Two days after topping defending IHSA Class 3A State champion Montini on the road, the Kays returned home and back to Southland Athletic Conference with a resounding 70-27 win over Thornridge on Thursday.

Cissna Park senior Lauryn Hamrick scored 16 points Thursday, surpassing 1,000 for her career and helping lead the Timberwolves to their ninth straight win, and more in Thursday's Daily Journal roundup.

McHenry faces Prairie Ridge in a Fox Valley Conference wrestling match on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 at Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake.

Lincoln-Way East took down host Bradley-Bourbonnais 59-20 in a dual Thursday night between SouthWest Suburban Conference opponents.

Ottawa and L-P girls and boys competed during a wrestling match on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Kingman Gymansium at Ottawa High School.

With a deep senior class with lofty goals and a retiring head coach, the Bishop McNamara boys basketball team and coach Adrian Provost are hoping to each send the other out with a memorable stretch run to the season.

Woodland defeated Somonauk 59-62 on Wednesday, Jan.7, 2026 at Woodland High School. Check out photos from the game by Tom Sistak.

Stillman Valley's Mike Lalor is stepping away as head football coach after 28 years.

Watseka and Clifton Central's girls basketball teams put up strong defensive performances in home wins, holding their opponents to 22 and 21 points respectively, and more in Wednesday's Daily Journal roundup.

Burlington Central faces Cary-Grove in a Fox Valley Conference boys basketball game on Wednesday Jan. 7, 2026, at Cary-Grove High School, in Cary.

The Kaneland girls wrestling teams met Wednesday night at DeKalb High School.

With a recent title at Abe's Rumble and seven active wrestlers with 100 career wins or more, Coal City's boys wrestling team is putting together a memorable season in its search for a second straight dual team state title, and third in four years.

Host St. Anne took an early 18-4 lead, and although Clifton Central recovered to tie things up multiple times in the second half, the Cardinals prevailed in Tuesday's River Valley Conference boys basketball thriller.

A pair of 20-point games from EJ Hazelett and Lincoln Williams led Kankakee to its seventh straight win, Bishop McNamara's Richie Darr exploded for 26 points against Peotone and more in Tuesday's Daily Journal roundup.

Bradley-Bourbonnais junior Eli Swafford broke his own 100-yard backstroke record Tuesday as the Boilermakers took first place at the All-City boys swim meet against Kankakee and Bishop McNamara, the first All-City meet featuring all three schools since 2012.

Marengo faces Johnsburg in a Kishwaukee River Conference girls basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, at Homer “Bill” Barry Gymnasium on the campus of Marengo High School.

Mendota defeated Ottawa 77-60 on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026 at Mendota High School.

Meet this week's Daily Journal Athlete of the Week,

Beecher doubled up Grace Christian and then some, Grant Park dropped Illinois Lutheran by more than 70 points, Gardner-South Wilmington bested Momence and more in Monday's Daily Journal roundup.

Woodstock faces Crystal Lake Central in a nonconference boys basketball game on Monday Jan. 5, 2026, at Crystal Lake Central School.

With holiday tournaments and much of the non-conference schedule out of the way, it is time for high school basketball teams to concentrate on conference action and shoot-outs. Then it is on to the IHSA tournament action.

The Chicago Bears ended the regular season on Sunday afternoon with a 19-16 loss to the Detroit Lions. Shaw Local's Michal Dwojak and Joe Aguilar break down the loss and the Bears' playoff path

For the second time in as many weeks, the Bears' attempt at a seventh fourth-quarter comeback this season failed. They lost to the Lions 19-16 in their regular-season finale Sunday at Soldier Field. Here are three moments that mattered. What worked? What didn't work?

Professional mixed martial arts “superfights” with athletes from around the country return to McHenry County Saturday in McHenry after a successful debut in Crystal Lake last year.

EJ Hazelett and Lincoln Williams both eclipsed the 20-point mark in a runaway win for Kankakee in Saturday's Daily Journal roundup.

