Ones to Watch: Our I70Sports staff has picked four young athletes who took big steps forward in the 2025-2026 school year and could continue that trend and have even bigger years in 2026-2027. Isaac's Picks: Carson Milleville, Altamont: After bursting onto the scene during the spring of his freshman season, Carson Mil...

2025-2026 Coaches of the Year: Tim Pasley, BSE Girls Basketball: Pasley lead the Lady Bombers to their most successful season yet in program history as BSE won a school record 30 games to finish the season at 30-4. BSE won the program's third Regional Championship and their second in a row also made it to the IHSA Clas...

Bella Walk, Vandalia: The sophomore quietly put together a big second year of high school for Vandalia. After a strong first season of tennis for the Lady Vandals as a freshman, Walk moved into the #3 Singles spot behind two experienced seniors in the #1 and #2 spots. She picked up several singles wins and also paired ...

Kohnor Depew, Vandalia: Depew will go down as one of the best athletes to go through Vandalia High School and further secured his name in the VCHS record books with a big senior year. In the fall, Depew set a new record for individual points scored in a season, set a new record for career points, set new receiving reco...

Our I70Sports Best Of Standout Athletes are chosen for more than just their stat lines. The athletes listed below are multi-sport athletes who have had significant parts of two or more sports seasons and have also demonstrated strong signs of leadership, sportsmanship and other intangibles during the 2025-2026 school y...

Our I70Sports Best Of Standout Athletes are chosen for more than just their stat lines. The athletes listed below are multi-sport athletes who have had significant parts of two or more sports seasons and have also demonstrated strong signs of leadership, sportsmanship and other intangibles during the 2025-2026 school y...

Spring Coach of the Year: Rachel Booher, SEB Softball - The Lady Eagles made the biggest jump of all area teams as they went 12-15 in 2026 after winning just one game in the 2025 season and four games the season before that in 2024. Booher managed a starting lineup with five freshman in it during the rebuild this seaso...

Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year: Hannah Brown, Vandalia - The senior thrower ended her high school career with another dominant season. In the Shot Put, Browns took first place in nine of 11 regular season meets before claiming her second Sectional title and then turning in a 16th place finish in a very stron...

Boys Track and Field Athletes of the Year: Kohnor Depew, Vandalia - The senior sprinter again split his spring season between track and baseball and excelled in both with record setting performances on the track. Depew broke and reset his own school records in the 100m Dash and the 200m Dash taking first place in the 1...

Girls Track and Field Newcomers of the Year: Baileigh Starnes, Altamont - The freshman sprinter made a strong statement in her first year for the Lady Indians. She picked up seven top 4 finishes in the 100m Dash, six Top 3 finishes in the 200m Dash and didn't finish lower than second place in the 400m Dash until the po...

Boys Track and Field Newcomer of the Year - Kelton Dunaway, Altamont - The freshman distance runner competed in a variety of events for the Indians with the 1600m run and the 4x800 and 4x400 relays being his most competed in events. Dunaway shaved 15 seconds off of his mile time during the season and also ran the 3200m...

All Area Team: Lauren Johnson, South Central - The senior pitcher had arguable her best high school season on the mound pitching 76 innings and going 11-4 with a 2.11 ERA and 81 strikeouts holding opponents to a .236 batting average. She hit .287 with a .374 on base percentage, 25 hits, 24 RBI, 3 home runs, 18 runs sco...

Softball Player of the Year: Kinlee Thompson, South Central - Thompson finished off her high school career with her strongest year yet. Thompson batted .435 with a .500 on base percentage as she collected 40 hits including 16 extra base hits and 4 home runs to go along with 36 RBI, 32 runs scored and 9 stolen bases. Sh...

Top Team and Best Moment: South Central Lady Cougars Win Fifth Straight Regional Championship - The Lady Cougars again battled through a tough schedule in 2026 filled with several 2A and even a couple 3A opponents, playing to a 17-14 record. Their regional run was their top moment of the season as they outscored their ...

All Area Team: Andrew Casey, Vandalia - The junior played in every game for the Vandals and anchored the infield at third base with a .928 fielding percentage and the lefty was just as strong at the plate hitting .351 with a .443 on base percentage. He tallied 33 hits, 27 RBI, 15 runs scored and stole 7 bases., On the ...

Baseball Players of the Year: Kade Milleville, Altamont - The senior was dominant on the mound in his final high school season, going 8-1 in nine games started and 54.1 innings pitched with just a 0.39 ERA, holding opposing batters to a .164 average and striking out 73 batters. At the plate, Milleville also put togethe...

Top Team: Altamont - The Indians played to a 20-win season for the third time in the last four years going 23-10. They went on a stretch through the better part of April winning 11 of 12 games and five of the wins coming by way of shutouts while picking up a few quality wins over bigger 2A schools. The Indians had a st...

