With the high school sports season behind us, it’s time to look back.
This is the third poll in a series the Journal Star will roll out this summer, asking readers to select various superlatives across the 2025-26 season — including top teams, coaches, plus male and female athletes.
It’s time to name the Peoria-area high school male athlete of the year. Head to pjstar.com/sports to vote. The poll closes at noon Thursday. Information about the nominees is below.
If you have a nominee for next week’s female athlete of the year honor, email us at sports@pjstar.com or tag us on X @pjstarsports. Last week, the Class 3A state champion Washington basketball team was named the fans’ choice for 2026 Journal Star Girls Team of the Year.
The 2026 Journal Star Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year capped a stellar senior season with a state championship. He was the anchor on the Class 2A state-title winning 4×200-meter relay (1 minute, 27.08 seconds), while also getting a pair of fourth-place medals (100-meter dash, 4×100-meter relay). Those trio of finishes helped Metamora win the program’s first-ever team state championship. On the gridiron, the Northern Illinois signee and all-state running back rushed for 1,169 yards and 20 TDs and had 147 receiving yards on five catches with two TDs. Cranford was a key part of a Metamora team that went 8-3 and a Class 4A second-round playoff appearance.
The 2026 Journal Star Baseball Player of the Year guided the Raiders to a Class 3A state third-place finish, seeing East Peoria finish the season at 28-14. The Illinois State signee and all-stater batted .542 on 65 hits with 14 doubles, nine home runs and 41 RBIs. He added 24 runs, walked 32 times and stole two bases. He also had an 11-3 record with 149 strikeouts, 20 walks and a 1.47 ERA in 85.2 innings. Duncheon was also a Class 2A sectional qualifier golfer.
The 2025 Journal Star Boys Golfer of the Year won the Class 2A state championship to cap his junior season. He joins Tony Turner (1993 Class AA) as the only two state-title holders in the Dunlap program. Eccles fired a 3-under 68 in the final round at Normal’s Weibring Golf Club, wrapping up his round with a 3-under 32 on the back 9. This came after Eccles was tied for the lead with a 2-under 71 following the first round. He was a runner-up regional runner-up and was a tied for fourth in the sectional. Eccles was also an all-Mid-Illini Conference first-team selection.
The 2026 Journal Star Small-School Basketball Player of the Year was instrumental in leading Manual to its first state title in 29 years. The consensus all-stater’s three free throws in the final 20 seconds of state title game helped Manual win the Class 2A state championship. Humbles, who will play at Illinois Central College, averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals for the Rams, who won 25 games and hoisted a state-best 18th state trophy.
The 2026 Journal Star Wrestler of the Year ended his prep career by winning back-to-back-to-back Class 2A state titles. His tech fall in the Class 2A 165-pound championship match helped him outscore his four state finals opponents 62-13. This put Medlin into the Washington program record books as the Panthers’ second three-time state champion. The Illinois signee went 43-0 during his senior campaign. Medlin posted a 161-12 overall in his four-year varsity career with four state medals, including a third-place finish at 126 pounds in 2023 as a freshman.
The 2025 Journal Star Boys Soccer Player of the Year helped make program history during his senior season. The midfielder helped Washington to a Class 2A state runner-up finish, coming within a penalty kick of winning the program’s first-ever state championship. Reetz came back from a stress fracture in his heel to score 18 goals plus nine assists. Eight of those tallies were game-winners for the Panthers, who went 29-2-1 during the 2025 season.
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
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