There was plenty of success to be found and memories to be made for athletes and teams from across the Daily Journal area in 2025. Here are some of the top sports stories from the calendar year.

Wilmington football wins 3rd state title in 5 years

Few teams were as electric in the regular season and as dominant in the postseason as Wilmington was on its way to a fourth state title in program history, and third in the last five years.

The Wildcats outscored opponents 244-21 in five postseason games, including a 42-6 win over Maroa-Forsyth in the title game to cap their 29th straight playoff appearance.

Third time’s the charm for Cissna Park volleyball

The Cissna Park girls volleyball team won the first standalone title in school history in what was its third straight trip to state. The Timberwolves did not drop a set in the postseason and finished the year 40-1.

The 2025 team’s senior class ended their Cissna Park volleyball careers with a 143-17 record.

Wences Baumgartner becomes IHSA all-time goal leader

Beecher’s Wences Baumgarner was the Daily Journal Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2025, a season in which he became the all-time scoring leader in IHSA history.

He finished his career with 187 goals, 10 more than the previous record, and scored 64 goals in his senior season, the fifth-most in a season in state history.

Extra-inning magic gives Beecher softball state title

A three-run, inside-the-park home run from senior Tayiah Scanlan put Beecher up 5-2 in the top of the 10th of the Class 2A state title game against Carterville, and gave the Bobcats their fifth state title.

The Bobcats finished the season 39-2 and also won their 24th straight River Valley Conference title.

Area track and field athletes make marks at state

Reed-Custer’s Sophia Burciaga took the Class 2A gold medal in the pole vault at the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Finals, the area’s lone state champ.

The 3A meet featured Kankakee’s Naomi Bey-Osborne taking state medals in the 400 meters, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay, ending her stellar career with 11 total medals. Kankakee also medaled in the 4x200 and seven other individual girls athletes medaled. Three boys athletes medaled at state as well.

Herscher’s Eric Regez reaches multiple milestones

Herscher baseball coach Eric Regez reached some rarified air back in the spring, becoming the 12th coach in state history to surpass 800 career wins. He also became the Daily Journal area’s winningest coach less than a month before that with his 789th win.

The Tigers went 29-8 on the season, earning their 26th 20-win season in 33 years under Regez.

Coal City wrestling reclaims dual team state title

The Coal City boys wrestling team continued to be one of the state’s premier programs, claiming its second Class 1A dual team championship in the last three years in their eighth trip to state in the last 11 years.

They downed Vandalia in the championship dual, avenging a loss to the Vandals earlier in the season. The Coalers also had six wrestlers medal at individual state.

Payton Temple continues stellar wrestling career

Girls wrestling is a growing sport across the country, and Clifton Central/Iroquois West sophomore Payton Temple is making a name for herself on the Illinois scene.

She qualified for state for the second straight year in 2025 after placing sixth at 155 pounds as a freshman, this time finishing second at 190 to announce herself as one of the state’s top wrestlers to watch for the next two years.

Three schools see boys basketball scoring records fall

Three area schools had their record books rewritten in 2025 as Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Nick Allen (1,596), Grant Park’s Blake Brown (1,810) and Manteno’s Ray Lee (1,280) all graduated as their schools’ all-time scoring leaders.

All three were First-Team Daily Journal All-Area selections and earned various IBCA All-State honors.

Markanich brothers continue pro soccer careers

Bradley-Bourbonnais alums, 2022 MLS draft picks and twins Anthony and Nick Markanich each took steps in their professional soccer careers in 2025. Anthony, a defender, set a new career high with nine goals for the Minnesota United in his fourth MLS season, bringing his career total to 10.

Nick, a forward, jumped overseas to CD Castellón in the Spanish Segunda División, also called La Liga 2, last summer after a successful American career in the USL Championship league. He scored two goals in the 2024-25 season and has appeared in 11 matches so far this season.