Sauk Valley

Here is the Sauk Valley Media All-Area Girls Basketball Team for the 2024-25 season.

Sterling senior Madison Austin is the SVM Girls Basketball Player of the Year. The Illinois State signee helped lead the Golden Warriors to a school-record 30 wins, their first Western Big 6 crown and first sectional title since 2007.

Oregon softball beat Rock Falls 7-0 as Isabelle Berg pitched a complete game. Dixon, Rock Falls and Newman baseball won, plus more in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Sterling native Lexi Rodriguez is one of six finalists for the AAU Sullivan Award, which recognizes the nation's best collegiate and Olympic athletes.

Dixon boys track & field won Oregon's Gebhardt-Worley Invitational behind six event wins. Forreston baseball improved to 14-2, Milledgeville softball beat Fulton at the Pearl City Tournament and more in Saturday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Sterling's Bryce Hartman struck out nine in six innings in a 4-1 win over Rock Falls. Newman baseball beat Orion 3-1, Sterling girls track & field won its home invite and more in Friday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Get caught up on news and sports in the Sauk Valley with our photos of the week for April 4-10, 2025.

Newman's Evan Bushman pitched a complete game in a 3-1 win over Princeton. Rock Falls baseball and Dixon and Sterling softball each won, while Rock Falls boys track and field edged Sterling and more in Thursday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Backing up Zoey Silva’s perfect game with plenty of offense, Rock Falls rolled past Rockford Lutheran 13-0 for a five-inning Big Northern Conference win Thursday afternoon.

Here is a list of Easter egg hunts planned in the Sauk Valley beginning April 12.

Rock Falls softball beat Freeport 17-1; Newman baseball and softball won; Sterling baseball and softball both fell in walk-off fashion and more in Wednesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Dixon's Darius Harrington, Rock Falls' Kuitim Heald, and Eastland's Adam Awender and Parker Krogman all were named to the Illinois Media All-State boys basketball team in their respective classes this week.

After graduating from Amboy High School, Carson Barlow will attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to study construction management.

The Next Picture Show, Dixon, also will host a Chapter and Verse Open Mic Night for the area’s authors Friday, April 11, that will appear on a local video podcast.

Dixon baseball beat Genoa-Kingston 4-3, Morrison softball beat Polo, Dixon girls soccer won, plus boys and girls track & field results in Tuesday's Sauk valley roundup.

Oregon girls soccer won and Sterling lost; Sterling's Laney Zuithoff won the 1600 and Sterling boys tennis beat Moline in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Genoa-Kingston junior Elizabeth Davis homered at Reynolds Field for the third straight season, and was also strong in the circle in the Cogs’ 7-1 victory over Dixon on Monday in a Big Northern Conference game.

This month’s Friends of the Hennepin Canal hike will be from Lock 21 to Bridge 15. This portion of the hike is 5.4 miles in length and has been named the “raccoon.”

Madison Austin is attending Illinois State University next year to play basketball and study recreation and sports management.

The Sterling Public Library will host a job search workshop from 2-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, at the library.  

Over 500 people gathered in front of Sterling’s Grandon Civic Center on Saturday, April 5, 2025, during a Hands Off rally to protest the Trump administration.

DaVonte Heckman plans to attend Augustana College in Rock Island and eventually become a veterinarian.

Sterling girls track and field picked up event wins at Moline, Forreston baseball won twice, Oregon softball split and more in Saturday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Catch up on the Sauk Valley's news and sports with photos of the week for March 28-April 3.

Newman's Evan Bushman pitched a complete game shutout, Sterling baseball lost to Galesburg, Darin Greenfield had a game-winning hit for Forreston against Eastland and more in Friday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Dixon boys and girls track & field won the Oregon quadrangular; Rock Falls boys and girls won the Morrison quad; plus baseball, softball and boys tennis results in Thursday's Sauk Valley roundup.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday, Lily Martinez ended an epic plate appearance with a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Bree Taylor as Sterling defeated Rock Island 5-4.

The funds will be used to purchase new tools, enhancing the hands-on learning experience for students pursuing careers in construction, according to a news release.

Tickets available for the Rock River Chapter of Ducks Unlimited banquet that will be April 26 in Rock Falls.

Newman's Elaina Allen won the 60-meter dash and 200 in Wednesday's Rosenberry Classic, Fulton won the invite as a team and more in Wednesday's Sauk Valley invite.

Sterling's Lily Martinez pitched a complete game in a 10-2 win at Quincy and more in Tuesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

An Erie man has been sentenced in Whiteside County to four years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday, April 1, to sexually assaulting a teenager in 2020.

Proceeds will go to support remodeling of Cledy’s House of Hope.

Scholarships in the amount of $1,000 are available to Dixon residents who attend Dixon High School, Newman High School, Faith Christian School or who are homeschooled.

Joseph Oswalt plans to become a physical therapist.

Sterling, Dixon and Fulton softball won; Rock Falls baseball won; Sterling's Aron Rivera won two singles matches and more in Saturday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Directors from Illinois Head Start centers, the federally supported child care and early education program, said they fear cuts, as it targeted in The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.

Check out the best photos of the week in the Sauk Valley for the week of March 21-27, 2025.

Morrison's Bella Duncan pitched a perfect game in a win over Newman, Sterling, Dixon, Newman and Forreston baseball won and Morrison's Brady Anderson and West Carroll's Emma Randecker had track wins in Friday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Dixon baseball beat Rockford Jefferson twice, Newman won, Fulton beat Sterling, Rock Falls tied Princeton, Newman softball won, Fulton's Averi Bush had a walk-off hit and more in Thursday's Sauk Valley roundup.

An inning after three straight bunt singles led to the tying run, Kiyrra Morris’ RBI double to left field drove in Sam Woolley with the winning run in the Princeton’s 3-2 victory over Rock Falls on Thursday afternoon at the Hinders Field Complex.

The Next Picture Show, Dixon, will host a Chapter and Verse Open Mic Night for the area’s authors April 11.

Newman's Gianna Vance pitched and had the game-winning hit to give coach Charlie Woodward his first victory, Michael Morse helped Newman baseball walk off with a win, Forreston's Brendan Greenfield pitched a complete game shutout and more in Wednesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Film enthusiasts and supporters of local independent filmmaking are invited to attend the fifth annual Northwest Illinois Film Festival, “Shorts-A-Palooza 2025,” hosted by the Northwest Illinois Film Office.

Morrison pitcher Bella Duncan tied the school record with 30 strikeouts in a 13-inning win at Fulton, Rock Falls baseball and softball lost and more in Tuesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Taking advantage of aggressive at-bats and defensive miscues, Sterling rolled to a 15-0, four-inning win over Sauk Valley rival Dixon on Tuesday afternoon.

Sterling's Madison Austin was voted to the Illinois Media's All-State second team in Class 3A on Tuesday. Morrison's Camryn Veltrop (2A) and Polo's Camrynn Jones (1A) received honorable mention.

Sterling's Drew Nettleton pitched a complete game, Newman baseball beat Fulton 11-9, Rock Falls softball won, Sterling boys and girls track and field both won, four Warriors competed at the Iowa-Illinois senior all-star basketball game and more in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Even after back-to-back trips to the state finals – and eight key players returning from last year’s fourth-place team in Class 2A – it still feels like the Newman Comets are trying to prove themselves this spring.

The Dixon School Board accepted a slate of personnel items Wednesday, March 19.