St. Joseph-Ogden High School 2024 First Quarter Honor Roll

ST. JOSEPH - At the end of October, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the recipients of the first quarter Honor Roll and High Honor Roll. To be recognized on the Honor Roll at SJO, students must achieve a grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Those with a GPA exceeding 3.74 are honored as High Honor Roll students.

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Freshman Honor Roll

Ava Alexander
Miles Atwood
Lucas Barton
Coleton Beckett
Draven Black
Evan Brown
Liam Carter
Caleb Courter
Emily Cross
Hunter Dilley
Jameson Ehler
Casen Goff
Jackson Good
George Hale
Holden Hausle
Averie Helfrich
Keira Landers
Leigha Larson
Pete Martin
Aubrey Matheny
Wyatt McKinney
Atleigh Miller
Michaela Morrison
Cameron Palmisano
Averie Puckett
Isaiah Reynolds
Mitch Riesel
Keegan Roberts
Samantha Ryan
Dalton Trotter
Logan Umbarger
Ryder Van Meenen
Henrik Vander Zalm
Tessa Walker
Lexi Williams
Ian Wolken

Sophomore Honor Roll

Yadiel Acosta-Reyes
Samuel Albrecht
Olivia Berlatsky
Alec Bowlin
Willis Canamore
Brenda Castro Gutierrez
Jaxson Colvin
Jameson Ennis
Mary Evans-Baker
Elijah Garrett
Aiden Hundley
Faith Jackson
Jaxson LaBounty
Garrett Loschen
Adam Marschke
Steven Newman
Mason Olinger
Tripp Palmer
William Ricketts-Royer
Ava Smoot
Lilly Sollars
Cameron Wagner
Shelby Warns
Kaden Wedig
Dalton York

Junior Honor Roll

McKenzie Atwood
Shelby Campbell
Wade Clark
Cade Crozier
Caleb Dwyer
Zachary Harper
Coy Hayes
Justice Heidel
Bryson Houchens
Amelia Huckstadt
Nick Jackson
Malachy Kates
Vance McComas
Emma McKinney
Ava Midkiff
Graham Ray
Lance Retz
Ainsley Rhoton
Ethan Sanders
Trevor Sexton
Gracyn Sjoken
Landon Smith
Lucas Smith
Luke Tranel
Lucas Truong
Hunter Van Meenen
Emma Wells

Senior Honor Roll

Jared Altenbaumer
James Barron
Rylie Barton
William Besson
Eli Birt
Sul Bonny
Chaz Bowlin
Landen Butts
Nolan Earley
Lyla Frerichs
Addison Funk
Tinley Ideus
Kendrick Johnson
Dylan Jones
Quincy Jones
Amilliya Kindle
Owen Knap
Aiden Krall
Logan Lackey
Madison Lankster
Gabe Mata
Brenden Maury
Logan Patton
Hailie Reifsteck
Sydney Reitmeier
Carson Sarnecki
Samuel Shonkwiler
Thea Smith
Collin Thomey
Jackson Walsh
Ava Worley
Merial Yeager

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79 freshman earn honor roll status, strong finish by 2020 SJO seniors

Seventy-six St. Joseph-Ogden High School seniors earned honor roll recognition in the final quarter of the year. Of that number, 50 students were awarded earned High Honor Roll status.

Students who earn a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on the school's 4.0 scale are recognized as Honor Roll students. Those whose GPA soared above 3.74 are receive High Honor Roll recognition.

Click on individual names to discover more Sentinel articles about each Honor Roll student.

