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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what's going on around the area:
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Centennial and Champaign Central football will meet on Friday, Sept. 5 at Tommy Stewart Field in Champaign during the upcoming 2025 season. Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. The IHSA is set to release all high school football schedules for the 2025 season on July 18.
➜ 2. Even better news? Most of the area schools already have their schedules finalized, and the second Friday night of the season on Sept. 5 features three tantalizing games. You can either head to Tommy Stewart Field in Champaign for Centennial against Champaign Central, venture to Piatt County and watch Monticello host Unity or check out Vermilion County when Westville hosts Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.
➜ 3. Fun fact: Champaign Central is scheduled to be the first area team to kick off its season when the Maroons play Springfield at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Tommy Stewart Field.
Numbers game: 26
college football coaches named on Monday to the Dodd Trophy preseason watch list. Including Bret Bielema. The Illinois coach is one of five Big Ten coaches on the list, along with Curt Cignetti at Indiana, Ryan Day at Ohio State, James Franklin at Penn State and Dan Lanning at Oregon. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman won this honor last year.
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The Miami Heat’s newest draft pick, Kasparas Jakucionis, answers questions from the media on June 27. Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Miami Heat vs. Golden State Warriors. One more NBA Summer League game in San Francisco at 6 p.m. Tuesday for former Illini Kasparas Jakucionis before the action shifts to Las Vegas. Jakucionis had seven points and eight turnovers in his first two Summer League games.
➜ 2. Prospect League All-Star Game. Jorge Santana II and Jack Gleason will represent the Danville Dans when this gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield.
➜ 3. Chicago Cubs at Minnesota Twins. The red-hot Cubs will try to keep their prolific hitting going and increase their lead in the NL Central when this three-game series begins at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday.
Kenley Harris
Unity senior Kenley Harris plays softball and basketball with the Rockets. Provided
Ask an athlete
Three questions with Unity senior Kenley Harris, who plays basketball and softball with the Rockets:
➜ 1. Three athletes I’d like to have dinner with are ... Shelby Smith, Sophia Beckett and Grace Osterbur.
➜ 2. The TV show I most like to binge-watch is ... “Love Island.”
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is ... people chewing with their mouth open.