Top Ten local BCR sports stories for 2022

The 2022 sports season was marked with milestones, new beginnings and endings. There were also some common themes and names along the way looking back at the top 10 local sports stories.

1) J.A. Happ retires from MLB

St. Bede graduate J.A. Happ announced his retirement from Major League Baseball in 2022 after a 15-year career.

Happ went 133-100 with a 4.13 ERA and 1,661 strikeouts, pitching for eight teams in his career, ending his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021.

“I remember when I first started, (it was) find a way to get to the Big Leagues. Find a way to stick in the Big Leagues,” Happ told the BCR. “To get 10 years was always the biggest milestone everybody would say. It’s hard enough to get there and even harder to stick. To get (parts of 15) seasons, it’s pretty special looking back.”

The left-handed pitcher was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2004 and made his MLB debut three years later. He was a member of the Phillies’ 2008 World Series champion.

Happ wore eight big league uniforms along the way, including stints with the Houston Astros (2010-12), Toronto Blue Jays twice (2012-14, 2016-18), Seattle Mariners (2015), Pittsburgh Pirates (2015), New York Yankees (2018-20) and Minnesota Twins (2021).

His best season was 2018 when he was 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA for the Blue Jays. He was named to the 2018 American League All-Star team and earned the save in the AL’s 8-6 win.

2) Teegan Davis signs with Iowa football

Teegan Davis became the first Princeton football player to sign with a Big 10 school in four decades when he inked a National Letter of Intent to play for the University of Iowa in December.

Davis was a two-way Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 3A All-State player as a quarterback and defensive back, leading the Tigers to an 11-1 record and a Class 3A quarterfinal appearance.

He will play defensive back for the Hawkeyes.

3) Teegan Davis wins state high jump

Princeton’s Teegan Davis reached the pinnacle of Illinois high school track and field in 2022 with a state title. Davis cleared 6 feet, 6 ¼ inches to claim the Class 2A high jump crown (he had a season-best jump of 6-8). He also earned a seventh-place medal in the long jump.

4) Teegan Davis, Mac Resetich have record-setting seasons

Princeton quarterback Teegan Davis and Hall quarterback Mac Resetich set records this fall.

Davis threw for 1,638 yards to become Princeton’s all-time passing leader with 3,477 yards. He also threw for 20 touchdowns and ran for 766 yards and 17 TDs.

Resetich moved from running back to quarterback and broke numerous school records. He had single-season school rushing records of 2,227 yards and 30 touchdowns as well as overall TDs with 34. He also broke the single-game records with 429 rushing yards and seven TDs against Mendota.

5) PHS girls win first conference title

The Princeton girls basketball team won its first conference championship in school history, posting a 10-1 record in the Three Rivers East. The Tigresses were undefeated in 11 regular-season home games, finishing 19-3.

6) Tigers end regional drought

The Princeton Tiger basketball team won its first regional championship in 11 years, defeating Mendota, 65-55, then Kewanee, 71-63, for the title at Hall. The Tigers carried that success over to the start of the current season, winning tournaments at Ottawa and Hall on the way to a 13-0 start.

7) St. Bede announces conference change

St. Bede announced it will leave the Three Rivers Conference after the 2022-23 school year to join the Tri-County Conference for all sports but football in 2023-24. The Bruins were members of the Tri-County from 1994 to 2010.

For football, the Bruins will join the new Chicago Prairie Football League, including Marquette, Seneca, Dwight, Walther Christian, Westmont, Elmwood Park and Ridgewood.

8) Tigers reach quarterfinals again

The Princeton Tiger football team won its fifth straight conference championship and reached the Class 3A quarterfinals for the third straight year. They lost to eventual state champ IC Catholic, 27-20, in overtime.

9) Red Devils revival

Just as he did in his first go-around as Hall football coach, Randy Tieman guided the Red Devils back to the playoffs in his second stint at the helm. The Red Devils won four of their final five games of the regular season, including a 42-27 Week 8 upset win over rival St. Bede, to finish 5-4 and earn a Class 4A playoff berth.

10) State medalists

Many athletes from Bureau County qualified individually for state competition in multiple sports, including state track medalists Teegan Davis, Drew Harp and Keegan Fogarty of Princeton and Tyreke Fortney and Anna Lopez of St. Bede.