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.

A little-known and rarely publicized provision in Illinois law, in place for over 44 years, allows most homestead exemptions from real estate taxes to apply to single-family dwellings occupied by tenants, provided that the tenant is responsible for paying the real estate tax.

Twenty six years after graduating from Hall, he’s returned to the Red Devils football program as an assistant this fall under first-year head coach Logan Larson. He is coaching the linemen and the JV team.

Kyla likes helping with the volleyball team because she likes the girls and helping them out.