Local Sports
Back in time: In 1927, Gillespie players ruled the football field
Written by the late Andy Easton, Sr. for the Gillespie Area News contributed by the Gillespie Public Library
(second row, from left) Jim Decker, John Hawkins, Sam Rossini, Trice Newman, Bill Cavanaugh, Frank Lonzerotti, Roy Anderson
(third row, from left) Martin Neylon, Jim Jones, Jim Cross, Vic Wayculis, Carroll Laughlin, Carl Behrens, Les Holden, Dave Tallman, Mike Bama, Marion Eilers, Al Marzis, Cliff Rademacher, Bill Stripling, John Steed
The orange and black opened the 1927 football season with yet another new coach. George W. Grauel became the sixth coach in the eight-year history of the sport at Gillespie High School. In the previous seven seasons, Gillespie never had a winning team. The record during this time was 14-31-3.
Coach Grauel greeted a team who had taken their lumps the previous year. They were determined that the experience gained and their athletic abilities would give Gillespie their first winning season.
Gillespie opened the season against a much bigger Wood River team. Versil Houchard got Gillespie started when he returned the opening kickoff back to the Wood River 20-yard line. After a five-yard loss, Frank Lonzerotti hauled in a touchdown pass from Houchard. Homer Abbott and Harry Brown also scored in the first quarter. In the second half, Houchard and Vic Waycolis scored to give Gillespie a 31-0 victory.
The second game of the year against Collinsville was a defensive struggle until the middle of the third quarter when Homer Abbott intercepted a pass and returned it 57 yards for the score. Later in the quarter, a Collinsville punt was fielded by Houchard on the goal line and he returned it 97 yards to the three-yard line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Houchard went in for the score. The last touchdown came when Houchard hit Harry Brown with a 33-yard touchdown pass for an 18-6 victory.
Gillespie defeated Granite City 25-7 for the third victory in a row. Granite City was rated one of the best teams in the metro area as they defeated Alton earlier.
Before the largest crowd to witness a game in Gillespie, the orange and black battled Benld to a 0-0 tie on Columbus Day. The game was marred by fumbles stopping drives of both teams. The play of the game came when Benld’s “Chief” Tenikat got loose and ran 60 yards only to be run down and tackled from behind. Benld then fumbled on the next play.
Bill Cavanaugh broke open a tight game with Nokomis when he intercepted a pass and returned it 47 yards for Gillespie’s first touchdown. Nokomis returned an interception 76 yards down to the Gillespie four-yard line and Davis scored on the next play and they added the extra point to go up 7-6. With only a few minutes remaining in the game, Jim Decker hauled in a pass on the Nokomis 45-yard line and scampered the rest of the way for the winning score. This was the first defeat for Nokomis that year.
The highest scoring game in Gillespie’s history occurred when they defeated Modesto 97-6. Coach Grauel started his second team and Modesto scored first. With the regulars back in the game, Lonzerotti caught a touchdown pass and Brown went 85 yards for a score in the second quarter. The fireworks started in the third quarter when Gillespie scored seven touchdowns. John Hawkins scored from 47 yards out and Brown went in from the 45. Houchard scored twice on runs of 65 and 50 yards while Lonzerotti hauled in another touchdown pass. Jim Decker and Cavanaugh scored on runs of 55 and 50 yards respectively. The fourth quarter found much of the same as Abbott, Houchard, and Cliff Rademacher all scored, as well as two touchdowns from Decker.
Gillespie defeated Carlinville 13-0 and then in game played in a downpour of rain, Gillespie beat Litchfield 8-0 on a safety and five-yard touchdown by Abbott. Tallman played an outstanding game defensively as time and time again he broke through the Litchfield line to tackle the ball carrier.
Playing Mt. Olive for an undefeated season and the conference championship, Gillespie must have felt the pressure as they played their worst game of the season. Mt. Olive completely dominated the game but Gillespie recovered a fumble on their 10-yard line in the second quarter and Brown went over from eight yards out for the only score of the game.
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The Gillespie High School baseball team earned another win on the season on Wednesday, March 27 by steamrolling Nokomis 11 to 3. Daniel Wolber gained the win on the mound for Gillespie, only giving up four hits, three runs, and striking out seven through five innings of work.
The Miners were the first to put a run on the board with a single from Bryce Buhs, Jack Kaylor, and Colin Griffith, each touching home plate.
Schuckenbrock showed up and showed out at the plate, going 3 for 3, with one RBI, a double in the second, and 3 runs scored. In the 9 hole, Sean Haywood went 2 for 2 with one run across and one base on balls. Hohnsbehn, Jesse Berry, Kaylor, Griffith, and Carson Hailstone each had a hit in their winning efforts.
The Miners had a total of 12 hits throughout the game.
The boys fell to New Berlin on Friday, March 29, with a final score of 1 to 3. Runs were hard to come by in this game, as the pitching staff on both sides was stellar. New Berlin put the first run on the board in the top of the first on a wild pitch, with the Miners scoring in the bottom of the first on a passed ball.
New Berlin took and kept the lead in the top of the second. Bixby earned the win on the mound for New Berlin, striking out 13 and walking one. Buhs took a loss for the Gillespie Varsity Miners.
