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Miners end regular season with victory

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Austin Semplowski continues to power ahead.

The Miners closed out their regular season Friday, October 21st with a 49-28 victory over New Berlin on New Berlin’s senior night.

The Miners head into playoffs with a 7-2 regular season record and a 5-2 Prairie State Conference record.

The Miners kicked off to start the game, but had the ball in their possession just two minutes later after New Berlin had a quick three and out. The Miner offense took no time warming up in the fifty degree weather Friday evening as they found the endzone on three separate occasions in just the first quarter. The first touchdown came with 8:22 minutes left in the quarter after freshman Derrick Tiburzi was able to find a gap for the 27 yard touchdown run. After Jessie Smith’s successful field goal, the Miners led 7-0 early and never looked back.

Austin Semplowski intercepted a pass attempt on New Berlin’s second offensive drive and he set the Miners 33 yards away from the endzone. Johnny Cox was able to gain 16 yards on the ground before setting himself 8 yards away from the goal post. With 5:02 minutes left in the quarter, Cox rushed in for 6 more points and the Miner lead increased to 14-0 after the successful pat.

The quarter was not over yet though, as Michael Henderson, freshman, was able to intercept the quarterback for the second time in the quarter. After Henderson’s short return, he set the offense 54 yards away from another 6 points. Small running gains from Cox and Tiburzi amounted for a first down on Gillespie’s third offensive drive as they set Graham Cooper up with a 1st and 10 to go. After numerous broken tackles, Cooper found the endzone with 2:40 minutes left in the quarter on his 40 yard touchdown rush and the Miners now led 21-0.

Graham Cooper powers through as Ethan Martin holds his block.

New Berlin had two minutes left in the first quarter as it proved to be just enough time as the quarter neared the final seconds and the quarterback was able to find an open receiver down the sideline for a 37 yard touchdown pass as the siren went off to close out the first quarter.

Gillespie opened the second quarter with the ball on the 50 yard line after a failed onside kick from New Berlin. It only took fifteen seconds in the second quarter for the Miners to add 7 more points on the guest side of the scoreboard as Graham Cooper opened the first offensive drive with a 50 yard touchdown run to bring the score to 28-6.

New Berlin struggled in the second quarter as they failed on two separate fourth occasions and tossed another interception to bring their turnovers to six in the first half alone. The offensive squad was able to receive excellent ball position on the second offensive drive as the ball was spotted on the 24 yard line. After three plays, Johnny Cox increased the Miner’s lead to 35-6. With 9:03 minutes left before halftime, the Miners made enough time to find the endzone once more after Johnny Cox recovered an offensive fumble from New Berlin to set Gillespie 46 yards away from the endzone.

Three minutes after Cox recovered the fumble, Austin Semplowski found the endzone for his first touchdown of the night. Semplowski’s touchdown increased the lead by thirty-six points as the scoreboard read 42-6. With 6:20 minutes left in the second quarter, the Miner’s did not have enough time to score again as the Miner defense held New Berlin to zero points in the second quarter.

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Hunter Vesper runs for a couple large gains in the fourth quarter.

Coming out of the lockeroom at halftime with a 42-6 lead, the Miners were set to receive to start the third quarter. Another failed onside kick from the Pretzels set the Miners 46 yards away from the endzone. Cooper was able to gain 32 yards on the ground on the first offensive drive along with Tiburzi’s 4 yards and Whitlock’s 7 to set the Miners just 2 yards away from a continuous clock. Graham Cooper rushed in with 10:10 minutes left in the quarter to bring the score to 49-6. The game clock was now able to run continuously after Gillespie was able to secure a 40 point gap on the scoreboard.

Even after the forty-three point lead, New Berlin continued to press on as they did not record one turnover in the second half. New Berlin continuously tried different plays to trick the Miners after their fake punt play stunned the Miner defense and they were able to start on a fresh set of downs. Soon after the fake punt pass play, New Berlin found the endzone on a six yard rush up the middle with 2 minutes left in the third quarter. After the Pretzels were able to convert for two points on the conversion, the scoreboard read 14-49 in the Miners favor.

The Miners were able to start out with the ball in the final quarter of play, but both of their offensive drives in the fourth quarter amounted to turnovers as the only two turnovers in the game came in the fourth quarter. It was the opposite story for New Berlin as they were able to gain 14 points in the final quarter on just two offensive drives. The Pretzels were able to add 8 points on a short pass, but then gained the next 6 points on a punt block. With 2:30 minutes left in the game, the Miners were punting it away after their failed offensive drive, but the punt was blocked by New Berlin and was later cashed in for 6 points.

Austin Semplowski trys to bat down a pass while Ricky Mock supports him.

The Miner defense was able to hold the Pretzels to just the 6 points on that touchdown as the Miner lead fell to 49-28. After the Miners received, Johnny Cox was able to gain 60 yards on a rushing attempt to bring the Miners to the 34 yard line, but the coaches from the sideline opted to let the time expire as the Miners took their seventh win on the season.