High Honor Roll Freshmen

Alyssa Acton, McGwire Atwood, Kaytlyn Baker, Olivia Baltzell, Tyler Burch, Maddux Carter, Yamilka Casanova, Ariana Chambers, Cale Coursey, Morgan Cramer, Aiden Cromwell, Zachary Dahman, Emily Elsbernd, Joselyn Frerichs, Alex Funk, Kennedy Greer, Andrew Guelfi, Mikyla Haley, Hallie Harms, Maya Hewkin, Taylor Hug, Peyton Jones, Cameran Kelley, Jacob Kern, Hunter Ketchum, Aaron Lane, Collin Livesay, Haleigh Maddock, Aidan McCorkle, Kyle Meccoli, Teagan Miller, Allegra Pearman, Ty Pence, Jack Robertson, Kirsten Schaefer, Johanna Schmitz, Jack Setterdahl, Isabel Sexton, Paige Siegmund, Trinity Tapia, Taylor Voorhees, Alayna Wagle, Mallory Wagner and Maggie Ward.

Freshmen Honor Roll

Madison Adams, Canyon Alwes, Sylvia Bills, Owen Birt, Ethan Blackburn, Kaylee Brown, Taylor Burch, Payton Carter, Gwen Chatterton, Bryce Collins, Madelynn Cook, Aleah Dial, Abigail Dow, Leah Finley, Spencer Fitch, Grace Flessner, Jessica Gadbury, Joseph Gherna, Kylie Greer, Connor Hale, Hayden Henkelman, Shayne Immke, Emily Jeffries, Eleni Krall, Carter Mabry, Katherine McDermott, Blake Morgan, Courtney Myren, Jacob Newman, Ava Northen, William Page, Emma Rydell, Katharine Short, Olivia Terven, Emma Ward, Rebekah Weinmann and Jackson Wetzel.

High Honor Roll Sophomores

Addison Allen, Tyler Altenbaumer, Kailyn Anderson, Ella Armstrong, Madison Atwood, Abigail Behrens, Ella Besson, Andrew Beyers, Brandie Bowln, 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, Alyssa Hamilton, Lauren Harper, Claire Huffman, Payton Jacob, Alison Kearney, Ava Knap, Ashlyn Lannert, Wyatt Loghry, Kelsey Martlage, Sophia McDade, Coby Miller, Conrad Miller, Elijah Mock, Jett Morris, Jessica Palmer, Emma Parkinson, Jackson Place, Hope Rajlich, JoLeena Reynolds, Kendra Riddle, Taryn Sexton, Alyssa Shoviak, Luke Stegall, Rebecca Steinbach, Mackenzie Trame and Taylor Wells.

Sophomore Honor Roll

Nicolas Anzelmo, Alanna Bensyl, Allison Burnett, Matthew Falls, Mackenzie Fulk, Hailey Gaines, Avian Gerdes, Nolan Grindley, Kennedy Hudson, Kailyn Ingram, KayLeigh Kamphaus, Olivia Klotz, Jacey Lewis, Braden McElroy, Ava Meyer, Ava Miller, Keaton Nolan, Jonathan Poulter, Griffin Roesch, Malorie Sarnecki, Grace Schmitz, Anna Snyder, Regan Uden, Ethan Vanliew and Cole Weinmann.

High Honor Roll Juniors

Isabelle Brooks, Crayton Burnett, David Bytnar, Taylor Campbell, Raegan Crippen, Kylie Duckett, Makayla Duckwitz, Jacob Dywer, Hanna Eastin, Nadirah Edwards, Emily Fisher, Dakota Franzen, Emily Froman, Atleigh Hamilton, Emmy Houston, Lukas Hutcherson, Logan Ingram, Cailer Kellenberger, Shelby Kofoot, Spencer Lahners, Ethan Lane, Aiden Livesay, Alyssa Maddock, Tyson Madsen, Sophie Martlage, Flannery McCorkle, 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.

Junior Honor Roll

Makenzie Barron, Dylan Batty, Hunter Brooks, Brady Buss, Rylee Clements, Britney Evans, Alexandra Frerichs, Isabella Getty, Izabellah Innes, Madigan Loman, Brandon Mattsey, Jackson Rydell, Mitchell Whitlock, Rachel Wilson and Jonathan Wooten.

