Daily Herald opinion: Celebrating excellence: Another prep sports season is in the books

Last Aug. 11 marked the beginning, ushering in the first fall sports practices.

The action came to a close Saturday, as state champions were crowned in baseball.

Between these milestones, countless moments of joy and heartbreak appeared during the 2025-2026 prep sports season, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Last week, Associate Sports Editor Kevin Schmit detailed how suburban teams claimed their share of state titles.

Starting with cross country and finishing with baseball, 17 suburban teams captured state titles.

Hinsdale Central boys swimming and Stevenson girls water polo won their fourth straight state titles, while Barrington girls cross country, Montini football and Libertyville baseball won their second consecutive titles.

This year, area athletes won 61 individual titles, eight more than last year.

Highlights included Hinsdale Central’s Luke and Matthew Vatev who added seven more swimming titles to their championship tally.

While the season might be over, our coverage of prep sports never stops. This week, we’ll honor the athletes of the year in softball, baseball and girls soccer.

In the coming weeks, we’ll recap the Herald Cup standings, which honor athletic excellence among the dozens of high schools in our coverage area, too.

After the winter sports season, Hersey led the large-school division while St. Francis topped the small-school standings. Can both teams hold on to the top spot? Stay tuned.

We’ll also keep you updated on where rising seniors and juniors plan to continue their careers in college.

As last year’s seniors head off to start new chapters in their lives, a new group of athletes is out practicing this summer to get ready for next season.

Fall practice starts with football on Aug. 5.

A year’s worth of stories are getting set to be told.

We can’t wait.