<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4CvUiD_0vk7Jf4U00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4CvUiD_0vk7Jf4U00" width="612" height="792" ></figure>The St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ soccer team has proven this season it can find the back of theopponent’s net.Frequently.The latest example happened on Tuesday, with the Spartans cruising to an 8-2 win at IlliniPrairie Conference rival Unity in Tolono.Zach Harper carried SJO (12-2-1) to another Illini Prairie win as the Spartans are now 2-0 inleague matches heading into Thursday’s conference match at St. Thomas More that begins at4:30 p.m. in Champaign.Harper scored four goals and also handed out an assist, one of eight Spartans to contributeeither a goal or an assist against the Rockets.Alex Acosta added two goals, with Waylon Jones and Logan Mills also scoring goals. Along withHarper and Mills, Nico Harris, Tyler Hess, Waylon Jones and Quinn Stahl each had an assist inthe win.The victory against Unity came after SJO opened Illini Prairie play with a 7-1 home win againstChillicothe IVC this past Saturday at Dick Duval Field in St. Joseph.Acosta delivered three goals and three assists to lead the Spartans against the Grey Ghosts,with Mills tallying two goals. Harper and Davin Alvarez each supplied a goal, with Harper andSteven Newman recording assists. Jaxson Colvin made seven saves in goal for the Spartans.After Thursday’s match at STM, the Spartans resume play at 9 a.m. this Saturday with anonconference road match against Georgetown-RIdge Farm/Westville in Georgetown.In volleyballSt. Joseph-Ogden split a pair of matches to start this week.In an Illini Prairie Conference match on Tuesday night, Unity beat the Spartans 25-23, 25-18 onTuesday night at the Rocket Center in Toronto. Tinley Ideus led SJO with six kills, while HadleyMcDonald and Ava Seggebruch each finished with two kills. Emma McKinney handed out 11assists and Seggebruch made 10 digs.In a nonconference home match on Monday night, SJO defeated Marshall rallied to hold on fora 24-26, 25-13, 25-20 victory. Seggebruch paced the Spartans (9-7, 0-2 Illini Prairie) with 14 killsand 12 digs for a double-double, while McKinney and Ally Schmitz each compiled four kills.McKinney directed the SJO offense with 23 assists and also made seven digs. Katie Erickson(nine digs), Addi Childers (three kills) and Emerson Williams (two kills, five digs) also chipped in.SJO is scheduled to return home for a 7 p.m. Illini Prairie match on Thursday against Pontiac.In cross-countrySt. Joseph-Ogden competed in one of the state’s biggest meets this past Saturday at DetweillerPark in Peoria.The Spartans’ boys’ team placed fifth in the boys’ open race that featured 47 teams. Jack Fisherpaced SJO with a fifth-place time of 16 minutes, 7.75 seconds and teammate Lance Retz wasn’tfar behind with a 13th-place finish in 16:40.54. EJ Beckett (17:14.48, 43rd place), Colin Burnett(17:18.57, 50th place) and Nate Farney (17:56.42, 106th place) also contributed to the SJOteam score.In the girls’ open race, SJO placed 18th out of 40 teams, but had two of the three top individualfinishes.Savanna Franzen took second in 18:24.83, with teammate Grace Bressner placing third in19:05.73. Abigail Bello (21:52.28, 134th place), Sydney Steinbach (24:30.04, 321st place) andKiah Riessl (26:05.86, 411th place) also chipped in.Both SJO teams will be in action this Saturday morning in a familiar environment: the streets ofSt. Joseph. The annual Spartan Classic begins at 9 a.m. with the girls’ race first followed by theboys’ race. The event starts in downtown St. Joseph and ends at the track at Dick Duval Fieldnear the high school.In girls’ tennisSt. Joseph-Ogden lost 7-2 against Pontiac in a dual match last Thursday at Atkins Tennis Centeron the University of Illinois campus in Champaign.Lily Rice picked up the lone singles win for the Spartans with a 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 6 singles.In doubles play, Samantha Kelso and Madison Clampitt earned a 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 win at No. 2doubles for the other point by the Spartans.SJO is set to get back on the court at 4:15 p.m. this upcoming Monday with a match againstUrbana at Blair Park in Urbana.In boys’ golfSt. Joseph-Ogden finished fourth at the eight-team Illini Prairie Conference Meet on Wednesdayat Lincolnshire Fields Country Club in Champaign.The Spartans, who did not have an individual among the top 10 finishers, carded a team scoreof 336. Monticello won the tournament with a score of 296, followed by Prairie Central (310) andPontiac (330).</div></body>

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Harper sparks SJO soccer to another win

The St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ soccer team has proven this season it can find the back of the. The latest example happened on Tuesday, with the Spartans cruising to an 8-2 win at Illini. Prairie Conference rival Unity in Tolono. Zach Harper carried SJO (12-2-1) to another Illini Prairie win...