Photo of the Day |
Oh say, can you see

Champaign Freedom Celebration fireworks over the State Farm Center
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

CHAMPAIGN - Fireworks light up the sky above the State Farm Center for the 2026 Freedom Celebration. The United State celebrated its 250th year during Saturday's national celebration. The community celebration featured the annual parade, 5k race, and a performance from Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets.


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Photo of the Day |
Hardy hurdles to fifth place at state

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Charleston - Central's William Hardy clears a hurdle while running in the 110m hurdles finals at the 2026 IHSA Boys Track & Field State Finals. Hardy, a senior who will continue his athletic career at Wisconsin-Oshkosh, finished 5th in the race and improved personal record to 14 seconds, flat, in the event. Hardy also qualified for the 300m hurdles, setting a new PR at 37.36 on Friday. A day later, he finished 5th in the finals with a time of 37.72. The senior was the first Maroon to score points for Central at a state track event since the school moved up to the 3A division.

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TAGS: Photo of the Day for June 8, Central Maroons track & field, Central senior William Hardy, Hardy finishes fifth in 110 and 300m hurdles at state, Will Hardy competes at state track meet in two events
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Photo of the Day |
Wait a second: Knights finish #2 at state track

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Charleston - Kaneland's Becca Richtman (right) and Carly Elliott mug for the camera while waiting to get on the field for the team awards announcement at the IHSA Girls Track & Field State Finals on May 21, 2016. The Knights finished second in Class 2A with 53 points behind Cahokia. Elliot represented her team in Saturday's championship races on the 4x100 and 4x200 squads, which finished second and fourth, respectively. Richtman ran anchor on the Knights' 4x800 relay, finishing fifth to earn team points.

Past Photos of the Day

TAGS: Photo of the Day for April 29, girls state track meet, Kaneland second place finish at state, 2016 Kaneland girls track team second in Class 2A, Knights' track stars Becca Richtman and Carly Elliott
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Photo of the Day |
Ready to run, focused before the big race

Lyons' Sonia Slusarczyk prepares for her upcoming run at state track
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Charleston - Lyons' lead runner Sonia Slusarczyk focuses on her upcoming run before the starter's gun goes off for the Class 3A 4x400-Meter Relay championship race at the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Finals on Saturday, May 21, 2016. Slusarczyk, a sophomore, along with junior Maggie Caplice, Tara Schwarz, a sophomore, and senior Luci Lussier finished the race with a time of 4:03.09 in ninth place. The Lions finished tied for 58th place in the final team standing.

Past Photos of the Day

TAGS: Photo of the Day for April 8, Lyons track team competes at 2016 IHSA Girls State Track Meet, PhotoNews archive photos, Lions' track team at state, Sonia Slusarczyk runs at state track for the Lions
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Photo of the Day |
Safe underneath

SJO's Ty Brown slides under a Tri-Valley third baseman in 2016.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

NORMAL - Tri-Valley's third baseman falls after a leaping throw that forced St. Joseph-Ogden's Ty Brown to slide under him. The Spartans traveled to Duffy Bass Field for a neutral site doubleheader on April 16, 2016, facing the Vikings and Normal University. SJO dropped the opener to the Pioneers 13-3, regrouping to knock off the Tri-Valley 12-5. Finishing the season 33-4, St. Joseph-Ogden's baseball program went on to finish second in the state after 7-6 loss in the 2016 2A title game against Reed-Custer.

