Members of the 1976 Tiskilwa High School band and band director Jim Jones were recognized Thursday at the State Farm Center in Champaign for the 50th anniversary of their performance as the first band to perform at the IHSA State Basketball Tournament

It was a long and winding journey to get Rob Szudarski to his first varsity head football coaching position, but the veteran assistant is confident he can point Plainfield South in the right direction.

Eastland and Tremont clash in Macomb in the Class 1 boys basketball Supersectional. Eastland defeated Tremont 47-45 and will play in Thursday's state semifinals.

Nazareth defeated Loyola 52-31 to win the Class 4A State girls basketball championship on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at CEFCU Arena in Normal.

Breese Central defeated Byron 44-28 during the Class 2A State championship on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at CEFCU Arena in Normal.

Stillman Valley High School senior Cale Kleinschmidt has earned a spot on the IHSA All-State Academic Team as an honorable mention. Less than 100 student athletes in the state are selected for the award.

Crystal Lake South faces Kaneland during the IHSA Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional final boys basketball game on Friday, March 6, 2025, at Woodstock North High School.

Nazareth takes on Bellville East in the Class 4A girls basketball state semifinal Friday, March 6, 2026, at CEFCU Arena in Normal. Nazareth took the win 54-36 and will play for the state title Saturday.

Crystal Lake South defeats Sycamore in an IHSA Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional semifinal boys basketball game on Wednesday, March 4, 2025, at Woodstock North High School.

Stillman Valley High School sophomore student Casey McCleary has been appointed to the Illinois High School Association Student Advisory Committee.

Eastland faces off against Dakota in Orion Class 1A sectional semifinal Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Eastland took the win 49-31 and will play Pecatonica on Friday.

Newman meets Pecatonica Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in the Orion Class 1A sectional semi. Newman fell 70-66 in overtime.

Here's a look at Bureau County area regional championships over the years

Check out photos from Saturday's IHSA individual girls state wrestling meet

Coal City, IC Catholic Prep and Marmion Academy won their respective classes at Saturday's IHSA state dual team wrestling meet. St. Charles East took third place in Class 3A

Oregon never trailed in a 65-52 win over Mendota in the Class 2A Rock Falls Regional final Friday at Tabor Gym to win its first regional title since 2006.

Dixon advanced to the Dual Team State semifinals to guarantee the Dukes a state trophy. Blair Grennan, Kendra Ege and Michelle Naftzger are still alive at state wrestling, and Eastland basketball held on to beat Orion 46-45 in Friday's Sauk Valley Roundup.

Oregon and Mendota meet Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Rock Falls for the 2A regional basketball title. Oregon took the win 65-52.

Newman fell to Wethersfield 60-55 Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in the Class 1A sectional final at Eastland.

Eastland beat West Carroll 46-33 as Wyatt Carroll scored 17 points. The Cougars will face Orion in Friday's 7 p.m. Class 1A Bureau Valley Regional final after the Chargers beat Fulton 72-62. Erie-Prophetstown also fell short to Aurora Christian in Wednesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Oregon hit five of its first six 3-point attempts, then used a huge second-quarter run to take control early in a 76-48 win over Rock Falls in their Class 2A Rock Falls Regional semifinal Wednesday night at Tabor Gym.

Rock Falls falls to Oregon 76-48 in the Class 2A regional semifinal Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. Oregon will take on Mendota for the regional crown.

Newman defeated Galena Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, by a score of 42-32 to advance to the Eastland Class 1A sectional final. Newman will face Wethersfield for the sectional title.

Eastland lost to Wethersfield Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, 41-38 in the Class 1A sectional semifinal hosted by Eastland High School.

Class 1A, 2A and 3A wrestlers compete for the state title Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at State Farm Center in Champaign.

Newman's Landon Near and Dixon's Charlie Connors will wrestle for state titles on Saturday. Sterling's Sarah Doughty is leading at state bowling and Sterling's Jack Saathoff set the single-season rebounding record.

Sherrard threw the first punch Friday at Lancaster Gym, then Dixon countered. But the Tigers finished things off down the stretch, surging from a late deficit to top the Dukes 63-61 in a back-and-forth regular-season finale that set the stage for the postseason.

