Annawan outscored Forreston 25-11 in the third quarter and 42-16 in the final period of play en route to a 67-38 win at the 1A Amboy Regional championship on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. Kendall Erdmann led the Cardinals with 14 points and Brendan Greenfield added 11 in the loss. Annawan was led by Maddux Heitzler’s 16 points.

The Sterling Newman baseball team made it back to state, this time in Class 2A, while the Rockridge softball team seek its fourth straight Class 2A State championship.They will be joined over the state weekend by the Ottawa Marquette baseball team in Class 1A.

The Bruins tied the game in the third inning, only to have the Titans regain the lead with a run in the home half. They never give it up on the way to a 4-2 championship game victory.

Hall, Princeton and St. Bede seeking to keep regional championships at home

Mother Nature has not been too kind on the spring sports schedules this year. Some schools are making plans to beat Mother Nature to the punch this time.

Here are Bureau County area girls state qualifiers, including Annawan, Atkinson, Bradford, Dixon, Hall, Kewanee, Mendota, Newman, Seneca, Sterling and St. Bede.

Bureau County area girls sectional champions, including Amboy, Annawan, Bradford, Hall, Kewanee, PC, Marquette, Mendota, Neponset, Princeton and St. Bede

“Being involved in big games with pressure to win every year has taken its toll on me and I am a tired coach. The batteries need a recharge.”

Bureau County area girls postseason basketball scores for Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024

Corban Chhim led the Storm with 27 points while Elijah Endress added 15 points.

Alex Coppejans has become the all-time winningest coach in Annawan boys basketball history.

The Tigers will play Quincy Notre Dame (9-7) at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Rockford Lutheran (12-6) at noon on Monday, Jan. 15.

Longtime sports writer Charlie Ellerbrock of Shaw Media, who has covered Illinois Valley sports for parts of six decades, was inducted as a media member. Players inducted include Bill Howard (Princeton), Reuben Slock (Bureau Valley), LuAnn Robinson (Annawan)

The Storm claimed second at the Wally Keller Invite at Wethersfield while the Red Devils took third at the Seneca Thanksgiving Tournament.

Annawan, which has an enrollment of 93, beat four teams with an average enrollment of 651, for the championship.

St. Bede shut out Annawan/Wethersfield 12-0 in the Class 1A Regional final game on Saturday, May 20, 2023 in Annawan. The Bruins will play on Tuesday at 5p.m. at home for the Class 1A Sectional.

The Class 2A Hall Regional tips off with two games today - No. 9 Hall (7-20) at No. 8 IVC (6-24) at 1 p.m. with No. 10 Mendota (7-22) at No. 5 Bureau Valley (15-15) at 5 p.m.

The Bravettes used a suffocating pressure defense to limit the Storm to three points through the first three quarters en route to a 39-7 non-conference victory at the Storm Cellar Thursday night.