Roger Cannon was a humble, quiet leader and scoring machine for the Neponset Zephyrs in the mid-60s. He went on to a highly successful coaching career at Marengo High School. Cannon, who passed away on March 6, will be posthumously inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame on May 3.

Princeton coach Jason Smith became emotional following Friday’’s 49-43 loss to Rock Falls, which marked the third straight year the Tigers reached the sectional final only to lose: 'That’s three years in a row. I felt like I let my team down.'

Bureau County Sheriff Jim Reed went to the Bureau County Board with a proposal suggesting filling the county jail with inmates from the infamous Cook County Jail in Chicago. 

From the shores of Lake DePue to the ball fields of Spring Valley and gyms of Ottawa and many towns and schools all around, Charlie Ellerbrock wrote your stories that have stood the test of time in grandma’s scrapbooks. No one told stories like Charlie.

Dave Nanninga attended the BCR’s Tribute to Sports program in June of 2004 to see the Mineral Leopards district champion basketball teams enshrined in the Bureau County Sports Hall of Fame. That sparked him to launch the Glory Days website to honor closed schools like Mineral.

Brad Groleau, a former 3-sport standout at St. Bede (class of 2013), is working for Princeton High School this winter as an athletic trainer. You could say he’s giving the Tigers the Royal treatment.

The Tigers rallied around teammate Jackson Mason's family, each player walking up in the stands to present his mother, Heather, a carnation during warmups. A moment of silence was held to honor Jackson's dad, Pat, and he went out and hit a 3-pointer for him.

It’s time to look back at the sports stories, quotes, games and people from 2024 through the eyes of your local sports editor.

"As we celebrate Veterans Day and honor those who have bravely served in our nation’s armed forces, my hope is that people will not just appreciate the holiday as a day off from work or a day of remembrance," state Sen. Craig Wilcox of McHenry writes.