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Jul. 22—They were familiar names in the newspaper. Familiar names spoken by area public address announcers.
Familiar names whom their teammates, coaches and fans turned to when a big moment arrived. Sports Editor
Matt Daniels highlights 10 area athletes who generated the most headlines during the 2025-26 school year:
Well before he signed with the Illinois football program in early June, Eisenmenger made headlines. With his superb passing skills as the Rockets' quarterback that he fully displayed during an epic Class 3A state championship game. But he was far from finished once his football career wrapped up with News-Gazette All-Area Player of the Year honors. He eclipsed 1,000 career points in boys' basketball for a Unity team that finished 34-3 and reached the 2A state tournament at State Farm Center in Champaign, where the Rockets were ultimately third in 2A. And then he stood out on a 26-win Unity baseball team, both on the mound as one of the Rockets' top pitchers and in the batter's box as one of the Rockets' top hitters.
Writing a monthly diary for The News-Gazette detailing his recruiting process certainly endeared him to our readers from August 2025 through this past May. His play on the football field is why he was such a topic of discussion, though. The 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive left tackle for the Spartans garnered double-digit offers from a who's who list of college football powerhouse programs. Illinois coach Bret Bielema, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and Oregon coach Dan Lanning all found their way to St. Joseph before Wagner ultimately committed to Lanning and the Ducks while making a live appearance on 'The Pat McAfee Show,' on ESPN in mid-May. Along with his football exploits, Wagner was also a state-qualifying wrestler.
Give this four-sport athlete a ball and watch her shine. The Northwestern softball recruit did so on the volleyball court last fall, leading the Timberwolves to a 40-1 record and the program's first Class 1A state title. On the basketball court again, Lucht helped spark Cissna Park to a 26-3 record that included the program's fourth consecutive 1A regional championship. What Lucht, who won The News-Gazette's All-Area Player of the Year honors in volleyball and girls' basketball, did in the spring is possibly even more impressive. She hit .690 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI on the softball diamond and qualified for the 1A girls' track and field state meet in four events, ultimately winning a state title in the triple jump.
She only plays one sport, but she does it so well. And opposing softball coaches still have to worry about trying to limit Helm in 2027 when the James Madison commit begins her senior season with the Maroons. The revitalization of Champaign Central softball this decade is one of the noteworthy accomplishments on the area high school sports scene, and the contributions of Helm are a significant part of why a downtrodden program for decades is now a legitimate Class 3A state championship contender. A two-time All-Area Player of the Year by The News-Gazette, Helm went 26-3 with a 1.34 earned run average, 319 strikeouts and only 30 walks in the pitcher's circle while hitting .511 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI in the batter's box in 2026.
The 400-meter dash is one of the more grueling track and field events. Half-sprint, half-distance race. But it is a race Marx mastered during her high school career with the Bulldogs. A career that culminated with Marx winning a third straight Class 2A state championship in the 400 during the IHSA state meet on May 23 at O'Brien Field in Charleston. The standout sprinter wasn't just focused solely on the 400, though. She also took second in the 200 and ran the anchor leg on a 1,600 relay that finished second in state, as well. The News-Gazette's All-Area girls' track and field Athlete of the Year in 2026 helped the Bulldogs place eighth in the team standings before she begins her college track and field career at Ball State.
May 30, 2026, will be a day Jackson and the Danville boys' track and field program will remember for some time. With good reason. It's when the electric sprinter for the Vikings made school history and wowed the crowd in Charleston at the IHSA Class 2A state meet. First, he won a state title in the 100-meter dash. Then, he outlasted the rest of the field with a win in the 400. And he concluded his epic afternoon by crossing the finish line first to win the 200. Three sprint races. Three state titles. The News-Gazette's All-Area boys' track and field Athlete of the Year in 2026 is generating Division I interest heading into his senior season, and it's no surprise. Jackson accounted for all 30 of Danville's points at the state meet as the Vikings tied for fifth.
