Timelines From The Sidelines

Class of 1987

Golf (Boys)

Coach Larry Kuba’s 1986 golf team was led by senaiors Bret Kasubke; Danny Ray; and Bill Scherff. The unit finished with a record of 4-7, with Kasubke taking home Team MVP honors.

Track (Boys)

The 1987 track team welcomed a new coach in the form of Ron Sturomski for the first of his five seasons directing the program. He inherited a solid group of performers, including letter winners Phil Deist; Brad Hemann; Jason Kramer; Ryan Ocepek; Bill Scherff; and Brad Young. Among the best track athletes to ever walk the halls of Staunton School, Scherff continued his career at Southern Illinois University.

Track (Girls)

Coach Donna Ruehrup’s 1987 track team featured letter winners Kim Becker; Krissy Kleeman; Kim Leaser; Amy Orr; Julie Seketa; and Tracy Spenser. Unfortunately, the Lady Bulldogs finished last at the South Central Conference Meet for the first of two straight seasons.

Volleyball

Coming off its first losing season in ten years, the volleyball program looked to get back to its winning ways in 1986. Donna Ruehrup’s team did just that by finishing the season with an overall record of 19-6 and capturing South Central Conference and Regional championships along the way. The team featured just two seniors, Shelia Banovz and Dana Sievers. Sievers was named as the team’s Offensive MVP, and she also captured All-County and All-Conference First Team Honors. Banovz also made the All-SCC team as an Honorable Mention pick. Finally junior and Defensive MVP Tracy Kuba (First Team) and sophomore Jerri Hochmuth (Second Team) also captured All-Conference honors.

Class of 1988

Baseball

Seniors Kevin Dal Pozzo and John Rae led the baseball team to a successful season in 1988. Barry Deist’s crew finished the year 11-6 including 6-4 in the South Central Conference. SHS began the regular season with four straight victories and ended it with five consecutive wins before losing to Gillespie in the Regional Tournament. The Dogs posted some impressive offensive numbers during the season, specifically in wins over Bunker Hill (18-3), Litchfield (25-10), Edwardsville Metro East Lutheran (18-4), and Worden (32-1). Rae was particularly impressive, posting some of the best offensive numbers in school history and taking home the team’s Hitting Award (.509, 30 RBI) in the process. The Pitching Award went to sophomore Darik Jones (6-2). At the conclusion of the season, Rae and junior Fred Harbison were named to All-Conference First Team, while Dal Pozzo; Jones; and junior Brian Barks took home Honorable Mention status.

Basketball (Boys)

Coming off the best four-year run in school history, the 1987-88 basketball team had to reload after losing most of its production from the previous season to graduation. The Bulldogs responded with a competitive year that saw the team finish with a record of 11-13 overall and 3-7 in the South Central Conference. The Dogs got off to a surprisingly fast start to the season but, unfortunately, dropped seven of their final eight games. Coach Mike Stivers’ team was led by senior Jeff Windau, a First Team All-Conference and All-County selection. Fellow senior Kelly Brown was named All-SCC Honorable Mention. Windau took home Team MVP honors, as well as the Free Throw Award, while senior Kevin Dal Pozzo received Defensive MVP honors.

Basketball (Girls)

Having not graduated any players from the previous season’s Macoupin County championship team, the 1987-88 Lady Bulldogs had cause for optimism entering the year. SHS responded with its first winning season in five years, though the 13-12 mark was somewhat disappointing given preseason expectations. The Lady Bulldogs finished 3-7 in the South Central Conference under the direction of Larry Kuba.

Seniors Gayle Gusewelle; Tracy Kuba; and Kim Winslow provided outstanding leadership for the team over the course of the year. Gusewelle turned in one of the best seasons in school history, and she was rewarded for her efforts with First Team All-Conference and County MVP honors. At County, the Lady Bulldogs reached the championship game by defeating Bunker Hill (60-37) and Southwestern (45-43) before falling to Carlinville (50-42). Winslow thrived in her last year in red and white, and she was named All-SCC Honorable Mention and Second Team All-County. Kuba also starred for SHS taking home Second Team All-Conference and All-County awards. Kuba and Gusewelle shared Team MVP honors, with Gusewelle capturing the Free Throw Award (66 percent). Gusewelle went on to play basketball at Blackburn College. After concluding an excellent college career, she returned to SHS to run the basketball program, staying in the position for four years.

