The 2025-26 Herald Cup: No. 2 Wheaton Academy
Editor’s note: Now that the 2025-26 high school sports year is over, it’s time to announce the top schools in the Herald Cup standings. We devised a points system based on team state finishes to measure which of the 80-plus high schools from the Daily Herald circulation area had the best athletic year. We’re announcing the top five small schools this week, one per day, starting with No. 5 Monday through No. 1 on Friday. The top five large schools will be revealed next week.
It didn't look like a championship season for Wheaton Academy on the turf — until it was.
The Warriors racked up 72 points — calculated by weighing team finishes throughout the fall, winter and spring — to place second in the 2025-26 Herald Cup small school rankings.
The Warriors were crowned state champions in boys lacrosse despite midseason struggles. Their point total was bolstered by top-four state finishes in boys golf (third in Class 2A) and girls cross country (fourth in Class 2A), along with a series of regional titles in boys and girls soccer, girls volleyball, boys basketball and baseball.
How they got there
The Wheaton Academy boys lacrosse team experienced a massive turnaround in its title season. The Warriors struggled with a 7-8 record in early May, but they bounced back with an eight-game winning streak to close the regular season. They earned a sectional title with a 12-6 win over Downers Grove South, then advanced to the state final with a 17-3 win over Barrington in the supersectional and a 15-9 win over St. Ignatius in the semifinals. Facing St. Viator in the state championship game, Wheaton Academy survived a nail-biting 11-10 victory for its second state title.
The Warriors’ baseball team cruised past Marmion in the regional semifinal. Against Sycamore in the regional title game, Wheaton Academy jumped to a 7-run lead in the first two innings, clinching the sectional berth 7-3. The Warriors concluded their 29-9 campaign after a loss to Rockford Boylan in the sectional semifinals.
The boys golf team set a blistering pace in the fall, winning the Chicagoland Christian Conference tournament with a score of 275 and following it up as IHSA Class 2A sectional champions. At the state tournament, the Warriors to a 3-shot lead after the first round. They battled tough conditions on Day 2 to secure a third-place team finish.
Who made it happen
In the boys lacrosse state title game, junior midfielder Tommy Sommer netted a first-half hat trick to keep the Warriors ahead 5-4. Lincoln Hoger proved to be the late-game hero, firing home the game-winning goal with 2:39 remaining to seal the 11-10 triumph. On the defensive end, goalie Cason Ross delivered a 17-save performance.
The Warriors’ baseball team set the tone early in the regional final led with Dom Murrell, who blasted a two-run home run. Murrell finished the day with 2 hits, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI to help Wheaton Academy advance to the sectional.
On the golf course, junior Owen Coniaris led the Warriors with an even-par 142. Freshman Nick Ratini finished tied for seventh with a 147. Two sophomores, Ben Patel and Clayton Barnett, shot 156 and 159, respectively.
Key stats
Junior Jett Yaros led the Warriors boys lacrosse team with 88 points on the season, including 66 goals and 22 assists.
Murrell led the baseball team with a .427 batting average. He also led the team in hits (45) and runs (47).
Key facts
Boys lacrosse coach Cort Miller led the Warriors to a state title in his inaugural season.
The Warriors’ baseball team won at least 28 games for the fourth time in program history. They racked up 60 wins in the previous two seasons under coach Justin Swider.
The boys golf team punched their first state ticket since 2021, when the Warriors also finished third.
They said it
“It’s a surreal moment,” junior midfielder Tommy Sommer said of the boys lacrosse team’s state title. “It still hasn’t hit me that we won a state championship. It got pretty close, but I had faith in our guys to get the job done. We all knew we could push through and no matter what it takes, get the job done.”
“The season has had a ton of ups and downs,” boys basketball coach Daniel Smith said of the team ending the season with a regional title. “We fought through a lot of adversity. Every season is unique, and I wouldn't trade the way this season went for anything.”