Adam Tumino

The Marquette baseball team racked up 16 hits in an 11-2 win over Wilmington in Saturday's IHSA Class 2A Herscher Regional championship, clinching the 11th sectional title in program history and third in a row following a pair of 1A titles.

Gardner-South Wilmington's softball team dropped a 10-inning thriller 2-1 to Waltonville in Thursday's IHSA Class 1A state semifinals in Peoria before bouncing back with a 10-5 win over Okawville in Friday's third-place game, ending the program's historic season with a win.

After each team snapped a regional title drought this year, both Clifton Central and Gardner-South Wilmington had their seasons come to an end Wednesday in the Class 1A Dwight Sectional semifinals.

Lemont's girls soccer team downed Geneva 3-0 in Tuesday's IHSA Class 2A Kankakee Supersectional, punching its ticket to state in the final season of longtime head coach Rick Prangen's career.

After seven years as athletic director at Bishop McNamara, Aaron Hamilton is moving on to become the AD at Donovan, where he will return to the small town, public school environment he's spent much of his life in education.

Wilmington's baseball team downed Coal City 9-0 to win its third straight regional title, Manteno came back to beat Sandwich 9-7 to claim its second straight regional crown and Milford had its season come to an end with a 5-2 loss to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley.

After losing to Herscher in the regular season, the Lisle girls soccer team responded with a 1-0 win over the Tigers in the IHSA Class 1A Lisle Sectional championship game on Saturday, winning its first sectional title since 2019.

In the Class 2A and 3A prelims at the IHSA Track and Field State Championships, Bradley-Bourbonnais' LyZale Edmon advanced to the finals in the 200 meters and as part of both the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams while Manteno's Briggs Cann qualified in the 400 meters.

Bishop McNamara's Malachi Lee, Cale Hamilton and Brock Clott were three of six area boys track and field athletes to advance to Saturday's state finals from the Class 1A prelims at Eastern Illinois University. This and more in Thursday's Daily Journal roundup.

The Sandwich baseball team got a one-hit shutout from senior Nick Michalek, with help from timely defense, in a 9-0 win over Beecher in Thursday’s IHSA Class 2A Manteno Regional semifinal.

Maddie Simms had 17 strikeouts to lead Gardner-South Wilmington softball to a win in the IHSA Class 1 Indian Creek Sectional semifinals, Clifton Central baseball walked off Momence in the 1A Clifton Central Regional semifinals and more in Wednesday's Daily Journal roundup.

Beecher's softball team picked up a 4-1 win over Pontiac in Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinals, setting up a clash with fellow perennial powerhouse Seneca in the sectional championship for the third year in a row.

Junior high track and field athletes from across the area claimed 10 state titles spanning classes 1A through 4A at the IESA state meets held over the last two weekends in East Peoria.

The Herscher girls soccer team advanced to the sectional championship with an 8-0 win over Chicago Christian in Monday's IHSA Class 1A Lisle Sectional semifinals, with Sophie Venckauskas leading the way with a hat trick, and more in Monday's Daily Journal roundup.

Manteno alum and former Illinois football right guard Josh Gesky is trying to make the most of his new life as an NFL player after signing an undrafted free agent deal with the Green Bay Packers a little under a month ago.