Think basketball. It’s awards time for Riverbend high schools.
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The 78th annual Gallatin Prep Players of the Year awards banquet is scheduled for Sunday, March 23, at Julia's Banquet Center in East Alton. Festivities begin with a buffet at 6 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony.
Male and female players from Alton High, Marquette Catholic, East Alton-Wood River, Roxana and Civic Memorial are eligible for the honors. There will be a boys and girls Player of the Year, 110 percent award winners, free throw award winners, plus team sportsmanship awards. All team MVPs and 110 percent nominees from the five competing schools will be recognized.
Varsity players and coaches get in free. Tickets, priced at $25 apiece for all others, will be available at the door, which will open at 5:30 p.m. Please use cash or checks to purchase tickets. Venmo and PayPal will also be available, but no credit cards.
Semaj Stampley and Jarius Powers of Alton were the MVP recipients in 2024.
The banquet has been part of the area basketball scene since 1946, making it older than the NBA. Boys have been honored the past 77 seasons and girls became part of the tradition in 1994.
Kramer Soderberg, the head men's basketball coach at Millikin University in Decatur, is the featured speaker. Joe Silkwood will serve as emcee.
Retired area sports writer Steve Porter will receive the first John Simmons Service Award for dedication to the sport. It's the sixth year for the award, which is renamed for Simmons, a major contributor to the event and winner of the previously named service award in 2024. Other past winners of that award have been Dave Elson, Gary Buck, Cathy Snipes and Ross and Dawn Laux.
The awards banquet is named for the late Harry Gallatin, a Roxana High graduate and a member of 10 Basketball Hall of Fames, including the prestigious Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.
Bill Roseberry is president of the Gallatin Awards Committee, while Dan Cruz, Al Womack, Lawrence Gordon, Marcus Renken, Silkwood and Porter are committee members.
For more information, contact Roseberry at broseberry5123@gmail.com.
Previous award Players of the Year are:
2024 — Semaj Stampley of Alton and Jarius Powers of Alton
2023 — Sam Buckley of CM and Kiyoko Proctor of Alton
2022 — Owen Williams of Marquette Catholic and Kelbie Zupan of CM
2021 — Ja’Markus Gary of Alton and Tori Standefer of CM
2020 — Gavin Huffman of Roxana and Anna Hall of CM
2019 — Donovan Clay of Alton and Anna Hall of CM
2018 — Sammy Green of Marquette Catholic and Kaylee Eaton of CM
2017 – Maurice Edwards of Alton and Allie Troeckler of CM
2016 – Shandon Boone of Marquette Catholic and Allie Troeckler of CM
2015 – Darrius Edwards of Alton and Allie Troeckler of CM
2014 – Deion Lavender of Marquette Catholic and Megan Trost of CM
2013 — Hunter Reine of Roxana and Megan Trost of CM
2012 — Hunter Reine of Roxana and Megkinize Carter of CM
2011 — Tony Bradley of Alton and Cassie Endicott of CM
2010 — Tony Bradley of Alton and Kelsey Harrison of EA-WR
2009 — Ryan Mathews of Alton and Michaela Herrod of Alton
2008 —Ruben Cotto of Alton and Katie Broadway of CM
2007 — Kavon Lacey of Alton and Katie Broadway of CM
2006 — Kavon Lacey of Alton and Katie Broadway of CM
2005 — Lorenzo Taylor of Alton and Emily Best of EA-WR
2004 — Nick Certa of Marquette Catholic and Emily Best of EA-WR
2003 — Nick Certa of Marquette Catholic and Jordan Davis of Roxana
2002 — Travis Williams of EA-WR and Casey Law of CM
2001 — Michael Stockard of Alton and Ashley Russell of EA-WR
2000 — Demarko “Book” Snipes of Alton and Michelle Beiermann of Marquette Catholic
1999 — Demarko "Book" Snipes of Alton and Kendra Snyder of Marquette Catholic
1998 — Tony Certa of Marquette Catholic and DoBee Oros-Moore of Alton
1997 — Marlon Crawford of Alton and Jenni Combes of CM
1996 — Nic Stotler of CM and Angela Payne of Roxana
1995 — Greg McDanel of Roxana and Erica Oge of Marquette Catholic
1994 — Eric Frankford of CM and Amie Gernigan of Marquette Catholic
1993 - Ty Laux of CM
1992 - Brad Bohannon of Marquette Catholic
1991 - Jonathan Denney of CM
1990 - Kevin Caldwell of Alton
1989 - Joe Vann of Alton
1988 - Steve Mason of Marquette Catholic
1987 - Jamie Humphries of CM
1986 - Larry Smith of Alton
1985 - Larry Smith of Alton
1984 - Dale Liley of EA-WR
1983 - Rick Taylor of Alton
1982 - Steve Wooley of EA-WR
1981 - Dan Coddington of EA-WR
1980 - Troy Washpun of Alton
1979 - Jim “Buzz” Logan of EA-WR
1978 - David Goins of Alton
1977 - Brad Scheiter of Alton
1976 - Leroy Stampley of Alton
1975 - Chris Schroeder of Roxana
1974 - Doug Nalley of Alton
1973 - Lafayette Collins of Alton
1972 - Dennis Olston of EA-WR
1971 - Ron Caldwell of Alton
1970 - Dave Taynor of CM
1969 - Mike Jeffries of Alton
1968 - Leon Huff of Alton
1967 - Ricci Stotler of CM
1966 - Jim Bailey of EA-WR
1965 - Terry Brown of EA-WR
1964 - Larry Jeffries of Alton
1963 - Bob Hilgendorf of CM
1962 - Larry Shoemaker of Alton
1961 - Gary Lane of EA-WR
1960 - Karl Doucleff of Western Military Academy
1959 - Jerry Messick of EA-WR
1958 - Mike Hunter of Alton
1957 - Jim Lemon of EA-WR
1956 - Cliff Talley of EA-WR
1955 - Essic Robinson of Alton
1954 -Richard Brown of Roxana
1953 - Dick Harbke of Roxana
1952 - Ron Fisher of EA-WR
1951 - Bob Kuhn of Alton
1950 - Lowell Pettit of EA-WR
1949 - Ron Bedwell of Roxana
1948 - Sam Vinyard of EA-WR
1947 - Bob Caffery of EA-WR
1946 - Dick Erzen of EA-WR
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