Three area wrestlers advanced to the Class 1A state semifinals as Newman’s Landon Near (113 pounds) and Landon Blanton (132), and Dixon’s Charlie Connors (144) won two straight matches in Champaign.

While Geneva made key plays in Thursday's Class 3A Dixon Regional championship, Dixon suffered one of its worst shooting nights of the season in a 49-40 Vikings victory at Lancaster Gym.

Top-seeded Eastland girls basketball held on for a 40-39 win over Stockton in the regional semifinals. The Eastland boys beat Rock Falls 46-43, Polo beat Morrison, Oregon beat Forreston, Milledgeville beat Amboy and more in Wednesday's Sauk Valley Roundup.

Hall's boys basketball team started fast out of the locker room twice Tuesday night. But Newman finished strong in both halves to claim a share of the Three Rivers East title with a 68-55 victory in Sterling.

Oregon girls basketball fell to Stillman Valley, but the Hawks finished with their first winning record since 2014. E-P fell to Riverdale and Amboy fell 55-52 to Dwight in Monday's Sauk Valley Roundup.

Dixon started strong and never looked back in a 55-10 win over Rockford East in their Class 3A Dixon Regional semifinal Monday night at Lancaster Gym.

After Kaneland erased a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes, Geneva's Linnea Popp found herself open on an inbounds play and hit a short jumper with two seconds to play to give Geneva a 38-36 in their 3A Dixon Regional semifinal.

Kaneland and Geneva meet in Dixon for the Class 3A girls basketball regional semifinals. Geneva pulled out the win 38-36.

Dixon walloped Rockford East 55-10 in the girls basketball Class 3A regional semifinal in Dixon. Dixon will play in the regional championship on Thursday.

Dixon built a double-digit lead early in the seconds quarter and never trailed again in a 69-61 BNC win over Rock Falls on Friday night at Tabor Gym.

Forreston wins tight one in NUIC over Fulton. Plus more scores in Friday's Sauk Valley Media Sports Roundup.

The IHSA announced Friday that member schools voted to approve a proposal impacting the start date of the 2026 football season and the number of practices required per player to compete in the first contest.

Erie-Prophetstown's Connor Keegan scored 18 points in a win over Oregon. Fulton boys basketball beat Polo, Faith Christian won and more in Thursday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Sterling scored 19 seconds into the game and never trailed in a 54-48 Western Big 6 win over Moline in the regular-season finale Thursday at Musgrove Fieldhouse.

Senior Aida Valdovinos, juniors Ayanna Jackson and Mia Buss, and freshman Coriana Kelly will compete on Saturday at Morris High School for a chance to qualify for the IHSA state championships.

Fulton girls basketball got its 19th win, Newman boys held off Rockridge and more in Wednesday's Sauk Valley Roundup.

Dixon got contributions from its entire roster as it rolled to a 72-33 win over Harvest Christian on Wednesday.

Benny Olalde scored 25 points in an Oregon win over Stillman Valley. Rock Falls and Dixon's boys both fell by two points, Eastland girls beat Polo, Newman beat Oregon, Fulton beat AFC and more in Tuesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Newman girls basketball wrapped up Three Rivers Conference play with a 9-1 record as conference champions. Eastland boys beat Fulton and Faith Christian beat AFC in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

A perfectly timed offensive rebound led to a decisive three-point play as Dixon pulled out a 45-43 BNC win over Stillman Valley on Saturday night at Lancaster Gym.

Blair Grennan, Tessa Fosdick, Kerby Germann and Ryleigh Eriks all won their weight class at the Belvidere Regional. Sterling boys swimming finished second at the Big 6 meet and more in Saturday's Sauk Valley Roundup.

West Carroll grad Emma Randecker, a freshman at the University of Northern Iowa, set the school’s indoor 200-meter dash record with a time of 24.11 on Saturday. The previous record was set in 1994.

Oregon wins again in the Big Northern. Dixon and Sterling girls bowling advance to the sectional. Plus more scores in Friday's Sauk Valley Media Sports roundup.