The high school boys and girls golf seasons began last week across Illinois. Here are five storylines we’ll be watching in The Times coverage area in 2025.

Here's everything you need to know about the Interstate 8 Conference in 2025, including teams, players and matchups to watch plus Steve Soucie's predictions for how the final standings will wind up.

The 2025-26 high school sports season opened on a couple area golf courses Thursday, with Seneca's girls and Somonauk's Alex Wold both victorious.

High school boys soccer practices opened up across Illinois this week. Here are five storylines we’ll be watching in 2025 across The Times coverage area.

High school girls volleyball practices opened up across Illinois this week. Here are five storylines we’ll be watching in 2025 across The Times coverage area.

Local high school football coaches — Ottawa’s Chad Gross, Streator’s Jay Slone, and Seneca’s Terry Maxwell — while not quite the same as when they played, still get 'That feeling' when Friday's game day rolls around.

Ottawa's new varsity volleyball coach Kristina Kore was pleased with Pirates' offseason and is excited to see what her squad can accomplish this fall.

The Illinois high school football season kicks off later this month, and official practices begin Monday. Here are five storylines we here at The Times have our eyes on this coming fall.

Ottawa head football coach Chad Gross said he’s encouraged with the progress his group has made in the offseason and is looking forward to seeing what the Pirates can accomplish in 2025.

With the release of the 2025 IHSA football schedules, here is a week-by-week look at the can't-miss games across The Times coverage area.

Girls from around the Illinois Valley teamed up on the Lions Jrs Starved Rock 16 Red club team to a fifth-place finish out of 151 teams in the prestigious AAU Nationals Volleyball Tournament recently in Orlando, Fla.

Ottawa graduate, two-time Times Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year, and three-time state medalist Weston Averkamp has committed to continue his education at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston and his track career at the NCAA Division I level with the Panthers.

Princeton will invite 16 teams to participate in Saturday’s 7-on-7 and Linemen’s Challenge at Bryant Field and Little Siberia, including Dixon, EPC, Ottawa, LaSalle-Peru and Sandwich.

The deadline for nominations for consideration for induction into the 2026 Ottawa Township High School Hall of Fame will be July 31.

A collection of 40 of the top prep baseball players this past spring from across The Times' 13-school coverage area.

The Times Sports staff is proud to present our picks for 40 of the top prep softball players across the area, the 2025 Times All-Area Softball Team.

Congratulations to the 2025 Times Girls Soccer Player of the Year, Ottawa junior center back Taylor Brandt.

The schools of The Times area sent plenty of athletes to the IHSA Boys Track and Field State Meet. Here are those state qualifiers, the 2025 Times Boys Track and Field All-Area Honor Roll.

Congratulations to the 2025 Times Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year, Ottawa hurdler and double state medalist Weston Averkamp.

The Interstate 8 released its all-conference teams on Thursday for six spring sports.

After not only making it to the IHSA State Final Tournament but winning a pair of matches there, the Ottawa No. 1 doubles team of Noah Gross and Evan Krafft are the 2025 Times Boys Tennis Players of the Year.

Ottawa sophomores Piper Lewis, Addie Russell and Bobbi Snook, as well as Streator senior Makenna Ondrey were named to the Illinois Coaches Association All-State teams in Class 3A, released late Sunday.

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.

Marquette baseball's Alec Novotney has been named the Tri-County Conference Player and Pitcher of the Year, while the Interstate 8, Illinois Central Eight, Little Ten, Kishwaukee River and Heart of Illinois Conferences have released all-league baseball teams.

Lemont defeated Ottawa 4-2 on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 in the Class 3A Sectional semifinal game at Ottawa High School. Check out photos from the game by MaKade Rios.

The Lemont softball team, behind clutch hitting and solid pitching, defeated host Ottawa 4-2 in Tuesday's Class 3A Sectional semifinal and advances to Friday's final against Providence Catholic.

Ottawa will host Lemont at 6:30 Tuesday in the second Class 3A Ottawa Sectional semifinal, following the 4:30 game between Tinley Park and Providence Catholic

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.