Girls Wrestler of the Year: Brynn Swyers - The senior leader for the Lady Vandals worked past an injury early in the season to pick up three top 3 finishes in four regular season tournaments taking 2nd Place at the Jacksonville Crimsons Girls Invitational, 3rd Place at the Carbondale Joe Murdale Tournament and 2nd Plac...

Winter Sports Coaches of the Year: Tim Pasley, BSE Girls Basketball - Pasley lead the Lady Bombers to their most successful season yet in program history as BSE won a school record 30 games to finish the season at 30-4. BSE won the program's third Regional Championship and their second in a row also made it to the IHSA...

Best Moment of the Season: Dillon Hinton Captures First State Title as a Senior - Fourth time was a charm for Hinton as he won his first Individual State Championship, taking first at 157lbs as the IHSA 1A State Finals. After Hinton placed 5th at 132lbs in 2023, 2nd at 138lbs in 2024 and 3rd at 150lbs in 2025, Hinton w...

Wrestlers of the Year: Dillon Hinton - Hinton capped off his high school wrestling career with a dominant senior season compiling a 42-3 record. He kicked off the season with a 2nd Place Finish at the Steve Bradley Invite at 157lbs and just after the new year, grabbed 2nd place at 150lbs in the prestigious Lyle King Pr...

Most Improved Wrestlers: Dade Kleinik - The junior took a big step up in his third year and put together a record of 31-8 including grabbing Individual Regional and Sectional titles before going 2-3 at the IHSA 1A Individual State Finals and making the podium, taking 6th place. Eli Mabry - Mabry, a junior, put together...

Wrestling Newcomers of the Year: Kaden Daugherty - The freshman had a very strong debut high school season finishing 33-13 in his first high school season. Daugherty finished in 2nd place at 106lbs in the IHSA 1A Regionals and followed it up with a 2nd place finish at the IHSA 1A Individual Sectional to qualify for Sta...

Boys Basketball Players of the Year: Kade Milleville, Altamont - Milleville capped off his high school basketball career with another solid season for the 24-11 Indians averaging 14.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Milleville surpassed the 1,000 career point mark on January 9 against Dieteri...

Boys Basketball All Area Team: Andrew Casey, Vandalia - The junior guard was again a key piece in the scoring attack of the Vandals and despite missing time with an ankle injury this season, Casey held his true sharp shooting form and averaged 12.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Casey also averaged 3.9 assists and 1...

Boys Basketball Top Games of the Year: Altamont Beats North Clay in Friday Night NTC Overtime Battle - Altamont outlasted North Clay 65-64 in overtime in a National Trail Conference battle that lived up to expectations. The Indians were able to get up 15-10 at the end of the first and after briefly losing the lead in t...

Top Team: Altamont Indians - The Indians won their 11th Regional Championship in program history and made it to the Sweet 16 in Class 1A getting a Sectional Semifinal win over Tuscola before falling to Lawrenceville in the Sectional Championship. The Indians finished with a 24-11 record and finished tied for 2nd in the...

Girls Basketball All-Area Team: Madi Miller, BSE - The forward/center took yet another step forward in her junior year as she was 2nd on the team in scoring and led the team in rebounds and blocks. She finished the season with 430 points to now stand at 941 career points and grabbed 256 rebounds as she averaged 13 poin...

Girls Basketball Top Game of the Year: BSE Beats St. Anthony 62-55 to Take Over First Place in NTC Standings - On February 5, standing at 7-0 on the season, the BSE Lady Bombers met up with the Lady Bulldogs, also sitting at 7-0 on the season in a tight battle for the top spot in the National Trail Conference standings...

Girls Basketball Player of the Year Dayana Haslett, BSE - The junior guard picked up where she left off from a huge sophomore year and kept ticking off milestones in 2025-2026. After already scoring her 1000th point as a sophomore, Haslett surpassed the 1,500 point threshold this season and went on to become the all-ti...

Top Team: Brownstown-St. Elmo - The Lady Bombers had a historic year rolling to a school record 30 wins on the season and finishing with a record of 30-4. BSE won their third Regional Championship title and second in a row, made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time and were also regular season National Trail Conferenc...

Boys Golf All Area Team: Jack Lewis, Vandalia - Sectional Qualifier Evan Elam, Altamont Dylan Yeske, Ramsey Owen Halford, Vandalia Girls Golf All Area Team: Anna Benhoff, Ramsey Dakira Brown, Vandalia - SCC All-Conference Cecilia Pearcy, Altamont I70Sports Best of 2025-2026 is brought to you by FNB Community Bank of Va...