High Honor Roll Seniors

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

Senior Honor Roll

Joseph Acton, Michara Allen, Kolton Batty, Erin Bridgewater, Blake Dable, Caleb Evans, Asjah Fonner, Tristan Fuqua, Samantha Gonzales, Brayden Grimsey, Bradley Harrison, Ethan Hinrichs, Conner Hodge, Chance Izard, Aubrey Kern, Eliza Lewis, Keegan McCarty, Mason McLain, Alivia Norem, Taddy Pettit, Dyllan Price, Lexi Ribbe, Joshua Vice, Anna Wentzloff and Joel Wilson.

St. Joseph-Ogden fall 2023 Honor Roll students

ST. JOSEPH - At the end of October, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the first quarter Honor Roll and High Honor Roll recipients. Nearly 300 members of this year's school population earned first-quarter Honor Roll recognition.

To receive honor roll recognition at SJO, students must earn a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Students whose GPA soared above 3.74 are recognized as High Honor Roll students.

Freshman High Honor Roll

Lillian Ahart
Zhou Barbee
Zachary Benoit
Alec Bowlin
Colin Burnett
Elizabeth Clark
Abigail Crider
Hayden Dahl
Iris Davis
Nick Ditchfield
Justin Downs
Madison Farber
Nathaniel Farney
Nolan Franzen
Skyler Graham
Anna Hammond
Mark Harbourt
Nicholas Harris
Tyler Hess
Maggie Hewkin
Mia Jones
Alivia Learned
Chase Mabry
Hadley McDonald
Finnegan Miller
Maddux Musselman
Mason Olinger
Mason Ramm
Peighton Reim
Kiah Riesel
Dennis Rineberg
Isa Santiago
Sophie Schmitz
Ava Smoot
Adeline Stevens
Ani Stine
Isabella Turner
Brayden Waller
Jack Wear
Kaden Wedig
Emerson Williams

Freshman Honor Roll

Yadiel Acosta-Reyes
Samuel Albrecht
Brenda Castro Gutierrez
Jameson Ennis
Leah Gaines
Elijah Garrett
Gunnar George
Morgan Huls
Aiden Hundley
Brynn Ikemire
Faith Jackson
Waylon Jones
Jaydon Lewis
Avrianna Lyttle
Tripp Palmer
Shelby Warns
Cameron Wright
Tyler Wright
William Yeazel
Declan Yohnka

Sophomore High Honor Roll

Trevor Ames
Kylie Barrowman
Lexie Barrowman
Tim Blackburn-Kelley
Kaitlyn Beyers
Emily Bird
Aiden Bonny
Addison Brooks
Sara Bytnar
Shelby Campbell
William Carlson
Rudra Chaudhary
Adelyn Childers
Christopher Coffey
Katherine Ericksen
Callie Evans
Abigail Getty
Camden Getty
William Haley
Zachary Harper
Claire Hartman
Lydia Huckstadt
Adalyn Jannusch
Sophia Kasper
Madilyn Kelley
Kylan Kincaid
Cooper Kietzman
Alexis Lackey
Ryker Lockhart
Mackenzie Loschen
Emma McKinney
Michael McDaniel
Danny McGinnis
Kodey McKinney
Patrick McMahon
Ava Midkiff
Ashlyn Miller
Hannah Mock
Delaney Nekolny
Allison Ochs
Brennan Oleynichak
Kayla Osterbur
Colton Overstreet
Garrick Page
Branson Pearman
Kaleb Peoples
Asher Pruemer
Ainsley Rhoton
Lily Rice
Landon Roberts
Amber Ruppel
Cameron Schlueter
Allison Schmitz
Landon Smith
Lucas Smith
Tao Smith
Quinn Stahl
Sydney Steinbach
Hadley Sweet
Carlee Taylor
Luke Tranel
Sophia Vliet
Madeline Wells
Wyatt Wertz
Logan Xiao
Cyrus Zadeh

