Local Sports
Back in time: Eugene “Hack” Zanter one of the best football players at Gillespie
Written by the late Andy Easton, Sr. for the Gillespie Area News contributed by the Gillespie Public Library
Eugene “Hack” Zanter was another of the great running backs to play for Gillespie High School. Zanter was a varsity starter on the 1943, 1944, and 1946 football teams. After his discharge from the Navy, Hack returned to Gillespie and completed his senior year and graduated with the class of 1947. The IHSA rules at this time allowed an athlete to play up to their 20th birthday. Hack was eligible for football but couldn’t play basketball during the 1946-47 season.
Hack Zanter was a brusing fullback who excelled at straight ahead running or bulling over for touchdowns on short yardage situations. Although playing fullback, Hack was also a good passer and did most of the passing for the Miners. During his three varsity seasons, Gillespie posted records of 5-3, 7-1-1, and 7-2-1 for an overall 19-6-2 record during this time.
In the 1943 and 1944 seasons, Gillespie had three of the best backs to ever play for our school starting in the same backfield. Joining Zanter were halfbacks “Lefty” Chappell and Jack Ridinger. There were many memorable games in Hack Zanter’s career and I’ll try to highlight some of them.
In the 1943 Thanksgiving Day game against Carlinville, the orange and black pulled off one of their greatest upsets as they shut out the Cavaliers 13-0. This stopped Carlinville’s 23-game winning streak and prevented them from their third consecutive unbeaten season. Zanter scored a touchdown and an extra point in this game.
Against Girard in 1944, Hack scored three touchdowns in the first quarter as he busted up the middle for a 60-yard touchdown and came back to score from 6 yards out. Hack them threw a 20-yard scoring strike to Tom Tallman and also added the extra point.
In 1946, Gillespie and Benld played at Gillespie before a crowd estimated at 4000 people. An inspired band of Miners pulled off the biggest upset in down state Illinois when they handed Benld a 14-7 defeat. The Indians came into the game undefeated and had won 14 games in a row. Benld was led by their touchdown twins Jim Lohmar and George “Cubby” Contratto.
It only took Benld about three minutes to get on the scoreboard as Lohmar contracted with a 40-yard scoring strike and Mike Zebra caught the extra pass for a 7-0 score that would hold until halftime. Gillespie came out in the second half and took control of the game. The offensive line opened the holes for Zanter, Bill Link, and Booley Keck and a sustained drive put the ball on the three-yard line and Benld couldn’t keep Hack out of the end zone. He also tallied the extra point to tie the game 7-7.
In the fourth quarter, the Miners intercepted a Benld pass on their own 20-yard line with Zanter doing much of the ball carrying. They moved down to the Benld seven-yard line and Bill Link went in for the winning score. Hack added the extra point and a huge upset victory was Gillespie’s, 14-7.
The field was very sloppy due to heavy rainfall during the week. Benld used this as an excuse and even went as far as claiming that the Gillespie Fire Department went out and wet the field down to slow up the Benld backs. Anyone who saw this game, including yours truly, knew that Hack Zanter was just too tough for the Indians to handle on this night.
Gillespie lost a chance to tie for the conference championship on Thanksgiving Day as Carlinville held them to a 6-6 tie which gave Benld the championship trophy. The superior Gillespie Eleven couldn’t get untracked and the game was scoreless until the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers took the lead with a fourth down and goal pass from the eight-yard line. The extra-point try failed and the game was 6-0. Gillespie came rowing back and a sustained drive put the ball on the 10-yard line and Zanter hit Keck with the tying touchdown pass. The all-important extra point attempt failed and a great football player’s career came to an end at Gillespie High School.
Zanter passed away in March of 1974.
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Gillespie High School proudly celebrated its senior athletes on Wednesday, April 9, as they signed letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic pursuits at colleges and universities nearby.
The ceremony honored the dedication and achievements of these talented students, who will now take the next step in their educational and athletic journeys:
- Haylie Otten will attend the University of Health, Science, and Pharmacy in St. Louis, where she plans to major in nursing and continue her passion for soccer.
- Mia Brawner will join Lewis and Clark Community College to pursue a major in sonography while competing on the basketball court.
- Corinne Fellin has committed to Lincoln Land Community College, majoring in radiology and continuing her soccer career.
“We are incredibly proud of our seniors and their accomplishments both on the field and in the classroom,” said GHS Athletic Director Jeremy Smith. “Their dedication and hard work have truly paid off, and we look forward to seeing all they will achieve in the next chapter of their lives.”
