Features 9/10

2023 Football Preview: Tri-Valley looks to keep it rolling

Aug 25, 2023

2023 Football Preview: Tri-Valley looks to keep it rolling

Tri-Valley football is firmly entrenched among the state’s best programs. The Vikings have won 10 or more games five times since 2013 and...

2023 Football Preview: Fieldcrest seeking step forward

Joey Wright

Aug 25, 2023

2023 Football Preview: Fieldcrest seeking step forward

MINONK – Fieldcrest football isn’t far removed from some of its best seasons in program history. The Knights went 47-19 in six seasons...

2023 Football Preview: strong junior class reason for optimism for PND

Joey Wright

Aug 24, 2023

2023 Football Preview: strong junior class reason for optimism for PND

PEORIA – Peoria Notre Dame football is searching for a return to the Big 12 Conference’s upper echelon. A strong cast of returners – led...

Inside the sparkling new turf football fields and facilities in Peoria, Chillicothe and Metamora

Jonathan Michel

Aug 23, 2023

Inside the sparkling new turf football fields and facilities in Peoria, Chillicothe and Metamora

A new trend has begun to sweep across playing fields at central Illinois high schools and this year, it has begun in earnest. Mowing and...

2023 Football Preview: Elmwood/Brimfield relying on strong foundation

Cody Roskens

Aug 12, 2023

2023 Football Preview: Elmwood/Brimfield relying on strong foundation

Elmwood/Brimfield football is hungry for more. Following a narrow 16-8 first-round loss in the 2022 Class 3A state playoffs to...

2023 Football Preview: Prather takes over hometown Turks, eyes turnaround

Teddy Ball

Aug 11, 2023

2023 Football Preview: Prather takes over hometown Turks, eyes turnaround

Tremont football is looking to flip the script with new leadership in 2023.

2023 Football Preview: Small team, big dreams for Quest’s inaugural year in football

Jonathan Michel

Aug 10, 2023

2023 Football Preview: Small team, big dreams for Quest’s inaugural year in football

Brand new high school football programs typically don’t just appear out of thin air, especially in 2023. Across the country, many schools...

2023 Football Preview: Eureka buzzing with excitement to follow in last year’s footsteps

Jonathan Michel

Aug 9, 2023

2023 Football Preview: Eureka buzzing with excitement to follow in last year’s footsteps

Last year, Eureka had one of the most comprehensive and dominant football teams in all of Central Illinois on both sides of the ball....

Underdogs: Manual football seeking to defy stereotypes and build future

Jonathan Michel

Aug 9, 2023

Underdogs: Manual football seeking to defy stereotypes and build future

Peoria is a city with a strong high school football resume. Peoria High has been a powerhouse with eight playoff appearances, a state...

Boo Camp unites, inspires, honors basketball community that makes Peoria special

Jonathan Michel

Aug 3, 2023

Boo Camp unites, inspires, honors basketball community that makes Peoria special

Curley “Boo” Johnson sits behind a table on the baseline of the Dunlap High School gym. The Peoria High basketball legend and former...

2023 Football Preview: The young and hungry Farmers

Cody Roskens

Jul 29, 2023

2023 Football Preview: The young and hungry Farmers

As harvest season approaches, Farmington football is gearing up for an exciting and transformative campaign after going 9-3 last fall and...

2023 Football Preview: New coach, new habits, same skill for Morton

Jonathan Michel

Jul 27, 2023

2023 Football Preview: New coach, new habits, same skill for Morton

Morton — a town energized by Potters football — is due for a big year. Familiar figures and fresh faces will make it happen. Arguably the...

2023 Football Preview: Manual's 'Ramily' eager for more improvement

Gavin Russell

Jul 26, 2023

2023 Football Preview: Manual's 'Ramily' eager for more improvement

Manual head coach Dennis Bailey enters his second season ready to keep the Rams marching forward.

O’Neill brings excitement to Morton football

Jonathan Michel

Jul 24, 2023

O’Neill brings excitement to Morton football

New football coaches don’t often come around in the Mid-Illini Conference. Brett Cazalet and Doug Nutter took over at Dunlap and Pekin,...

2023 Football Preview: Olympia eyes encore effort

Jonathan Michel

Jul 24, 2023

2023 Football Preview: Olympia eyes encore effort

History was made in the small town of Stanford, Illinois last year when the Olympia Spartans snuck into the Class 3A playoffs for just...

Manual standout Clements to play at Western Illinois

Teddy Ball

Feb 17, 2023

Manual standout Clements to play at Western Illinois

Clements leads a cast of seven Rams who will play college football in the fall.

Running with Fire: A look inside Pekin, Tyler's hot start

Gavin Russell

Sep 17, 2021

Running with Fire: A look inside Pekin, Tyler's hot start

The Pekin Dragons and star running back Kanye Tyler have taken Central Illinois football by storm early this season. At 3-0 overall and...

Metamora girls' basketball finding its groove down the stretch

John Komosa

Mar 5, 2021

Metamora girls' basketball finding its groove down the stretch

Metamora girls basketball coach Brianna Morrow has prepped her team for success, and despite an abbreviated season with short rest,...

Wild start to wild season of high school hoops

John Komosa

Feb 19, 2021

Wild start to wild season of high school hoops

We are only a few games into the high school basketball season, and it feels as though fans across the Central Illinois area have just...

Washington showing balance early in season

John Komosa

Feb 12, 2021

Washington showing balance early in season

Washington boys basketball coach Eric Schermerhorn has an extremely disciplined team that knows what it takes to win. The Panthers (2-1)...