Joliet Catholic No. 9 hitter Matt Simmons broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the fourth, and that was enough for Hilltoppers ace Lucas Grant, who shut out Ottawa in Saturday's 3A Pontiac Regional championship game.

Ottawa's Weston Averkamp qualified for Saturday's Class 3A finals in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles during Friday's preliminaries at the IHSA Track and Field State Meet, while Sandwich's Petter Popp in the shot put and Jacob Ross in the pole vault will move on in 2A.

Ottawa's softball team scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to come away with a 3-1 win over Morris in the Class 3A Morris Regional and capture its third straight regional crown.

Somonauk, Fieldcrest and Seneca all had advancers at the Class 1A state track and field preliminaries, while Ottawa's state-qualifying boys tennis doubles team got a pair of wins in the suburbs. This and more in The Times Thursday Roundup.

After nine and a half scoreless innings, Ottawa No. 8 hitter George Shumway delivered a two-out, run-scoring double to lift the Pirates past Streator 1-0 in 10 innings and into Saturday's 3A Pontiac Regional title game.

Ottawa played Streator in the Class 3A Regional semifinal game on Thursday, May 29, 2025 at Pontiac High School. The Pirates will play Joliet Catholic in the Regional championship on Saturday at 11a.m. in Pontiac.

The Ottawa softball shrugged off a sluggish start in Tuesday's Class 3A Morris Regional semifinal and eventually rolled to a 14-3 win in five innings over Crete-Monee to advance to Friday's championship game.

We take a look at The Times area's boys track and field state qualifiers in Classes 1A, 2A and 3A, including past medalists Weston Averkamp of Ottawa and Simeion Harris of Sandwich.

Ottawa's Adam Swanson blasted a walk-off homer against Geneseo on Saturday, while Streator softball dropped a doubleheader and the Pirates state-bound tennis duo of Evan Krafft and Noah Gross placed 4th at the 1A sectional.

The Seneca softball team - behind the pitching and hitting of Tessa Krull - won a 2A regional title on Friday, Sandwich's Sunny Weber advanced to the 1600-meter run finals at state, and the Ottawa doubles team of Evan Krafft and Noah Gross clinched a state tennis berth.

Ottawa senior Weston Averkamp won the 110- and 300-meter hurdles at the Class 3A Minooka Sectional on Wednesday to advance to the state meet in the events for the second straight year. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

Plainfield South qualified seven out of the Class 3A Minooka Sectional. Athletes from Ottawa, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Joliet West, Minooka, Yorkville, Joliet Central and Kankakee also advanced.

Ottawa fell to Metamora 4-1 on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 in the Class 2A Regional final at Metamora High School.

The Ottawa girls soccer team couldn't overcome three goals in the opening 12 minutes by Metamora in a 4-1, season-ending loss in the semifinals of the Class 2A Metamora Regional.

The Serena baseball team – behind the pitching of Tucker Whiteaker – defeated Earlville in a Class 1A regional quarterfinal on Monday, while the WFC and Fieldcrest softball teams had seasons come to an end. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

The Marquette baseball and softball teams both earned home wins over Forreston on Saturday, while the Seneca, Serena and Somonauk/Leland softball squads pick up victories. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

Serena softball won in eight innings, Seneca softball split two games to take its first loss of the season, and the area went winless on the baseball diamond. That and more in The Times Friday Roundup.

Newark, Ottawa, Serena all score softball victories, Fieldcrest sends two girls to state track and field, plus more in The Times Thursday Roundup.

From regional play-ins to state championships, here are the complete baseball and softball postseason schedules for Times-area teams Ottawa, Streator, L-P, Morris, Sandwich, Marquette, Seneca, WFC, Fieldcrest, Earlville, Newark, Serena and Somonauk/Leland.

The Ottawa baseball team topped Rochelle in an I-8 game Wednesday, while a number of girls from Sandwich and Flanagan-Cornell punched their tickets to the state meet in sectional competition. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

All five Ottawa senior softball players were key contributors in a fourth-inning, three-run rally in the Pirates' 7-3 Interstate 8 Conference and senior day win over Rochelle on Wednesday in Ottawa.

Ottawa defeated Rochelle 7-3 on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at Ottawa High School.