Photos, videos, & stories by Vincent D. Johnson
A selection of some of my best photos from the 2024 Illinois wrestling state finals. I can’t say this enough, these photos don’t happen in a void. Photographers like myself, Gary Middendorf for Shaw, John Starks for The Daily Herald, … Continued
On the sidelines and baselines of high school sports I see a ton of photographers & video makers. Most are kids and parents of the schools they are filming, but if a team has a big enough star, more than … Continued
Each year I cover the IHSA football state finals I’ve tried to capture photos showing the amount of fans each school brings to the game. Partially because someone is always claiming their school brought the most fans and because even … Continued
The reason I stared going around the state looking for some of the best high school gyms, had almost nothing to do with the construction of new state-of-the-art athletic facilities, but more to do with the passing of awkward, antiquated, … Continued
Tonight I photographed a group of football players from DuSable High School in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. You may have heard of them. Recently the team, along with Fenger High, was featured on every TV news cast in Chicago, and surprise … Continued
The 3 biggest female centered high school football stories I’ve covered
it’s not hard to see why my dresser is filled with high school tees.
Before Girls Could Play It’s crazy to think that women’s sports was not always a thing in schools in America. Until Title IX was passed in 1972 I can’t help but feel that most of the thinking at the time … Continued
From 820, down to 150 Gyms. Here are some of the finalists and what it might make take to make it into the book. There are over 800 high schools in the state of Illinois and with every school year … Continued
What do 3 basketball gyms & a church have in common? A unique look from the 1950s & 60s.