Past Photos of the Day

TAGS: SJO baseball beats Tri-Valley in Normal, St. Joseph-Ogden baseball team faced Tri-Valley on the road, SJO three-sport athlete Ty Brown slides in baseball game, Tri-Valley Vikings fall to SJO in neutral site game,
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No offense, Haley and Spartans crush Pioneers

St. Joseph-Ogden catcher Will Haley runs down a baserunner in SJO's home baseball game
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden catcher Will Haley runs down a Normal U-High baserunner in the Spartans' home baseball game on April 18, 2025. The Spartans won the non-conference game 16-4 with Haley delivering two hits, two runs, and two RBI. The Spartans finished the season 32-4 after falling in the regional title game against Unity later in May. Haley, now a senior, returns to the SJO lineup the 2025-26 season.
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TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden baseball team wins, SJO catcher Will Haley makes a play, Sentinel photo of the day, 2025 SJO baseball, Spartan baseball team beats Pioneers 16-4 in 2025
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Photo of the Day |
Taking her shot

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

NORMAL - St. Viator's Kalin McCrea cuts into the lane for a shot between Washington's Kate McDougall and Danielle Guedet. McCrea, a starting guard who led the team with assists heading into the program's first state final appearance, finished the game with two points, 2 assists and solo rebound against the eventual state champions. The Lions lost the state final opener 55-34 on Friday at ISU's CEFCU Arena at the IHSA Girls Basketball State Finals.


Past Photos of the Day

TAGS: Sentinel Photo of the Day, IHSA wrestling, POTD, Sports, Girls state basketball finals, St. Viator Lions, Washington Panthers
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Photo of the Day |
Championship face off

Brian Rossi and Miguel Silva wrestle for a state title
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

CHAMPAIGN - Lockport senior Brian Rossi (right) shoots in on Plainfield South's Miguel Silva during their 2014 title match at the IHSA Boys Individual Wrestling State Finals on Saturday, February 22, 2014. Rossi went on to win the 113-pound match, shutting out Sliva, 7-0. Rossi, the Porters' record holder in for the most-career wins (159), was a 3x finalist and 4x all-conference award winner before continuing his wrestling career at the collegiate level at Stanford.


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TAGS: Sentinel Photo of the Day, IHSA wrestling,
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Photo of the Day |
Oakwood's Uden heads back to state

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

CHAMPAIGN - Oakwood-Salt Fork's Steven Uden settles in for the pin wrestling Canton's Jaxsun Owens in last season's Class 1A 106-pound first-round match at the 2025 IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals. Unden won his opening bout by pin at 4:53. The sophomore rolled through the bracket to face Charlie Flores in the finals, falling in a close 4-0 decision to fill the runnerup spot. Two weeks ago, the junior (39-6) started his pursuit of a 2026 state title. He finished first at the Robinson Regional tournament in the 113-pound division and qualified for state after knocking off Althoff junior Jacobi Cobbs for the sectional title.


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TAGS: Sentinel Photo of the Day, IHSA wrestling, Oakwood Comets, Steven Uden wrestles at state, Uden wins wrestling titles
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Photo of the Day |
Sweet success! Hayes wins wrestling title

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

CHAMPAIGN - Sandburg's Louie Hayes celebrates his Class 3A 113-pound victory over Montini's Real Woods after their championship match on February 20, 2016, at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals in front a nearly packed State Farm Center. The Eagles' senior, who finished his season with a 44-2 record, defeated the heavily favored Woods 2-1 for the title.

Hayes went to on compete at the college level at Virginia, earning an impressive number of accolades. His four-year career includes reaching the NCAA quarterfinals at 125 pounds along with two other qualifying appearances, earning ACC Wrestling All-Academic Team recognition all four years, and two top-three finishes in the ACC. In his final season, Hayes posted eight bonus point wins including six pins, a tech fall and a major decision for the Cavaliers.

Past Photos of the Day

TAGS: Sentinel Photo of the Day, IHSA wrestling, Illinois state wrestling champion, Louie Hayes win wrestling title, Sandburg's Louie Hayes wins title
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Photo of the Day |
Liberty falls in IHSA state semifinal

Liberty basketball player Levi Obert stumbles back a step
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

PEORIA - Liberty's Levi Obert stumbles back a step after colliding with LeRoy's Brett Egan along the sideline during their IHSA semifinal game at Carver Arena. The Eagles were held to just four points in three of the four quarters in their 48-32 loss to the Panthers on Friday, March 11, 2016. Liberty went on to defeat Woodlawn in the third place contest to take home third place at the IHSA Class 1A Boys Basketball State Finals. Obert finished the game with three points and four rebounds.

