Sports

After powering the Boilermakers to back-to-back regional championships against some of the best teams in the state, Bradley-Bourbonnais' Cody Freitas is the Daily Journal Baseball Player of the Year.

Lydia Hammond capped off one of the best pitching seasons in the state with a Class 4A postseason run for the ages, earning the title of Daily Journal Softball Player 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.

Take a look back at the drama, excitement and all-out effort put forth by the hundreds of high school spring sports athletes from throughout the Sauk Valley who competed in 2025.

Roy Cordes retired this spring after 17 years announcing for Kankakee Community College Athletics, becoming know as the "Voice of the Cavaliers" during his time there.

One of the oldest Little League organizations in the United States is making plans for its next 74 years with the help of the Joliet Slammers, Rotary Club of Joliet, and other local businesses and organizations.

A pair of Bourbonnais natives and defending track champions won the feature races in their respective classes and more from last Friday night's action at Kankakee County Speedway.

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 Illinois Hall of Fame held its inaugural induction ceremony last weekend, where longtime Bishop McNamara football coach Rich Zinanni and Beecher Muskies manager Fred LeSage attended as two of six inductees with local ties.

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.

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.

Sunny skies and a large crowd made for the perfect match at the annual Rock River Riders Motorcycle Club’s Father’s Day Hillclimb on Sunday, June 15.

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 Joliet City Council will vote Tuesday on whether to create a new position for director of cultural affairs and special events.

In his sixth season both in the NFL and hosting his free football camp, Kankakee native and 2016 Bishop McNamara graduate Jonathan Ward has become a veteran leader in the locker room and community alike.

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.

Kankakee native and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jonathan Ward returned home for his sixth annual football camp at Kankakee High School Saturday, June 14, 2025, one that included 7-on-7 flag football action for the first time.

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.

Some of the best late model and modified drivers from across the country hit the dirt at Kankakee County Speedway for the DIRTcar Summer Nationals.

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.

Sixteen awards were handed out to teams and individuals during the 2025 Shaw Media Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, June 12, 2025 at the Auditorium Ballroom in La Salle.

Some of the best late model and modified racers from around the country flocked to Kankakee for the DIRTcar Summer Nationals at Kankakee County Speedway Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

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

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.

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.

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.

The Wintrust New Lenox Crossroads Sports Complex of New Lenox has attracted half million dollars’ worth of sponsors. Tournaments

Pittsburgh Steeler Jonathan Ward, a Kankakee native and 2016 Bishop McNamara graduate, will host his sixth annual skills camp at Kankakee High School next weekend.

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.

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.

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.

Wilmington came up just a bit short of a return trip to state, falling 4-0 to Eureka in Monday's Class 2A Geneseo Supersectional.

Bradley-Bourbonnais' Malachi Lee, Coal City's Julian Micetich and Manteno's Briggs Cann all medaled at the state track and field meet Saturday.

As momentum quickly shuffled between each dugout in the final innings of Saturday's Class 2A Beecher Sectional championship game, Wilmington never relinquished its early lead, holding on for a 5-4 win to earn a repeat sectional championship.

Bradley-Bourbonnais senior Cody Freitas got the win on the mound and drove in the winning run in the top of the seventh as the Boilermakers got a 2-1 upset win over Minooka in Saturday's IHSA Class 4A Normal Community West Regional championship.

Behind a six-run rally in the top of the 11th and a marathon complete game from Lydia Hammond, Bradley-Bourbonnais beat Rock Island 7-1 Friday to win the program's fourth regional title in a row.

Bradley-Bourbonnais' Malachi Lee, Coal City's Julian Micetich and Manteno's Briggs Cann advanced past Friday's preliminary round of the IHSA Boys Track and Field State meet.

Behind dazzling pitching performances from Callaghan O'Connor and Preston Payne and Jacob Lotz's late homer, Bishop McNamara downed Manteno in Thursday's Class 2A Beecher Sectional semifinal.

After 6 ⅓ shutout innings from Mason Shaul, Cody Freitas escaped a bases-loaded jam with two strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Bradley-Bourbonnais a dramatic 1-0 win in the IHSA Class 4A Normal Community West Regional semifinals Thursday.

After making a tremendous play to kickstart an inning-ending double play, Ryan Kettman's two-run home run put an exclamation point on a six-run Wildcats sixth that was the difference in their 7-2 win over Chicago Christian in Thursday's Class 2A Beecher Sectional semis.