This year’s signing day highlights the strong tradition of student-athlete success at Gillespie High School, where academics and athletics go hand in hand to prepare students for bright futures.
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Opened Play in 1926; One of Oldest H.S. Conferences in Illinois
By Tom Emery
The South Central Conference is gearing up for a special anniversary.
The 2025-26 season will mark the 100th year of competition for the South Central, one of the oldest high school sports conferences in the state of Illinois. Founded in 1926, the SCC has spawned countless star players and coaches, as well as a myriad of state-level highlights.
Carlinville is the only school to be a member of the South Central for its entire existence. Gillespie and Staunton have been members for all but three years, from 2009-12.
Other members through the decades include Hillsboro (1926-44, 1997-present), Litchfield (1926-34, 1980-present), Pana (1926-44, 1997-present), Greenville (1997-present), Southwestern (1970-present), Vandalia (1997-present), Roxana (1997-2021), East Alton-Wood River (1997-2012), Mt. Olive (1926-1980), Nokomis (1926-44, 1955-1985), Taylorville (1926-44), Shelbyville (1926-32), Benld (1935-61), Springfield Feitshans (1963-67), Virden (1966-85), North Greene (1980-85), Triad (1985-93), Alton Marquette (1997-2012), and North Mac (2022-present).
SCC schools have produced numerous team and individual state titlists, including the legendary Taylorville boys’ basketball team of 1943-44, which rolled to a 45-0 mark and a state championship under head coach Dolph Stanley, who led five schools to the IHSA state tournament in his sparkling career.
Other IHSA team championships from SCC members include the 1993 Staunton boys’ basketball team, the 1996 Carlinville boys’ track team, the 2006 Hillsboro girls’ basketball team, the 2011 Marquette girls’ soccer team, and the 2022 Vandalia boys golf team.
Student-athletes from SCC member schools have also collected a number of state track and field titles, including Kelsey Card, Tunde Ridley, Cassie Lamar, and Jack Denby (Carlinville), Marcus Sitko and Becky Coyne (Staunton), Jodi Ottersburg, Amber Lewis, and Matt Rush (Gillespie), Jamie Nurnberger (Southwestern), and many others, not to mention state-champion relay teams from various schools.
State runners-up from SCC members include Gillespie football (1976, 1990), Gillespie girls track (1996), Gillespie softball (1995), Carlinville football (1978, 1993, 2016), Carlinville boys track (1995, 2008), Carlinville girls cross country (1996), Carlinville girls track (2004, 2005), Litchfield baseball (1985), Marquette girls soccer (2009), Southwestern softball (2003, 2009), Staunton football (2013), and Vandalia boys wrestling (2007, 2017).
Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.
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In a nail-biting showdown that will be remembered for years to come, the Gillespie Miners girls basketball team captured the South Central Conference title with a hard-fought 55-52 victory over the Pana Panthers on Thursday night, February 13. This marks Gillespie’s first conference championship since their back-to-back titles in 2001-02, when they shared the honors with Southwestern both finishing with a 9-1 conference record.
The game held at Pana High School was anything but straightforward. After a tumultuous 13-minute delay due to injuries and a technical foul controversy, the Miners rallied their spirits to secure the win. Amari Vickery led the charge with a stellar performance, scoring 21 points, while Mia Brawner added 11, Maggie Heyen contributed 10, Delaney Taylor posted 5, Sadie Sholtis scored 4, and Lainey Edwards and Corrine Fellin each had 2 points.
From the opening tip, it was clear that Pana was not going to roll over easily. The Panthers held leads at the end of the first two quarters, 15-14 and 28-26, showcasing their tenacity. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Pana had edged ahead 44-42, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
However, the game took a chaotic turn in the fourth quarter when a collision between Vickery and teammate Sloane Brawner resulted in both players going down with injuries. Sloane was not able to return the game but Vickery did. The Miners also lost both Delaney Taylor and Sadie Sholtis to fouls and Gillespie was assessed a technical foul under controversial circumstances which tied the game at 49. But Heyen carried the weight through the fourth quarter recording 6 of her 10 points in the final quarter of play.
Despite the setbacks, the Miners displayed remarkable teamwork resilience under the leadership of Nikki and Matt Brawner. With the SCC championship secured and the regular season concluded with a 22-8 overall record and 9-0 conference record, the Miners now shift their focus to the upcoming regional which is being hosted in Gillespie.
Gillespie hosts Alton Marquette on Monday, Feb. 17 for the regional semi-finals after Alton Marquette knocked East-Alton Wood River, 36-29, to face the Miners. The winner advances to the regional championship that will be played on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Gillespie versus the winner of Staunton/Roxana.