Luke Schuckenbrock and Berry were alone in the hit column for the Miners, collecting two hits apiece.
The Miners will face off against Litchfield on Tuesday.
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The Gillespie High School softball team faced Triad on Wednesday, March 27, taking the win, 11-0. Starting pitcher Emma Gipson had another strong showing in the circle. Gipson rang up 12 Triad batters, giving up only three hits and zero runs over five innings.
Ava Parish went three for three at the plate with a solo homer in the second inning. The bats were hot for Gillespie in this game with Sadie Sholtis going 1-2 with 3 RBIs, Lauren Bertagnolli going 1-3 with two runs scored, Gipson going 3-3 with 3 RBIs and one run scored, Paxton Reid and Macie Wright both going 2-3 at the plate, and Delaney Taylor going 1-2 with two RBIs. Wright also had an RBI in the win.
Delaney Hess holds the loss for Triad. She struck out one batter, giving up nine runs on ten hits. Gillespie had a total of 13 hits in their win.
Gillespie had stellar defense in this game, committing zero errors. Triad’s Green, Hagarty, and Feldma each got a hit off Gipson in their efforts against the powerhouse.
Gillespie earned another win over the Highland Bulldogs on March 28, a final score of 8-4.
Gipson came in clutch at the plate, knocking two over the fence and driving in four runs. Reid joined Gipson with a home run in the top of the third and Sholtis homered over the center field wall in the top of the seventh.
Parish and Bertagnolli went one for four at the plate, Parish scoring one run. Reid stood tall at the plate, going two for four in the game, with one RBI and one run scored. Wright had a strong showing, going two for four with one RBI. In the 9 hole, Taylor showed up and showed out, going two for three.
Gipson gained another win in the circle against Highland. She sat down six Bulldogs with a strikeout, giving up six hits and four runs in seven innings. Kaitlyn Wilson took the loss for the Bulldogs, giving up eight runs on eleven hits, sitting down eight with a strikeout. Mettler, Alex Schultz, Abby Shultz, Wilson, Ritz, and Becker got into the hit column for Highland.
Gillespie picked up two losses on the season this weekend on March 30. They fell 0-2 against Pleasant Plains and 1-2 against the Olympia Spartans.
The Miners were able to grab a win this weekend over the Havana Lady Ducks, with a final score of 6-2. Gipson had a strong showing in the circle, striking out 13 batters. She allowed only two hits and two runs in five innings.
Bertagnolli went 3-3 at the plate with 3 RBIs. Parish went 2 for 3. Gipson and Schuckenbrock went 1 for 2, with Gipson driving in two runs. Wright had one hit in the win with one RBI. Sholtis also had an RBI in the game.
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The Gillespie High School baseball team defeated Auburn 18 to 10 on Tuesday, March 19. Daniel Wolber earned the win on the mound for Gillespie, picking up three strikeouts over two-thirds innings. Bryce Buhs started on the mound for Gillespie, striking out eight and giving up nine walks. Tristen Wargo gave a brief relief appearance on the mound for the Miners.
Runs were not hard to come by in this high-scoring game. Wargo, Luke Schuckenbrock, Jack Kaylor, Bryce Hohnsbehn, Bryce Buhs, Jaydon Baker, and Colin Griffith all produced RBIs at the plate. Berry was hot at the plate, going 4 for 4 with a home run to right field, 5 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. The team collectively produced 13 hits in the win.
The Miners fell to Columbia on Friday, March 22 in a 0-3 game. Kaylor recorded the loss for the Miners on the mound, pitching a total of two innings, allowing three runs and striking out two. Relief came in the form of Brody Shaw, throwing five innings, allowing two hits and no runs, and striking out one batter. Matthews earned the win for Columbia. The two hits of the night for Gillespie came from the bottom of the lineup in the 8 and 9 spots from DH Baker and Griffith. Wargo, Shaw, and Buhs each picked up a walk in the game.
Gillespie faced Riverton on Saturday, March 23, tacking on another win for the season with a final score of 6 to 0. Schuckenbrock pitched six innings for Gillespie, earning the win. Schuckenbrock surrendered five hits, zero runs, and collected six strikeouts.
Berry was dynamic at the plate, going 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs, 2 runs scored, and a base on balls. Wargo, Hohnsbehn, and Griffith tallied two hits apiece in the win. Schuckenbrock, Buhs, and Baker got a hit each on the night. Hailstone and Kaylor also recorded an RBI in the books. Wargo proved to be a menace on the base path with two steals. Bates took the loss on the mound for Riverton.
The Miners also faced Heyworth on Saturday in a nail-biting 3-1 victory. SP Tristen Wargo collected the win on the mound. Wargo gave up five hits and one run, pocketing four strikeouts in the game. Wolber stepped on the mound in a relief appearance.
Hohnsbehn put Gillespie’s first run on the board in the top of the first with a sac fly, which was swiftly matched by Heyworth in the bottom of the first to tie up the game. Runs were hard to come by on both sides of the field until the top of the sixth, when Gillespie scored two – one run coming off a single from Griffith.
Wargo, Buhs, and Griffith recorded two hits each in the winning efforts. Hohnsbehn and Berry put a one in the hit column. Wills took the loss for Heyworth on the mound.
The Miners face Metro-East Lutheran on Monday.
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