SHS Sports: Timelines From The Sidelines Tradition Everlasting

Overview of 1970-1979

The 1970s saw the introduction of three sports programs for females at Staunton High School. Though the Girls Athletic Association (GAA) had been in existence for many years, the first official sport offered to females at the school was track in 1972-73. Volleyball was instituted two years later, and basketball got its start in 1978-79. While success in girl’s basketball has been minimal, track and volleyball both achieved instant success upon inception.

On the male side, cross-country and golf were both added in 1975. Though the initial cross country teams were competitive, the sport has historically been hindered by a lack of numbers in the program. Golf enjoyed a considerable amount of success upon its reintroduction and arguably became the school’s premier sports program during the 1990s. Unfortunately, the 1970s continued to be tough on the basketball program, as the Bulldogs enjoyed just one winning season in the decade. Meanwhile, baseball and football teams remained very strong at the school, though the programs did not enjoy the same level of success achieved in previous years. One item of note is the beginning of the ISHA Playoffs for football in 1974. The initial standard for qualification was very rigid, since only sixteen teams, spanning five classes were admitted. SHS made its first playoff appearance in 1977. While the Bulldogs have never played for a state title, one could argue that Staunton had one of the elite football programs in all of Illinois during the 1920s and 1960s. Though it is impossible to know how events would have played out, it is conceivable that SHS would have competed for multiple state championships during those years.

The 1970s were relatively uneventful in terms of changes to the South Central Conference. In 1970-71, Southwestern was readmitted to the league after its departure from the Western Illinois Valley Conference. The Piasa Birds joined Carlinville, Gillespie, Mt. Olive, Nokomis, Staunton, and Virden to form an SCC that included seven teams. The line up remained unchanged for ten years.

Class of 1970

Baseball

The 1970 baseball team was the last squad directed by Fred Brenzel. As was the case with most of Brenzel’s teams, the Bulldogs were a championship unit, as the club finished 16-4 and captured South Central Conference and Regional titles. The SCC title represented Brenzel’s thirteenth in sixteen years directing the program. The Bulldogs were led by seniors Monte Cely; Al Conroy; Jerry Crabtree; Jack Gai; Dennis Kellebrew; and Dennis Smiley.

Basketball (Boys)

The 1969-70 Bulldogs were coached by Dave Davison in his fourth and final year at the helm. The squad finished 8-16 overall, including 6-4 in the South Central Conference. Team MVP Brad Bahn led the squad, and he was joined by fellow seniors Al Conroy; Jerry Crabtree; Roger Elmore; John Hochmuth; and Kevin Sullivan.

Football

The 1969 Football team, in Fred Brenzel’s final year leading the program, won yet another South Central Conference championship, finishing a perfect 5-0 in the league and 9-1 overall. In fact, the SCC champions are considered one of the finest teams in school history. Week one witnessed the Bulldogs defeat Hillsboro (48-6) before shutting out Litchfield in Week two by a score of 44-0. The Dogs won a squeaker over Quincy CBC in Week three (8-7) and also narrowly defeated Jerseyville in Week four (16-8). However, SHS had no trouble with the conference slate, as the Dogs easily defeated Carlinville (20-6), Gillespie (39-0), Virden (77-8), Nokomis (36-14), and Mt. Olive (50-0). The Lancers of Belleville East ruined Staunton’s hope for a perfect season by soundly defeating the Bulldogs (28-8) in a matchup of undefeated teams.

SHS was led by seniors Tom Brown; Al Conroy; Jim Fey; Gene Frioli; John Hochmuth; Steve Jarman; Dennis Kellebrew; Dave Russell; Steve Sitko; Jon Tevini; and Jim Wilson. Defensive MVP Conroy anchored a feisty unit, while Offensive MVP Hochmuth gained over 1000 yards rushing on the season. Moreover, with 1603 total yards from scrimmage, it is believed that Hochmuth set a single-season school mark in that category, a record that stood for more than three decades. In fact, it is possible that he holds the school’s career yardage mark from scrimmage. Regardless, given the statistics he accumulated for some of the best teams in the program’s history, Hochmuth must be considered one of the best running backs to ever play for the Bulldogs. After the season, Brown; Conroy; Frioli; Hochmuth; Jarman; Kellebrew; Russell; and Wilson each were named All-Conference, joining juniors Mike Kozemczak and Craig Schuette on the first team. Conroy finished the season with 883 yards from scrimmage.

Brenzel holds the longest tenure of any football coach in school history. His sixteen year career included a record of 107-43-5 and nine conference titles. Although there was not a postseason tournament during his era, one could speculate that many of Brenzel’s teams would have advanced deep into the playoffs, perhaps contending for a state title along the way. Unfortunately, the Illinois High School Association did not have a playoff system in place until a few years after Brenzel’s departure from the Staunton football program.

Track (Boys)

The 1970 track team was coached by Jim Haynes. Senior and Team MVP John Hochmuth repeated as Macoupin County champion in the 200 meters and 400 meters. He was joined on the squad by fellow seniors Dennis Bloemker; Tom Brown; Al Conroy; Doug Haenni; Barry Hainaut; Terry Kuethe; Jim Rucker; Dave Russell; Kevin Sullivan; Bob Tuey; and Jim Wilson. Hochmuth continued his track career at Eastern Illinois University.

Class of 1971

Baseball

The 1971 baseball season saw former SHS standout Barry Deist take over the program. In fact, Deist directed the Bulldogs for twenty-two years, the longest tenure in SHS baseball history. Deist’s first senior class included Frank Barrett; George Bednar; John Caldieraro; Rich Caldieraro; Dennis Felchner; Gerald Moss; and Craig Schuette.