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Anniversary year: Spartans win 2A championship title

St. Joseph-Ogden basketball hug before time runs out
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

PEORIA - With the game in hand, Ty Brown hugs teammate Kohlten Johnson as the final minute of St. Joseph-Ogden's 2016 Class 2A championship game against Rockridge. The Spartans defeated the Rockets 61-43 to win the school's first state basketball title in school history. This year is the tenth anniversary of the historic victory.

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TAGS: Photo of the Day, St. Joseph-Ogden basketball state champions, IHSA basketball, SJO vs Rockridge
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Photo of the Day |
Duarte wrestles for 5th, beats Yeary at state meet

From the extensive archive of photos from the iphotonews.com, here is the photo of the day for January 29, 2026.

Alejandro Duarte wrestles Olympia's Nolen Yeary for fifth place at state

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Kewanee's Alejandro Duarte ties up Olympia's Nolen Yeary in their Class 1A 215-pound fifth-place match at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals on February 17, 2024. Duarte won the bout with a pin at 3:37 into his match.

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TAGS: Kewanee wrestler Alejandro Duarte, IHSA state wrestling tournament, Olympia wrestler Nolan Yeary, Nolan Yeary sixth at state, Alejandro Duarte places fifth at state, Duarte pins Yeary at state wrestling tournament
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Photo of the Day |
The eye for pie

From the extensive archive of photos from the iphotonews.com, here is the photo of the day for January 24, 2026.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Savoy, IL - Deanna Bramer, 12, of Savoy, takes a moment to chew while competing in the Orchard Days pie eating contest on October 21, 2006, while dentist and contest official Dr. Alan Broadbent looks on. The annual two-day event featured an open car show, 5k run/walk, local music entertainment and carnival rides for kids.

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Photo of the Day |
St. Thomas More wins State Farm tournament consolation title

Alleman's Mallory Hillman and St. Thomas More's Lexi Wallen at the State Farm Holiday Classic
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

NORMAL - Alleman's Mallory Hillman goes up for a shot in front of St. Thomas More's Lexi Wallen in their Consolation bracket championshiop game on December 29, 2014. Down buy three at the end of the first quarter, STM went on a 37-10 run over the next periods to quietly roll to a 46-29 win at Normal Community High School over the Pioneers. Wallen led all scorers with 20 points with teamate Elizabeth Bristow, who finished with 14 points. Hillman and Kennedy Prince paced Alleman with six points each.


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TAGS: Alleman's Mallory Hillman goes up for a shot, St. Thomas More's Lexi Wallen defends the basket, State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament, Illinois High School basketball, State Farm basketball tournament
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Photo of the day |
First Ho-Ho-Ho 5k

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

ST. JOSEPH - Red shirts and beards, runners start their run during the Ho Ho Ho 5k back in December of 2018. Now called the St. Joe Santa 5k Run/Walk, over 300 runners took part in what has become an annual holiday event for the village just east Urbana. Read more about the inaugural holiday 5K in St. Joseph here.


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TAGS: St. Joseph mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges, St. Joseph 5K, Athletic fundraiser in St. Joseph, Santa run Illinois, Holiday event.
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Photo of the Day |
Smith unable to light a fire under SJO

St. Joseph-Ogden three-sports standout Logan Smith goes up for a shot
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Logan Smith goes up for a shot past Pinckneyville's Ty Laur and Lucas Lietz during St. Joseph-Ogden's Christie Clinic Shootout game against Pinckneyville on January 6, 2024. The Spartans lost to the Panther, 73-57. SJO went on to sweep the Illini Prairie Conference 9-0 competition and finished 27-7 after losing their sectional title game to Teutopolis.

Past Photos of the Day

TAGS: SJO loses at Christie Clinic Shootout, Pinckneyville Panthers defeat St. Joseph-Ogden,High School basketball, Photo of the Day from 2024
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