High School Sports

With the Kaneland Knights poised for an evolving season, new talent emerges to fill the void left by graduated stars Kendra Brown and Sam Kerry, as young players embrace fresh roles and aim to sustain last year’s 24-win momentum.

With Wilmington's Kyle Farrell having his high school sports career come to an end, it also brings an end to the time he and his father Chad Farrell have spent representing the Wildcats together as player and coach.

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.

One of four local all-state players and the leader of a Peotone team that was two wins away from a trip to state, Allie Werner is this year's Daily Journal Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

The 32-team Morris Boys Shootout, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, has been canceled due to the expected heat

In addition to the Watseka Tackling Disabilities camp coming up on July 26, Manteno hosted its first annual version of the camp on June 12, giving young athletes with disabilities an afternoon of football and fun.

LIV Golf hosted a special media day at Bolingbrook Golf Club on Tuesday, offering an exclusive preview of what fans can expect when LIV Golf Chicago returns to Bolingbrook this coming Aug. 8. The event brought together community leaders, local students and media.

Rick Peterson resigned as boys basketball coach at Marian Central after one season and was officially named the Alden-Hebron coach this week. Peterson previously coached the Giants for three years.

Take a look at this year's local baseball standouts that made the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State team.

A dozen Bradley-Bourbonnais athletes from across six spring sports earned spots on All-SouthWest Suburban Conference teams for their 2025 seasons

Wilmington’s Kyle Farrell and Ryan Nelson, Coal City’s Landin Benson and Milford-Cissna Park’s Caleb Clutteur are all set to take place in the 2025 Shrine Game to wrap up their high school football careers.

The Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association released its All-State teams, and players from Newman, Rock Falls, Fulton and A-FC were selected.

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.

The IHSA on Tuesday announced that the boys and girls basketball state tournaments will change their format, reverting to a similar schedule used when the single-weekend format was introduced in 2022 until 2024.

The Illinois Coaches Association released its All-State softball teams in each class, with Dixon’s Bailey Tegeler and Sterling’s Mya Lira recognized in Class 3A. Newman's Gianna Vance and Lucy Oetting were also among the area selections.

Fresh off a strong season with 20 wins, the DeKalb girls are poised for more breakthroughs. With four returning starters and promising newcomers, coach Brad Bjelk is stressing growth and efficiency during the team's summer slate.

A look at the area baseball and softball players named to the All-Illinois Central Eight Conference teams this season.

Kankakee High School's Genevra Walters Community Center was one of two statewide sites for summer girls basketball tournaments last week, with college coaches on hand during the NCAA live period at the Kays' inaugural NCAA Live.

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.

Sauk Valley senior bowling and women’s golf results

Reed-Custer High School was the site of the Braidwood Shootout on Wednesday and Thursday, where 32 teams faced off for a little summer basketball action.

After back-to-back 20-win seasons, the Indian Creek boys basketball team is ready to push things to the next level. Whether that’s a regional title, a Little 10 championship or more, the players know the groundwork starts in the summer.

A look at the area baseball and softball athletes that were named to All-River Valley Conference and All-Iroquois County teams this season.

Oregon Athletic Director Mike Lawton retired from his position after 33 years. ‘When I think of Mike, two things come to mind – dedication and work ethic.'

Hinckley-Big Rock will return most of its rotation next season, losing only two starters from last year Little 10 and regional champion squad to graduation. Those two players combined to average 38.4 points, 16.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.

Morrison junior sprinter Brady Anderson is the Sauk Valley Athlete of the Week. He won the state title in the 100, took second in the 200 to teammate Levi Milder and anchored wins in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays.

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.

Lockport beat Bradley-Bourbonnais 2-0 in the 4A Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional on Monday, getting a two-hit shutout from Kelcie McGraw and punching its ticket to state for the first time in 20 years.

Bradley-Bourbonnais' Jocelyn Zettergren, Beecher's Grace Durante, Peotone's Allie Werner and Wilmington's Alaina Clark earned IHSSCA All-State honors for the 2025 girls soccer season, with 19 more earning earning All-Sectional honors.

