Cavaletto graduated from Sesser High School and earned Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in education at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Cavaletto completed his education at Eastern Illinois University where he received his Administrative Endorsement.

Cavaletto began his education and coaching career at Mulberry Grove High School where he taught and coached baseball and boys’ basketball from 1966-68. Cavaletto moved to Mater Dei High School in Breese and spent nine seasons as the Knights basketball coach. During that nine-year run Cavaletto’s teams compiled a 143-106 record, which included four regional championships and a fourth place finish at the 1974 Class AA state tournament.

Cavaletto arrived in Salem for the 1981-82 school year where he began a 12-year stint as the school’s Athletic Director. Besides founding the Salem Sports Hall of Fame, Cavaletto also constructed the Salem Boys Basketball Shoot-out, which attracted some of the top teams in the state to B.E. Gum gymnasium.

Already carrying a heavy workload as Athletic Director and Assistant Principal at the time, Cavaletto returned to coaching as the Wildcats varsity basketball coach from 1990-92 and relinquished his role as Athletic Director a year later to concenrate full-time on administrative duties. Cavaletto retired as SCHS Principal after the 2000-01 school year and was inducted into the Illinois Athletic Directors Hall of Fame in 2002.

After retirement from education Cavaletto sought a second career in politics. While Cavaletto lost the election to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2002 and again in 2006, the third time proved to be the charm when he won election in 2008. He won re-election terms in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. Cavalleto announced he would not seek re-election when his fifth term concluded in 2018.

During his time with the Illinois House of Representatives Cavaletto has served on the Appropriations-Public Safety Committee, the Counties and Townships Committee, the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, the Transportation Committee. Agriculture and Conservation Committee and Cities and Villages Committee. He has served as the Minority Spokesperson for the newly created Special Needs Service Committee and the Small Business Empowerment and Workforce Development Committee.

Hargis carried a heavy athletic workload during his high school days as he participated in baseball, cross country, football, track and basketball. His biggest athletic success came in track where he was a member of Salem’s 4X800 relay team that qualified for state during his 1976 junior season. As a senior in 1977, he qualified for state as an individual in the 880-yard run.

Hargis set the school record in the 880-yard run, now 800 meters, during his senior season. That record held for 22 years until 1999. He was also a member of the 4X800 relay team that established a school record in 1977. That mark would hold for 30 years until it was broken in 2007. He received Salem’s Best Runner Award for the 1977 season.

As a basketball player Hargis earned Salem’s Free Throw Award, Defense Award and team Most Valuable Player Award during his senior season of 1976-77. He took those skills on the hardwood to Kaskaskia College where he played the 1977-78 season for the Blue Devils. Hargis completed his education at Eastern Illinois University.

Upon graduation from college Hargis landed at Centralia Junior High School where at the time of his induction has spent the last 36 years. During that time he has compiled a record of 386-136 record as the school’s boys’ basketball coach. His teams won Class L state championships in 2002, 2005 and 2010. Hargis has also served as cross country and track coach at the school. Also at the time of his induction he was serving as a sixth grade health and physical education instructor at Centralia Junior High School as well as the school’s Athletic Director.

Doug Hargis is the son of SCHS Sports Hall of Famer J.D. Hargis, who was inducted as an individual in 2008.

At the time of her induction, Brimberry had spent 23 seasons on the sideline as the Lady Cougars volleyball coach. Brimberry began her stint in 1994 and during her coaching run she has compiled a record of 547-177, a highly impressive .756 winning percentage. Her teams have compiled 17 20-win seasons, three 30-win seasons, and ten Class A/Class 1A regional championships. Her 2004 team won a school record 34 games, while her 2011 team won the program’s first sectional championship and advanced to the Class 1A Elite Eight. Prior to the school’s move to the National Trail Conference, Brimberry’s teams won nine Midland Trail Conference regular season championships and ten MTC Tournament titles. Only once in those 23 years with Brimberry at the helm has South Central had a losing season.

Brimberry has also been a winner off the court as she overcame a battle with cancer that forced her to miss the 2014 volleyball season. She returned to the court in 2015.

Also during her time at South Central Brimberry has served as head softball coach and assistant girls’ basketball coach.

A 1978 graduate Salem Community High School graduate, Brimberry played volleyball softball and track for the Lady Wildcats. Brimberry was named the Lady Wildcats Most Valuable Player for the 1978 softball season.

Brimberry continued her athletic career and education at Kaskaskia College where she played softball and volleyball for the Blue Angels from 1978-1980. Brimberry completed her education at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

After she completed her education Brimberry returned to Salem Area where she assisted the Salem Recreation Department with multiple sports. It was also in the Salem area where Brimberry began her coaching career at the grade school level as she coached volleyball for three seasons at St. Theresa and two seasons at Selmaville.

Besides her long-time duty as volleyball coach at South Central, Brimberry serves as a special education teacher. She has also served as student council sponsor and FCA sponsor at South Central.

Lux contributed to Salem’s 7-3 record during his sophomore season in 1998, but made his biggest contributions the next two seasons. During his junior season in 1999 Lux was an All-North Egypt Conference First Team selection at running back and was also named the squad’s Most Valuable Player on offense as the Wildcats once again went 7-3. Lux finished his high school career with an even better senior season in 2000 when he was not only once again an All-NEC First Team choice at running back, but also an All-NEC First Team choice at defensive end for a Salem team that finished the season with a 6-4 record. Lux received the Wildcats Team Most Valuable Player Award for the 2000 season.

