High School Sports
Alepra and Zenner to play in All-Star Basketball Classic
Quentin Zenner (left) and Jacob Alepra (right)
The 54 top boys’ and girls’ basketball seniors from South Central Illinois will be playing in the 13th Annual Carlinville Rotary Club All-Star Basketball Classic to be held Sunday, March 22 at Carlinville High School.
A total of 20 high schools will be represented in the event that includes 26 girls and 28 boys. The All-Star Classic is sponsored by Country Financial representatives in Macoupin, Montgomery, Greene and Jersey counties.
Jacob Alepra and Quentin Zenner will be the only players representing Gillespie during the event. The two will represent the West team along with Nathan Randall, Connor Vincent and Elijah Barber of North Greene; Jake Varble and Luke Shively of Jersey Community; Briston Johnson, Andrew Fry and Blake Lawson of Southwestern; Mike Stimac of East Alton-Wood River; Randy Skiff of Roxana; Austin Plogger of Greenfield/Northwestern; and Joeb Easterday of Carlinville.
North Greene’s Brett Berry will coach the West All-Stars. The West leads the East in the series 9-3.
Alepra, Zenner and the West team will face the East boys’ squad comprised of Blaine Ray and Colin Fairman of Staunton; Will Schaufelberger, Craig Faulkner and Jacob Hall of Greenville; Scott McDermand, Everett Stevens and Cooper Eaker of Auburn; Cade Puzey of Pawnee; Derek Sale of Lincolnwood; Dylan Miller of Hillsboro; Ryan Howard of Litchfield; and Marcus Chausse of Nokomis.
Todd Cantrill of Greenville will coach the East All-Stars.
Each game will be played in four 10-minute quarters. The Country Financial 3-Point Shootout for the girls will begin at 4 p.m., followed by the girls’ All-Star game at 4:30 p.m. The Country Financial 3-Point Shootout for the boys will be held between games, starting at 6:15 p.m., with the boys’ All-Star game to follow at 6:45 p.m. A Slam Dunk contest will be held at halftime of the boys’ game.
At halftime of each game, the Carlinville Rotary Club will present the “Coach of the Year” awards. An MVP award will also be given following each game. Admission to the Carlinville Rotary All-Star Basketball Classic is $5 with children 10 and under admitted free.
The Carlinville Rotary Club will provide concessions with pizza by slice, popcorn, and candy along with Gatorade, soda and bottled water.
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The Gillespie High School baseball team had six players receive South Central Conference accolades, conference officials announced on Monday. The Miners had three named to the first team, two to the second team, and two to the third team.
Named to the first team included seniors Bryce Buhs as pitcher, Tristen Wargo as infielder, and Jesse Berry as outfielder. Wargo was also named to the conference’s second team as pitcher alongside sophomore Collin Griffith. Senior Jaydon Baker and junior Jack Kaylor were named to the third team as designated hitter/utility and outfielder, respectively.
Rounding out the conference’s first team included Nathan Matoush of Hillsboro in two places as pitcher and infielder; Marcus Payne, Rocky Darr and Hunter Newell of Southwestern; Carson Satthoff, Mathew Bywater, and Jake Gasperson of Litchfield; Aiden Hatalla of North Mac; Benjamin Hutchinson of Greenville; and Kale Konrad of Vandalia.
Joining Wargo and Griffith on the conference’s second team is Adam Hale, Colin LeMarr and Ryan Lowis of Southwestern; Carter Legendre and Dillon Pritchett of Staunton; Ethan Saathoff of Litchfield; Rowdy Sussenbach and Cohen Alstat of Greenville; Quinn Morrow of North Mac; and Andrew Kelly of Vandalia.
Third team honorees include Drake Curry, Cohen Alstat, Dominic Sanchez, and Hudson Alstat of Greenville; Carson Saathoff and Tate Dobrinich of Litchfield; Cade McCready and Collin Etter of North Mac; Ryan Karbach, Parker Moore, and Madyx Angel of Pana; Marcus Payne of Southwestern; Ayden Jones of Vandalia; and Noah Convery of Carlinville.
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Eight players from the Gillespie Miners softball team were selected to the South Central Conference All-Conference teams, conference officials announced on Monday.
Being honored on the first team from Gillespie included senior Emma Gipson, juniors Delaney Taylor and Macie Wright, and sophomores Ava Parish and Paxton Reid. Senior Wrigley Releford and sophomore Sadie Sholtis were named to the conference’s second team while freshman Laci Shuckenbrock was named to the third team.
Other first-team honorees from around the conference include Carlinville’s Hallie Gibson and Isabella Tiburzi; Staunton’s Ele Feldmann, Taylor Nolan, and Lilly Troeckler; and Alexis Bowman of North Mac.
Joining Releford and Sholtis on the second team include Taylor Keirs and Ines Oprtigosa of North Mac; Gianna Bianco of Staunton; Abby McDonald of Southwestern; Braley Wiser and Hannah Gibson of Carlinville; Zoee Englert and Haylee Clark of Greenville; Brianna Mathis of Pana; Aubrey Evans of Hillsboro; and Madison Lupton of Vandalia.
Rounding out the third team are Joey Laker and Kennedy Bowker of Pana; EmmaLeigh Wilfong and Emma Bingham of Greenville; Addison Ruyle and Olivia Kunz of Carlinville; Vivian Zurheide and Ella Kadell of Southwestern; Korryn Keehner, Kylie Lucykow, and Sam Anderson of Staunton; Elise Walch of Litchfield; Karleigh Prose of North Mac; and Peyton Chappelear of Hillsboro.
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In an emotional rollercoaster of a sectional final, Gillespie’s season came to a bittersweet end with a nail-biting 2-3 defeat at the hands of Newton this past Saturday, May 25.
Newton swooped in with a late-game rally, clinching the win over Gillespie. Tensions were high all game long. Newton made an explosive statement right out of the gates when Sally Mahaffey blasted a solo home run to right field. Gillespie’s response was swift, with a double from Emma Gipson in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one apiece.
The scoreboard remained unchanged as both teams dug in until the sixth inning, when Sadie Sholtis’ single sent a runner home, pushing Gillespie into the lead. A hit off the bat of Audrie Reich allowed Newton to tie the game up 2–2. Newton clinched the lead in the top of the eighth and held off Gillespie with three straight outs in the bottom of the eighth, taking the win.
Emma Gipson led Gillespie in the hit column, going 2 for 4 with one RBI. Sholtis went 1 for 2 at the plate with one run, one RBI, and two walks pocketed. Lauren Bertagnolli went 1 for 3 with one run plated. Wrigley Releford and Laci Shuckenbrock both had a hit in their efforts.
While this may not be the end that Gillespie hoped for, they still had a phenomenal season. Gillespie’s season record is a testament to their grit and tenacity ending 29-5 on the season. The Miners have three seniors departing the team including Lauren Bertagnolli, Emma Gipson, and Wrigley Releford.
