Oh, the places you will go on the BCR beat

Kevin Hieronymus has been near and far the past 40 years as your hometown sports editor. He's added a few new stops in recent years, running his total to 124.

I’ve been near and far the past 40 years as your hometown sports editor. In 2020, I chronicled my stops along the way. I have a few new ones to add in my last look back, including Aledo for Princeton football last fall, Lexington for this year’s softball regionals this and Marengo for the 2025 sectional basketball finals.

I’ve also thrown in a handful of the towns (italicized) from my previous sports stop in Morton. There’s been 124 in-state stops in all while on the BCR beat. The only letters missing in my roll call of Illinois towns are I, J, Q (need road trip to Quincy) and Z (only two Z towns in Illinois).

Here’s a rundown from A to well, Y. Abingdon, Addison (2002 PHS semifinal game), Aledo, Amboy, Annawan, Atkinson, Aurora (think I’m still thawing out from covering Princeton’s 1989 frigid state semifinal game vs. Marmion). Bartonville, Belvidere, Bismarck (two Hall playoff football games), Bloomington, Bradford, Brimfield, Byron, Buda. Canton, Champaign (state basketball/football), Charleston, Chicago (Cubs World Series games in 2016, J.A. Happ at Wrigley Field at US Cell, Neponset girls at DePaul, Princeton vs. Hall girls at the United Center), Chillicothe.

Dakota, Davenport, Iowa (covered Princeton’s Nate Norman with St. Ambrose football), Deer Grove, DePue, DeKalb, Dixon, Dunlap, Durand. Earlville, East Moline, East Peoria (state softball/IESA track), Edgington (Rockridge HS), Elmhurst (Princeton and St. Bede playoff games), Elmwood, Erie, Eureka. Fairbury (2002 Princeton playoff game), Farmington, Flanagan, Forreston, Freeport (Walnut Blue Raiders vs. Aquin at Pretsel Stadium), Fulton. Galesburg, Geneseo (many games in old NCIC days, including Princeton’s NCIC baseball championship in 1992), Gibson City (Neponset Lady Zephrys in super sectional), Granville.

Hennepin, Henry, Hinckley. Kansas City, Mo. (interviewed longtime Royals announcer Denny Matthew, brother of Princeton’s Steve), Kewanee, Knoxville. Ladd, LaMoille, Lanark, LaSalle, Lexington, Lisle (St. Bede’s 2015 baseball super-sectional at Benedictine University).

Macomb (St. Louis Rams training camp), Malden, Manlius, Marengo, Marseilles, McNabb, Mendota, Metamora, Milwaukee (interviewed Walnut big leaguer Danny Kolb in the Brewers dugout), Minneapolis (1987 Twins-Cardinals World Series), Minonk, Minooka (Hall 1989 playoffs), Moline, Momence, Monmouth, Morris, Morrison, Morton. Naperville, Neponset, New Bedford (loved Bollman Fieldhouse), Normal (state girls basketball/volleyball). Oglesby, Ohio, Oregon, Orion, Ottawa (love Kingman Gym and Marquette’s PIT unique in a cramped way).

Peoria (state baseball/basketball), Pekin, Peoria Heights, Peotone, Peru, Philadelphia (covered J.A. Happ/Chad Durbin on Phillies in 2008 World Series), Plano (many a wintry trip to cover Christmas Classic), Platteville, Wis. (Bears training camp), Pontiac (IBCA All-Stars). Port Byron, Princeton (too many to count), Princeville, Prophetstown.

Riverton, Rochelle (both old and new schools), Rock Falls, Rockford, Rock Island, Roxanna. Sandwich, Seneca, Shabbona, Sheffield, Sherrard, Somonauk (drove home through tornadic activity after DePue’s 2018 sectional game), Spring Valley, Stanford (homecoming to my alma mater, Olympia, covering PHS football), Sterling, Stillman Valley, St. Louis (many Cardinals playoff/World Series games/2009 MLB All-Star Game), Streator. Tampico (site of my very first BCR assignment: LaMoille vs. Tampico, November 1986 playoffs), Tiskilwa (I miss the Indians), Toulon.

Urbana (Champaign). Varna (old school: Mid-County (site of my first basketball regional in 1986/new school: Midland). Walnut (home of the Blue Raiders), Washburn, Washington , Wenona (1990 PHS volleyball regional and super-sectional on road to state championship), Wilmington, Williamsfield, Williamsville, Winnebago, Wyanet (home of the Eagles), Wyoming.

Yorkville (PHS’ first-round playoff game in 1989 after hitting Hall at Minooka earlier in the day). Kevin Hieronymus has proudly been the BCR Sports Editor since 1986. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com.