Prep Sports

The Ottawa softball team had four of its members named to the Interstate 8 All-Conference team, while the Little Ten and Kishwaukee River Conferences released all-league teams.

It wasn't the finish the team hoped for, but Newman finished fourth at the Class 2A state tournament after a 9-3 loss to Eureka on Saturday at Illinois Field in Champaign. The Comets were proud of the run after a third straight state trophy.

The Marquette baseball team rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat Father McGivney 6-5 in the Class 1A state championship game on Saturday at Illinois Field in Champaign. It's the second straight 1A title for the Crusaders.

Two three-run innings were costly on Friday as Newman fell 9-3 to Teutopolis in the Class 2A state semifinals at Illinois Field. The Comets face Eureka in Saturday's third-place game at 4 p.m.

The Marquette Crusaders responded to Lexington’s one run in the top of the second inning with 10 of their own in the bottom half, propelling the defending 1A state champs into Saturday’s 1 p.m. title game via a dominant, 16-1 victory early Friday.

Putnam County junior Alex Rodriguez was voted NewsTribune Athlete of the Week after winning two medals at the Class 1A state track and field meet.

Newman baseball brings confidence and another year of experience into Friday's state semifinals. The Comets hope to have their best finish yet in a third straight trip to state.

The Marquette baseball team has earned the right to defend its Class 1A title and that chance begins with Friday's 10 a.m. state semifinal against Lexington at Illinois Field in Champaign.

L-P junior Taylor Vescogni was named the Interstate 8 Conference Player of the Year and the Three Rivers East, Lincoln Trail and Little Ten also released all-conference teams.

"That's just the kind of community Henry is," Kaitlyn Anderson said about the support the Henry-Senachwine softball team received during its postseason run.

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.

Addie Bechler scored five goals, Fiona Lemke added three, and Crystal Lake Central's girls lacrosse team held off a fourth-quarter rally to beat Downers Grove North 10-8 on Tuesday and earn the program's first state berth.

Evan Bushman pitched a complete game and Daniel Kelly had a home run and four RBIs to help send Newman to state for the third straight year.

The Marquette baseball team led from start to finish in a 6-3 victory over Fulton in Monday's Class 1A DeKalb Supersectional at Northern Illinois University’s Ralph McKinzie Field. The Crusaders will now have a chance to defend their title from last season.

The Serena softball team scored four runs in the top of the first inning but couldn't stop LeRoy from scoring the next nine and taking control of Monday's Class 1A Wesleyan Supersectional.

The Henry-Senachwine softball team's record-breaking season came to an end Monday with a 2-0 loss to Dakota in the Class 1A Sterling Supersectional.

Mendota senior Crystal Garcia was voted NewsTribune Athlete of the Week after scoring the only goal in the Trojans' 1-0 win in the regional championship and also scoring in the sectional semifinal.

Fulton senior Dom Kramer worked his way back from a knee injury during football season to be a key contributor on the mound and at the plate during the Steamers' postseason run to the Elite Eight. He is the Sauk Valley Athlete of the Week after an online vote.

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.

Sprinters Levi Milder and Brady Anderson and two relay wins led Morrison to the Class 1A state title, while Sterling earned medals in three relays in the 2A meet.

The Marquette baseball team scored three times in the fifth to break a scoreless game, and Alec Novotney fired a three-hitter with 13 strikeouts in a 5-1 win over Aurora Christian in Saturday's Class 1A Harvest Christian Sectional championship.

Newmn scored three runs in the top of the first, then tacked on three more in the fifth to back pitchers Drake Cole and Garret Matznick in a 6-2 victory over Johnsburg in the Class 2A Mendota Sectional final Saturday afternoon.

Fulton's Braedon Meyers pitched six innings and knocked in a key insurance run late in a 3-2 win for the sectional title on Saturday. Dom Kramer got the save in the Steamers' first sectional title since 2015.