Your Gillespie Miners end the regular season with a 7-2 record and move into playoffs where they will face Williamsville. They take the field next when they travel to Williamsville on Friday, October 28. The Bullets are coming off a 48-7 victory over Mt. Olive and their record now stands at 9-0 in the regular season.

All pictures featured in the articles and more are available for purchase through Halpin Photography, click hereto buy yours today for an ultimate keepsake!

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Gillespie man injured in DUI accident

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Genisio's Ford Mustang in the City of Gillespie's impound lot Tuesday morning.

A Gillespie man was taken to a local hospital after suffering injuries following a single-vehicle accident that occurred Sunday morning, October 11, after he drove off the roadway and into a deep ditch near the intersection of Route 16 and Charles Street in Gillespie.

Gillespie Police Chief Jared DePoppe reported that the police department was dispatched to the scene of the accident shortly before 3 a.m. Officers arrived to find Jonathan Genisio, 29, of Gillespie as the driver and only occupant inside the Ford Mustang vehicle.

Genisio was arrested, but give a notice to appear in court so he could seek medical treatment. He was charged with six different counts in addition to having his vehicle impounded. His charges include driving under the influence of alcohol, no insurance, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, failure to notify SOS of an address change and failure to wear a seat belt.

At the time of publication on Thursday evening, the vehicle was recovered from impound and Genisio was discharged from the hospital. The extent of his injuries was unable to be released by medical personnel.

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Community News

Gillespie council discusses budget and meeting process

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Treasurer Dan Fisher addresses the council.

Treasurer Dan Fisher (right) addresses the council.

The treasurer for the City of Gillespie had a lot to say about how city officials handle their subcommittees and how city funds are spent during the city’s committee meeting held Monday evening, July 27.

Dan Fisher, the elected treasurer for Gillespie, spoke to the council for over 30 minutes about how bills are paid and more importantly, how purchases are appropriated for and planned. During the city’s board meeting held earlier this month, Fisher suggested the council move their meeting dates to coincide with how the bills are paid.

He explained that many council members bring up issues or have questions about certain bills during the council meetings, but the questions are left to be answered by the city clerk who isn’t present at the board meetings. In addition to dragging out the meetings, Fisher said the questions should be taken care of before the meeting is held.

“We need to have a standardized process on how we buy things,” Fisher told the council Monday evening. “We need to spend more time on appropriating.”

We need to have a standardized process on how we buy things

Fisher distributed a “Budget Basics” packet to board members during the committee meeting held Monday and said the council should consider implementing a purchase order system to account for all purchases. “That way when the bills come in, we can match the form up with it and everyone knows what the purchase was for and what account it comes out of,” he clarified.

Council members agreed with what Fisher had to say to them. “We need to spend a lot of time when do our appropriation and it’s going to take a lot of time from everyone, including myself,” he continued. “We need to find a way to be collective in how we do things.”

Fisher closed by adding that the council also takes too long at their regular city council meetings, which are held on the second Monday of each month. Speaking of the city’s July meeting that lasted nearly 3 hours, Fisher said the council needs to be much more “business-like”.

“We take too long at our meetings,” he closed. “It’s been proven that people lose focus after 90 minutes and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to get a meeting done in 1 hour and 15 minutes.”

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City clerk Frances Smith spoke up after Fisher referred to the council’s last meeting. She prefaced her statement by saying she didn’t intend to saying anything, but continued by saying that the council’s July 13th meeting took her three days to transcribe. “It makes the clerk’s job hard – whoever it is,” she said. “There is a lot of side conversations and it’s very hard to hear on the tape.”

Ash Street Project

Alderman Steve Kluthe informed the board that he received the bid specifications back for the Ash Street Project which allows the council to advertise the specs to get an idea how much drainage project will cost.

Kluthe said the bid specifications cover everything including equal opportunity employer and prevailing wage information, but said the project could probably be handled by a local contractor. The project includes installing a culvert that will transfer the water to Cherry Street.

The council hopes the completed project will then alleviate the water that currently gets backed up north of Ash Street. “They are going to put a culvert underneath Ash Street to the north and grade the ground on the north side so the water flows to the culvert and down to the south end where there is a storm drain,” Kluthe explained.

TIF District

We should stretch the money out and begin to reinvest the money into community development

Fisher informed the council that the tax bills for the TIF district went out and the city can expect to receive close to $60,000. He reminded the council that even though the city made a big payment to United Community Bank last year in excess of $90,000, there will still be a payment made to UCB for their portion paid into the TIF until the TIF expires, which Fisher said is 12-14 more years.

After the city pays UCB, Fisher said the council can expect to still have somewhere north of $40,000 remaining each year. “I would like us to start to look at other projects that meet the TIF criteria that we could spend $20-$30,000 per year,” Fisher explained. “Long-range projects – projects that could last 10-12 years. We should stretch the money out and begin to reinvest the money into community development.”