Boys Player of the Year - Bryce Gillock, Ramsey - Gillock is now a two-time I70Sports Best Of Golfer of the Year following his senior campaign. Gillock helped lead the Rams to another successful season at 14-7 as a team with Gillock taking medalist honors in numerous matches. Gillock became a two-time Sectional finalis...

Top Team Ramsey Boys - The Rams have continued to grow their boys golf program and this year played to a 14-7 team record for 2025, their best season since going 13-7 in 2022. The Rams finished 9th in the Mt. Olive 1A Regional and had one individual advance to the Sectional. I70Sports Best of 2025-2026 is brought to yo...

Jeni Haslett, SEB Volleyball - Haslett led the Lady Eagles to their third 20+ win season over the last four years as SEB finished the season at 20-13. The Lady Eagles were again the regular season and tournament champions in the Egyptian Illini Conference and took third place in this season's National Trail Conference ...

Boys Runner of the Year - August Cosart, CHBC - The senior capped off his senior season with seven top 5 finishes in 12 races including taking second place three times. Cosart took 3rd place in the National Trail Conference Meet and took 5th at the IESA 1A Regional Meet at Shelbyville. Cosart then finished 12th at the ...

Girls Runner of the Year - Zoe Sarver, CHBC - A sophomore dual sport athlete in the fall also competing in volleyball, Sarver ran just five regular season meets along with the National Trail Conference Meet and the IHSA 1A Shelbyville Regional Meet. Sarver finished fourth at the NTC Meet and picked up a 27th place fini...

Player of the Year - Dalaney Patterson - One of three seniors for the Lady Vandals, Patterson took over the #1 singles role this season and played #2 doubles. Patterson continued to build on her strong junior season and along with doubles partner Ciara Feezel, took third place in double at the South Central Conference ...

Best Moment - Vandalia Gets Back-to-Back Shutout Wins - Vandalia had just two wins on the season, but picked up both wins in shutout fashion. Sitting at 0-8-2 on the season, Vandalia traveled to Jacksonville on September 22 and picked up a 4-0 shutout win over Illinois School for the Deaf and a day later went right bac...

Most Improved Ashton Buchanan, Altamont - Buchanan had a breakout junior season and scored 7 goals and finished with 3 assists for the 9-14 Indians. Cole Durbin, Vandalia and Nic Jackson, Vandalia - The pair of Vandals midfielders led a Vandalia squad continuing to build each year as the program looks to gain numbers e...

Players of the Year - Cooper Pals and Aiden Rosales of Altamont After losing their top goal scorers from the 2024 season, the Indians reloaded in 2025 with senior Cooper Pals and junior Aiden Rosales stepping up into the roles. After a slow start in the Charleston Red and Gold Tournament, the pair got going and scored ...

All Area Team (in no particular order) Presley Williams, SEB - The senior right side hitter capped off her high school career finishing the 2025 season with 170 kills, 31 aces, 17 blocks, 213 digs and 10 assists. Williams was named First Team All-Conference in both the National Trail Conference and Egyptian Illini Conf...

Top Match of the Season - Altamont Tops South Central in 3 Set NTC Tournament Battle In a season where both teams had their struggles at times, Altamont and South Central entered the National Trail Conference Tournament looking to prove themselves. South Central had won 5 of their last 6 games before the tournament aft...

Addie Sasse - St. Elmo-Brownstown Sasse again served as a Swiss Army knife type of player for the Lady Eagles, excelling in several different aspects for SEB in both offensive and defensive areas. Sasse amassed 329 assists as a setter for SEB but also racked up 132 kills, 186 digs, 36 aces and 27 blocks. She was named ...

Top Team - St. Elmo-Brownstown Lady Eagles The Lady Eagles entered the season with a team full of experienced upper classmen who would lead SEB to a 20-13 season when all was said and done. The Lady Eagles again claimed the regular season and tournament Champion titles in the Egyptian Illini Conference and took third p...

Kohnor Depew - Depew had a record breaking season his senior year as he set a new record for individual points scored in a season with 206 points, set a new record for career points scored with 438, set a new record for receiving yards in a season (1,555), receiving TD's in a season (28), & receiving yards per game...

Bryce Hartlieb - A senior who helped set the tone for the Vandals this season on defense, finished with 57 tackles on the season and was named First Team All-Conference for Defensive Line, Hartlieb will continue to play football in college at Millikin University. Isaac Forbes - A senior and two-way lineman for the Van...

Pink Bowl 28-18 Comeback Win at Greenville - The Vandals struggled to score early in the first half of the rivals' regular season meeting, putting their first points in the scoreboard late in the second quarter after recovering a Greenville fumble and turning it into a touchdown and conversion to tie the game at 8-8 at...