After losing 11 straight games to close the regular season, Dixon got back in the win column when it mattered most. The Dukes beat Sterling 10-2 on Saturday to win the Class 3A Freeport Regional title.

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.

Vince Yario did not allow a hit after giving up a run in the first inning to lead No. 8 Bartlett to an 8-1 win over No. 1 Willowbrook in the Class 4A Willowbrook Regional championship Saturday.

Princeton's Ian Morris and Bureau Valley's Landon Hulsing won state discus titles on Saturday.

Addie Bechler, Anna Starr and Fiona Lemke each scored three goals, and the Crystal Lake Central co-op girls lacrosse team used a team effort to beat Huntley 14-8 in the Crystal Lake Central Sectional championship match Friday.

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.

Stanford recruit Elena Krause and defending state champion Pontiac beat L-P 7-0 in the Class 3A Pontiac Regional championship Friday.

Brynna Anderson delivered a two-run double and Lauren Harbison struck out 11 as Henry-Senachwine won its first sectional title with a 2-1 victory over West Central on Friday.

The Serena softball team defeated Marquette 6-2 in Friday's Class 1A sectional championship game to advance to Monday's Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional.

Ava Lorenzatti blasted a solo homer, and Taylor Norkus twirled a one-hit shutout as Beecher topped Seneca 1-0 to claim the 2A Seneca Sectional championship.

Dixon and Sterling both advanced to Saturday's state track finals in multiple events on Friday.

Battling last year's state runner-up North Boone to extra innings, Morrison fell just short in a 4-3 loss in Friday's sectional final. The Fillies' four seniors helped raise the bar this season.

Belvidere North sophomore Ava Morris tossed a two-hit shutout and added two hits and an RBI in a 4-0 win over Sterling in the Class 3A Dixon Regional final Friday at Reynolds Field.

Rock Falls senior baseball player Austin Castaneda led the Rockets with 37 walks, 30 runs scored, 30 stolen bases without getting caught, led the team with a .543 on-base percentage and 1.054 OPS. He is the Sauk Valley Athlete of the Week.

Princeton freshman Landen Hoffman had the top 2A discus throw in Friday's state preliminaries, while Princeton's Ian Morris (discus) and Cade Odell (shot put) and L-P's Richie Santiago (discus) also qualified for finals.

Morrison's 4x200 relay of Rylan Alvarado, Levi Milder, Zach Milder and Brady Anderson set the Class 1A state meet record on Thursday with a 1:26.87 to take first in the prelims. Newman, Oregon, Bureau Valley, Milledgeville and Forreston-Polo also advanced to Saturday's finals.

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.

Newman sophomore Joel Rhodes and Sterling freshman Aron Rivera wrapped up their seasons at the state tennis meet on Thursday. Both were competing in state singles for the first time.

Fulton fell 7-0 to West Central on Thursday in the Class 1A sectional semifinals. The Steamers can hold their heads high after winning their first regional title since 2018.

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.

Kaedin Bond and Jacob Gross each hit home runs in the first inning as La Salle-Peru scored seven runs on the way to a 17-2, four-inning win over Plano in a Class 3A Morris Regional semifinal Thursday.

After a slow start, the Marquette Crusaders erupted for 18 runs over the final three innings to defeat St. Edward 18-2 in a Class 1A Westminster Christian Sectional semifinal Wednesday at Judson University.

Chase Dykstra pitched a 3-hitter to send Fulton to Saturday's Class 1A Lena-Winslow Sectional final at 11 a.m. against River Ridge/Scales Mound, which came back to beat Eastland 5-4 on Wednesday.

Huntley senior Bobby Pupich, who missed last week's regular-season finale against Cary-Grove, scored a career-high nine goals Wednesday to lead the Red Raiders to a 15-7 win over the Trojans in a sectional semifinal.

The Henry-Senachwine baseball team's season came to an end Wednesday with a 3-1 loss to Lexington in a Class 1A St. Bede Sectional semifinal in Peru.