One game, he'd put up 38 points. The other night, he'd drop 42 points. Or a single-game Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin record of 56 points like Peoples did when the Blue Devils played Phalen Leadership Academy out of Indiana on Dec. 27, 2025, at the BHRA/Heritage Holiday Tournament. The dynamic guard won't get to frustrate opposing players and coaches next season with his playmaking skills since he'll take his talents to college when he suits up for Division II Winona State. But his game will be talked about for years to come. Peoples averaged an absurd 31.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.3 steals this past season for the Blue Devils, a key reason why BHRA finished with a 23-8 record.
What Molina accomplished on the mat with the Rockets is now the new standard for not only area girls' wrestlers. But girls' wrestlers throughout the state. With girls' wrestling only an IHSA sport since the 2021-22 season, it's hard to say if what Molina accomplished this past season will ever be topped. But Molina accomplished plenty, going 38-0 and winning a state championship at 235 pounds. If that wasn't impressive enough, the initial winner of The News-Gazette's All-Area girls' wrestler of the Year honor did not allow any opponent to score a single point against her this season. She followed up her winter success with summer success by winning a national title at the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals last Saturday in Fargo, N.D.
His basketball skills — elite scorer, high-level finisher at the rim and adept outside shooter — should continue to flourish in college after The News-Gazette's All-Area Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season committed to Illinois Wesleyan in late April, a steal for the Division III program in Bloomington. Bohm averaged 25.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 steals for a 19-win Mahomet-Seymour team that advanced to a Class 3A regional championship game as Bohm surpassed 1,000 career points during his breakout season. Away from the basketball court, Bohm also flourished on the golf course last fall when he became the only area golfer to qualify for the 2A state tournament following a strong regular season.
A multi-sport athlete who has already asserted herself, expect to see plenty written about Harding for the next three years before she is set to graduate from Central in 2029. That's because the Maroons standout won The News-Gazette's inaugural All-Area Player of the Year honor for girls' flag football during her breakout 2025 season. A season that featured the Central freshman throw for 2,537 yards and 27 touchdowns while adding 1,412 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns for the first-year program. Harding continued her prowess on the basketball court as a key contributor for a Central team that won a Class 3A regional championship for the first time in 16 years and then started on a 30-win softball team that also earned a 3A regional title.
Continue reading...
Familiar names whom their teammates, coaches and fans turned to when a big moment arrived. Sports Editor
Matt Daniels highlights 10 area athletes who generated the most headlines during the 2025-26 school year:
Well before he signed with the Illinois football program in early June, Eisenmenger made headlines. With his superb passing skills as the Rockets' quarterback that he fully displayed during an epic Class 3A state championship game. But he was far from finished once his football career wrapped up with News-Gazette All-Area Player of the Year honors. He eclipsed 1,000 career points in boys' basketball for a Unity team that finished 34-3 and reached the 2A state tournament at State Farm Center in Champaign, where the Rockets were ultimately third in 2A. And then he stood out on a 26-win Unity baseball team, both on the mound as one of the Rockets' top pitchers and in the batter's box as one of the Rockets' top hitters.
Writing a monthly diary for The News-Gazette detailing his recruiting process certainly endeared him to our readers from August 2025 through this past May. His play on the football field is why he was such a topic of discussion, though. The 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive left tackle for the Spartans garnered double-digit offers from a who's who list of college football powerhouse programs. Illinois coach Bret Bielema, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and Oregon coach Dan Lanning all found their way to St. Joseph before Wagner ultimately committed to Lanning and the Ducks while making a live appearance on 'The Pat McAfee Show,' on ESPN in mid-May. Along with his football exploits, Wagner was also a state-qualifying wrestler.
Give this four-sport athlete a ball and watch her shine. The Northwestern softball recruit did so on the volleyball court last fall, leading the Timberwolves to a 40-1 record and the program's first Class 1A state title. On the basketball court again, Lucht helped spark Cissna Park to a 26-3 record that included the program's fourth consecutive 1A regional championship. What Lucht, who won The News-Gazette's All-Area Player of the Year honors in volleyball and girls' basketball, did in the spring is possibly even more impressive. She hit .690 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI on the softball diamond and qualified for the 1A girls' track and field state meet in four events, ultimately winning a state title in the triple jump.
