Putnam County Panthers got some preparation for Friday's Class 1A state semifinal, making at stop at the Corn Crib in Normal and Yard Goats indoor facility in Champaign. The Panthers (25-11) will face North Clay (35-4) at 1 p.m. Friday at Illinois Field.

Hall’s Luke Bryant, Princeton’s Ryan Jagers and St. Bede’s Ava Balestri earn unanimous all-conference honors in the Three Rivers East and Tri-County Confernce.

Princeton High School coach Patrick Hodge has announced the cross country/fitness runs for PHS for the rest of June, meeting at 7 p.m. on June 16, June 18, June 23 and June 26 in front of the school.

This year’s Walnut 5K Run/Walk for ALS is scheduled for Saturday, July 4 starting at 8 a.m. at Bureau Valley North School. All proceeds for the event will go toward research for ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Here is a look at BCR Softball Players of the Year from out of the past dating back to 1996. Avah Oertel is the ninth different Princeton player chosen, the fourth to repeat.

Keighley Davis will be playing volleyball for William Penn University this fall, but first she will suit up for basketball one more time. Princeton’s all-time leading scorer will be playing for the Class 1-2A North in Saturday’s IBCA All-Star Games in Pontiac.

Four St. Bede players have been added to the ICA 2A All-State Softball team, having been inadvertently omitted in its first release Monday - Ava Balestri, Lily Bosnich, Emma Slingsby and Macy Strauch .

Princeton's Kristian Wahlgren (front center), who is the only time two-time state wrestling champion from the Illinois Valley, was accompanied by family and friends for his induction into the Shaw Media Illinois Valley Hall of Fame

Elisa Gugerty was the winner of Tuesday’s Wyaton Hills Ladies Play Day of Reverse your score with a score of 15.

Avah Oertel had more hits than Taylor this spring. She batted .607 with a school single-season record 17 homers, 59 RBIs, 19 doubles and 55 runs scored. The repeat BCR Player of the Year is already Princeton’s career leader for home runs (35), RBIs (137) and doubles (35).

Three members of Princeton’s regional finalist softball team were named to the 2026 Illinois Coaches Association Class 2A All-State Softball Team. Avah Oertel, Keely Lawson and Caroline Keutzer. Hall’s Caroline Morris and Bernie Larsen were named to third team

Here’s an updated look at offensive school records for Princeton High School softball through the 2026 season

Here’s a look at Princeton High School softball pitching school records as of Tuesday, April 14, 2026 as researched by BCR Sports Editor Kevin Hieronymus

Longtime BCR Sports Editor Kevin Hieronymus received seven awards in Thursday’s Illinois Press Association Contest in East Peoria

Jake Gillum started his day running the Steamboat Classic in Peoria running a 4-mile race starting at 8:05 a.m. Then he made fast tracks to defend his Princeton Mile championship by the narrowest of margins, clocking a 4:08.2 to edge runner-up Dale Johnson of Sterling

Here are the leading ladies on the BCR diamonds representing Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede.

Riverdale High School used first-place finishes in boys track and softball this spring to clinch its second BCR’s Three Rivers All-Sports Championship in three years. Sherrard (77) was second and Princeton (72) was third.

Here’s a look at the area Bureau County softball leaders for the 2026 season from Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede

Former Princeton Tiger Danny Cihocki got the call out of the bullpen for the Huskies in their last two games in their NCAA Tournament run in Tallahassee, Fla. on National TV, facing Coastal Carolina and host and No. 10 Florida State.

Here's an update of area sectionals including Marquette, Newark, Putnam County and Rockridge

Brad Bickett, who led the Storm basketball team to three state basketball third-place finishes from 2000-02 and won nine regionals and three sectionals, heads the list with 287 wins over 15 seasons.

Jackson Mason became coach Connie Lind's first player at Princeton in her 30 years as coach to win two matches at state. Then he added icing on his coach’s retirement cake by winning a third match in the state meet. He is the 2026 BCR Tennis Player of the Year

Here's a look at the top 15 winningest varsity coaches in school history for Hall, including names like Gary Vicini, Eric Bryant, Richard Nesti, Tom Keegan, Demi Salazar, Mike Filippini and Brian Holman

Eight players from Princeton and six from Hall earned recognition on the 2026 Three Rivers East All-Conference Softball Team.

Here's an update of area regionals including Bureau Valley, Hall, L-P, Mendota, Ottawa, Princeton, Putnam County and St. Bede and a look ahead to sectionals.

