MANLIUS — Bureau Valley High School has known just one varsity boys’ basketball coach in its 15-year existence. It has had the same varsity girls’ coach the past 10 years. Beginning next season, the Storm will have a changing of the guard in both programs.

PERU — Founded in 1890, and fielding sports teams since the turn of the 20th century, St. Bede Academy has a long and storied athletic tradition.

PEORIA — The Princeton Tigers didn’t quite make it to the state basketball tournament in Peoria, but they saw some familiar faces there Friday.

PRINCETON — Bob James and the Princeton High School softball team will hold a softball clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 20 for girls in grades 4-8. Cost is $35. For more information, call James at (815) 872-0579.

A pair of St. Bede cagers have been named to the 2009-10 first team Tri-County All-Conference basketball team.

Bureau Valley hosted its indoor girls’ Invite at Westwood on Thursday with Princeton, IVC and Riverdale competing against the host Storm. No team scores were kept.

2010 - Dan Rucinski, St. Bede

Area grapplers landed six sectional berths this year, three apiece from Princeton and St. Bede, capping off another successful season on the mats. Here’s a look at the area’s top wrestlers (in alphabetical order):

The Hall track teams opened the 2010 indoor track season Saturday at Illinois Wesleyan.

After helping lead Bureau Valley to a 20-9 record and their first regional title since 2002, the accolades started flowing in for senior center Melanie Thompson — among them an honorable-mention A.P. All-State selection, and Three Rivers Conference Player of the Year recognition.

Many members of the 2000 Bureau Valley Storm made it back for a 10-year reunion Saturday at the Doug and Pat Wiggim family farm outside of Manlius. BCR Sports Editor Kevin Hieronymus attended Saturday's reunion.

PRINCETON — Registration for the Princeton Youth Baseball and Softball League will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Prouty Building. Other sign-up dates include March 13 and 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and March 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. Registration  forms are available at www.eteamz.com/Prince-tonBaseballandSoftball For more information, contact  John Reinhardt at jtrboys4@comcast.net.

Ryne Vrana first dunked in practice his freshmen season at Princeton High School. He later tried again during a freshman game and hit the back of the rim with the ball bouncing up and back through the basket.

DEKALB – Lawrence Alexander was cold most of the night, but at the end, he was cold blooded.

Breese Central, who beat Princeton along the way this season, punched its ticket to Peoria with a 53-42 win in Tuesday’s Frankfort 2A Sectional.

With a 20-9 record and regional title to their credit during the 2009-10 hoops campaign, the Bureau Valley Storm ladies had the deepest postseason advancement of any area team. The BCR All-Area first team highlights the Storm’s success, with three BV seniors — Courtney Doty, Lauren Hasbrook and 2010 BCR Player of the Year Melanie Thompson earning first-team honors.

Princeton fifth-grader Colby Robbins makes a drive to the basket during Princeton Shootout action at Princeton High School.

MANLIUS — Bureau Valley senior John King is ready to go out in style.

John King

“I most certainly am. I’m hoping for a great softball season.” —

Three teams and a pair of individual skills competitors from Gateway Services will take to the hardwood in search of state titles at the Special Olympics State Basketball Tournament on Saturday at Illinois State University in Normal.

STERLING — Princeton and Bureau Valley kicked off the 2010 prep track season in the Newman Indoor Open at Westwood Friday in Sterling.

Tuesday’s supersectional at DeKalb promises to be a dandy when undefeated Winnebago takes on No. 2 ranked Peoria Manual.

OGLESBY — The IVCC Lady Eagles were on top of the world on the Hilltop after winning Saturday’s Region IV championship game.

Five Princeton Tigers and three Hall Red Devils received recognition on the 2009-10 NCIC Lincoln All-Conference boys’ basketball team.

SPRING VALLEY — Saturday night Red Devil Gymnasium turned into a time machine. With the guitar intro to “Welcome to the Jungle” transporting the fans in attendance back to the late ‘90s, the members of Hall’s back-to-back state runner up squads once again stormed out on to the floor of their old stomping grounds.