She only plays one sport, but she does it so well. And opposing softball coaches still have to worry about trying to limit Helm in 2027 when the James Madison commit begins her senior season with the Maroons. The revitalization of Champaign Central softball this decade is one of the noteworthy accomplishments on the area high school sports scene, and the contributions of Helm are a significant part of why a downtrodden program for decades is now a legitimate Class 3A state championship contender. A two-time All-Area Player of the Year by The News-Gazette, Helm went 26-3 with a 1.34 earned run average, 319 strikeouts and only 30 walks in the pitcher's circle while hitting .511 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI in the batter's box in 2026.
The 400-meter dash is one of the more grueling track and field events. Half-sprint, half-distance race. But it is a race Marx mastered during her high school career with the Bulldogs. A career that culminated with Marx winning a third straight Class 2A state championship in the 400 during the IHSA state meet on May 23 at O'Brien Field in Charleston. The standout sprinter wasn't just focused solely on the 400, though. She also took second in the 200 and ran the anchor leg on a 1,600 relay that finished second in state, as well. The News-Gazette's All-Area girls' track and field Athlete of the Year in 2026 helped the Bulldogs place eighth in the team standings before she begins her college track and field career at Ball State.
May 30, 2026, will be a day Jackson and the Danville boys' track and field program will remember for some time. With good reason. It's when the electric sprinter for the Vikings made school history and wowed the crowd in Charleston at the IHSA Class 2A state meet. First, he won a state title in the 100-meter dash. Then, he outlasted the rest of the field with a win in the 400. And he concluded his epic afternoon by crossing the finish line first to win the 200. Three sprint races. Three state titles. The News-Gazette's All-Area boys' track and field Athlete of the Year in 2026 is generating Division I interest heading into his senior season, and it's no surprise. Jackson accounted for all 30 of Danville's points at the state meet as the Vikings tied for fifth.
One game, he'd put up 38 points. The other night, he'd drop 42 points. Or a single-game Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin record of 56 points like Peoples did when the Blue Devils played Phalen Leadership Academy out of Indiana on Dec. 27, 2025, at the BHRA/Heritage Holiday Tournament. The dynamic guard won't get to frustrate opposing players and coaches next season with his playmaking skills since he'll take his talents to college when he suits up for Division II Winona State. But his game will be talked about for years to come. Peoples averaged an absurd 31.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.3 steals this past season for the Blue Devils, a key reason why BHRA finished with a 23-8 record.
What Molina accomplished on the mat with the Rockets is now the new standard for not only area girls' wrestlers. But girls' wrestlers throughout the state. With girls' wrestling only an IHSA sport since the 2021-22 season, it's hard to say if what Molina accomplished this past season will ever be topped. But Molina accomplished plenty, going 38-0 and winning a state championship at 235 pounds. If that wasn't impressive enough, the initial winner of The News-Gazette's All-Area girls' wrestler of the Year honor did not allow any opponent to score a single point against her this season. She followed up her winter success with summer success by winning a national title at the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals last Saturday in Fargo, N.D.
His basketball skills — elite scorer, high-level finisher at the rim and adept outside shooter — should continue to flourish in college after The News-Gazette's All-Area Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season committed to Illinois Wesleyan in late April, a steal for the Division III program in Bloomington. Bohm averaged 25.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 steals for a 19-win Mahomet-Seymour team that advanced to a Class 3A regional championship game as Bohm surpassed 1,000 career points during his breakout season. Away from the basketball court, Bohm also flourished on the golf course last fall when he became the only area golfer to qualify for the 2A state tournament following a strong regular season.
A multi-sport athlete who has already asserted herself, expect to see plenty written about Harding for the next three years before she is set to graduate from Central in 2029. That's because the Maroons standout won The News-Gazette's inaugural All-Area Player of the Year honor for girls' flag football during her breakout 2025 season. A season that featured the Central freshman throw for 2,537 yards and 27 touchdowns while adding 1,412 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns for the first-year program. Harding continued her prowess on the basketball court as a key contributor for a Central team that won a Class 3A regional championship for the first time in 16 years and then started on a 30-win softball team that also earned a 3A regional title.
Continue reading...