Sophomore Honor Roll

Caroline Aden
DeAva Barnett
Josiah Beals
Jacob Carlson
Wade Clark
Parker Fitch
Charles Hale
Erica Hardimon
Bryson Houchens
Amelia Huckstadt
Jordan Johnson
Kaelyn Jolley
Sami Kelso
Vance McComas
Graham Ray
Lance Retz
Logan Rosenthal
Trevor Sexton
Gracyn Sjoken
Karleigh Spain
Lucas Truong
Hayden Utley
Hunter Van Meenen

Junior High Honor Roll

EJ Beckett
Sul Bonny
Holden Brazelton
Landon Brown
Arely Castro Gutierrez
Richi Chimal
Preslee Christians
Madison Clampitt
Ella Dietiker
Luke Ditchfield
Jackson Ennis
Savanna Franzen
Addison Funk
Tayton Gerdes
Olivia Getty
Makennah Hamilton
Lauren Harris
Maebree Houston
Kendrick Johnson
Dylan Jones
Sara Kearney
Amilliya Kindle
Madison Lankster
Logan Mills
Gabriel Mortlock
Grace Osterbur
Sonia Patel
Nathan Phillips
Audrey Ruppel
Charles Schmitz
Tanner Siems
Kyler Swanson
Collin Thomey
Reese Wheatley
Charley Wright
Fiona Xiao

Junior Honor Roll

Jared Altenbaumer
Audrey Benoit
Will Besson
Chaz Bowlin
Landen Butts
Hayden Coffey
Joshua Courter
Aerolyn Davenport
Lauren Dewese
Nolan Earley
Lyla Frerichs
Kaiden Gaines
Joe Griebat
Haley Hesterberg
Paige Johnson
Owen Knap
Logan Lackey
Gabe Mata
Brenden Maury
Chayse Palmer
Logan Patton
Sydney Reitmeier
Haley Rudolph
Samuel Shonkwiler
Corbin Smith
Coy Taylor
Samantha Uden

Senior High Honor Roll

Edward Alewelt
Logan Allen
Kaden Allinger
Aden Armstrong
Samantha Beetz
Chloe Burkhalter
Payton Carter
Garrett Denhart
Samantha Downs
Sadie Ericksen
Joseph Frasca
Mia Frederick
Alana Frerichs-McCurry
Addison Frick
Grace Getty
Chloe Harper
Rachel Harris
Brody Hausman
Annabelle Hueber
Tanner Jacob
Kya Jolley
Helene Jones
Tori Kibler
Lauren Lannert
Quinn Lewis
Taylyn Lockhart
Seth McBride
Shannon McMahon
Talan Miller
Isaiah Mock
Rowan Musselman
Caleb Ochs
Cole Pruitt
Macy Reed-Thompson
Addison Roesch
Addison Ross
Daniel Santiago
Lucas Skelton
Aescton Slowikowski
Logan Smith
Dylan Smoot
Drew Thurman
Emma Thurman
Braxton Waller
Elissia Ward
Colin Wayland
Brody Weaver
Corbin Wells
Hayden Williams
Peyton Williams
Spencer Wilson

Senior Honor Roll

Chloe Allen
Owen Baltzell
Mya Bott
Halle Brazelton
Kyler Brown
Tyler Buss
Maya Chahine
Cameron Dressen
Chloe George
Grace Goldenstein
Amaya Gula
Ray Gutierrez
Jayci Hayes
Emmitt Holt
Ella Jones
Holden Jones
Ryan Kroll
Luke Landrus
Hayden Lewis
Connor Little
Grace Mabrey
Carson Maroon
Ethan McElroy
Kaydence Reynolds
Addison Seggebruch
Madison Stevens
Zoey Sweet
Mitchell Wright

SJO Cheer qualifies for ICCA state championships

FARMINGTON - On Saturday, the St. Joseph-Ogden competitive cheer team qualified for the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches State Cheer Competition on January 6- 7 at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield. The Spartan cheer squad finished seventh out of 16 teams at the Farmington Invitational on Saturday.

Madelyn George and Spartan cheerleaders lead fans in a cheer during a timeout at the Toyota of Danville Classic basketball tournament earlier this month. On Saturday, the cheer team qualified for the ICCA state championships in January.

