SHS Sports: Timelines From The Sidelines Tradition Everlasting

Class of 1957

Football

Fred Brenzel’s third year as coach of the Bulldogs saw dramatic improvement in the program in 1956. The Bulldogs played .500 football, finishing the year 5-5 overall, including a 3-3 mark in the South Central Conference. The turnaround was led by seniors Noel Bond; Tom Coyne; Bernard Gaudi; Ted Hancock; Wayne Helm; Ralph Jacobs; John Lesich; Wayne Masinelli; Russ Schuette; and Marlin Valent. All-Conference members include Gaudi and Masinelli, as well as juniors Chuck Frey; Leroy Luketich; Jim Oettel; and Wayne Zude. Jacobs and Masinelli shared Offensive MVP honors, while Luketich was named Defense MVP.

The Dogs had an unusual occurrence throughout the season, as they alternated wins and losses for the duration of the ten-week campaign. Week one saw the team drop heartbreaking 13-7 decisions to Springfield Cathedral, only to come back and defeat Litcfield in Week two by the very same score. After at 32-14 loss to Edwardsville in Week three, the Dogs easily handled Highland (41-7) in the firstever meeting between the schools. Staunton split SCC contests against Carlinville (lost 20-12), Gillespie (won 34-6), Benld (lost 26-7), Nokomis (won 25-7), Mt. Olive (lost 14-13), and Southwestern (won 28-7) to wrap up the season. The close loss to Carlinville was a key game in the SCC, as they Cavaliers eventually laid claim to the league title. Also of note, the game with Southwestern was the first meeting between SHS and the new consolidation of Brighton, Medora, and Shipman high schools.

Golf (Boys)

Although there is some indication that individual golfers competed for SHS prior to 1956, the school’s first official was coached by Bill Schuetze and comprised of senior Ken Costa and freshman Dan Michki; Norm Wenner; and Wayne Hutchins. Costa finished in the top three at the District and he continued his play on the links at Western Illinois University on a golf scholarship.

Track (Boys)

The 1957 track team was coached y Wayne Beach. Coach Beach had a small but quality group that year led by seniors Noel Bond; Tome Coyne; and Ralph Jacobs.

Class of 1958

Baseball

Coming off an appearance at State, the Staunton baseball program continued to experience success. The 1958 Bulldogs finished 13-2 overall and 5-0 in the South Central Conference, winning the league crown for the fifth time in as many years. Losses to Litchfield in the firs game of the season (5-3) and in the District Tournament (5-4) sandwiched thirteen consecutive victories. Senior catcher Leroy Luketich, who later played in the Pittsburgh Pirate’s minor league system, took home the Hitting Award after leading the team with a .438 batting average. Seniors Art Hasse (.429 and Rich Dal Pozzo (.380) also contributed in a big way at the plate for SHS. Pitching Award winner Dal Pozzo led the staff with a 7-2 record. Freshman Rick France had a remarkable year on the mound of SHS, finishing undefeated at 5-0. Sophomore Don Brewer rounded out the pitching staff. Bill Birdsell; Dennis Bortko; Jim Oettel; Bob Roman; and Wayne Zude joined Luketich, Hasse and Dal Pozzo as seniors on the squad. After graduating, Hasse enrolled at the University of Illinois where he played baseball for two years.

Basketball (Boys)

The Staunton basketball team welcomed back a strong group of seniors for the 1957-58 season, including Bill Burdsell; Art Hasse; Rodney Jacobs; Leroy Luketich; Rich Marquis; Ken Odorizzi; and Wayne Zude. However, the Dogs had to learn a new system, as first-year leader Enno Lietz tried to build a successful program. Lietz and his squad rose to the challenge, posting a record of 20-9 overall, including 10-2 in the South Central Conference, The league mark was good for a conference title, and the Dogs also captured the Macoupin County championship.

The Bulldogs opened the year 0-3 but righted the ship heading into the O’Fallon Tournament. At O’Fallon, SHS defeated Mascoutah and East St. Louis Lincoln before succumbing to Highland in the title game. Staunton went on to win nine straight games and fifteen of sixteen, including four straight at County. After defeating Livingston to begin Regionals, Staunton dropped a tight game to Bethalto Civic Memorial 56-53, ending one of the best seasons in the history of the program. The Dogs were led in scoring by junior Don Kasubke(13.4 points) and Odorizzi (11.2), while Hasse, Luketich, and Zude also contributed to a balanced offensive attack. After the season, Zude was honored with the Free Throw Award.

