PRINCETON — For Princeton slugger Reid Clary, the key to improving his batting average from .242 to .460 over the course of a year was a simple 20-step process.

DEPUE — The DePue Men’s club will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of hosting the APBA PRO National Championship boat races on Lake DePue on July 31 through Aug. 2.

For 26 years,  golfers have teed up for the Jimmy D Golf Outing, raising funds for cancer research in the memory of the late Jimmy DeAngelo.

Reid Clary had a season for the record books at Princeton High School. Below is PHS single-season records.

2009 — Reid Clary, Princeton

Princeton's Reid Clary has been chosen the 2009 BCR Player of the Year.

Spring Valley’s Brenna Faletti got the fireworks started early  in the Little League Softball Tournament for 11-12-year-old girls Wednesday at Veterans Park in Peru.

Princeton enjoyed a breakout season this spring, compiling a school record 21 wins before being upset by Bureau Valley in the regional finals at Manlius.

Paul Elliott, Bureau Valley senior: Elliott hit .266 with four doubles this spring.

A local 14U freshman boys’ basketball team won the Oswego Midwest Regional Qualifier over the weekend, giving them a berth to the national tournament.

SPRING VALLEY — Hall High School athletes were recognized beyond the playing fields this spring, earning NCIC Academic All-Conference honors.

The winter basketball season belongs to Tom McGunnigal. When it comes to the summer season for hoops, however, the Lady Bruins coach says it all belongs to his girls.

Here’s a look at the top times, throws and jumps in Bureau County for the 2009 junior high season, based on available information provided by coaches. Schools include BV North, BV South, Cherry, DePue, Ladd, Ladd, LaMoille, Malden, Neponset, Ohio, Princeton Logan, Princeton St. Louis, Spring Valley JFK.

Ky Mecum of the Princeton Tigers gets the out at second and jumps out of the way of Jake Reinhardt of the Princeton Cubs in Monday’s final game of the Little League baseball season at Zearing Park. District 20 tourney play begins Monday at Princeton.

SPRING VALLEY — For Jeff Mauck, coaching the Spring Valley St. Margaret’s Little League (ages 11-12) softball team has brightened up his summer.

Jeff Mauck

The BCR asked members of the Spring Valley St. Margaret’s instructional softball team what their favorite part of summer softball was. Here are their responses:

"The spiking drills, because you get to use all your power and it's real active." —

Members of the Pre-K Agri-Energy team include Jacob Aley, Jarret Carr, Evelyn Davis, Ethan Hassler, Evan May, Abigail Miller, Andrew Sawyer, Annaca Watson, and coaches J.P. Aley and Tom Hassler.

Members of the Pre-K McDonalds team include Steven Benavidez, Preston DeBates, Alex Jagers, Elija Kruse, Walker Menzel, Shayla Norton, Megan Orwig, Kaylee Spencer and coach Rod Benevidez.

Members of the K-1 Verizon Wireless team include Braden Boyles, Kaylee Cole, Harley Cooke, Abby Davis, Gianna Ellena, Matthew Murray, Taylor Quiram, Bradley Riley, Logan Songer,  Zachary Wendling and coach Hailey Hughes.

Members of the Pre-K Davis Concrete team include Teegan Davis, Drake Doucette, Maya Gartin, Gabe Jackson, Autumn Joiner, Rachele Newberry, Graham Rumley, Ellie Weddell, Kaden Monroe, and coaches Jack and Shelley Davis.

Members of the Pre-K Happy Hands team include Jack Bauer, Trent Goodale, Andrea Imsland, Catherine Miller, Reid Orwig, Chloe Sampson, Mary Underwood, Taylor Wetsel, and coaches Heather Sampson and Gary Wetsel.

Members of the K-1 Key Builders team include Caleb Conrath, Tyler Gibson, Emily Hartman, Garielle Klukaczynski, Grace May, Cole Reynolds, Austin Sims, Emily Smith, Kade Wager, Melinda Winters, Jacob Swift, and coaches Mike May, Jody Hartman and Stephanie Rich.

Members of the K-1 Skoonerz team include Draven Bence, Jacob Bickett, Caleb Christiansen, Aarystyn Hill, Emily Irizarry, Trent Kloepping, Mackenzie Law, Chase Lott, Haley Manrriquez, Jacob Miller, Erika Sorenson, Kaleb Cain and coach Erik Sorenson.

Members of the K-1 Princeton Family Physicians squad include Liam Duffin, Mason Goodrum, Addison Grove, Cameron Koetz, Madison McKenney, Jazzlyn Moris, Evan Morse, Gracie Ross, Adam Vigars, Jaxson Warren, Noah Wilder, and coaches Gloria Duffin and Wendy Grove.

Members of the K-1 Princeton Jaycees team include Peter Campbell, Daniel Crowe, Kelly Devert, Maddie Devert, Aryan Egan, Makayla Matin, Gracie Pollak, Ethan Petrakis, Darren Scaggs, Zoe Starkey, and coaches John Petrakis and Gerald Devert.

