Kankakee Preps

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

After spending four years back in his native Indiana, new Kankakee head coach and former defensive coordinator Ed Hazelett has seen the same hungry mindset from the Kays he remembered as the program wrapped up summer camp this week.

As the final week of IHSA summer contact days winds down, Kankakee football got together for one of their last days of camp Thursday, July 31, 2025.

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

Kankakee basketball star Lincoln Williams was alongside Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in a shoe commercial for Nike's newly-released Giannis Freak 7's.

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.

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.

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

Herscher's Drew Rogers and Kankakee's Nevaeh Lowe and Jayon Morrow all put their talent on display in the 2024-24 college cross country and track and field seasons.

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.

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.

After completing arguably the most prolific career in the sport's local history, Kankakee's Naomi Bey-Osborne is the 2025 Daily Journal Girls Track and Field Athlete 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.

Current Michigan football star and 2023 Kankakee graduate Jyaire Hill will host his second annual Suga Summer Camp at his alma mater next weekend.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Seeded eighth in their eight-team sub-sectional, the Kankakee baseball team fought No. 1 Morris to the end, coming up on the wrong side of a 1-0 final. The Kankakee softball team also saw its season end in regional play in Wednesday's Daily Journal roundup.

Kankakee's Naomi Bey-Osborne put a bow on one of the best athletic careers in school history with three more medals, Reed-Custer's Sophia Burciaga won gold in the pole vault and more from the Daily Journal area at the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Finals.

The Manteno baseball team and Herscher softball team both won their regional championship games and more in Saturday's Daily Journal Roundup.

Kankakee's bid for a regional championship repeat game up a game shy, as the Kays saw their season end at the hands of Oak Forest in Friday's Class 2A Kankakee Regional championship.

The Kankakee girls track team qualified for the state finals in the 4x100 relay, 4x200 relay and 4x400 relay and had Naomi Bey-Osborne qualify in the 400 meters, and more in Friday's Daily Journal Roundup

Kankakee fell 3-1 to Oak Forest in the IHSA Class 2A Kankakee Regional championship on Friday, May 23, 2025.

Wilmington pitcher Kyle Farrell did not allow a hit for the first 6 1/3 innings Wednesday, finishing with a one-hit shutout for the Wildcats in the IHSA Class 2A Coal City Regional semifinals, and more in Wednesday's Daily Journal Roundup

Plainfield South qualified seven out of the Class 3A Minooka Sectional. Athletes from Ottawa, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Joliet West, Minooka, Yorkville, Joliet Central and Kankakee also advanced.

Kankakee's girls soccer team beat Morgan Park 6-0 in the IHSA Class 2A Kankakee Regional semifinals Tuesday and the boys volleyball team closed the regular season with a 2-0 win over Crete-Monee.

Storylines to watch for in the 2025 baseball postseason, including intriguing potential matchups between local Class 2A teams and a Bradley-Bourbonnais team looking to recapture some of last season's playoff magic.

From Beecher battling through a challenging Class 2A Seneca Sectional to Bradley-Bourbonnais looking for a regional four-peat in 4A, here are some storylines to look for as the 2025 postseason gets underway.

The Coal City baseball team extended its winning streak to four games with a nonconference win at Kankakee and more in Thursday's Daily Journal Roundup.

The Kankakee girls track and field team led the local charge on the first day of the postseason and more in Wednesday's Daily Journal roundup.

Sparked by Bryn Provost's two-out infield single, Bishop McNamara's seven-run second inning came with two outs, fueling the Fightin' Irish to an All-City win over Kankakee.

The Bishop McNamara softball team scored a 13-6 All-City win against Kankakee at home Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

Cody Freitas hit two home runs to lead Bradley-Bourbonnais to an 18-7 win in SouthWest Suburban Conference play and more in Monday's Daily Journal Roundup.

With Monday's 9-0 win over Crete-Monee, Kankakee finished Southland Conference play 11-1 this season and tied atop the conference standings with Bloom, earning the program it's first-ever conference title.

Kankakee earned a victory over Crete-Monee to claim the Southland Athletic Conference title on Monday, May 12, 2025.

Kendyl Christon hit a walkoff two-run single to give the Kankakee softball team a huge conference win over Bloom and more in Friday's Daily Journal Roundup.

Thanks to a gem from Jacob Lotz and hits from nine different players, Bishop McNamara won 13-0 at Kankakee to snap a 10-year All-City title drought Friday.

The Bishop McNamara baseball team snapped a 10-year All-City title drought at Kankakee Friday, May 9, 2025.

The Wilmington baseball team held Kankakee to just one hit in a 12-0 win, the Wildcats third shutout win in a row, and more in Thursday's Daily Journal Roundup.

Beecher's Taylor Norkus threw a no-hitter to escape a pitchers' duel with Peotone's Sophie Klawitter and more in Wednesday's Daily Journal roundup.

Behind Kylee Cunningham's no-hitter and home run, Kankakee blew out Thornridge at home Wednesday to improve to 13-1 in Southland Athletic Conference play.

Kankakee secured a 16-0 victory in three innings over Thornridge on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at the newly-named Deb Johnston Memorial Softball Field.

Jacob Vinardi tossed a no-hitter in the first game of Kankakee's doubleheader with Thornridge and more in Monday's Daily Journal roundup.

Five events on the boys side of the Herscher Invite were won by area athletes on Friday as the end of the outdoor track and field season nears its final stretch.

A total of 13 local track and field programs competed in the Herscher Invite on Friday, with area athletes on the girls side winning eight events and Wilmington freshman McKenna Van Tilburg winning three.