| Neponset High School Gymnasium 2013 |
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| Now a Private Residence |
Athletics
Boys Basketball
The boys basketball program enjoyed many successful seasons. The team enjoyed its best success in the mid-1960s grabbing three District Championships. In all the Zephyrs won four District titles. One of the best players to grace the hardwood for Neponset was Roger Cannon. His 51 points in a January 4, 1965 game against Lyndon is the school record. Records of the teams and names of the coaches are not currently available. The Zephyrs enjoyed some good success in the 70s also. If anyone can provide further information regarding the Zephyr boys basketball program please complete a school submission form. The best Zephyr seasons are listed below.
1934-35 Galva District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Bradford 40-19
Bradford lost to Kewanee in 2nd Rd
Kewanee beat Alpha in title game
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1935-36 Sheffield District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Ohio 55-17
Ohio lost to Lamoille in title game
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1936-37 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1937-38 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1938-39 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1939-40 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1940-41 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1941-42 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1942-43 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1943-44 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
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1944-45 Atkinson District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd score needed
Semi-final lost to Atkinson 42-31
Atkinson lost to Sheffield in title game
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1945-46 Atkinson District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Atkinson 39-31
Atkinson beat Sheffield in title game
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1946-47 Atkinson District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd score neded
Semi-final lost to Atkinson 53-33
Atkinson lost to Mineral in title game
1947-48 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
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1948-49 Atkinson District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Cambridge 46-37
Cambridge lost to Atkinson in title game
1949-50 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
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1950-51 Atkinson District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Lafayette 44-43
Semi-final lost to Sheffield 73-50
Sheffield lost to Mineral in title game
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1951-52 Atkinson District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Buda 62-37
Semi-final lost to Atkinson 43-42 (2 O/Ts)
Atkinson lost to Mineral in title game
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1952-53 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1953-54 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1954-55 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1955-56 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1956-57 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
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1957-58 Atkinson District Champions Coach’s name & record needed
Early Round Scores Needed
Title Game Beat Atkinson 55-47
Princeville Regional Tournament
1st Rd lost to Wethersfield 73-58
Wethersfield lost to Kewanee in title game
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1958-59 Annawan District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Mineral 64-57
Mineral lost to Atkinson in semi-final
Atkinson lost to Annawan in title game
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1959-60 Buda District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Atkinson 63-55
Atkinson lost to Mineral in semi-final
Mineral lost to Annawan in title game
1960-61 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
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1961-62 Annawan District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Lafayette 65-45
Lafayette lost to Annawan in semi-final
Annawan beat Buda Western in title game
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1962-63 Buda District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Lafayette 63-43
Lafayette lost to Buda Western in semi-final
Western lost to Annawan in title game
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1963-64 IHSA District Champions Coach’s name & record needed
District Scores Needed
Kewanee Regional Tournament
1st Rd lost to Dunlap 78-58
Dunlap lost to Kewanee in the semi-final
Kewanee beat Wethersfield in title game
1964-65 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
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1965-66 IHSA District Champions Coach’s name & record needed
District Scores Needed
IHSA Regional Qualifier
Regional Scores Needed
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1966-67 IHSA District Champions Coach’s name & record needed
District Scores Needed
Kewanee Regional Tournament
1st Rd lost to Wethersfield 51-35
Wethersfield beat Dunlap in title game
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1967-68 Bradford District Runner-Up Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd Score Needed
Semi-Final Beat Toulon 72-66
Title Game lost to Buda Western 64-53
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1968-69 Kewanee District Runner-Up Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Sparland
Semi-Final Beat Atkinson 67-53
Title Game lost to Toulon 63-60
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1969-70 Toulon District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Toulon 58-54
Toulon lost to Bradford in title game
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1970-71 Neponset District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd lost to Atkinson 90-73
Atkinson lost to Buda Western in semi-final
Western lost to Annawan in title game
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1971-72 Galva Class ‘A’ Regional Tourn. Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Wethersfield 94-64
Semi-final lost to Princeville 64-62
Princeville beat Toulon in title game 79-51
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1972-73 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
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1973-74 15 – 8 Little 8 Conference Co-Champs Coach Larry Freeman
Princeville Regional Tourney
1st Rd Beat Bradford 65-57
Semi-Final lost to Princeville 79-55
Princeville lost to Wethersfield in title game
Team photo available at the bottom of this page.