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Elementary School News

Elementary school releases supply lists for fall

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School Supply 2

Kindergarten

  • 5 boxes CRAYOLA brand crayons (24 count)
  • 1 box CRAYOLA brand broad-line markers (classic)
  • 1 backpack
  • 1 box of water paints
  • 1 pair FISKAR brand scissors (children’s)
  • 6 large glue sticks
  • 1 small plastic school box
  • 4 pocket folders
  • 4 large erasers
  • 20 pencils (#2, lead, plain yellow)
  • 2 boxes of Kleenex
  • 2 rolls of paper towels
  • 2 containers of anti-bacterial wipes
  • 1 large box of sandwich size ZIPLOC bags (girls)
  • 1 large box of gallon ZIPLOC bags (boys)
  • 1 clipboard
  • 1 highlighter
  • 1 spiral 1-subject notebook (wide ruled)
  • Extra set of clothes to keep at school
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

First Grade

  • 1 plastic school box
  • 3 packs of pencil top erasers
  • 2 large pink erasers
  • 5 packs of Ticonderoga brand pencils
  • 2 yellow highlighters
  • 2 boxes of CRAYOLA crayons (24 count)
  • 12 Elmer’s brand glue sticks
  • 1 pair of FISKAR brand scissors
  • 1 spiral 1-subject notebook (wide ruled)
  • 2 plastic 2-pocket folders
  • 1 8ct classic CRAYOLA fine line markers
  • 2 dry erase markers
  • 1 roll of paper towels
  • 2 boxes of Kleenex
  • 3 containers of Clorox Anti-Bacterial Wipes
  • 1 box of sandwich size ZIPLOC bags (girls)
  • 1 box of gallon ZIPLOC bags (boys)
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.
  • Extra set of clothes to keep at school

Second Grade

  • Handheld pencil sharpener
  • 8 large Elmer’s glue sticks
  • 1 large zippered pencil bag
  • 24 – #2 pencils
  • 1 wide ruled spiral notebook
  • 1 package wide ruled loose leaf paper
  • (2) 1” three ring binder
  • 1 pack of pencil top erasers
  • 1 pair of FISKARS brand pointed scissors
  • 1 yellow highlighter
  • 1 box broad line classic CRAYOLA markers
  • 2 boxes CRAYOLA crayons (24 count)
  • 2 plastic pocket folders
  • 1 CRAYOLA watercolor paints
  • 1 box of Kleenex
  • 1 roll of paper towels
  • Large Ziploc bags
  • Sandwich size Ziploc bags
  • 2 containers of Clorox wipes
  • 1 box of CRAYOLA colored pencils
  • 2 dry erase markers
  • Extra set of clothes to leave at school
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

Third Grade

  • 1 small school box
  • 4 packages of pencils (#2, plain yellow)
  • 2 boxes CRAYOLA crayons (24 count)
  • 1 box CRAYOLA colored pencils
  • 1 highlighter
  • 1 pair pointed scissors
  • 6 ELMER glue sticks
  • 2 pocket folders
  • 3 boxes Kleenex
  • 2 containers of CLOROX wipes
  • 1 roll of paper towels
  • 1 package of loose leaf paper (wide rule)
  • 2 notebooks (wide rule)
  • (2) 1” binders
  • 2 packs of pencil top erasers
  • Gallon-sized Ziploc bags (boys)
  • Sandwich-sized Ziploc bags (girls)
  • 2 packages of post-it notes
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

Fourth Grade

  • 2 packages of wide rule loose leaf paper
  • 48 pencils
  • 3 packs pencil top erasers
  • (1) 2” binder
  • 1 box 24 or 48 count CRAYOLA crayons
  • 1 pair FISKAR scissors
  • 1 box of colored pencils
  • 1 single subject notebook (wide rule)
  • 3 folders
  • 2 packages of white index cards
  • 4 highlighters
  • 4 packages of post-it notes
  • 2 boxes Kleenex
  • 1 container of Clorox wipes
  • Hand held Pencil Sharpener
  • Dividing tabs for binder
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

Fifth Grade

  • Art Box
  • Pencil Pouch
  • 36 pencils (mechanical preferred)
  • 12 pencil top erasers
  • Crayola crayons
  • Markers
  • Crayola Colored Pencils
  • Red or Blue Pen
  • Scissors
  • Clear Ruler
  • Clear Protractor
  • 1 Bottle of Elmer’s Glue or 2 Glue Sticks
  • (1) 3 Ring Binder (2 inch)
  • 2 notebooks (one subject-wide ruled)
  • 1 package of loose leaf paper (wide ruled)
  • 3 folders
  • 2 highlighters
  • 2 boxes Kleenex
  • Girls-Antibacterial Wipes
  • Boys-4 pack of post it notes
  • Hand Held Pencil Sharpener
  • Pocket Dictionary
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

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