When a player averages more than one intentional walk per game, it can be hard to feel like they are contributing to their fullest. Hinckley-Big Rock senior slugger and two-time Daily Chronicle Player of the Year Martin Ledbetter found a workaround. He stole 33 bases.

DeKalb's Brodie Farrell and Kaneland's Kanon Baxley shined both at the plate and on the mound and Sycamore's Davis Collie had a monster year the plate. They are just a handful of players named to the Daily Chronicle 2025 All-Area Baseball Team.

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.

The Hinckley-Big Rock and Indian Creek boys basketball teams met Monday night in a summer basketball matchup.

Three Indian Creek athletes advanced in the IHSA Class 1A state boys track and field meet along with state tennis and regional baseball results in Thursday's Daily Chronicle roundup.

We take a look at each Daily Chronicle-area competitor at the boys track and field state championships and what to expect at the tournament.

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.

With the Class 1A and 2A baseball and softball playoff set to start Monday, we take a look at each Daily Chronicle area team and how they're looking heading into the postseason.

The girls soccer playoff brackets are set. So as the season winds down, we take a peak at how the postseason lines up for the Daily Chronicle area teams.

Hinckley-Big Rock slugger Martin Ledbetter blasted the ball over the fence in straight-away center field in a one-run game, giving the Royals a bigger cushion in an eventual win over Hiawatha.

The Hiawatha High School baseball team hosted Hinckley-Big Rock Tuesday afternoon in Kirkland.

Elizabeth Davis homered in a Genoa-Kingston victory, Ellie Peck pitched a gem in a Kaneland loss, plus more in Tuesday's Daily Chronicle sports roundup.

Dekalb was second, Sycamore fourth and Kaneland fifth at the Knights' home meet; Genoa-Kingston won their home soccer tournamet, Arielle Rich walked it off for G-K softball and more in the roundup.

Travis Herrmann allowed three earned runs and one walk in six innings on Thursday as Hinckley-Big Rock knocked off Polo 13-8.

The Hinckley-Big Rock baseball team played Polo High School Thursday afternoon at Hinckley-Big Rock High School.

Here are five Daily Chronicle area athletes who can have gigantic girls track season.

We take a look at each Daily Chronicle girls track team and what they expect out of the season.

Here are the players that made the Daily Chronicle 2025 Boys Basketball All-Area Team

We take a look at each soccer team in the Daily Chronicle area and what they expect out of the season.

DeKalb and Hinckley-Big Rock look to make big leaps after winning seasons last year, Indian Creek, Genoa-Kingston and Hiawatha look to improve after rough 2024 campaigns. We look at each Daily Chronicle area baseball team.

Third graders at Hinckley-Big Rock Elementary School were decked out as historical figures Thursday during their Wax Museum in which students wrote a report and presented a speech as their person from history.

Not only are baseball games scheduled to start March 17, but the forecast seems to indicate cooperative weather for most of the week. So with the start of the season right around the corner, here are five things to know.

Aurora Christian twice had to come back from double digits against Hinckley-Big Rock on Friday in the Class 1A Somonauk Sectional final, holding on for a 57-54 victory despite 23 points and 19 rebounds from Martin Ledbetter.

The Hinckley-Big Rock boys basketball fell to Aurora Christian in a sectional final matchup Friday at Somonauk High School.

Martin Ledbetter scored 32 points after being held to two in the first quarter, and Hinckley-Big Rock erased a 10-point deficit in a 72-52 win over Ida Crown on Wednesday in a Class 1A Somonauk Sectional semifinal.

The Hinckley-Big Rock boys basketball team took on Ida Crown Wednesday night in a Class 1A section game at Somonauk High School.

Four of the seven schools in the Daily Chronicle coverage area reached sectionals. Here’s a look at one player for each team who isn’t the most high-profile player on the team but can still have a big impact.

The Hinckley-Big Rock boys basketball team — led by 24 points and 18 rebounds from senior Martin Ledbetter — outlasted Serena 72-68 in overtime to win the championship of the Class 1A Marquette Regional on Friday night at Bader Gymnasium in Ottawa.

The Hinckley-Big Rock Royals and the Serena Huskers boys basketball teams defeated the Marquette Crusaders and Newark Norsemen, respectively, in Wednesday's Class 1A Marquette Regional semifinals at Bader Gym. H-BR and Serena will meet at 7 p.m. on Friday in the title game.

The boys basketball season postseason kicks off locally Monday with Indian Creek, Hiawatha and Genoa-Kingston opening with first-round regional games before semifinals Wednesday. Here are five things to keep an eye on as the postseason gets underway.

Yorkville Christian defeated Hinckley-Big Rock and Serena beat Indian Creek in the Class 1A Indian Creek Regional semifinals Tuesday.

The Hinckley-Big Rock and Yorkville Christian girls basketball teams met Tuesday night in a Class 1A regional game at Indian Creek High School in Shabbona.

Indian Creek, Hinckley-Big Rock and Sycamore all suffered losses in their regular-season finales on Thursday.

A roundup of sports across the Daily Chronicle area for Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.

The Hinckley-Big Rock boys basketball team defeated Indian Creek 47-44 in the championship game of the 106th annual Little Ten Conference Tournament.

Indian Creek and Hinckley-Big Rock won in the Little Ten Conference Tournament semifinals and will play in Friday's title game.

With stars Dylan Long of Newark suffering an injury late in the first half and Martin Ledbetter of Hinckley-Big Rock home sick, Reggie Chapman scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half to lift Newark to a 67-64 win to take sole possession of first place in the Little Ten.

Newark hosted Hinckley-Big Rock boys basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025.

The Serena girls basketball team defeated Hinckley-Big Rock 50-41 in Friday's Little Ten Conference Tournament title game at Earlville. It's the fourth consecutive championship for the Huskers.

Serena defeated Hinckley-Big Rock 50-41 to win the Little Ten Conference championship game on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025 at Earlville High School.

The NIU men's basketball team erased a 15-point lead and led late against Western Michigan but fell to the Broncos while the H-BR girls reached the Little 10 semifinals and the Indian Creek boys lost.

To 1,000 points and beyond, players in the Daily Chronicle coverage area have achieved a lot of personal milestones so far this season. We take a look back at some of the achievements those players have reached this season.

Martin Ledbetter scores 30 as Hinkley Big Rock wins. DeKalb boys win, Kaneland girls split and Indian Creek girls advance in Little Ten Tournament, plus more scores in the Daily Chronicle sports roundup.

Davon Grant scored 28 to lead DeKalb, the NIU men's and women's basketball teams lost, plus more in the roundup.

Every game has its quirkiness, and this one certainly had its share as Hinckley-Big Rock finally got to Indian Creek late in a 54-43 victory.

After hitting a free throw to reach 1,000 career points, the floodgates opened for Anna Herrmann in a 29-point, 10-rebound performance that lifted Hinckley-Big Rock past Indian Creek.

The Hinckley-Big Rock girls basketball team traveled to Shabbona Monday night to take on Indian Creek.

Jayden Gray and Aidan Cooper each had double-doubles in a Hiawatha win, Sycamore picked up a win, and other basketball, wrestling and swimming results in the roundup.

Hayden Hodgson broke the 1,000-point mark for his Genoa-Kingston career, but it was a 28-point effort by Martin Ledbetter and a 16-point performance from Luke Badal that powered Hinckley-Big Rock to a 74-65 win on Tuesday.

The Genoa-Kingston boys basketball team traveled to Hinckley-Big Rock High School Tuesday to take on the Royals in a nonconference matchup.