Football

Barry Deist’s football program experienced a down year in 1987, as the Bulldogs finished just 2-7 overall and 1-4 in the South Central Conference. However, despite the record, the losses that SHS incurred during the season occurred in very competitive games. For instance, in Week one the Bulldogs fell to Hillsboro by a score of 13-12. SHS followed that game up with another tough loss, this time to Greenville (14-7). The team’s first win came in Week three, as Staunton soundly defeated Nokomis by a score of 47-13. The heartbreaking losses continued into Week four as SHS was narrowly defeated by Carlinville (8-6). The second win of the season came in Week five against Litchfield (22-6). Unfortunately, the year ended with consecutive setbacks to Southwestern (23-0), Gillespie (22-12), Triad (15-0), and Columbia (48-6). Triad won the SCC for the first time in school history that season.

One bright spot for the Bulldogs was the play of senior John Rae. Not only was the Defensive MVP selected as an All-SCC First Team Member, but he was also invited to participate in the exclusive Shriner’s All-Star game. Fellow seniors Jeff Windau (Honorable Mention) and Kelly Yeager (Second Team) were also honored by conference coaches, and Yeager also captured the team’s Offensive MVP award. Additional seniors included Kelly Brown; Bob Bruhn; Dennis Foster; Doyle Ivey; Jason Kramer; Tim Margaritis; Eric Schuette; John Scroggins; and Gene Sternes.

Golf (Boys)

Coach Larry Kuba’s golf team featured just two seniors in 1987, and Brett Ahring and John Knowles were looked upon to provide leadership for the young team. The Dogs ended the season 6-9 overall and finished third at the South Central Conference Meet, with Ahring taking home All-Conference honors at the event. The 1987 SCC Meet was the league’s initial golf tournament, and Litchfield captured First place at the four-team event that also included Carlinville and Triad. After the season, junior Jim Williamson was named Team MVP.

Golf (Girls)

The 1987 golf team featured just two players in the form of senior Gayle Gusewelle and junior Julie Seketa. Larry Kuba coached the players during the season.

Track (Boys)

Ron Sturomski’s second season leading the track program saw the Bulldogs finish third at the Macoupin County Meet and fourth at the South Central Conference Meet in 1988. Seniors Rick Ficker; John Knowles; Jason Kramer; E.J. McNaughton; and Scott Slemer paced the team.

Track (Girls)

The track team as a whole did not fare well in 1988, as the Lady Bulldogs finished in last place at the South Central Conference Meet. However, the season was special because senior Becky Coyne won a state title for the second time in her career. Coyne, who also captured a championship in the 100 meter low hurdles as a freshman, won the same event her senior year. In fact, her time of 13.9 seconds was a Class A state record. Interestingly enough, it was the last for the event in girl’s track, as the 100 meter high hurdles replaced it the next season. Coyne also placed third at State in the 300 meter hurdles as a senior. Additionally, she won the South Central Conference Meet in the 200 meters and the 100 meter hurdles, while also taking home Macoupin County crowns in both hurdle events. Coyne continued her running career at Southern Illinois University. Additionally seniors on the team included Kris Goebel; Tracy Harbaugh; and Tricia Spenser. The unit was coached by Donna Ruehrup.

Volleyball

The 1987 volleyball team finished the season with a record of 8-16 overall and 5-5 in the South Central Conference under the leadership of Donna Ruehrup. Seniors Kris Goebel and Kim Winslow led the Lady Bulldogs, with Goebel taking home First Team All-Conference status. Though the club dropped eight of its first ten games, improvements were made throughout the campaign. However, the losing record did represent just the second time in twelve years that one of Coach Ruehrup’s volleyball teams finished below .500

Class of 1989

Baseball

Seniors Brian Barks; Simon Hannig; Fred Harbison; and Jim Willamson led the baseball team during the 1989 season. The Dogs were coached by Barry Deist and finished the schedule with a record of 3-11 overall, including 2-8 in the South Central Conference. Unfortunately, the worst season in Deist’s long tenure as baseball coach also accounted for the lowest win total in the program’s documented history. Victories on the year came against Carlinville, Gillespie, and Litchfield. At the conclusion of the season, juniors Phil Deist (Honorable Mention) and Ed Fletcher (First Team) were named to the All-Conference team. Hannig continued playing the sport for two seasons at Blackburn College, and he also participated in football for the school.

Basketball (Boys)

Coach Mike Stivers’ 1988-89 basketball team finished the season with a record of 14-12 overall, including 4-6 in the South Central Conference. The squad started the year in fine fashion, capturing the Metro East Lutheran Turkey Tipoff championship with wins over Livingston (71-41), Mt. Olive (68-38), and the host school (70-57). The Bulldogs were well-rounded, as all five starters were major contributors. Senior Simon Hannig was a First Team All-Conference and All-County member, while junior Brad Hemann was named All-Conference Honorable Mention and First Team All-County. Sophomore Brad Best had an outstanding season on his way to becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer. Best posted 18.5 points and 7.8 rebounds on the year while taking home Second Team All-Conference honors. Seniors Steve Bahn and Fred Brauer contributed excellent defense, and Bahn was rewarded with Defensive MVP honors. Junior Phil Deist captured the Free Throw Award after hitting 77 percent of his tries from the charity stripe.