**ROGER PRATT: One of the all-time great basketball players at Neponset High School!
*3rd Leading Scorer in the state of Illinois (31.0 points per game!).
*1st Team Class ‘A’ All-State
*Honorable Mention Class ‘AA’ All-State
*1st Team All Conference Little 8.
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1974-75 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
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1976-77 19 – 7 Bureau Valley Conf Co-Champs Coach Robert Tasker
Wethersfield Tourney Runner-up
Manlius Tourney Runner-up
Regional Scores Needed
1977-78 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1978-79 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1979-80 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1980-81 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1981-82 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1982-83 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1983-84 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1984-85 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1985-86 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1986-87 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1987-88 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1988-89 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1989-90 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1990-91 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1991-92 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1992-93 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1993-94 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1994-95 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1995-96 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1996-97 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1997-98 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1998-99 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
| Neponset Zephyr Basketball 1976-77 |
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| Bureau Valley Conference Champs 19 – 7 Record |
Girls Basketball
Girls basketball captivated the town in the 1980s and early 1990s. With hometown product Chuck Blake leading the charge, the Zephyr girls touched the hearts and imagination of every small school in the area, and probably northern Illinois. The Lady Zephyrs won eight Regional titles in one ten year span between 1984 and 1994. Included were three straight Sectional titles and subsequent trips to the Sweet Sixteen.
The Neponset kids were not afraid of anyone. Included in their seasons were trips to Chicago to play in “shoot-outs” with AA schools. One of the great Lady Zephyrs stories comes with “David vs. Goliath” type proportions. The Lady Zephyrs invited then powerhouse Westchester Immaculate Heart of Mary to play in the Zephyr home gym in the 1992-93 season The IHM girls were in the midst of their own “hey day” having won a State Championship in 1987 and 8 straight Regionals in the tough Chicago-land area. The IHM girls were coached by their own future Hall of Fame coach Dave Power. The Neponset girls, who were all “born in a small town”, pulled one of the biggest upsets of the year by defeating the IHM team. What a story when Neponset’s enrollment probably did not exceed 70 students while IHM was likely hovering around 600 – all girls!
Jolene Bair led the Sweet Sixteen charge being named a Chicago Tribune 3rd Team all-state selection in the 1992 and ’93 seasons. She was named to the first team all-state squad by the Champaign New-Gazette after the 1993 season. The all-state teams were all-incompassing meaning they included players from “AA” as well as “A” schools. Jolene is still listed on the IHSA website as one of the State’s All-Time Leaders in the following categories (http://www.ihsa.org/activity/bkg/records/aindiv.htm):
#20 Career Rebounds – 1,228, Jolene Bair, Neponset, 1989-93
#39 Most Games of 10+ Points in a Season – 29 Games, Jolene Bair, Neponset, 1989-93 (actually tied for 7th)
Kim Hansen was another Neponset Lady Zephyr great who graced the courts with Jolene in the early 1990s. Kim also is listed among the State’s All-Time leaders in the following categories:
#38 Most Consecutive Games of 1+ 3-Point Field Goals – 14, Kim Hansen, Neponset, 1991-92
#45 Most Assists, Career – 498, Kim Hansen, Neponset, 1988-92
The Zephyr girls basketball team accomplishments, as listed on the IHSA website, are in turn listed below. As you can see, several team records are needed. If you have further information please write to us at: ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net
1983-84 N.R.A. Regional Champions Coach Chuck Blake
1986-87 N.R.A. Regional Champions Coach Chuck Blake
1987-88 N.R.A. Regional Champions Coach Chuck Blake
1988-89 N.R.A. Regional Champions Coach Chuck Blake
1990-91 26 – 3 Sweet Sixteen Coach Chuck Blake
Regional Champs
Sectional Champs
Super-Sectional Finalist
Lost to Seneca 58 – 53, Seneca evetually finished 2nd.
1991-92 27 – 2 Sweet Sixteen Coach Chuck Blake
Regional Champs
Sectional Champs
Super-Sectional Finalist
Lost to Seneca 51 – 49 in overtime
1992-93 25 – 3 Sweet Sixteen Coach Chuck Blake
Regional Champs
Sectional Champs
Super-Sectional Finalist
Lost to Gibson City 59 – 53, Gibson City eventually finished 3rd.
