SHS Sports: Timelines From The Sidelines Tradition Everlasting

Overview 1980-1989

The 1980s witnessed the emergence of basketball (boys) and volleyball (girls) as the marquee sports programs at Staunton High School. The basketball program overcame two decades of struggles to capture six South Central Conference titles during the era, not to mention multiple Macoupin County and Regional crowns. In fact, at one point the program experienced four straight 20-win seasons. The volleyball program was even more impressive, capturing numerous conference, county and postseason titles, capped off with a trip to the State Tournament in 1980. The decade also witnessed the first individual state championship in school history, as Becky Coyne captured gold in the 100 meter hurdles in both 1985 and 1988. Unfortunately, cross country ceased to exist as a sport at SHS, and since that time, has never had enough members to field a full team. On the other hand, a few females began to participate in golf during the decade, though SHS did not officially field a team until 2005.

The South Central Conference underwent two changes during the 1980s. First, Litchfield and North Greene entered the SCC in 1980-81. Mt. Olive, a charter member of the SCC, left the league that same year, and thus the SCC became an eight-team conference. In 1985-86, Triad, a school district made up of Marine, St. Jacob, and Troy, came aboard. However, that same season Nokomis, North Greene, and Virden opted out of the league, leaving the SCC with just six teams.

Class of 1981

Baseball

With only two seniors on the roster, the 1981 baseball team struggled to a 4-13 record. John Bond (All-SCC Honorable Mention) and Mark Vesper (All-SCC First Team) did their best to lead the Bulldogs, who were coached by Barry Deist. Junior Rich Fletcher was also named First Team All-Conference, and he shared the Hitting Award with Vesper. Junior Dean Schulmeister captured the Pitching Award.

Basketball (Boys)

The 1980-81 basketball team finished 11-12 overall and 8-6 in the South Central Conference. Don Engelke and Mark Vesper were the only seniors on a team that featured juniors Tom Coyne and Bruce Kasubke. Coyne, the team’s Offensive MVP, averaged 18 points per game during the season. For his efforts, he was named First Team All-SCC, Honorable Mention All-County, and Third Team All-Area by WSMI Radio. Meanwhile, Kasubke won the Free Throw Award (76 percent) and was named Defensive MVP. The Bulldogs were coached by Mike Stivers.

Basketball (Girls)

The 1980-81 basketball campaign was a season of firsts for the Lady Bulldogs. Not only did SHS finish with a winning record (13-8) for the first time in school history, but it also represented Larry Kuba’s first season leading the team. Kuba stayed on for more than two decades and left as the program’s all-time wins leader with 192 career victories. The Lady Bulldogs were led by senior and Team MVP Janis Treadway who was named First Team All-Conference and First Team All-County. Seniors Diane Williams and Evelyn Bean were awarded All-SCC Honorable Mention Status, while Williams also took home the Free Throw Award. Joining Bean; Treadway; and Williams in the senior class were Laura Booth; Diana Bruhn; Mary Henke; and Stacy Stierwalt.

Football

Barry Deist’s 1980 football team was a very young squad featuring just four seniors, as Gregg Ashley; Jim Bianco; Ken Billings; and Ron Siebert provided leadership for the young team. With most of its firepower from the previous season having graduated, inexperience took its toll on the Bulldogs, and the team finished just 2-7 overall, the program’s worst finish in twenty-five years. Both wins came in South Central Conference play, as the Dogs finished 2-5 in an SCC slate that was eventually won by Litchfield. The title represented the only SCC football championship in LHS history.

The Season started with a 14-0 loss to Hillsboro, followed by a 25-16 setback against Columbia in Week two. SHS posted its first win of the season in Week three when the Bulldogs defeated the Spartans of North Greene in their first-ever SCC contest. After a tough loss to Virden (13-6), Staunton pulled out a 7-6 victory over Nokomis in Week five. Unfortunately, that victory was the last of the campaign for the Bulldogs, and the team dropped consecutive games to Gillespie (26-0), Litchfield (34-0), Southwestern (6-2), and Carlinville (28-8) to close out the season. Juniors Lonnie Colley (Defensive MVP) and Rich Fletcher (Offensive MVP) were both named First Team All-Conference, while Siebert was named Honorable Mention. After the season, Colley was also awarded All-State Honorable Mention status.

Golf (Boys)

The 1980 golf team, coached by Larry Kuba, saw the Bulldogs reach Sectionals for the fifth consecutive season after winning another District championship. The team finished 7-5 on the year and was led by seniors John Bond and Mark Vesper. Bond was the District medalist that season.