Basketball (Boys)

The Staunton basketball team welcomed a new coach for the 1970-71 campaign, as Don Miller stepped in to guide the program. Unfortunately, Miller’s first season at the helm was rocky from the start, as the Dogs stumbled to a 5-17 record, including 3-9 in South Central Conference play. Senior Craig Schuette was a bright spot during the season, capturing Honorable Mention status at the Macoupin County Tournament, which was won by Southwestern for the first time. Joining Schuette as seniors on the team were Rich Caldieraro and Dennis Felchner.

Football

The 1970 football season ushered in a new era, as for the first time in seventeen years Fred Brenzel was not roaming the sidelines for SHS. His replacement was former assistant coach Bob Chiti. Like Brenzel, Chiti coached at Auburn before coming to Staunton. Interesting enough, Chiti’s first season at each school resulted in undefeated seasons, as the 1970 Bulldogs finished 8-0-1 on the year. The undefeated campaign was the fourth in school history, and the Dogs were also able to capture another South Central Conference championship by finishing 5-0-1 in league play.

Chiti’s first game as head coach saw Staunton defeat Hillsboro by a score of 36-26. After disposing of Litchfield in Week two (26-0), the Dogs began conference play against Southwestern and defeated the Piasa Birds by a score of 40-22. SHS continued the winning streak with a Week four non-conference victory over Jerseyville (20-6) but recorded the only blemish on the season in a 6-6 tie with Carlinville in Week five. Staunton went on to defeat SCC opponents Gillespie (26-8), Virden (55-6), Nokomis (46-6), and Mt. Olive (58-14) to capture the conference title.

Success on the field brought individual notoriety, and SHS players garnered several accolades after the season came to a close. All-Conference First Team members included seniors Rich Caldieraro; Dennis Felchner; Mike Kozemczak; and Craig Schuette, juniors Rick Tsupros and Don Warren, and sophomore Mike Dal Pozzo. All-SCC Honorable Mention members included seniors John Caldieraro and Gerald Moss. Caldieraro and Moss were joined by Juniors Bob Guennewig; Ron Warren; and Mike Watkins on the squad. Furthermore, Schuette (First team) and Kozemczak (Honorable Mention) were named All-State in 1970. John Colley rounded out a small but quality senior class. After graduation, Felchner and Schuette continued their football careers at Southern Illinois University.

Track (Boys)

Jim Haynes returned as coach in 1971 for his fifth and final year directing the track program. Fortunately, he welcomed back a few champions that season, including South Central Conference winners Gene Roehl (800 meters); Jim Sitko (1600 meters); and Nick Wineburner (100 meters), as well as the 800 meter and 1600 meter relay teams. Wineburner, a senior, set a school record in the long jump during the season. Additional seniors on the track team included Rich Caldieraro; Dennis Felchner; and Roehl.

Class of 1972

Baseball

The 1972 baseball team, coached by Barry Deist, included seniors Rick Tsupros and Bob Vesper.

Basketball (Boys)

The 1971-72 basketball team, under the direction of Don Miller, finished 2-20 overall and 0-12 in the South Central Conference. Unfortunately, the overall record represents the worst season in the program’s documented history. The club’s victories came against Livingston early in the year and Northwestern in the first round of the Macoupin County Tournament. Bob Vesper was the lone senior on the squad. After the season, Vesper was named Team MVP and won the Free Throw Award, and he also captured All-Conference Honorable Mention honors. Sophomore Daryl Schuette joined Vesper as an Honorable Mention selection.

Football

Bob Chiti’s second year guiding the Staunton football program produced a .500 record, as the squad finished 5-5 in 1971. However, each victory came in South Central Conference play, giving SHS yet another league crown with a 5-1 mark in the conference, though the Dogs shared the championship with Carlinville and Nokomis. The Bulldogs opened the season with non-conference defeats at the hands of Hillsboro (18-8) and Litchfield (21-8). However, SHS started off the league slate on a positive note by defeating Southwestern (14-12) in Week three of the season. Another non-conference loss, this time to Pittsfield (43-12), dropped the Dogs to 1-3 on the year. However, narrow victories over Carlinville (12-8) and Gillespie (14-12), followed by a blowout win over Virden (54-13), righted the ship. Unfortunately, SHS lost a close game to Nokomis (22-20), keeping the Bulldogs from an outright conference title. A victory over Mt. Olive (37-14) in Week eight ended the SCC part of the schedule, while a 33-8 setback to Edwardsville closed out the year.

Despite winning the SCC, Staunton only placed two players on the All-Conference First Team, as seniors Rick Tsupros and Don Warren were honored by league coaches. Tsupros took home the Offensive MVP award, while Warren was named Defensive MVP. Seniors Bob Vesper and Mike Watkins, as well as juniors Paul Hiette; Mike Dal Pozzo; and Brian Rotsch were named All-Conference Honorable Mention. Rounding out the senior class were Bill Flechner; Bob Guennewig; Jim Hawkins; Steve Link; Tino Lopez; Joe Pirok; Rich Schubert; Jim Sitko; John Skertich; and Bill Vogt. After the season, Tsupros was named All-State, and he continued his career at Eastern Illinois University. Watkins also continued playing football after high school, competing for Illinois College as a member of the Blueboys.

Track (Boys)

Ward Derlitzki took over the track program in 1972, his only year with the squad. Seniors on the track team that year included Jim Hawkins; Steve Link; Dan Oettel; John Skertich; Mike Watkins; and Larry Ziglar. The 800 meter relay team of Mike Dal Pozzo; Dennis Crouch; Skertich; and Watkins won the Macoupin County Meet, while Dal Pozzo also took home conference and county championships in the 100 meters.