1993-94 N.R.A. Regional Champions Coach Chuck Blake
Track and Field
According to the IHSA web site (www.ihsa.org) the Zephyr thinclads had one individual bring home medals from the state track meet. The years were 1926 and 1927 when a male athlete named “Ducky” McMillen walked the halls of NHS. His accomplishments are listed below.
1925-26 Ducky McMillen 5th Place 50 yard dash State Track Meet
1926-27 Ducky McMillen 3rd Place 50 yard dash State Track Meet
Boys Football
The earliest team of Neponset Football can be traced back to as far as 1921, when they defeated Kewanee in a game by the score of 28-7; not bad for beating a school at the least 10x bigger than you. Other years and the records are not known, however the Neponset Zephyrs were competitive in football and faired quite well in some years. The program was discontinued after the 1975-76 school year due to declining numbers. Some of the better records for Neponset HS Football are listed below as researched by Tom Sikorski.
1955 4-4 Coach Bob Hauser
1956 5-2-1 Coach Donald Quinn
1962 4-4 Coach Larry Freeman
1963 5-3 Coach Larry Freeman
1965 5-4 Coach Larry Freeman
1967 3-3-1 Coach Larry Freeman
1968 3-3-1 Coach Larry Freeman
1971 5-1-1 Coach Larry Freeman
GREAT COACHES
Coach Chuck Blake
Coach Blake’s successes were touched on above, however they can never be mentioned enough. Coach Blake left Neponset after coaching the girls basketball program there from 1981 through the 1994 season. He coached several more seasons at Kewanee Wethersfield and Kewanee High, and has 369 wins to date in his career, one of the top accomplishments for all girls basketball coaches in Illinois history.
Coach Chuck Blake was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coach’s Association Hall of Fame in 2004!
Coach Blake by the Numbers:
4 – Trips to the Sweet 16 (3 with Neponset)
4 – Sectional Championships (3 with Neponset)
8 – Regional Championships with the Neponset Lady Zephyrs
13 – Regional Championships Overall (5 at Wethersfield)
#44 – All-Time in IHSA History for Number of Wins Overall by a Coach
Overall Career Record 369 – 137
Coach Larry Freeman
On the boys side one person who sticks out and defined the Zephyr tenacity was Coach Larry Freeman. Coach Freeman coached all sports at Neponset and was a respected man in the community for many years. Assistance is being sought for more information on Coach Freeman.
Coach Fitzpatrick
A prominent man of the Neponset community and a well respected coach of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Coach Robert Tasker
Coached some great NHS teams in 1970s and 1980s.
Other Memorable Names from the NHS Past
Teachers Carrol Blake Gerrond, Marjorie Clark, John Neil, Mary Ann Block, Vernon Luther (FFA), and Tom Blake are all well known in Neponset High School lore.
Alumni Greats
*Dave Mueller (Class of 1977) – All-Conference / Honorable Mention All-State basketball. Now one of the premier basketball referees in northern Illinois.
*Elizabeth L. (Eggleston) Huff (Class of 1897) – Author of “Spoon River Homestead”
*Thomas Gunning (Class of 1899) – Republican Illinois State Senator from 1931-1943, was also a dentist and a member of the Freemasons, Elks and Odd Fellows.
| NHS Zephyr Memorial Signs at the Entrance to Town |
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| Submitted by Marty Golby |
Memories
From Brenda Kopp:
“What an awesome website! My days as a Neponset High School Zephyr were some of the best of my life. I pretty much wore nothing but maroon, grey and white during the 1980’s. The building had hardwood floors, wooden folding doors, an old balcony, back stairways, a boiler that late at night sounded like a woman screaming and tons of other character. All my life I want to be a Zephyr. Thanks for putting a smile on my face. I also love the music you have chosen. Great Job!”
From Brandi (Hamilton) Elias:
“I graduated from Neponset High in 1993. I will never forget all the great times I had playing basketball. We were all friends and thats what made us such a good team. And I’m so glad we had Chuck Blake as our coach. He and his family did so much for me through out my school years. And ask anyone about running the “HOG JOG”!”
Seeking Further Information
If you have any information you would like to share with us regaring Neponset high School please write or e-mail us at the addresses listed below. We are especially interested in photos of the great teams and the high school building itself.
To e-mail us: ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net
To write us: Illinois HS Glory Days
6439 N. Neva St.
Chicago, il. 60631
| Neponset HS Football Field |
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| Tennis Courts on left / Baseball Diamond in Background |
| Neponset HS Zephyrs |
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| First Golf Team – 1976-77 |
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