Members of the K-1 Pease Quality Air team include Luke Anderson, Carter Fiegenschuch, Colin Kruse, Isaac Legner, Taylor Leknaitis, Kenzie Mason, Myla McCune, Gavin Pease, Jacob Read, Harley Sterling, Lauren Wirth, and coaches Jeff Fiegenschuh and Crystal Fiegenschuh.

Scott Jackson of Princeton F.C. pushes the ball down the pitch during a summer league game against LaSalle at City County Park Saturday evening. Princeton F.C. and LaSalle played to a 2-2 draw before thunderstorms forced the contest to be stopped. Princeton F.C will have another home contest at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at City County Park against Toluca.

ATLANTA — What happens behind clubhouse doors, stays behind clubhouse doors in the big leagues.

CHICAGO – When Jermaine Dye says it, it’s somewhat believable.

The BCR keeps a close eye on St. Bede product J.A. Happ, a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.

To paraphrase the late great Rodney Dangerfield: I went to a monsoon and a soccer game broke out.

All eyes will be on St. Louis for this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star game on July 14. Until then, all eyes around the Illinois Valley will be on the District 20 baseball and softball all-star tournaments.

PRINCETON — The Illinois Valley Women’s Golf Open will be returning to Princeton for the first time in 17 years.

Friends and family of the late Nancy Jo Olds-Bohm are putting on a 5K Fun Run/Walk, a one-mile memory walk and kids’ fun run July 11 in Wyanet. It will be held in honor of Olds-Bohm, who lost her battle with breast cancer on May 6, 2007.

Princeton’s Daniel Murray had three hits and four RBIs, including a home run, but it wasn’t enough for the Henry County American Legion squad Saturday in Oneida.

Safe and sound! Our annual fishing trip for the PHS Sportsman’s Club along with several of our Department of Natural Resources friends to Black Bear Lodge at Red Lake, Ontario, was in good hands with Green River Lines driver Don Luttrell and Princeton High School’s John Smith. Our trip was comfortable and scenic. While traveling, we saw a couple of bears and a moose.

Tyler Mercer and the Gateway Gators of Princeton participated in the 2009 Special Olympics Summer Games in Bloomington. Team members include Jerry Patz, Tyler Mercer, Brian Merdian, Mary Beth Lange, Brandon Putts, Joseph Knowles, Jennifer Tornow and Susan Grabill, Rick “White Sox” Johnson, Amanda Helm, Tammy Carpenter, Missy Anderson, Brandon Endsley, Nathan Warren, Jimmy Bermes, Cody Geiger and Seth Schultz.

CHICAGO – The Cubs and White Sox seem to be moving in opposite directions this week despite sporting nearly identical sub-.500 records to start the season.

Brittany Krohn of the Anna Maria’s Princeton Tigers puts the tag on Hannah Parochetti of the Spring Valley St. Margaret’s softball squad while Hannah’s teammate Shelby Justi looks on at Princeton’s Westside Park Thursday.

STERLING – After high school, Ryan Brown gave up playing basketball to work 12-hour shifts at a rubber factory.

Golfers looking to tee it up in this year’s Princeton High School Booster Club Tiger Classic will want to be sure to move their calendars ahead.

BLOOMINGTON — The best senior basketball players from the 2008-09 season in the state of Illinois have assembled this weekend for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

Team members for the K-1 Prairie Nursery are Luke Moore, Jadyn Smith, Kayla Richardson, Owen Espel, Brynn Hieronymus, Austin Peach, Dylan Gross, Nolyn Thompson, Cael Davis, Wyatt Davis, Shelby Hansen and coaches Brooke, Kami and Kevin Hieronymus.

Members of the K-1 Corrie’s Insurance team include Caleb Alter, Emma Burks, Hunter Corrie, Brayden DeBates, Chase Foster, Makayla Heller, Riley Lucas, Elizabeth Orwig, Dylan Sayler, J’kira Wolbrecht, and Dane Desplinter and coaches Jessica Kirk and Jeff DeBates.

Members of the K-1 Didough’s team include Cole Adams, Savanna Birkey, Colin Colmone, Chelby Hall, Isabela Hal, Alexander May, Kody Mongan, Meara Rees, Jamie Reinhardt, Myles Thompson, Aidan Wempe and coaches Alisa Hall and Marc Mongan.

Following St. Bede’s J.A. Happ, a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Wyatt Lind scored a pair a goals to help lead the Princeton Football Club to a 5-2 win over T Neza in the DePue Summer Soccer League play.

Members of the the K-1 Animal Care Clinic team include Grant Foes, Arik Johnson, Ryne Muehlschlegel, Anna Racine, Ian Sampson, Connor Scandale, Nyla Thompson, Kailee Transou, Kristin Transou, Owen Rossler and coaches Bret Lasson and Wes Sampson.