The 2025 girls volleyball season promises to be another banner year for The Herald-News area

The Illinois high school football season kicks off later this month, and official practices begin Monday. Here are five storylines we here at The Times have our eyes on this coming fall.

In the summer training camp following a historic playoff run last season, Dwight’s has taken a “business as usual” approach this offseason.

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 Independence Day holiday come and gone, it was time Tuesday for another summer tradition. The Morris football team hosted its first 7-on-7 competition, featuring teams from Plainfield Central, Romeoville and Dwight.

More than 40 of the state's top senior baseball players participated in the Illinois Coaches Association All-Star Games on Monday at Schweickert Stadium in Peru.

The Illinois Coaches Association held their 48th annual Senior Baseball All Star Game on Monday, June 30, 2025 at Schweickert Stadium in Peru.

Here is a look at some of the best softball players the area had to offer in the 2025 season, the 2025 Herald-News All-Area Softball Team.

See if your favorite player made the 2025 Herald-News All-Area Baseball Team, featuring the best of the best across the Will/Grundy County area.

This week, the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association unveiled its 2025 All-State Team, celebrating standout athletes, including Class 1A champions Marquette’s Alec Novotney and Sam Mitre.

History tends to repeat itself in regards to the IHSA Football Playoffs, but the new enrollment numbers could lead to a bracket that looks a lot different in the next postseason chase. Here is Steve Soucie's 2025 IHSA football preseason playoff projection.

Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way West each had five players make the All-Conference team in baseball for the Southwest Suburban Conference. See who else made their all-conference teams here.

Lockport senior Nolan Lamoureux used a ferocious kick to become the Class 3A champion in the 800-meter run at the IHSA state meet in Charleston, while Dwight sophomore Graham Meister repeated as Class 1A shot put champ in leading area medalists.

Several Herald-News area athletes are among the top 10 qualifiers in their respective events entering this weekend's state boys track and field championships

Plainfield North won medals in all four relays — winning two of them — en route to a fifth-place finish in Class 3A on Saturday at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field. Meanwhile Lockport senior Mckena Miglorini and Reed-Custer junior Sophia Burciaga won pole vault titles.

Despite taking first in only one event, the Seneca boys track and field team won the championship at the Class 1A Seneca Sectional

Taking a look at possible medalists and stories to watch for in The Herald-News area at the girls track and field state meet this weekend at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

The Seneca girls track and field team captured the program's 13th consecutive Class 1A sectional title on Thursday at Seneca High School.

Teams from Aurora Christian, Beecher, Dwight, Earlville, Hinckley-Big Rock, Kankakee-McNamara, Lisle, Momence, Newark, Marquette, Seneca, Indian Creek, Somonauk, Westmont, Wilmington and Yorkville all competed during the Class 1A Sectional track meet on Thursday, May 15, 2025 at Seneca High School.

The Dwight softball team scored two runs in the top of the first inning and held the lead throughout an 8-5 Tri-County Conference victory over Woodland/Flanagan-Cornell on Tuesday at Woodland High School in each sides regular-season finale.

Lincoln-Way Central and Lemont, state powers in Class 4A and 3A, respectively, enjoy meeting each other on the field. Read about that and more in this week’s The Herald-News softball notebook.

The Dwight baseball team had little trouble dispatching Serena Wednesday night, but bigger than the final result was the opportunity for a pair of 1A schools to take in the bright lights of Slammers Stadium in Joliet.

Dwight fell to St. Bede 8-1 on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at St. Bede Academy.

St. Bede got dominant pitching from starter Alan Spencer and big hits, including a grand slam from Gus Burr, as the Bruins topped Dwight 8-1 in Tri-County Conference action Tuesday afternoon.

Marquette defeated Dwight 3-2 on Thursday, April 10, 2025 at Masinelli Field in Ottawa.

After falling behind 2-0 in the second inning, the Marquette Crusaders rallied to tie the game in the third and walked off the Dwight Trojans 3-2 Thursday night at Masinelli Field.

As outdoor season revs up, here is a look at the 2025 boys track and field season across the Herald-News area.

See who the best of the best from around the area in girls wrestling were this past year.

Meet the 2024-25 Herald-News All-Area Boys Wrestling Team.

A preseason look at the 2025 prep baseball season across the Herald-News coverage area.

Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker and Lockport’s Claudia Heeney each claimed championships at Saturday's IHSA Girls Wrestling State Finals on Saturday at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Two brothers, Judah and Justus Heeg, won state championships while wrestling for Lemont and Providence Catholic, respectively

The Marquette boys basketball scored the opening nine points of Monday's Class 1A regional quarterfinal against Dwight, led by 20 three minutes into the second quarter and eventually recorded a 66-33 victory at Bader Gymnasium.

Marquette beat Dwight 66-33 during the Class 1A Regional quarterfinal game on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 in Bader Gym at Marquette High School. The Cru will play Hinckley-Big Rock at 6p.m. on Wednesday in the Regional semifinals.

A total of 21 Herald-News area wrestlers placed between third and sixth to earn medals at the IHSA boys state wrestling finals at the University of Illinois on Saturday.

Is this the year Bolingbrook breaks through? Which Plainfield South will show up? This and more things to keep an eye on in the Herald-News area for boy's basketball.

A total of 73 Herald-News area wrestlers will take part in the boys individual state finals at University of Illinois' State Farm Center

Check out photos from Monday's IHSA Class 1A Dwight Regional semifinals, including state-ranked Cissna Park's win over Ridgeview and host Dwight's victory over Donovan-St. Anne.

Check out photos from Saturday's IHSA Class 1A Coal City Boys Wrestling Sectional.

Cissna Park finished an undefeated run to the Vermilion Valley Conference girls basketball title and more in Thursday's Daily Journal Roundup.

Postseason play for girls basketball teams begins Saturday, and several area teams are hoping to add some hardware to their trophy cases

The IHSA postseason schedules for girls basketball teams across the greater Ottawa/Streator/Morris area.

Several boys wrestling teams competed in IHSA Class 1A Herscher regional on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Coal City, Reed-Custer, Central-Iroquois West, Bishop McNamara, Manteno, Peotone, Wilmington, Dwight, Seneca and Herscher wrestlers aimed to advance.

Several individuals and teams are hoping to come home with a state medal. Here's a look ahead at the boys wrestling postseason in The Herald-News area.

Here are some things around the Herald-News coverage area to keep an eye on as the girls wrestling postseason gets underway this weekend.

The Coalers moved to 11-3 on the season while the Trojans fell to 9-6

Behind a balanced scoring effort that saw five different players score at least 10 points, Coal City used a mammoth run to end the first half of Friday’s home clash with Dwight that led to a convincing 63-35 win.

We’re proud to present the 2024 Herald-News All-Area Girls Golf Team.

As the 2024-2025 boys basketball season gets set to tip off, here are team-by-team previews of teams from around the Herald-News coverage area.

Here are quarterfinal results and state semifinal matchups for IHSA playoff teams across the Will and Grundy county area.