| Rank | Name | Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan | 6-0 | Week 2 winner |
| 2 | Clark | 3-3 | His crystal ball may be cracked |
| Rank | Name | Total Record | Wins | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan | 12-1 | 2 | Two-week streak! |
| 2 | Clark | 8-5 | 0 |
CHRISMAN - A year after finishing outside the top six at the Chrisman Cow Chip XC Invite, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ cross country team returned with a vengeance, claiming the team title in front of bright skies and temperatures that made running three miles ideal.
The Cow Chip, a race first conceived in 1981 by Roger Beals, is known for its flighted competition and open-pasture course, dotted with the occasional pasture pie, adding a quirky twist to the classic cross country challenge. On Saturday, Mother Nature provided near-perfect conditions for east-central Illinois runners with sunny skies and a comfortable 74 degrees.
For St. Joseph-Ogden, the difference this year was clear. Sophomores Grace Bressner and Abby Bello emerged as stars, showing the results of a summer of dedicated training. For Bressner, Bello, and their teammates, the hard work over the summer paid off in measurable improvements and team success.
Bressner, who last year finished the race in 20:23.9, cut her time down to 18:57.45, placing sixth overall. Bello, improving more than a minute and a half from her previous 22:16 finish, crossed in 20:02.52 to claim seventh place. Their performances set the tone for the team, complemented by Taylor Vaughn (21:16.28), Allie Bott (21:16.71), and Tessa Walker (21:30.05), leading St. Joseph-Ogden to a winning team score of 85.
Last year, Unity won the girls title thanks to seniors Emily Decker and Ashlyn Denney, who have since graduated. This season, the Rockets’ top performers were senior Mackenzie Pound and juniors Grace Wherley and Galina Fairbanks. Pound blazed a trail early and finished fifth overall in 18:51.43. Wherley and Fairbanks also made their mark, crossing in 21:55.46 and 21:58.25 respectively, helping Unity secure third place as a team with 108 points.
Urbana University High showcased depth and consistency, placing second as a team with 98 points. Clara Knutson led the way with a 20:04.10 finish, followed by Cadence Scheunemann in 20:38.27. Janny Knutson added an 8th-place finish in 20:47.41, solidifying Urbana’s position near the top.
The top five individual finishers reflected the competitive field across the area: Isabella Keller of St. Anthony dominated with a 16:24.89 finish, followed by teammate Aubrey Denning (17:38.28). Marshall High’s Madeleine Fox (18:42.85) and Molly Farrell (18:49.97) earned third and fourth, respectively, before Pound’s fifth-place effort.
by Ben SzalinskiSPRINGFIELD - Darren Bailey plans to run for governor for a second time in 2026, Capitol News Illinois confirmed with sources close to the campaign.
The former state senator and farmer from Clay County would become the highest-profile Republican to enter the race, having lost the 2022 campaign against Gov. JB Pritzker and a close primary race in 2024 against U.S. Rep. Mike Bost for a downstate congressional seat.
A formal announcement is expected next week. News of the planned announcement was first reported by NBC Chicago on Monday afternoon.
Bailey rose to statewide notoriety in 2020 as a state lawmaker who opposed mask mandates and other COVID-19 emergency actions early in the pandemic. He capitalized on his opposition to Pritzker-imposed restrictions and ran for governor in 2022.
Bailey easily won the Republican primary that year with 57 percent of the vote. His campaign was indirectly helped by Pritzker, who ran TV ads during the primary calling Bailey “too conservative” for Illinois, which helped boost his credentials with Republican voters.
But Pritzker handily won a second term with 55 percent of the vote, defeating Bailey by 13 points in a race the Associated Press called just moments after polls closed. Pritzker spent millions on his campaign as Bailey struggled to compete despite receiving financial help from Lake Forest billionaire Dick Uihlein.
Bailey then tried to unseat Bost in 2024 in the 12th Congressional District but came up about 2,700 votes short. While he received President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the governor’s race, Trump endorsed Bost over Bailey in 2024.
Bailey plans to enlist Cook County Republican Party Chair Aaron Del Mar as his running mate, a source said.
Del Mar ran for lieutenant governor in 2022 alongside Gary Rabine, receiving 6.5 percent of the vote.
He was elected to lead the Cook County Republican Party earlier this year, marking the second time he has held that role after previously leading the party in the early 2010s. He is also a member of the Illinois GOP’s State Central Committee and serves as Palatine Township’s highway commissioner.
Outside of politics, Del Mar has led a career in business and as an entrepreneur.
Bailey ran in 2022 with Stephanie Trussell, a conservative radio host from the suburbs.
It is unclear how Bailey plans to overcome his 2022 loss and what message he will take to voters in 2026.
He focused much of his 2022 campaign on crime and public safety, criticizing the SAFE-T Act and bashing Chicago as a “hellhole.”
The message failed to gain traction with voters, however, as Democrats focused heavily on abortion rights in the months after Roe v. Wade was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Facebook has been Bailey’s primary communication platform to voters, and in recent weeks, he has focused many of his posts on Pritzker and ways he believes the governor has failed Illinois. Like other Republicans, Bailey has criticized Pritzker’s growing national profile.
“In 2026, we have the chance to stop him,” Bailey wrote in a post Monday. “But it will take ALL of us. Every Illinoisan who knows we deserve better. Together, we can end JB’s presidential ambitions before they even begin and finally turn Illinois around.”
Bailey would become at least the fourth candidate to enter the Republican primary for governor, which has been slowly taking shape this fall.
DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick, Lake Forest resident Joe Severino, and conservative media writer Ted Dabrowski have also formed committees to run for governor.
Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner released a statement Sunday saying he was also considering running.
Pritzker is running for a rare third term as governor amid speculation he will also run for president in 2028.
Candidates must turn their petitions in to the State Board of Elections by the end of October.
