High School Sports
Gillespie track teams dominate home meet
Sam Alepra passes the baton off to Amanda Schmidt.
The Gillespie boys’ and girls’ track teams dominated their home meet between Bunker Hill and Mt. Olive last Thursday at the Schmidt Complex in Gillespie.
In the boys meet, Gillespie scored 79 points to win over runner-up Bunker Hill with 42 and then Mt. Olive with 37. On the girls side, Gillespie was first with 85 points, followed by Mt. Olive with 39 and Bunker Hill with 29.
The Gillespie boys scored majority of their points from field events where they took first place in shot put, discus, high jump, pole vault, long jump and triple jump. Jacob Kirkwood placed first in the shot and discus, Keagan West placed first in the high jump and long jump while Josh Friese finished first in pole vault and triple jump.
Gillespie’s Bette Hammann and Amanda Schmidt placed first in three events last Thursday. Hammann finished first in the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash and 400 meter dash while Schmidt finished first in 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles and long jump. Lynsey Gibson placed first in both the shot put and discus.
Sam Alepra helped the Miners out by placing second in high jump and second in the 400 meter dash while Alepra and her relay team placed first in the 4×400 with a time of 5:10:20.
Jokisch-Grandone Invitational
Despite big performances from Jacob Kirkwood and Amanda Schmidt on Saturday in the Jokisch-Grandone Invitation in Carlinville, Gillespie didn’t score high among the 16 teams in the invitation. Both the boys and girls finished ninth out of 16 and 15 teams respected.
The boys scored 30 points behind Waterloo with 83, Rochester with 71, Williamsville 63, Jerseyville 62, Carlinville 45, Auburn 43, Pana 42 and Hillsboro 37. The girls scored 34 points behind Auburn with 79, Rochester with 72, Carlinville 64, Williamsville 63, Jerseyville 59, Pana 55, Waterloos 41 and Springfield Lutheran with 36.
Schmidt finished first in the 100m hurdles and the 300m hurdles while Kirkwood finished first in the shot put and discus while setting a personal record in discus with a hurl of 143’2”.
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In a decisive finish that underscored his rising dominance in Illinois Class 1A cross country, senior Chaz Oberkfell of Gillespie High School claimed the state title with a time of 14:31.10 at the IHSA State Cross Country Championships held at Detweiller Park on Saturday, November 8.
Finishing just behind Oberkfell, sophomore Evan Knobloch of Toulon (Stark County) crossed the line in 14:46.25, placing second. Rounding out the top five were senior Blake McLeese of Tuscola (14:46.45), senior Luca Bryja of Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy) with 14:48.38, and senior Elijah Teefey of Pleasant Plains at 14:49.02.
This victory marks Oberkfell’s second IHSA Class 1A state championship. He also won the state crown as a junior in 2024 with a time of 14:31.87. In his sophomore year, he finished 21st with a 15:21.43 season-best time.
Looking ahead, Oberkfell is set to compete in the New Balance NXR Midwest Regional Championships on Sunday, November 16, at the LaVerne Gibson Course in Indiana. The meet serves as a critical stepping stone toward the national championships, and Oberkfell will look to carry his state momentum into the regional stage.
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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.