Golf (Girls)

Though there was no official team, junior Patti Ruffini competed as an individual during the 1980 season. She was coached by Larry Kuba.

Track (Boys)

The 1981 track team was coached by Dave Martin in his first season with the program. Though Martin did not have any seniors on the squad, he did have some talent in letter winners Russ Best; Charlie Black; Bart Brauer; Lonnie Colley; Bruce Kasubke; Kelly Pieper; and Tom Scherff. Kasubke took home Team MVP honors, and he also set a school record in the triple jump.

Track (Girls)

The 1981 track team won the South Central Conference Meet for the sixth time in seven years behind seniors Evelyn Bean; Laura Booth; Diana Bruhn; Mary Henke; Stacy Stierwalt; and Janis Treadway. Bean and Henke shared Team MVP honors, while sophomore Dori Hartman (800 meters); freshmen Nikki Coyne (800 meters); and Kim Mueller (Long Jump) qualified for State. In fact, Coyne was the District champion in the 800 meters. The Lady Bulldogs were coached by Donna Ruehrup.

Volleyball

Coach Donna Ruehrup’s 1980 volleyball team enjoyed a magical season that saw the squad make it all the way to the State Tournament for the first and only time in the program’s history. The 28-3 Lady Bulldogs also won the Macoupin County Tournament as well as the South Central Conference title with a spotless 14-0 record. The team was led by seniors Evelyn Bean; Diana Bruhn; Mary Henke; Stacy Stierwalt; Janis Treadway; and Diane Williams.

The Lady Bulldogs won their first nineteen games of the season, including Macoupin County victories over Southwestern; Virden; and Carlinville. The first loss of the season came against powerhouse Breese Mater Dei in the championship game of the Triad Invitational Tournament, and the team dropped its second consecutive contest in a game against Bunker Hill. Other than a five-set exhibition match against 34-2 Sacred Heart-Griffin, the Lady Bulldogs did not lose again until State. The team’s postseason run included a District Championship with wins over Livingston and Bunker Hill, a Sectional title with wins over Riverton and Raymond Lincolnwood, and a Super-Sectional victory over Virginia. At State, SHS ran into an excellent Quincy Notre Dame team in the Elite Eight and came out on the losing end of that contest. QND ended up breezing through the weekend on its way to a state title.

After the season, Treadway was named Offensive MVP, while Henke took home Defensive MVP honors. At County, Bean; Stierwalt; Treadway; and Williams were all named to the All-Tournament team. All-SCC First Team honorees included Bruhn; Stierwalt; and Williams, while Treadway was named to the Second Team. Furthermore, the club’s victory total still stands as an overall school record at SHS across all sports. After the season, Bean continued her playing days at Greenville College. In addition to volleyball, she also participated in softball and ended up coaching both sports at the collegiate level, first at Lewis and Clark Community College and later at McKendree University.

Class of 1982

Baseball

Barry Deist’s baseball team finished just 9-7 overall and 7-5 in the South Central Conference. However, due to parity in the league, the Dogs captured a share of the SCC title for the second time in three years. The Bulldogs were led by seniors Tom Coyne; Rich Fletcher; Dean Schulmeister; Barry Wriede; and Phil Yarnik. Fletcher continued his baseball career at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, competing all four years for the Cougars.

Basketball (Boys)

Mike Stivers’ 1981-82 basketball team won a Regional championship for the first time since 1945. However, the season started out in lackluster fashion, as the Dogs struggled to gain traction early in the year. But, SHS caught fire at the Macoupin County Tournament, defeating Carlinville (70-51), Girard (51-45), and Bunker Hill (45-43) to take the championship for the second time in three years. Interestingly enough, SHS dropped a game to Carlinville right before the tournament and lost to Bunker Hill by a score of 72-55 earlier in the season. After County, Staunton kept its hot streak alive, eventually recording thirteen wins in fourteen outings to close out the season. In addition to the Regional title, the hot streak allowed SHS to capture the South Central Conference championship as well. At Regionals, the Bulldogs defeated Litchfield (49-38), Alton Marquette (58-49), and Bunker Hill (40-36). The Dogs fell at the Vandalia Sectional to Hillsboro (57-48) to close out the season.