It may not have ended the way the Princeton Tigers would have liked to see it end, but it was nonetheless one of the best seasons ever at Princeton High School.

PRINCETON — Princeton senior Scott Roseberg, the 2009 BCR Soccer Player of the Year, recently signed a letter of intent to continue his soccer career at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio.

BYRON - Princeton has had one its best two-year stretches of basketball in school history over the 2008-10 seasons. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Winnebago has had a run just a little bit better.

Last month Hall alum Kailey Klein became the all-time leading scorer at Cleveland State University. Thursday night in the Vikings’ win over UW Milwaukee, Klein added yet another milestone to her college hoops career.

There are plenty of MVPs of the Princeton Tiger basketball team. But there’s only one MVD - Most Valuable Doctor.

Winnebago score is listed first, PHS scoring plays are indented.

OGLESBY — The Illinois Valley Community College women’s basketball team will play Kishwaukee at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Division II Region IV championship at IVCC.

PHS senior Tyler Tyne leads the student body in some cheers during Wednesday’s sectional semifinal game at Byron.

BYRON — Ryne Vrana wasn’t about to let the Princeton Tigers take one on the chin in Wednesday’s sectional semifinal contest with Rock Falls.

BYRON — Last year, supersectionals and Elite Eight.

The Kewanee Boilermakers punched their ticket to Friday’s Farmington 2A Sectional championship with 55-50 win over Rock Island Alleman Tuesday night. Kewanee junior Jordan Hart led the way for the Boilers with 21 points, 13 in the first half. Junior Matt Carlson notched all 16 of his points in the second half for the Boilers (20-13), who knocked down 6-7 shots from the foul line down the stretch to pull off the win. Next up for Kewanee will be a date with Peoria Manual (21-7).

Princeton vs. Rock Falls

Imagine the basketball games Michael Murray could have at family reunions in downstate Robinson.

PRINCETON — Registration for the Princeton Youth Baseball and Softball League will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Prouty Building. Other sign-up dates include March 13 and 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and March 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. Registration forms are available at

PEORIA — The Tiger Town Tanglers had a successful showing over the weekend at their IKWF regional tournament in Peoria, with 12 wrestlers advancing to next week’s sectionals in Rock Island.

PRINCETON — Princeton senior Scott Hult typifies the team-first approach that has made the 2009-10 Tigers’ hoops squad another rousing success.

“Anytime you can win two in a row, it’s extra special." —

Bureau Valley South hosted the Bureau Valley Elementary Conference girls' basketball tournament Feb. 13-17. Top-seeded Annawan defeated BVS in the championship game. LaMoille beat DePue for third.

Scott Hult

The Bureau Valley South seventh-grade girls basketball team swept the BVEC championship at 9-0, finishing 10-5 overall. Team members are (front row, from left) Sara Gould, Kelsey Kaiser, Bailey Russell, Jehna Thomas and Lea Stetson; (second row) Mecca Smith, Sydney Lebahn, Breanna Moon, Haley DeVoss; and (back row) coach Caitlyn Corwin, Regan Weidner, Heaven Bennett, coach Pat Corwin and coach Dan Gustafson.

The Bureau Valley South eighth-grade girls basketball team placed second in the BVEC, finishing with an 8-1 league record, 10-5 overall. Team members are (front row, from left) Christy Williams, Alexis DePauw, Tiffany Davis, Briann Cade and Jazmine Huber; (second row) Josephine Mueller, Katelin Johnson, Lacey DeVenney and Shelby Weborg; and (back row) coach Pat Corwin, Sadie Reinbeck, Nicole Bornsheuer, manager Bailey Stone and coach Dan Gustafson.

The St. Bede Bruins freshmen boys’ basketball team finished the 2009-10 season with a perfect 24-0 record. They are the first undefeated freshmen team at the Academy since 1947. Their average margin of victory was 25 points.