Photo: PhotoNews Media

"I’m very excited for this team to experience ICCA Championships," said St. Joseph-Ogden head coach Emily Wise. "Many of the cheerleaders have never competed before. The team has put in a lot of work in and out of practice."

Wise is happy with her team's accomplishment, especially considering their youth and lack of experience. Their over-all work ethic and practice culture have paid its first of many dividends. Five freshmen and five juniors make up the 10-girl squad.

"They have spent countless hours at practice and pushed themselves to a new level these past couple of weeks. I’m so proud their hard work paid off this past weekend," Wise said.

The team will be working even harder for a successful performance in Springfield next month. There are a few things they will be working on to be competitive with the veteran programs they will cheer against.

"The team will be perfecting their current skills as well as growing new skills. Such as stronger motions, louder voices, and added difficulty," Wise said."

Members of the squad include juniors Addison Funk, Madelyn George, Samantha Uden, Charley Wright, and Ava Worley. The remainder of the squad are all freshmen, which includes Iris Davis, Leah Gaines, Faith Jackson, Peighton Reim, and Ava Smoot.

"SJO Cheer has come such a long way since the beginning of the year," Wise added. "This is such a talented team and I can’t wait to see what all they accomplish this season."

Farmington Invitational Results
Small School Varsity Division

 1st Knoxville
 2nd New Berlin
 3rd Oakwood
 4th Salt Fork
 5th Farmington
 6th Illini Bluff
 7th St. Joseph-Ogden
 8th Brimfield
 9th Monmouth-Roseville
10th Eureka
11th ROWVA Williamsfield
12th Sherrard
13th Williamsville
14th Abingdon-Avon
15th St. Thomas More
16th Prairie Central

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266 SJO students named to first quarter Honor Roll

On Tuesday, St. Joseph-0gden High School announced that 266 students earned Honor Roll status for their work during the first quarter of classes this academic year.

The senior class led in number of honors with 73 students achieving a 3.75 or higher average grade during the period. The sophomore and junior classes boast 42 high honor receipients, followed by the senior class with 41 honor roll students and the class of 2024 with 39.

Students named to the High Honors earned GPAs of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Those attaining GPAs of 3.25 to 3.74 are recognized as Honor Roll students.

Freshmen High Honor Roll

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

Freshmen Honor Roll

Hayden Henkelman, Tyler Burch, Canyon Alwes, Ethan Blackburn, Caleb Nemecz, Ava Northen, Peyton Jones, Carter Mabry, Emma Rydell, Sylvia Bills, Shayne Immke, Eleni Krall, Emma Ward, Abigail Dow, Collin Livesay, Haleigh Maddock, Jade Kelley, Blake Morgan, Alyssa Acton, William Page, Hunter Ketchum, Madison Adams, Isabel Sexton, Katharine Short, Katherine McDermott, Bryce Collins and Joseph Gherna.

Sophomore High Honor Roll

Addison Allen, Kailyn Anderson, Ella Armstrong, Madison Atwood, Abigail Behrens, Alanna Bensyl, 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, Mackenzie Fulk, Zella Fuqua, Brennan Haake, Liam Hamer, Lauren Harper, Claire Huffman, Payton Jacob, Ava Knap, Sophia McDade, Elijah Mock, Jessica Palmer, Hope Rajlich, JoLeena Reynolds, Kendra Riddle, Taryn Sexton, Alyssa Shoviak, Luke Stegall, Rebecca Steinbach, Mackenzie Trame, Ethan Vanliew and Taylor Wells.

Sophomore Honor Roll

Tyler Altenbaumer, Nicolas Anzelmo, Nolan Grindley, Alyssa Hamilton, Kailyn Ingram, KayLeigh Kamphaus, Alison Kearney, Olivia Klotz, Ashlyn Lannert, Jacey Lewis, Wyatt Loghry, Madelyn Mabry, Kelsey Martlage, Ava Meyer, Ava Miller, Coby Miller, Conrad Miller, Jett Morris, Keaton Nolan, Emma Parkinson, Jackson Place, Jonathan Poulter, Griffin Roesch, Colton Thompsen and Elijah Weinmann.