Bradley-Bourbonnais opened up the second half of the season with a 66-32 loss at home against Southwest Suburban Conference opponent Sandburg on Saturday.

The boys basketball teams for Iroquois West and Milford each dropped a Vermilion Valley Conference game to open the 2026 portion of the schedule in Friday's Daily Journal roundup.

Cary-Grove faces Lakes in a nonconference girls basketball game on Friday Jan. 2, 2026, at Lakes high School in Lake Villa.

The Chicago Bears will end the regular season against the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. Shaw Local's Michal Dwojak and Joe Aguilar share the latest news from Halas Hall, break down Sunday's game, and what's at stake for the playoffs

Eight sports figures with local ties will be part of the Illinois Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026, which will be inducted at the Bank of Springfield Convention Center on July 25.

The big news coming out of the IHSA was an expansion of the football playoffs from 256 qualifying teams to 384.

Huntley faces Mundelein in a Komaromy Classic girls basketball tournament game on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville.

Coal City's boys wrestling team dominated its way to a first-place finish at Abe's Rumble in Springfield, a pair of local girls wrestlers finished second at the Ottawa Holiday Hootenanny and more in Tuesday's Daily Journal roundup.

The Kankakee Holiday Tournament celebrated its 75th anniversary with a 75-player All-Tournament Team.

Mylee Hulstedt and Mackenzi Shere, athletes from Stillman Valley High School, have been selected to compete in the 30th annual international fastpitch event known as The Cup held in the Netherlands.

The Chicago Bears fell a play short in a 42-38 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. Shaw Local's Michal Dwojak and Joe Aguilar break down the loss and what's next with a week left in the regular season

Newman faces off against Riverdale Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, for the title at the Cliff Warkins Memorial boys basketball tournament at Erie High School. Newman took the win 79-73.

Trinitee Thompson scored 23 points to lead Bishop McNamara to a 54-40 win at the State Farm Classic, snapping a six-game losing streak for the Fightin' Irish, and more in Monday's Daily Journal roundup.

Hampshire faces South Elgin in a Komaromy Classic girls basketball tournament game on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville.

Bureau Valley FFA and Bureau County Farm Bureau will host a free weather preparedness seminar on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 5:30 p.m. at Ag View FS in Walnut

In a back-and-forth battle that also saw Lincoln Williams set the Kankakee career scoring record, Cedric Terrell III's go-ahead 3-pointer and free throws at the end closed out a Kays win over Lincoln-Way Central in the Kankakee Holiday Tournament maroon championship.

Manteno had its hopes of a Kankakee Holiday Tournament blue division three-peat dashed with a 65-52 loss to Christ the King in Sunday's championship game.

The newly crowned NFC North champion Bears played the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and played another thriller, losing this time 42-38. Here are three moments that mattered. What worked? What didn't work?

Manteno's girls basketball team defended its Chicago Christian Tournament title and grew its win streak to 14, Wilmington's boys finished fifth at the Seneca Shipyard Showdown and more in Saturday's Daily Journal roundup.

Crystal Lake Central faces Richmond-Burton in the Marengo E.C. Nichols boys basketball championship on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, at Marengo High School.

After Clifton Central's upset bid against blue bracket top seed Christ the King came up a bit short Saturday night, the host Kays closed out the second day of the Kankakee Holiday Tournament by reaching their seventh maroon bracket championship game in the last eight tournaments.

Photo editor Scott Anderson selected some of the best sports photos from 2025 in the Illinois Valley.

Kankakee earned a blowout win in its Kankakee Holiday Tournament opener in the maroon bracket while Manteno downed rival Peotone 60-49 in the blue bracket, where St. Anne, Clifton Central, Momence and Grant Park also saw tournament action.

Kankakee junior Ava Johnson reached the 1,000 career point mark in a State Farm Holiday Classic win, Bradley-Bourbonnais held on for a narrow win on the boys side and more in Friday's Daily Journal roundup.

Crystal Lake South faces Lakes in a Hinkle Holiday Classic boys basketball game on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, at Jacobs High School in Algonquin.