Kankakee hosts Nazareth for the first of two games with state champions to open the season while Bradley-Bourbonnais and Bishop McNamara also start their seasons at home. Check out previews on those games, as well as the rest of the Week 1 slate for the Daily Journal area.

Join hosts Mason Schweizer and Steve Soucie as they preview Week 1 in Illinois high school football for Kankakee County on the Friday Night Drive podcast

After older brother, Lyzale, was the lone junior on the Class 7A All-State team and younger brother, Ky'ren, took over the backfield as a freshman, the Edmon brothers are back for Bradley-Bourbonnais this fall.

Kankakee made a strong statement to start the boys soccer season and more in Tuesday's Daily Journal roundup.

Minooka started off the season with a road win over Bradley-Bourbonnais on Tuesday, getting two goals first-half goals from senior Ethan Koranda and another from junior Brian Ngong in the second half.

Bradley-Bourbonnais lost 3-0 to Minooka on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025.

Bradley-Bourbonnais beat Joliet Central 60-7 at home on Monday, getting off to a strong start in its second season as a program following a fourth-place finish at state a season ago.

Bradley-Bourbonnais topped Joliet Central in a 60-7 victory at home in the season opener on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025.

The rest of the state's fall sports joined golf by kicking off their seasons in Monday's Daily Journal roundup.

Check out how teams in the Southwest Valley Conference are expected to fare this season.

The Bradley-Bourbonnais boys golf team won the Crete-Monee Invite on Friday while Bishop McNamara tied for second four strokes back.

Team-by-team previews of the Daily Journal area's girls volleyball teams for the 2025 season.

Team-by-team previews of the Daily Journal area's boys soccer teams for the 2025 season.

The Bobcats held on for a three-stroke win and Peotone held off Reed-Custer in Tuesday's Daily Journal roundup.

Bradley-Bourbonnais hosted the Bill Breeden All-Area Classic as teams from Bishop McNamara, Kankakee, Beecher, Coal City, Grant Park, Herscher, Manteno, Momence and Peotone teed off at the Kankakee Elks Country Club on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.

Beecher secured a five-peat at the Bill Breeden All-Area Classic on Monday at the Kankakee Elks Country Club, shooting a 340 to edge out host Bradley-Bourbonnais by four strokes, while senior Peyton Serafin placed first individually with a 78.

Here are five boys soccer players from the Daily Journal area to keep an eye on for the 2025 season.

The Bradley-Bourbonnais boys golf team opened its season with a narrow loss to Sandburg in Thursday's Daily Journal roundup.

Whether it's defending Class 1A boys bronze medalist Peyton Serafin at Beecher, defending All-City girls champion Liv Contreras at Bradley-Bourbonnais or elsewhere, there's stout top-end returning golf talent in the Daily Journal area.

Bradley-Bourbonnais faced off against Sandburg in the boys golf season opener on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, at the Kankakee Elks Country Club.

The football coaches at Bradley-Bourbonnais, Kankakee and Bishop McNamara all used the same word to describe their moods on the first day of practice Monday – excited.

The first day of prep football practice was Monday in Illinois. Check out action from the Daily Journal's All-Area teams.

Mason Schweizer examines a handful of things to look for from the Daily Journal area once the football season starts.

Here are some of the top storylines to watch for from several fall sports this upcoming season.

Over 200 high schools in Illinois are expected to have girls flag football teams this year as the sport's popularity continues to rise. "There’s no shortage of opportunities."

The 2025 boys soccer season is nearly upon us, so here are a handful of storylines to keep an eye on this year.

Mason Schweizer looks at a handful of storylines to keep an eye on during the upcoming girls volleyball season.

The Vipers Track Club's 4x400 mixed relay team won a national title at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships over the weekend where 24 athletes in total, six of which are from the Daily Journal area, earned All-American honors.

The Herscher football team hosted Bradley-Bourbonnais, Central, Dwight and Iroquois West for some 11 on 11 scrimmages on Tuesday night as the teams continue to ramp up for the regular season.

With the IHSA releasing the state’s football schedules on Friday, here are the top games to watch in the Daily Journal area for the 2025 season.

The joint summer football workout between Wilmington and Bradley-Bourbonnais Wednesday saw both programs take steps forward as they both eye more sustained postseason success this fall.

The Wilmington football team visited Bradley-Bourbonnais for a joint summer football workout Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

Steve Soucie and Mason Schweizer discuss the upcoming IHSA football schedule release and how it affects teams in Kankakee County on the latest Friday Night Drive podcast

A total of 16 teams took part in the annual Central 7 on 7 and Lineman Challenge on what was a busy Saturday of football at Central High School in Clifton.

Fresh off of a fourth-place finish at the inaugural IHSA State Finals last year, the Bradley-Bourbonnais girls flag football made an early statement as a state contender yet again in 2025 this week

Anchored by strong athletes both on the track and in the field, check out this year's Daily Journal All-Area Boys Track and Field team.

From dominant freshmen to speedy seniors and everything in between, there's plenty of state pedigree on this year's Daily Journal All-Area Girls Track and Field Team.

It was a busy day for football at Bradley-Bourbonnais Wednesday, as former quarterback Ethan Kohl returned to coach the quarterback camp he used to attend at the same time as the final day of girls flag football summer camp.

As the summer heat picks up, so is offseason football action. At Bradley-Bourbonnais Wednesday, both the boys tackle and girls flag teams took to the turf for camp.

After developing into one of the state's most feared long jumpers in the state, Bradley-Bourbonnais' Malachi Lee is the Daily Journal Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

With their unique mix of younger and older players, the Beecher Muskies are once again being propelled to a strong season in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League by a large crop of local baseball talent.

After powering the Boilermakers to back-to-back regional championships against some of the best teams in the state, Bradley-Bourbonnais' Cody Freitas is the Daily Journal Baseball Player of the Year.

Lydia Hammond capped off one of the best pitching seasons in the state with a Class 4A postseason run for the ages, earning the title of Daily Journal Softball Player of the Year.

Whether at the plate, on the mound or in the field, top-tier players abound on this year's Daily Journal All-Area Baseball Team.

With 27 all-state standouts and several more all-conference selections that helped fuel spostseason runs, the Daily Journal All-Area Softball Team is as good as it gets.

From goalkeeper to forward and everywhere in between, this year's Daily Journal All-Area girls soccer team features some of the state's top stars.

The Daily Journal coverage area once again boasted some of the state's best softball talent this spring, earning a total of 27 Illinois Softball Coaches Association All-State nods.

Keith Schweigert absorbed all he could from baseball coaches he played for and coached with, passing it down to his son Brad, the Bradley-Bourbonnais baseball coach. After Keith's recent cancer diagnosis, some of those lessons are being applied off the field.

Take a look at some of the highlights of the area's prep sports postseason this spring, as seen through the lenses of Mason Schweizer and Tiffany Blanchette. Photos can be purchased at https://heraldnews.smugmug.com.

Bishop McNamara’s Trinity Davis, Kankakee’s TaLeah Turner, Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Nick Allen, Watseka’s Megan Martin and Reed-Custer’s Jacob Reardon all participated in the IBCA All-Star Games on Pontiac in Saturday.