Besides being a four-year member of the Wildcats football program, Lux also spent four seasons with the SCHS basketball program, two seasons in baseball and two seasons in track.
Lux continued to be a standout on the gridiron when he took his skills to Millikin University at Decatur. Lux played tight end four seasons (2001-04) with the Big Blue and like high school, saved his best season for last. Lux capped off his collegiate career when as a senior in 2004 he was named to the All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin First Team. It was also in that 2004 season when Lux received Millikin’s Blue Helmet Award.

While Lux completed his undergraduate education at Millikin, he attended graduate school at Eastern Illinois University. Lux finished his education at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he got his degree in education specialist.

Lux entered the coaching ranks after he finished college. His first stop was at Mt. Zion High School where he served as a volunteer assistant baseball coach in 2005. Lux spent the 2005-06 school year as the head boys’ basketball coach at Brownstown High School. Lux returned to his high school alma mater in 2006. He served as an assistant football coach with the Wildcats from 2006-14 and as a volunteer football coach since 2015. Lux was freshmen boys’ basketball coach from 2006-10 and served as the SCHS Fellowship of Christian Athletes Huddle Coach from 2007-15.

Lux became assistant principal and athletic director at Franklin Park Middle School in 2015 and moved to the principal position for the 2016-17 school year. Lux was still in that position at the time of his induction in the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Perfection is something all teams strive for, but few achieve. The 1999 Salem Wildcats tennis team under the direction of Coach John Thomas is in that elite group.
The school record for wins in a season set by the 1998 team did not last long as many of the same faces established a new mark one year later with a perfect 31-0 record that included the program’s first-ever North Egypt Conference championship as well as a second straight sectional crown.

Eight of Salem’s regular season wins were matches where the Wildcats did not lose a game. They won five additional matches where they dropped just one game. Their closest margin of victory in any regular season match was 7-2 and that happened only three times. Along the way Salem won the Teutopolis Doubles Tournament and the Carmi Quad Doubles Tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.

Salem’s dominance carried over into the NEC Tournament where the Wildcats did not lose any rounds in any position in both singles and doubles and at the sectional where they qualified six players in four positions for the state tournament

David Dice qualified for state in singles and won his first-round match against Nick Buscaglia of Hinsdale Central 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, but lost to Glenbrook North’s Jeremy Edelson in round two 6-1, 6-1. That setback sent Dice to the consolation bracket, but an injury early in his match against Rock Island Alleman’s Mike Bollsert forced Dice to retire.

Marc Snyder also qualified for state in singles, but lost in the first round to Dane Schmidgall of Peoria Richwoods 6-1, 6-2 and to John Cincola of Rock Island Alleman 6-0, 6-1 in the consolation bracket.

Justin Henke and Alex Bryant advanced to state in doubles where they lost a first-round match to Blake Warner and Rob Tamillo of Mt. Prospect 6-2, 6-2. That setback sent Henke and Bryant to the consolation round where they were eliminated by Jason Winslow and Chris Rakers of Belleville East 6-3, 6-3.

Micah Puricelli and Phillip Squibb also earned a trip to state in doubles where they fell in the first round to Mitch Clark and Tim Taylor of Lake Forest 6-1, 6-2. They were eliminated by Chris Compton and Bryan Rotunno of Warrenville South 6-1, 6-2 in the consolation bracket.
Dice received the squad’s Most Valuable Player Award for the season, while Tyson Stein was named Most Improved.

Salem established a new school record for wins in a season with a record of 27-4. Two of those losses came to Olney, which had an undefeated regular season. One of those setbacks to Olney came at the North Egypt Conference Tournament where the Wildcats finished second. Alex Bryant won the NEC singles championship at the No. 5 position, while Bryant and Justin Henke won the NEC Doubles title at No. 2. Salem’s other defeats came at the hands of Teutopolis and Charleston. During its regular season run the Wildcats posted a perfect 3-0 record as it won the Carmi Quad Doubles Tournament. The Wildcats did not lose a game in three of their wins and lost just once in four of their victories.

Salem achieved its other piece of history when it edged Highland 14-13 for its first-ever sectional championship in boys’ tennis. Six Wildcats qualified for state as Aaron Duke and Rob Marsh advanced in singles, while the doubles teams of David Dice and Marc Snyder along with Bryant and Henke also qualified.

Duke lost in the first round at state of Jason Bock of Ottawa 6-1, 6-1 and was eliminated in the first round of the consolation bracket by Blake Schneider of Belleville East 6-0, 6-1.
Marsh fell in the first round at state to Anand Patel of Hoffman Estates 6-1, 6-1 and was eliminated in the first round of the consolation bracket by Jack Carey of Champaign Central 6-2, 6-4.

Dice and Snyder lost their first-round match at state to John Dumpys and Adam Koren of Oak Park 6-0, 6-2 and were eliminated in the consolation bracket first round by Brian Flood and Evan Dixon of Champaign Central 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4).

Bryant and Henke lost in the first round at state to Justin Conley and T.J. Schaeffer of Belleville East 6-1, 6-1 and were eliminated in the consolation bracket with a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Aurora West’s duo of Casey Hartman and Avaneesh Marwaha.

Marsh received the team’s Most Valuable Player Award, while Snyder was named Most Improved.