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This page was last updated on Sunday, August 03, 2008.


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NOTES FROM THE PRESSBOX BY FRANK McCULLOUGH

THE ILLINI GUY

 

LOCAL SPORTS

WE'LL PUBLISH THE REST OF THE HISTORY OF GIBSON CITY v. PAXTON FOOTBALL NEXT WEEK!



GIBSON CITY SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE'S NAMED -- (8-01-2008)

At a recent meeting, the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School Sports Hall of Fame Committee selected the following for induction October 3rd at the GCMS Homecoming football game:

1957 Gibson City Greyhound Football Team 

Coached by Bill Gross, the varsity Greyhounds were undefeated at 10-0.

Lisa Noble - Gibson City High School Class of 1993

Four-year letter winner in basketball and tennis.  Tennis Captain her Junior and Senior seasons at Gibson City.  Scholarship to Western Illinois University. 

Steve Mueller - Melvin-Sibley Class of 1983

Earned 13 Varsity Letters for the Rams.  Averaged 21.6 points-per-game as a Junior.  Went on to play basketball and football at Eureka College.


THE HISTORY OF GIBSON CITY-PAXTON FOOTBALL -- by Tom Benefiel (7-27-08)

OUR THANKS TO GCMS HEAD BASKETBALL COACH RYAN TOMPKINS FOR COMPILING THE STATISTICS

The 2008 season marks the 87th consecutive year a football team from Gibson City and Paxton have played (including the Greyhounds' 1957 forfeit win).  The rivalry has been going on consecutively since the 1922 season, but was first played before the turn of the 20th century.

There have been at least 118 meetings (116 regular season, two IHSA playoffs) between the two teams since 1910.  For many of the pre-World War II seasons, Drummer High and Paxton High played two games.  Some years one game was on Armistice (November 11th) Day, the other held on Thanksgiving.  In later years there would be an earlier meeting with the second game coming on Armistice Day.  Both schools did this one last time after the war was over in 1945.

School names have evolved over the years.  While known originally as Gibson High until 1910, the Greyhounds became Drummer Township High School from 1911 until rural school consolidation changed the name to Gibson City High School in 1948.  The current consolidation with Melvin-Sibley precipitated a change to the GCMS Falcons in 1993.

Paxton High School and their Mustangs mascot would endure during the entire series until 1990 when they became the Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers.

Until changes in class size and conference participation separated the schools, the "big game" of the year was a meeting of both football teams at the end of the season.

 FOR SIMPLIFICATION SCHOOLS ARE REFERRED TO AS GIBSON CITY OR PAXTON

OVERALL WINS

58 - PAXTON / 53 - GIBSON CITY / 7 TIES (4 SCORELESS TIES)

MOST POINTS SCORED IN A GAME

66 - GIBSON CITY - 1937
MOST POINTS SCORED IN A LOSS
27 - GIBSON CITY - 1993
SHUTOUT VICTORIES
26 - GIBSON CITY / 19 - PAXTON
WINNING STREAKS
10 - PAXTON (1977-85) / 9 - PAXTON (1992-99)
7 - GIBSON CITY (1930-33) / 6 - GIBSON CITY (1940-45)
DOMINANT PERIODS
30-5 - PAXTON (1972-99)
24-5 - GIBSON CITY (1940-66)

2008-09 ENROLLMENTS AND CLASSES ANNOUNCED BY IHSA -- by Tom Benefiel (7-18-08)

The Illinois High School Association has released their class breakdowns for the next calendar school year.

CLASS

PERCENTAGE

# OF SCHOOLS

ENROLLMENT NUMBERS

TWO-CLASS SYSTEM

A 55.55 426 0-754
AA 44.44 340 754.01-up
THREE-CLASS SYSTEM
1A 55.55 426 0-754
2A 22.22 170 754.01-1652
3A 22.22 170 1652.01-up
FOUR-CLASS SYSTEM
1A 33.33 256 0-345
2A 22.22 170 345.01-754
3A 22.22 170 754.01-1652
4A 22.22 170 1652.01-up

ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION SETS FOOTBALL ENROLLMENT GUIDELINES -- by Tom Benefiel (7-4-08)

These are the "football enrollments" and tentative football classes for the 2008 football season as set by the Illinois High School Association for the Heart of Illinois Conference.

These classifications are not final but are provided as a reference for coaches, players, and fans to use throughout the season.  The final classes are not determined until the last day of the season when the 256-team playoff field is set.

The Falcons' only non-conference opponent, Paxton-Buckley-Loda has a football enrollment of 491 students and is listed as a Class 3A school.

SCHOOL

CLASS

ENROLLMENT

RIDGEVIEW 1A 194
LEXINGTON 1A 198
LeROY 1A 203
FISHER 1A 223
HEYWORTH 1A 264
BLUE RIDGE 1A 274
DEER CREEK-MACKINAW 1A 316
GIBSON CITY-MELVIN-SIBLEY 2A 320
TRI-VALLEY 2A 325
TREMONT 2A 336
FLANAGAN-CORNELL-WOODLAND 2A 369
FIELDCREST 2A 375
EL PASO-GRIDLEY 2A 386

IHSA ANNOUNCES 2008 FOOTBALL SCHEDULES -- by Tom Benefiel (6-27-08)

DATE

OPPONENT

WHERE
August 29th Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers A
September 5th Lexington Minutemen H
September 12th Tri-Valley Vikings A
September 19th LeRoy Panthers A
September 26th Ridgeview Mustangs H
October 3rd Deer Creek-Mackinaw Chiefs H
October 10th Fieldcrest Knights A
October 17th El Paso-Gridley Comets H
October 24th Fisher Bunnies A

DATE

OPPONENT

WHERE
August 29th Fieldcrest Knights H
September 5th Tremont Turks A
September 12th Blue Ridge Knights A
September 19th Lexington Minutemen H
September 26th Tri-Valley Knights H
October 3rd El Paso-Gridley Comets A
October 10th Deer Creek-Mackinaw Chiefs H
October 18th Taylor Ridge Rockridge H
October 24th GCMS Falcons H

DATE

OPPONENT

WHERE
August 29th Lexington Minutemen A
September 5th Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland Falcons H
September 12th Deer Creek-Mackinaw Chiefs H
September 19th Iroquois West Raiders A
September 26th GCMS Falcons A
October 3rd Fieldcrest Knights H
October 10th LeRoy Panthers H
October 17th Tri-Valley Vikings A
October 24th Heyworth Hornets A

CLICK ON EACH SCHOOL'S LOGO FOR IHSA INFORMATION

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Falcons Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers Tri-Valley Vikings LeRoy Panthers Flanagan Falcons

Deer Creek-Mackinaw Chiefs Ridgeview Mustangs Fieldcrest Knights El Paso-Gridley Titans Fisher Bunnies

MAP OF HEART OF ILLINOIS CONFERENCE MEMBERS


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