Football

The 1957 football season was successful by many accounts, as the team finished 6-3-1, posting its firs winning under coach Fred Brenzel. SHS was also very close to winning the South Central Conference that year, finishing second behind co-champions Carlinville and Mt. Olive with a 4-1-1 mark. Before the SCC portion of the schedule started, Staunton continued to play tough early season opponents. After losing to Springfield Cathedral 27-14 in Week one, SHS roared back in Week two, defeating Litchfield 41-12. SHS lost to Edwardsville 25-0 in Week three before rounding out the non-conference schedule by defeating Highland (42-20). Week five saw rival Carlinville come to toan and narrowly defeat the Bulldogs by score of 18-12. Staunton rebounded by going undefeated in the SCC through the remainder of the campaign, beating Gillespie (38-6), Benld (28-20), Mt. Olive (26-13), and Southwestern (20-7). However, a 6-6 tie with Nokomis in Week 8 prevented SHS from clinching a share of the league title, as the Bulldogs were unable to overcome a flu virus that crippled the team. Seniors on the squad included Emil Albrecht; Rich Coyne; Chuck Frey; Art Hasse; Gene Kalika; Leroy Luketich; John Moros; Jim Oettel; Ron Schuette; Gary Weidler; and Wayne Zude. Luketich captured the Offensive MVP award, while Oettel took home Defensive MVP honors. After graduation, Oettel continued his football career at Eastern Illinois University.

Golf (Boys)

The 1957 golf team consisted of six sophomore members under the direction of coach Bill Schuetze. Charlie Fritz; Wayne Hutchins; Dick Kapp; Dan Michki; Ron Rodeghiero; and Norm Wenner comprised the squad.

Track (Boys)

Despite the baseball team’s success, Enno Lietz welcomed a large group of track athletes in 1958, his firs year with the program. The team was anchored by seniors Art Hasse; Ron Schuette; and Al Welch. At the South Central Conference Meet, Dick Coyne took home gold for SHS in the pole vault.

Class of 1959

Baseball

The 1959 baseball season was very successful, yet very odd year. The Bulldogs, coached by Fred Brenzel, finished the season with the record of 16-6. Included in the overall record was a 9-1 finish in the South Central Conference, which gave the program its sixth straight conference championship. In the postseason, SHS defeated Livingston by a score of 10-0 in capturing the District title. After disposing of Virden 13-9 in the first round of Regionals, the Dogs fell to Alton by a score of 9-0, seemingly ending the year for the team. However, as the seniors practiced for graduation and the underclassmen wrapped up their finals, the IHSA informed the school that Alton had used ineligible players during the game, and thus had to forfeit the contest. Adding to the craziness, the Dogs had to break out their equipment and uniforms and be ready to play Greenville in the Sectional that very day. Unfortunately, SHS dropped a pitcher’s duel to the Comets, losing 1-0 to bring the season officially to an end.

Senior Russ Masinelli capped off his career in fine fashion by taking home the team’s Pitching Award (7-1) and Hitting Award (.425). Rich France, a sophomore, finished 5-2 on the mound, while junior Don Brewer completed the pitching staff with a 4-3 record on the season. Sophomore Ken Hochmuth (.368) and junior Larry Kuba (.338) helped power the Staunton hitting attack. Keith Dooley joined Masinelli as the only seniors on the team.

Basketball (Boys)

Coming off a season that saw them win Macoupin County and South Central Conference titles, the 1958-59 Bulldogs, coached by Enno Lietz, were hit hard by graduation yet still managed to finished with a 13-13 record. Though the team finished just 6-5 in the SCC, the Bulldongs were able to take home a second place finish in the Macoupin County Tournament, losing to Carlinville in the title game. However, at County, an important feat was accomplished when senior Don Kasubke poured in 45 points in an opening round win over Bunker Hill. The point total is believed to be a single game scoring record at SHS, one that has rarely been threatened since he graduated in 1959. With 575 points as a senior, Kasubke more thank likely became just the second member of the 1000 Point Club at Staunton High School. He counted his basketball career at Southern Illinois University for two seasons. Through Kasubke, winner of the team’s Free Throw Award, was the only player to average double figures, Jim Yauornik; Joe Mancewicz; and Larry Kuba were additional offensive threats for SHS. Joining Kasubke and Yauornik in the Class of 1959 were Rich Ficker and Bill Probst.

Football

Coach Fred Brenzel’s 1958 football team finished the season with a 5-3-1 mark. However, the Dogs went 5-0-1 in the South Central Conference, capturing the first of four straight SCC titles. After opening the season with three consecutive non-conference losses to Litchfield (20-14), Edwardsville (26-6), and Jerseyville (20-6), the Dogs did not suffer another loss that year, rolling through the SCC with victories over Carlinville (18-7), Gillespie (12-7), Nokomis (40-25), Mt. Olive (26-7), and Southwestern (53-6). The only blemish on the conference slate was a scoreless tie with Benld in Week six of the season.

The youthful Bulldogs were led by several outstanding underclassmen, including First Team All-Conference selections Barry Deist; Larry Kuba; Fred Marquis; and Leroy Schulte. Kuba was the team’s Offensive MVP, while Marquis and Schulte shared Defensive MVP honors. Meanwhile, Joe Mancewicz was named to the All-SCC Second Team, and Honorable Mention awards were given to Dick Kapp and Don Brewer. All honorees were underclassmen, as Charlie Jackson and Bob Scherff were the only seniors on the squad.

Golf (boys)

Coach Bill Schuetze’s 1958 golf squad was led by junior Dan Michki, the squad’s low scorer for the season.

Track (boys)

Enno Lietz directed the 1959 track team, which was led by thrower Norm Wenner. Wenner took First place in the discus at both the South Central Conference and Macoupin County Track Meets. Senior track members were Don Kasubke and Jim Yauornik.