Barrington sophomore Mia Sirois was the champion in the Class 3A state cross country meet in November at Detweiller Park in Peoria.
Sandy Bressner/Shaw Local News Network
It’s never too early to start looking at the Herald Cup standings.
Debuted last school year, the Herald Cup honors athletic excellence among the dozens of high schools in our coverage area.
For those who remember the Paddock Cup, which years ago celebrated the top overall sports programs in the Mid-Suburban League, the Herald Cup is similar except it looks at state tournament performance for all our schools.
We developed a points system that awards schools for top-10 team finishes in individual sports. There’s a separate points system for “team” team sports like basketball, soccer, volleyball, etc.
When the final points are tabulated in June, we’ll rank the schools and separate them into divisions of large schools and small schools based on enrollment. The dividing line roughly groups the large schools in football’s Class 7A and 8A, and the small schools from 6A down. We do not place an enrollment multiplier on the private schools.
With the fall sports season in the books, here’s where the rankings stand.
Large schools
Hinsdale Central (90 points)
Downers Grove North (75)
Barrington (74)
York (72)
Stevenson (68)
Small schools
Benet (80)
Montini (46)
Geneva (38)
St. Francis (37)
Burlington Central and Cary-Grove (25)
Usual suspects
Although they’re in a different order right now, the five large schools are the same through the fall as they were through the 2023-24 school year.
Hinsdale Central’s state title in boys golf, sparked by top-10 finishes from Dru Devata and Michael Jorski, helped the Red Devils to a great start. Given the school’s strength in the other seasons, it’s already looking like another solid school year in Hinsdale.
Newcomers
Can Burlington Central, Cary-Grove and Geneva keep it up through the winter and spring?
The Rockets finished with 17 points the entire school year in 2023-24, but a third-place finish in boys golf and a first-round playoff football win already has them well beyond that mark.
Cary-Grove has all its points in football so far, while Geneva has most of its points through a runner-up football finish in Class 6A. Geneva was also sixth in boys golf.
A runaway?
Benet finished second to St. Francis last school year in the small school division, but the Redwings are off to an incredible start in 2024-25.
Benet, which had 69 points last year, already has 80 from the fall thanks in much part to a girls tennis state title — behind the championship doubles team of Shane Delaney and Clare Lopatka — and a runner-up finish in the Class 4A girls volleyball tournament.
Through the fall, the Redwings are 34 points ahead of second-place Montini.
What’s next?
Basketball will be a huge factor in the standings.
Fremd, which has 41 points, likely will get a boost from both its boys and girls basketball teams. Hersey, with 42 points, may also jump.
Swimming and wrestling will jumble the standings quite a bit, too. And don’t get me started on how the spring will impact the numbers.
For now, though, let’s tip a cap to the schools that excelled in the fall. We’ll give you another update when the winter sports come to an end in March.