Junior High Honor Roll

Isabelle Brooks, Crayton Burnett, David Bytnar, Taylor Campbell, Kylie Duckett, Hanna Eastin, Nadirah Edwards, Emily Fisher, Dakota Franzen, Emily Froman, Isabella Getty, Atleigh Hamilton, Mariska Harshbarger, Emmyrson Houston, Lukas Hutcherson, Logan Ingram, Vania Kaenzig, Cailer Kellenberger, Shelby Kofoot, Spencer Lahners, Aiden Livesay, Madigan Loman, Alyssa Maddock, Tyson Madsen, Sophia Martlage, Flannery McCorkle, Garren Meeker, Abigail Moberg, Samantha Naylor, Alec Painter, Erin Patton, Aidan Roberts, Indira Robinson, Mazie Ronk, Jackson Rydell, Evan Schmitz, Max Shonkwiler, Tessa Smith, Payton Vallee, Nora Walden, Brayden Wendt and Logan Wolfersberger.


SJO Honor Roll Students

Junior Honor Roll

Mason Behrens, Hunter Brooks, Brady Buss, Rylee Clements, Raegan Crippen, Makayla Duckwitz, Jacob Dwyer, Britney Evans, Alexandra Frerichs, Lucas Funkhouser, Izabellah Innes, Ethan Lane, Alyssa Lynch, Brandon Mattsey, Gunnar Olson, Brianna Reifsteck, AJ Wagner and Rachel Wilson.

Senior High Honor Roll

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

Senior Honor Roll

Joseph Acton, Michara Allen, Kolton Batty, Hailey Birt, Samantha Blobaum, Ross Booker, Erin Bridgewater, Trevon Carr, Payton Clements, Blake Dable, Bailey Dowling, Asjah Fonner, Clayton Frederick, Jaiden Freeman, Brayden Grimsey, Lucas Grindley, Ethan Hinrichs, Conner Hodge, Chance Izard, Tyler Jones, Lacey Kaiser, Aubrey Kern, Eliza Lewis, Nathan Maier, Keegan McCarty, Mason McLain, Alivia Norem, Luke Renfrew, Lexi Ribbe, Anna Tranel, Anna Wentzloff and Karsyn Wetzel.

Spartan cheerleaders advance to ICCA State Championships in January

St. Joseph-Ogden’s cheerleading team opened its season with a second-place finish. The performance earned the Spartans a berth at the ICCA State Championships.

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by Clark Brooks
The Sentinel

PONTIAC - The music hit, the count started, and for 2.5 minutes in a Pontiac gym, everything the St. Joseph-Ogden cheerleaders had trained for came down to clean landings, steady grips and unbroken focus. When it was over, the Spartans did not need a scoreboard to know they had delivered. The judges confirmed it soon after, awarding SJO a second-place finish and a ticket to the ICCA State Championships.

The runner-up showing came Dec. 6 at the team’s first competition of the season in Pontiac and earned the Spartans a berth at state on Jan. 10 at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield. It is a familiar stage for much of the roster. Last January, SJO finished 20th out of 31 teams at the ICCA Small Varsity state competition, facing a field that included area programs such as Oakwood, which placed 10th, along with Salt Fork and St. Thomas More.

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Photo courtesy Mandie Gaines

SJO cheer team poses with their second place trophy from the Pontiac Invitational.

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This year’s squad is young but seasoned. The roster features no seniors, with leadership coming organically from a group heavy on sophomores and juniors who already know what state-level pressure feels like. Rather than naming captains, the team relies on experience and inclusion.

Photo courtesy Mandie Gaines

“The team naturally looks to the older athletes during decision-making,” coach Ava Meyer said. “That said, the girls are incredibly inclusive and open to ideas from every member of the team.”