Basketball (Girls)

Having lost most of its firepower from the previous season, the 1988-99 basketball team struggled to a 2-21 record, including a winless 0-10 in the South Central Conference. The lone wins came over Auburn (38-22) and Kincaid South Fork (46-31). Despite the team’s struggles, seniors Angie Hainaut and Jerri Hochmuth did their best to keep Staunton in games. In particular, Hochmuth had a fine campaign, capturing Team MVP and the Free Throw Award while also being named All-SCC Honorable Meniton. Larry Kuba served as the team’s head coach.

Football

The 1988 football team finished the season with an overall record of 4-5, including 2-3 in the South Central Conference, which was won by Triad for the second straight year. The Dogs began the campaign with a loss to Hillsboro (14-6) in Week one but followed with consecutive wins over Greenville (19-14) and Nokomis (12-6). After a Week four loss to Carlinville (27-7), the Dogs took care of Litchfield (33-16) and Southwestern (29-6) in convincing fashion. Unfortunately, SHS finished the season on a three-game losing streak, which included losses to Gillespie(22-12), Triad (28-12), and Columbia (35-8).

The Dogs were coached by Barry Deist and featured seniors Bart Albrecht; Steve Bahn; Brian Barks; Fred Brauer; Ray Cline; Keith Dal Pozzo; Simon Hannig; Fred Harbison; Mike Masinelli; Jeff Miller; Jeff Ocepek; Bob Pelt; Mark Sievers; and Chris Weidler. The Offensive MVP award was shared by Barks; Cline; and Hannig, while Harbison was named Defensive MVP. At the All-Conference meeting, Barks; Cline; and junior Phil Deist were named First Team All-SCC. All-Conference Second Team accolades went to Hannig and Harbison, as well as juniors Ed Fletcher; Dave Gerdes; and Brad Hemann. After the season, Barks was named First Team All-Area by the Telegraph, while Deist and Hannig took home Third Team honors. Hannig continued his football career for four seasons at Blackburn College while also competing in baseball for the Beavers.

Golf (Boys)

The 1988 golf team featured just one senior, but he was a standout in the form of Jim Williamson. Not only did Williamson take home medalist honors at the South Central Conference Tournament, but he eventually advanced to State. As a team, Larry Kuba’s club finished the season at 7-7 overall. After the year ended, Williamson moved on to Spoon River College where he competed in golf for one season.

Track (Boys)

Coach Ron Sturomski’s track program continued to improve during the 1989 season, paving the way for the following years historic campaign. Seniors Simon Hannig; Mike Masinelli; and Scott Miller paced the team, though all the State-qualifiers were underclassmen. The Dogs sent two relay teams and one individual to the State Meet that season. Sophomore Tim Straub qualified in the 800 meters, as did the 400 meter and 800 meter relay teams consisting of juniors Greg Best; Phil Deist; Brian Dustman; and Chris Knowles.

Track (Girls)

Donna Ruehrup’s 1989 track team placed fifth at the South Central Conference Meet and fourth at the Macoupin County Meet behind seniors Krissy Kleeman and Julie Seketa. However, the Lady Bulldogs turned in several school records during the year. Freshman Shayne Isbell set a new mark in the 100 meter hurdles, while her twin sister Crystal advanced to State in the high jump. Another freshman, Melissa Heidke, broke the school record in the 3200 meters. Finally, the 3200 meter relay team of Kleeman and sophomores Ann Little and Jeanene and Jodi Oberto also shattered the previous school record.

Volleyball

The 1988 volleyball team finished the season with a 7-3 mark in the South Central Conference. Unfortunately, with an overall record of 10-15, the Lady Bulldogs experienced back-to-school losing seasons for the first time in the program’s documented history. SHS began the year with seven straight losses and ended it with three straight defeats. In between, the Lady Bulldogs were very competitive with ten wins in fifteen games. Coach Donna Ruehrup had to say goodbye to a large senior class made up of Susan Haase; Angie Hainaut; Jerri Hochmuth; Stefanie Mansholt; and Mindy Ott. Hochmuth, the team’s Offensive MVP, captured First Team All-SCC honors. Defensive MVP Hainaut was a Second Team All-Conference selection, as was sophomore Becky Miller.