner said. "You never know what you are going to get until you get out on the course."

Plotner, one of 11 Sentinel area runners, clocked in last January at 55:07.5.

"It’s a challenge to run trail and a greater challenge in the winter," Studniarz said referencing the years the race was ran despite knee high snow or sub-zero temperatures. "You never know what Illinois weather will be like."

Since 2012 Plotner has only missed running the annual race twice. In his opinion, having a solid game plan is key to running a good race.

"The real fun is when the course is sloppy though. It really makes for some interesting turns and strategy really comes into play then," he said. "This makes the experience so much fun because you go and run the course in the chilly temps and snow and slush, then you get to go back in the fall and run it faster on the dry course.

Another area resident and veteran runner, Mike Tankersley is intimately familiar with both the demands of the course and unpredictable race-day weather.

This course is tough when it is warm and dry," he said. Last year, the St. Joseph resident finished 29th overall with a time of 57:21.4 seconds. "When it is cold and snowing it is very challenging But, a huge accomplishment just to finish!"

Tankersley's fondest Siberian Express memory is finishing the race two years ago in 1 degree temperatures without any signs of frostbite.

Other area runners competing in last year's race included three women; Kati Seeley, Melissa Swanson and Johanna Mayer. Seeley finished the course in one hour, eight minutes and 27 seconds for 13th place in her division and 94th overall. Swanson clocked in 183th and Mayer persevered to cross the finish line after 2:03:17.4 elapsed from the time she started.

Plotner and Tankersley were not the only men from St. Joseph who competed in 2019. Cory Swanson, Bryan Johnson, John North, Scott Hendren, Levi Marriott and Jonathan Mayer all finished the 2019 running of the Siberian Express.

Haven't signed up for this year's race yet?

Race day registration opens at 9:30am. Runners signing up at the last minute should head to the Kickapoo Park Maintenance Garage.

The top 175 finishers will receive what the official race website calls a "Super Cool" medal. Participation awards will be distributed to runners finishing under the two hour mark.

For what it is worth, Saturday's forecast calls for cloudy conditions and the high hovering around 32º.

Seven Spartans make all-conference football list

Seven St. Joseph-Ogden football players garnered special recognition from the Illini Prairie conference football coaches this fall. The group, five Spartan seniors and two juniors, received well-deserved all-conference notoriety for their performance during the 2019 season.

Blake Dable (right) blocks a Williamsville lineman during SJO's first-round Class 3A playoff game back on November 2. Dable, a senior, was named all-Illini Prairie offensive lineman for his efforts this fall. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Seniors Brayden Weaver (Linebacker), Payton Cain (Defensive Back) and Blake Dable (Offensive Line) each received first-team accolades.

Attempting to become a three-sport athlete in his final year as a Spartan, Drew Coursey, who never played a down of varsity football until last August, received second-team recognition at the linebacker position.

Three players received Honorable Mentions. Crayton Burnett, who also started at quarterback, received noticed for his kick ability at punter with an HM. Senior Jaden Miller was given a nod as a defensive lineman while Brady Buss, who will be back next fall, earned a salute at the wide receiver position.

The Spartans finished the 2019 season with a record of five wins and five loses. Earning a second consecutive Class 3A playoff bid, SJO dropped their first-round postseason game to the Williamsville Bullets, who rolled through the bracket to take home this year's championship trophy.