That collective approach matters in a sport where there is no margin for error. Competitive cheer offers one uninterrupted routine, no timeouts, no substitutions and no second chance. Every stunt, tumbling pass and eight-count must land cleanly, or points disappear quickly.

Meyer said preparation since Pontiac has been detailed and deliberate.

“We’re focusing on the judges’ feedback from our last competition in Pontiac and applying those notes to our routine,” she said. “We’re breaking things down piece by piece, leveling up our stunts, and continuing to clean and perfect every section of the routine.”

The demands of competitive cheer stretch well beyond what many casual observers realize. Athletes must blend tumbling skills that range from cartwheels to standing tucks, explosive power for jumps, upper-body strength for stunting, flexibility for clean lines and the endurance to maintain performance quality for the full routine. Precision, timing and facial expression are scored alongside difficulty and safety, leaving little room for lapses.

Photo courtesy Mandie Gaines

Meyer sees those demands shaping more than just routines.

“This team is unbelievably supportive of one another, and there is never a dull moment when they’re together,” she said. “Their enthusiasm for learning new skills is infectious, and they constantly push themselves, and each other, past what they thought they could achieve.”

Consistency, she added, is what separates strong teams from great ones.

“Being a competitive cheer team takes drive, effort, and an incredible amount of energy,” Meyer said. “When even one of those elements dips, it becomes visible in the routine, which is why I’m so proud of how consistently this team shows up with all three.”

In her first year coaching the Spartans, Meyer said the season-opening performance only reinforced her confidence in the group.

“I have never seen so much talent and determination in a single team,” she said. “These girls continue to grow and excel in everything they do. I couldn’t have asked for a better group.”

The roster includes juniors Iris Davis, Ava Smoot, Faith Jackson, Leah Gaines and Peighton Reim; sophomores Abby Reynolds, Addison Walsh, Samantha Ryan and Sorena Welsh; and freshmen Addison Wright and Presley Ideus.

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More SJO Sports Articles

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St. Joseph-Ogden cheerleading team state qualifier, ICCA State Championships January Springfield, Illinois high school competitive cheer results, SJO cheer second place Pontiac competition, young varsity cheer team Illinois, high school cheerleading athletic demands

More than 260 SJO students named to third quarter Honor Roll

Last week St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the third quarter honor roll recipients. Two hundred and seventy-five students achieved honor roll recognition during the third quarter as the COVID-19 virus silently spread throughout the United States.

Freshman starter Ty Pence dives for a loose ball in the Spartans' home game against Paxton-Buckley-Loda in January. In addition to being a gifted athlete, Pence earned high honor roll recognition in the classroom in the the third quarter. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Students who earned a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on the school's 4.0 scale are recognized as Honor Roll students. Those whose GPA soared above 3.74 earned the added distinction a High Honor Roll student.

Click on the student's name to read more about their scholastic or athletic achievements.

Freshman

High Honor Roll

McGwire Atwood, Kaytlyn Baker, Olivia Baltzell, Tyler Burch, Maddux Carter, Yamilka Casanova, Ariana Chambers, Cale Coursey, Morgan Cramer, Aiden Cromwell, Zachary Dahman, Emily Elsbernd, Joselyn Frerichs, Alex Funk, Kennedy Greer, Andrew Guelfi, Mikyla Haley, Maya Hewkin, Taylor Hug, Peyton Jones, Jacob Kern, Aaron Lane, Collin Livesay, Aidan McCorkle, Kyle Meccoli, Teagan Miller, Allegra Pearman, Ty Pence, Jack Robertson, Kirsten Schaefer, Johanna Schmitz, Jack Setterdahl, Paige Siegmund, Trinity Tapia, Taylor Voorhees, Alayna Wagle and Maggie Ward.