A Hall mom cheering for the Red Devils baseball team on Thursday said, “Let’s go, boys, you’re the Comeback Kids.” The comeback kids just ran out of outs, falling 5-4 to Mon-Rose.

Here's an update of the Bureau County area IHSA softball postseason on May 28

Putnam County broke out its Player of the Game Chains for the first time this season for Wednesday’s regional semifinals in Annawan. By a unanimous choice, PC relief pitcher Rudy Villagomez received the honors.

There will be xxx Bureau County athletes competing in the 1A boys state track & field prelims on Thursday and four in the 2A prelims on Friday in Charleston.

Here’s a look at the all-time Illinois Valley Track & Field records, including schools in the BCR, NewsTribune and Times coverage area as of May 27, 2026

Here’s a look at the all-time Illinois Valley Track & Field records, including schools in the BCR, NewsTribune and Times coverage area as of May 27, 2026

Kewanee got three extra outs with the help of two Princeton errors and a dropped third strike in the second inning, hitting the ball out of the infield just once and scoring four runs to take a 6-1 lead. Kewanee tacked on four more runs in the sixth in an eventual 10-5 win.

Just who are these namesakes on the walls? This is the second in a two-part series telling the story and history behind the namesakes of area gymnasiums, tracks and track meets.

The Princeton girls soccer team saw its best season in years end with a 4-0 loss to Alleman in Saturday’s 1A regional finals at Bryant Field. Their 17 wins this season has put the Tigresses back on the map as a team to be reckoned with and created excitement in the community.

The baseball postseason starts up Monday in Illinois. Here's a look at IHSA regionals for Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton, Putnam County and St. Bede

The Princeton Tigresses softball team saw its season end over nine highly intense innings Friday, falling to Pontiac 5-3 in the Class 2A Lexington Regional championship game.

Bureau Valley stormed out with eight runs in the first inning on the way to regional semifinal victory at Annawan. Casey Etheridge, Princeton 4x400 qualify for state,

Today will officially be known as “Virginia Day” when St. Bede hosts Mendota at the Academy ball diamond. It is a tribute to a “Mom, Grandma, friend and all-time super fan.”

Shut out by Bureau Valley starter Brody Lewis for two innings, Hall baseball broke out for two runs in the third inning and three each in the fourth and fifth on the way to a runaway 13-0 win over the host Storm in Manlius.

The inaugural Princeton Mile was such a big hit in 2025, the Princeton Chamber of Commerce is running it back this year on Saturday, June 6, a certified one-mile course on historic Main St in Princeton. There will be more cash prizes on the line, paying the top 3 elite finishers.

Here's a preview of the Bureau County area's boys track sectionals. Amboy co-op and Bureau Valley will run at Erie and DePue, Hall, Putnam County and St. Bede wat El Paso-Gridley in 1A with Princeton and L-P at Galesburg and Mendota at Rochelle in 2A

Princeton Logan Junior High won the eighth-grade 3A boys sectional championship and qualified eight athletes for the IESA State Track Meet this weekend in East Peoria,

When the postseason pairings came out, the Princeton soccer team set its sights on having to beat Alleman to win the title. They took the first step Wednesday, defeating Macomb 6-1 with 2 goals each by Bella Clevenger & Olivia Sandoval and 1 each by Ava Kyle & Chloe Ostrowski.

Bureau Valley graduate Landon Hulsing has earned All-American status, placing eighth for Sauk Valley in the discus in the NJCAA Outdoor Track and Field Nationals in Hobbs, N.M.

Marquette's Griffin Dobberstein and Grant Dose each clubbed two-run homers, driving in seven runs between them to power the Crusaders to a 13-3 win over St. Bede to claim the honor as "King of the Valley" on Saturday at Schweickert Stadium in Peru.

The Illinois Valley Baseball ‘King of the Valley’ Tournament Update is underway. Here’s a look at Friday’s scores

The postseason starts up Monday for the Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede softball teams. Here's a look at their regionals and other area sites

William Sramek became the latest in a long line of St. Bede Academy seniors to sign their letters of content to compete athletically at the collegiate level. He signed to attend Eureka College and wrestle for the Red Devils.

Sophomore short stop Ryan Brucker of Princeton has helped the Illinois Central College baseball team to the Regional 24 championship while earning all-conference honors. Catch up with other area collegiate baseball and softball players in the BCR College Update.

The Tigresses get all the comforts of home, where they are undefeated in nine matches, opening with Macomb on Monday with an eye on revenge against Alleman for a potential title match showdown. The DePue-Hall co-op will open regional play against host Geneseo.