With the high school sports season behind us, it’s time to look back.
This is the sixth and final poll in a series the Journal Star is releasing this summer, asking readers to pick the best songs during the 2025-26 season — including the top teams, coaches, and male and female athletes.
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It’s time to name the Peoria-area girls’ high school Coach of the Year. Go to pjstar.com/sports to vote. Voting closes at noon on Thursday. Information about the nominees is below.
Last week, Metamora track and field coach Sheridan Ray was named the 2026 Journal Star Boys Coach of the Year by the fans.
Patrick Gornik, Dunlap tennis
The Eagles not only made program history, but also put themselves in the record books in the Peoria area. Dunlap finished second in Class 1A, the highest finisher on a local girls team at the tennis state finals. Sophomore Anna Yu, the Journal Star Girls Tennis Player of the Year, led the way with a second-place finish in singles, making her the first singles player from the Peoria area to play in a state championship. Yu (12 points), sixth-place finishers Isabella Gusso and Katherine Brewer (eight points), singles player Alassea Michel (five points) and doubles Melaina Humbles and Berkeley Stigall (three points) accounted for Dunlap’s 28 points.
Tiffany Klaus, Tremont volleyball
The Turks continued their Cinderella run to the Class 1A state finals, ending with the highest finish in program history. Tremont (23-19) finished fourth in the state after finishing fourth in the region. On the way to the Final Four, Klaus guided his team to victories over two No. 1 seeds. 1 and three descendants. Perhaps the Turks’ biggest victory came in the Elite Eight where they knocked out top seed Hartsburg-Emden in three classic sets. Tremont then battled state champion Cissna Park in the state semifinals before losing to Norris City in the third-place game. Sophomore Nora Parsons was named to the Journal Star Small-School All-Area Team.
Tremont head coach Tiffany Klaus’ Anya Geltz walks off the court during the Class 1A volleyball semifinal against Cissna Park on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 at CEFCU Arena in Normal.
Joni Nightingale, Deer Creek-Mackinaw basketball
The Chiefs reached a new level in the 2025-26 season. Dee-Mack (34-3) brought home the Class 1A championship trophy with a convincing 15-point victory in the title game. Nightingale’s team lost in the Class 2A division before dropping down to Class 1A. The road to the state final featured four straight losses before a nail-biter against Wethersfield in the top spot. From then on, it was going well as the Chiefs won both provincial finals by double digits. Senior Dalia Dejesus led Dee-Mack, earning the Journal Star Small-School Player of the Year award following the season.
Dee-Mack’s Dalia Dejesus, right, hugs head coach Joni Nightingale as time draws to a close in the Chiefs’ 49-34 victory over Mt. Pulaski for the IHSA Class 1A girls high school basketball state title Friday, March 7, 2026 at CEFCU Arena in Normal.
More: Subscribe to the PJStar High School Sports newsletter to see complete coverage of Peoria area prep games.
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Kim Barth, Washington basketball
The Panthers were locked in and poised for success in the 2025-26 season. Washington was coming off a Class 3A state third-place finish and is hungry for a state championship. Mission accomplished. Barth led the Panthers to the Class 3A state championship, winning the program’s first-ever title with a postseason average of nearly 30 points per victory. Four senior and senior starters – Avery Tibbs, Becca McDougall, Mazzy O’Brien and Dani Guedet – led the offense along with freshman Kate McDougall. Washington (35-2) boasted Tibbs as the Journal Star Large-School Player of the Year, while Guedet, O’Brien and Becca McDougall were All-Area.
Washington head coach Kim Barth faints as she addresses her team after their 60-45 victory over Chatham Glenwood in the Class 3A girls high school basketball state title game Saturday, March 7, 2026 at CEFCU Arena in Normal.
Zach Statham, Morton’s football
The Potters made program history with their trip to the Class 2A state finals. The Mid-Illini Conference champions (26-2-1) finished as the runner-up in Class 2A following a record-setting 2026 season. During his run to the Final Four, Morton set a new Illinois High School Association single-season shutout streak by going 19 consecutive games without allowing a goal. In his first season as head coach of the Potters, Statham helped the Potters advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history. Abby Brooks and Madi Greiner, along with 37-goal scorer Claire Ceresa, were named to the Journal Star Girls Soccer All-Area team.
Morton football coach Zach Statham watches as the Potters battle Pekin in the first half of their high school football game Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025 at Coal Miners Park in Pekin. The Potters defeated the Dragons with a 9-0 mercy rule win.
Germaine Fairchild, Dunlap softball
The Eagles returned to the state finals for the first time in 34 years in the 2026 campaign. Dunlap (30-10) marched its way to the Final Four following a dramatic victory over the top seed. Once in the state finals, Mid-Illini Conference champion Dunlap lost to eventual state champion Antioch in the semifinals before falling to Oak Park Fenwick 1-0 in the third-place state game. Fairchild saw his team shut out three postseason opponents including double-digit victories in the district and division titles. Illinois signee Sutton Centoni earned Journal Star Softball Player of the Year honors and Lexi Hamer was selected all-area.
Dunlap coach Germaine Fairchild encourages the hitters as they face Antioch in the Class 3A state softball semifinals Friday, June 5, 2026 at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria. The Eagles defeated the Sequoits 6-1.
Adam Duvall is a sports reporter for the Journal Star. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article appeared in the Journal Star: Vote now for the 2025-26 Peoria Journal Star Girls Coach of the Year
