After running for 742 yards and six touchdowns last year as a sophomore, St. Bede's Landon Marquez is again expected to be a key piece of the Bruins offense as Jack Brady takes over as head coach.

La Salle-Peru, St. Bede and Hall football teams headed to the gridiron for the first day of football practice on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025.

With football teams around the state opening official practices for the 2025 season Monday, here are five storylines to watch in the NewsTribune/BCR area this fall.

Leading ladies from Bureau Valley, Princeton and St. Bede's golf teams heading into the 2025 season.

Featuring golfers from Bureau Valley, Hall, St. Bede and Princeton

First-year Mendota coach Jim Eustice said Trojans had a 'very productive' summer. Mendota and teams around the state open official practices Aug. 11.

The St. Bede football team got to face former coach Jim Eustice and his new Mendota team in a joint practice Thursday that also included Sandwich.

Mendota, St. Bede and Sandwich football teams held a joint practice on Thursday, July 31, 2025 at Mendota High School.

J.A. Happ pitched in parts of 15 MLB seasons for eight teams. He was a member of two Philadelphia Phillies’ World Series teams. Along the way, the southpaw won 133 big league games, had 1,661 strikeouts and earned a save in the 2017 All-Star Game.

La Salle-Peru and St. Bede held a joint practice at Howard Fellows Stadium on Monday as the teams continued their summer work under first-year head coaches.

The Starved Rock Bandits, a who’s who softball team from the Illinois Valley with players from Hall, Princeton, L-P, St. Bede and Serena, went 7-0 to win the South East USSSA Nationals last week in Nashville (16U Open) division.

St. Bede and L-P held a football scrimmage on Monday, July 21, 2025 at Howard Fellows Stadium at L-P High School.

The Starved Rock Bandits, a who’s who softball team from the Illinois Valley with players from Hall, Princeton, L-P, St. Bede and Serena, went 7-0 to win the South East USSSA Nationals last week in Nashville (16U Open) division.

First-year St. Bede football coach Jack Brady is making some changes to the Bruins offensive scheme this season.

A look at the top games to watch in the NewsTribune/BCR area for the 2025 football season.

Lily Bosnich abd Greyson Marincic were named as the St. Bede track & field MVPs for the 2025 season.

The summer football offseason heats up after the Fourth of July. Three of the four Bureau County teams will be under new direction with Patrick Elder taking over as head coach at Bureau Valley, Nick Sterling as new head coach at Hall and Jack Brady the new head coach at St. Bede.

St. Bede's Lily Bosnich is such a dynamic athlete, she could walk away from a sport she’s excelled at and still have a school year worthy of high all-around athletic achievement, including All-State honors in track and softball. She is the 2024-25 BCR Female Athlete of the Year.

Athletes of the Year and finalists are chosen by a points system for receiving all-conference, all-area, Player of the Year and All-State honors. They are Lily Bosnich, Keighley Davis, Camryn Driscoll, Libby Endress, Caroline Keutzer and Lili McClain.

Former St. Bede quarterback Jack Brady has taken over as head coach at the Academy, succeeding Jim Eustice, who departed for neighboring Mendota. The Bruins finished 2-7, winning one of four games played in the Chicagoland Prairie Conference.

More than 40 of the state's top senior baseball players participated in the Illinois Coaches Association All-Star Games on Monday at Schweickert Stadium in Peru.

The Illinois Coaches Association held their 48th annual Senior Baseball All Star Game on Monday, June 30, 2025 at Schweickert Stadium in Peru.

Top high school baseball players from around the state will take the field one more time as prep players during the 48th annual Illinois Coaches Association Senior All-Star Games on Monday at Schweickert Stadium in Peru.

A look at the top boys track and field athletes in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

Here’s a look at the Finals Bureau County area boys track & field athletes representing ALO, Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede

A look at the best girls track and field athletes in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

St. Bede junior Lily Bosnich qualified for the Class 1A state track and field meet in four events, placed second in state in the 100-meter hurdles and 300 hurdles and set the area record multiple times in both hurdle events.

St. Bede junior Lily Bosnich qualified for the Class 1A state track and field meet in four events, placed second in state in the 100-meter hurdles and 300 hurdles and set the area record multiple times in both hurdle events.

A look at the final area boys baseball standings for the 2025 season with three Bureau County teams - St. Bede (27-5), Bureau Valley (22-10) and Hall (20-11) winning 20 or more games.

Here’s a look at Bureau County baseball leaders for the 2025 season, including players from Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede

This week, the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association unveiled its 2025 All-State Team, celebrating standout athletes, including Class 1A champions Marquette’s Alec Novotney and Sam Mitre.

Three of the four Bureau County baseball teams had 20-win seasons this year, topped by St. Bede at 27-5. Here's look at the 2025 leaders on the area baseball diamonds for Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede

A look at the best baseball players in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

A look at the NewsTribune area's baseball stat leaders for the 2025 season.

St. Bede senior Alan Spencer was dominant on the mound this spring with a 9-0 record, 0.86 ERA and 105 strikeouts to earn NewsTribune Baseball Player of the Year.

A look at the top softball players in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

A look at the top softball players in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

Shaw Media’s Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame banquet always comes with a lot of laughs and smiles and fun remembrances each year. This year’s sixth annual event also came with sorrow and sadness Thursday at the Auditorium Ballroom in downtown LaSalle.

The Tri-County and Heart of Illinois released their baseball and softball all-conference teams.

Henry's Lauren Harbison was named Class 1A First-Team All State in softball, other players from St. Bede, Princeton, Earlville, Henry and Fieldcreset also earned all-state honors and the Three Rivers announced its all-conference baseball team.

Princeton's Ian Morris and Bureau Valley's Landon Hulsing won discus state titles, five area throwers brought home six medals and St. Bede's Greyson Marincic was runner-up in the 110 hurdles at the IHSA boys track and field state meet.

Ottawa senior Weston Averkamp had a day to remember at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field, as the EIU recruit finished third in the Class 3A 300 hurdles and seventh in the 110 hurdles for Ottawa's best state place since 2006.

Macy Strauch smacked a double that just tickled the glove of the Brimfield center fielder to give St. Bede a 1-0 lead in the first. The Indians scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally for a 4-1 victory.

Putnam County junior Alex Rodriguez qualified for the state finals in discus and shot put, along with more state track and field and boys tennis state tournament results in Thursday's NewsTribune roundup.

An update of area sectional baseball tournaments on June 2, including sectional championship scores and supersectional matchups

Ava Balestri blasted a solo shot in the top of the second inning and Lily Bosnich followed with a two-run blast in the fifth inning to power St. Bede to a 3-2 win over Sherrard in the semifinals of the Class 2A Chillicothe Sectional. SBA will face Brimfield in Friday's finals

The NewsTribune area is sending a strong contingent of throwers to the IHSA state boys track and field meet this weekend in Charleston.

St. Bede defeated Sherrard 3-2 on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at Illinois Valley Central High School in Chillicothe. The Lady Bruins will play Brimfield for the Sectional title on Friday at 5p.m. in Chillicothe.

Here's a preview of the Chillicothe Sectional. St. Bede plays Sherrard at 5 p.m. today. St. Bede makes its fourth straight sectional finals appearance, seeking its second sectional championship in three years and fifth in school history.

Sandwich junior Sunny Weber completed the distance triple crown on Saturday, adding to her state cross country title won last fall by repeating as Class 2A 3,200-meter run champion and winning the 1,600 in a record-setting time. She led the area medalists in Charleston.