Tim Cronin – Shaw Local News Network correspondent

East St. Louis showed again Saturday why it’s a next-to-impossible force to stop, handling St. Laurence 50-7 in the Class 6A state semifinals.

Lincoln-Way Central held three one-touchdown leads on host St. Rita, but the Mustangs proved tougher in the final quarter and pulled out a 31-28 victory on Saul Ruiz’s 23-yard field goal as time expired in a Class 7A second-round

Lincoln-Way Central displayed all its weapons Friday night in a 49-7 shellacking of Reavis to open its 7A playoff adventure.

Joliet Catholic football held on for a wild, 30-27 win over playoff-bound Providence – a win that kept JCA in the playoff conversation pending results across the rest of the state.

Minooka has shaken off a 1-2 start and the loss of their starting QB and is in the midst of a four-game win streak, plus more from sidelines in Will and Grundy County in this week's Herald-News Football Notebook.

Providence's second-half rally to produce a stirring 21-20 victory over Loyola will eventually be the stuff of legend. On Friday night, it was reality.

Lincoln-Way East quarterback Jonas Williams broke the IHSA career passing TD record, and coach Rob Zvonar collected his 250th career win as the Griffins rolled to a 42-6 victory over Metea Valley on Friday.

Nazareth ran and passed by Joliet Catholic, 48-21, in a Catholic League/ESCC crossover encounter that ceased to be a contest in the second quarter, when savvy senior quarterback Jackson Failla threw for four of his career-high six touchdowns.

Romeoville came in undefeated, but Plainfield North left with the win Friday 49-0 thanks to a powerful rushing attack led by Julian Rodriguez.

Jamen Williams threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns and Jake Thies had one of three Fenwick interceptions and a 67-yard TD run as the Friars remained unbeaten with a 43-26 win over Joliet Catholic that dropped the Hilltoppers to 0-3.

Lincoln-Way Central’s statistics were beyond gaudy Friday night, but the Knights’ best number was the score – 26-14 in their favor over Providence.

Lyons Township's 24-14 victory over Joliet Catholic at Joliet Memorial Stadium in the opener for each team was corralled by perfect execution of basic football.

Dean Burmester wasn't the most known competitor in the final round of LIV Golf Chicago at Bolingbrook Golf Club, but he was the champion Sunday.

Details are still to be finalized, but it’s expected NASCAR will soon announce a return of its NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series to Joliet’s Chicagoland Speedway in 2026.

For an Indianapolis 500 that started off like a Saturday night trophy dash in a quarter-mile bull ring, with cars bouncing off each other and the walls of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway early and often, it ended in sublime fashion.