Johnsburg senior Hope Klosowicz capped her four-year varsity track career by earning a Class 2A fourth-place medal in the 400-meter dash. The University of Nebraska Omaha commit is the 2026 Northwest Herald Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester, a 2019 Cary-Grove graduate, will undergo season-ending surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome and is expected to be sidelined for eight to 10 months.

The IHSA’s board of directors this week finalized expectations for the 35-second shot clock, which will be required for varsity boys and girls basketball contests beginning with the upcoming 2026-27 IHSA season.

Huntley senior Will Geske qualified for the final day of the Class 2A state boys tennis tournament for the first time and tied for seventh for McHenry County's best finish. Geske is the 2026 Northwest Herald Boys Tennis Player of the Year.

Meet the 2026 Northwest Herald All-Area Boys Tennis Team, led by Johnsburg's Tyler Batt, Huntley's Will Geske and Jacobs' Samuel Santa Ines.

Huntley's Giovanni Baggio, who earned All-FVC and All-State first-team honors while becoming the program's first-ever All-American, is the 2026 Northwest Herald Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year. Baggio, who won 84.1% of his face-offs, led Huntley to a sixth straight FVC title.

Crystal Lake Central co-op's Anna Starr, a Villanova recruit who scored 110 goals with 23 assists and led her team to a fifth straight FVC title, is the 2026 Northwest Herald Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year. Starr earned All-FVC, All-Sectional and All-State first-team honors.

Crystal Lake South's five-run seventh inning wasn't enough as East Peoria walked off a 7-6 win during Saturday's Class 3A state third-place game at Joliet Slammers Stadium. "I’m super proud of our group."

Crystal Lake South comeback fall short losing to East Peoria 7-6 in the third place Class 3A game at Joliet Slammers Stadium Saturday morning.

Carson Trivellini had three hits, but he and his Crystal Lake South teammates didn't score for only the second time this season in a 2-0 loss to Triad in a Class 3A state semifinal Friday at Slammers Stadium in Joliet.

Crystal Lake South comes up short against Triad 2-0 in the Class 3A state semifinal on Friday afternoon in Joliet.

Crystal Lake South's baseball team started only two seniors in its supersectional win over Fenwick, but an experienced group of athletes, primarily basketball players, has helped the Gators earn a berth to state for the first time since 2022.

Crystal Lake South's Michael Silvius worked out of a sixth-inning jam to pitch a shutout and went 3 for 4 with an RBI single, leading the Gators to a 4-0 win over Fenwick in the Class 3A Schaumburg Supersectional at Wintrust Field.

Crystal Lake South faces Fenwick in the IHSA Class 3A Wintrust Field Supersectional on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Schaumburg.

Twenty-four Northwest-Herald area softball players were named to the Illinois Coaches Association All-State team. Huntley's Aubrina Adamik, Prairie Ridge's Reese Mosolino, Marengo's Gabby Christopher and Marian Central's Christine Chmiel were named to the first team.

Marian Central graduate Dirk Stanger has returned to coach at hias alma mater, where he replaces fellow Marian grad Liam Kirwan. Stanger served as Marian's offensive coordinator more than 10 years ago before becoming a coach at Crystal Lake Central.

Crystal Lake South's Gracey LePage, who competes for Rockford Raptors FC and was an All-State soccer selection during her freshman season with the Gators, has announced her commitment to play at Notre Dame. LePage was named an ECNL All-American in 2025.

Here are the 2026 All-Kishwaukee River Conference selections, as voted on by KRC coaches. Johnsburg’s Liz Smith was named Player of the Year and Woodstock’s Erin Doherty was named Goalkeeper of the Year.