Staunton finished the year with an overall record of 19-8, including 10-4 in the SCC. Unfortunately, SHS had to say goodbye to seniors Charlie Black; Lonnie Colley; Tom Coyne; Rich Fletcher; Bruce Kasubke; and Kelly Pieper. Team MVP Coyne averaged 17 points and 8 rebounds per game, capping off a nice career for the Bulldogs. Fletcher took home Defensive MVP honors, while Pieper won the Free Throw Award (74 percent). While Coyne was the lone player to make the All-Conference First Team; Fletcher (Second Team), Black (Honorable Mention), and Kasubke (Honorable Mention) were also honored by the league coaches. At the Macoupin County Tournament, Coyne was named tourney MVP, and he was joined on the All-County team by Pieper, an Honorable Mention selection. Finally, both Coyne (First Team) and Kasubke (Second Team) were included on the WSMI Radio All-Area squad. Coyne went on to play basketball for three seasons at Missouri Baptist University in Creve Couer.

Basketball (Girls)

The 1981-82 basketball team was coached by Larry Kuba and featured only one senior Donna Windisch. The Lady Bulldogs finished the campaign with a record of 6-12. Windisch was voted Team MVP by her peers, while sophomore Sharon Bodi led the team in scoring. Fellow sophomore Mary Hering won the Free Throw Award with a 57 percent clip from the line.

Football

Coming off an uncommonly rough season, the 1981 football team returned to form by finishing 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the South Central Conference. The Bulldogs, coached by Barry Deist, were led by seniors Charlie Black; Bart Brauer; Wayne Bruhn; Lonnie Colley; Chris Costley; Rich Fletcher; Ken Highlander; Bruce Kasubke; Kelly Pieper; Dean Schulmeister; Barry Wriede; and Phil Yarnik.

The Bulldogs began the year with a close victory over Hillsboro (8-7). After defeating Greenville (33-18) in Week two, the Dogs took down North Greene by a score of 34-15. SHS ran its record to 5-0 with victories over Virden (61-20) and Nokomis (13-6). Unfortunately, the Bulldogs dropped three of their next four games. In Week six, Gillespie, on its way to the SCC title, drowned the dogs by a score of 27-15. Staunton bounced back with a 47-0 shutout of Litchfield in Week seven, but a loss to Southwestern (20-8) in Week eight preceded a tough defeat to Carlinville (33-28) to end the year.

After the season, SHS placed several players on the All-SCC squad, including the First Team members Black; Brauer; Colley; and Fletcher. Also making All-Conference were Costley (Second Team; Wriede (Second Team); and Yarnik (Third Team). Fletcher rushed for more than 100 yards on the year, becoming one of the few Bulldogs in school history to eclipse the exclusive mark in a season. For his efforts, he was named to the All-State First Team.

Golf (Boys)

The 1981 golf team finished the year with a 2-7-1 record, representing the lowest win total in the program’s recorded history. In fairness, the mark can be attributed to the lack of matches played during the season, as Staunton competed against just ten opponents, the lowest total in program history. The Dogs were led by seniors Tom Coyne and Darren Graves and coached by Larry Kuba.

Golf (Girls)

Patti Ruffini once again represented the only female on the 1981 golf team, which was coached by Larry Kuba. By finishing third at District Ruffini became the first female golfer in school history to compete at the Sectional Tournament.

Track (Boys)

The 1982 track team, coached by Dave Martin, included seniors Bart Brauer; Lonnie Colley; Bruce Kasubke; Tony Masinelli; and Kelly Pieper. Additional letter winners included Jeff Angle; Lance Bates; Mike Cipriano; Rich Deal; Don DeVries; Jim Gasper; John Luketich; Sam Miller; Tom Scherff; Mark Stierwalt; and Rick Wall.

Track (Girls)

Donna Ruehrup’s track team featured just one senior in 1982, Donna Peters. However the Lady Bulldogs had a solid season behind letter winners Gerri Anderson; Sharon Bodi; Nikki Coyne; Lisa Kasubke; Kim Mueller; Dawn Ruby; Jamie Seketa; Dimitria Sies; Sheri Windau; and Lynn Yakos. Team MVP Yakos wrapped up an outstanding season by qualifying for State in the high jump.

Volleyball

The 1981 Staunton volleyball team was coming off a season that included the only State Tournament appearance in program history, as well as a school record for wins across all sports. Coach Donna Ruehrup’s team had a great encore in store, finishing the year 26-2 overall. In fact, the season winning percentage (.929) still stands as the best SHS volleyball history. Additionally, the Lady Bulldogs once again captured South Central Conference, Macoupin County, and District championships before losing just their second game of the season at Sectionals. Seniors on the club included Lori Henehan; Donna Peters; Donna Windisch; and Cindy Yarnik. Peters was named Defensive MVP, while Windisch took home Offensive MVP honors.