Honor Roll

Alyssa Acton, Madison Adams, Sylvia Bills, Owen Birt, Ethan Blackburn, Gwen Chatterton, Bryce Collins, Aleah Dial, Leah Finley, Grace Flessner, Jessica Gadbury, Joseph Gherna, Kylie Greer, Connor Hale, Hallie Harms, Hayden Henkelman, Jonas Hutcherson, Shayne Immke, Emily Jeffries, Cameran Kelley, Hunter Ketchum, Carter Mabry, Haleigh Maddock, Katherine McDermott, Blake Morgan, Courtney Myren, Jacob Newman, Ava Northen, William Page, Emma Rydell, Isabel Sexton, Katharine Short, Mallory Wagner and Rebekah Weinmann.

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, Alyssa Hamilton, Lauren Harper, Claire Huffman, Payton Jacob, Alison Kearney, Ava Knap, Ashlyn Lannert, Wyatt Loghry, Kelsey Martlage, Sophia McDade, Coby Miller, Conrad Miller, Elijah Mock, Jett Morris, Jessica Palmer, Emma Parkinson, Jackson Place, Hope Rajlich, JoLeena Reynolds, Kendra Riddle, Taryn Sexton, Alyssa Shoviak, Luke Stegall, Rebecca Steinbach, Mackenzie Trame and Taylor Wells.

Honor Roll

Nicolas Anzelmo, Alanna Bensyl, Allison Burnett, Mackenzie Fulk, Avian Gerdes, Caitlyn Holzinger, Kennedy Hudson, Kailyn Ingram, KayLeigh Kamphaus, Olivia Klotz, Jacey Lewis, Braden McElroy, Ava Meyer, Ava Miller, Keaton Nolan, Jonathan Poulter, Griffin Roesch, Grace Schmitz, Anna Snyder, Regan Uden, Ethan Vanliew and Elijah Weinmann.

Juniors

High Honor Roll

Isabelle Brooks, Crayton Burnett, David Bytnar, Taylor Campbell, Kylie Duckett, Jacob Dwyer, Hanna Eastin, Nadirah Edwards, Emily Fisher, Dakota Franzen, Atleigh Hamilton, Emmy Houston, Lukas Hutcherson, Logan Ingram, Izabellah Innes, Cailer Kellenberger, Shelby Kofoot, Ethan Lane, Aiden Livesay, Tyson Madsen, Sophia Martlage, Flannery McCorkle, Garren Meeker, Abigail Moberg, Samantha Naylor, Alec Painer, 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, Britney Evans, Alex Frerichs, Emily Froman, Isabella Getty, Spencer Lahners, Madigan Loman, Alyssa Maddock, Brandon Mattsey, Jackson Rydell and Mitchell Whitlock.

Seniors

High Honor Roll

Lindsey Aden, Jenna Albrecht, Mallory Ames, Kendall Ayers, Taylor Barnes, Katelyn Berry, Emily Bigger, Kaylee Blackburn, Ginny Bytnar, Payton Cain, Trevon Carr, Payton Clements, Brendan Cooperider, Kristen Costa, Kathryn Cramer, Andrea Cunningham, Faith Dahman, Bailey Dowling, Hannah Dukeman, Jaiden Freeman, Payton Grimsley, Lucas Grindley, Erica Guelfi, Emily Hardimon, Cody Johnston, Danielle Kelso, Nathan Maier, Ava Mills, Carson Mills, Allison Monk, Nolan Peacock, Eric Poe, Hannah Rajlich, Jenna Schaefer, Rylee Stahl, Kenly Taylor, Stephanie Trame, Anna Tranel, Isabelle Vliet, Brayden Weaver, Sam Wesley, Zoey Witruk andJackson Wooten.

Honor Roll

Joseph Acton, Michara Allen, Kolton Batty, Ross Booker, Austin Carnes, Drew Coursey, Blake Dable, Asjah Fonner, Clay Frederick, Tristan Fuqua, Robert Gebbink, Brayden Grimsey, Ethan Hinrichs, Conner Hodge, Chance Izard, Lacey Kaiser, Aubrey Kern, Eliza Lewis, Keegan McCarty, Mason McLain, Alivia Norem, Taddy Pettit, Dyllan Price, Lexi Ribbe, Joshua Sexton, Joshua Vice, Karsyn Wetzel andJoel Wilson.