After Ava Lorenzatti's sixth-inning homer brought the Class 2A state championship game to extra innings, Tayiah Scanlan became a Beecher legend when she hit a three-run, inside-the-park home run to give the Bobcats a 5-2 win over Carterville for the title.

Glenbard West's latest Final Four appearance wasn't expected. It was earned. The Hilltoppers, making their 11th straight state appearance, finished runner-up Saturday with a 25-20, 25-20 loss to Marist in the state championship in Hoffman Estates.

It wasn't the finish the team hoped for, but Newman finished fourth at the Class 2A state tournament after a 9-3 loss to Eureka on Saturday at Illinois Field in Champaign. The Comets were proud of the run after a third straight state trophy.

Hinsdale Central sophomore Maggie Conley scored 10 points, consisting of a hat trick and seven assists, to lead the Red Devils to an 18-6 win over Crystal Lake Central co-op and a third-place finish at the state tournament Saturday.

With a state championship not possible, Wheaton Academy responded nicely to that disappointment claiming a 19-4 win in the third place game of the IHSA State Lacrosse tournament.

Wheaton Warrenville South dropped a quarterfinal round game to Lane Tech at the IHSA State Boys Volleyball Tournament on Friday, which marked the first time in state history a Chicago Public League team earned a win at the state tournament.

Bradley-Bourbonnais beat Edwardsville 6-1 Friday in the IHSA Class 4A Normal Community West Sectional championship to win the program's second-ever sectional title, both coming in the last three seasons.

Two three-run innings were costly on Friday as Newman fell 9-3 to Teutopolis in the Class 2A state semifinals at Illinois Field. The Comets face Eureka in Saturday's third-place game at 4 p.m.

The Bobcats played vintage Beecher softball in their four-run fourth inning against Auburn in Friday's Class 2A State semifinal matchup, a game the Bobcats won 4-2 to advance to their seventh-ever state championship game.

In a thrilling quarterfinal match at Hoffman Estates High School, Glenbard West secured its spot in the boys volleyball final four, showcasing resilience and skill as Charlie Clifford’s 14 kills helped overcome New Trier 25-21, 29-27.

The Hiawatha boys basketball team is coming of its winningest season since 2003-04. The Hawks are hoping to build off their 10 wins and change the program's reputation led by double-double machine Aidan Cooper.

Bradley-Bourbonnais came up just short Thursday in its bid for another upset win this postseason, falling 2-0 to Normal Community in the IHSA Class 4A Illinois Wesleyan University Sectional semifinals.

Since Kevin Hayhurst returned to his alma mater as the softball coach 23 years ago, the Beecher softball program became and has continued to set the state's standard of excellence.

Newman baseball brings confidence and another year of experience into Friday's state semifinals. The Comets hope to have their best finish yet in a third straight trip to state.

Wheaton Academy nearly let its hot start in the Benet boys lacrosse supersectional against Barrington on Tuesday at College of DuPage go to waste. But the Warriors found their footing again and came away with a 17-12 win.

Junior all-stater Simon Bratt made sure Wheaton Warrenville South would make an appearance at this weekend’s boys volleyball state finals at Hoffman Estates High School. Bratt’s 19 kills and 4 aces propelled the Tigers to a 25-12, 25-21 win over crosstown rival Wheaton North.

Tervor Martay responded by scoring three consecutive goals in a three-minute span to lift New Trier past Glenbard West 9-6 before a large and spirited crowd at the boys lacrosse supersectional Tuesday in Hoffman Estates.

Bradley-Bourbonnais beat Minooka 4-0 in the IHSA Class 4A Normal Community West Sectional semifinals Tuesday, getting payback for a 10-0 loss to the Indians in the sectional semis last year.

The York girls lacrosse team played much better against two-time defending state champion Loyola on Tuesday but the Dukes' season came to an end with a 16-8 loss to the Ramblers in the Hoffman Estates Supersectional.

Illinois’ legislative session concluded without passage of a Native American K-12 school mascot ban, but another issue sought by Natives will make its way to the governor.

After entering the game as a relief pitcher in the sixth inning of a 3-3 tie, Beecher's Taylor Norkus hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning of the Bobcats' Class 2A East Peoria Super-Sectional against Brimfield Monday, sending the Bobcats to their eighth trip to state.