Led by a core group of sophomores with some talented upperclassmen mixed in, the 1996 Salem Lady Wildcats volleyball team began a three-year run that saw the program go 89-15. The 1997 and 1998 teams were previous selections for the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Under the direction of Coach Suzanne Henry-Brown, the 1996 squad started that stretch of success with a 26-7 overall record that included a perfect 7-0 record en route to the North Egypt Conference championship. The Lady Wildcats dropped just one set in league play. It also included the championship of the Class AA Salem Regional and advancement to the championship game of the Belleville East Sectional.

Salem cruised through most of the regular season. The Lady Wildcats sported a 22-3 record before they dropped three straight with setbacks to Kansas and Shelbyville in the final two games of the Edwards County Tournament followed by a match against Centralia. Salem snapped its late-season slide in the regular season finale with a hard-fought 15-11, 15-13 victory over Fairfield that clinched the NEC championship.

The Lady Wildcats successfully defended their home floor during the regional as they rolled past Mt. Vernon in the semifinals 15-3, 15-0 followed by a 15-7, 6-15, 15-9 win against Centralia in the championship match that avenged that late-season loss to the Annies. Salem extended its season when it knocked off Granite City 15-6, 15-10 in the opening round of sectional play. A powerful Belleville West squad ended the Lady Wildcats postseason run with a 15-2, 15-4 verdict in the title match.

Audrey Husk won the first of her three straight NEC Most Valuable Player Awards, while Trisha Hustedde joined her on the First Team. Husk and Hustedde were also Class AA All-South selections. Malissa Finney was an NEC Second Team choice and Marissa Tolliver was Honorable Mention. Emily Steavens received the squad’s Best Defense Award and Chandra Hensley was Most Improved.

Front Row: Emily Lloyd, Melissa Cochran, Carrie Stremstafer, Erin Luallen, SarahBeth Ferrell.
2nd Row: Sundari Suppiah, Tina McCullum, Bethany Meyer, Kelly Harris, Heather Wilson, Jennifer Brewer.
3rd Row: Coach Brad Steig, Emily Nattier, Jennifer Wooters, Beth McNally, Jamie Githens, Jackie Armbrust, Erika Howard

Brad Stieg coached the Salem Lady Wildcats tennis program only one season, but that 1997 campaign was a historic one. Not only did the squad capture its first sectional championship, but it became the first girls’ tennis team in school history to be inducted into the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Stieg inherited the team after Bernie Bryant had coached the program the previous five seasons. Bryant would return to his previous position in 1998.

Salem compiled a 29-9 record for the season, which included the championship of the Carmi Quad Doubles Tournament. While winning that event was the highlight of the regular season, the Lady Wildcats postseason aspirations took a big blow when they only finished fourth out of six teams at the North Egypt Conference Meet.

Salem saved its best performance for the Olney Sectional as it tallied an event-high 24 points. That was six more than runner-up Flora’s 18.

Junior Bethany Meyer and freshman Sundari Suppiah led the Lady Wildcats postseason charge and earned state berths in singles competition. Meyer’s state berth was her second in as many seasons as she finished second overall. Suppiah punched her ticket with a fourth place effort.

On the doubles side the team of Heather Wilson and Jennifer Wooters got a first-round bye and a second-round win before falling in the semifinals. The other doubles team of Erika Howard and Jennifer Brewer contributed a first-round win before they lost in the second round.

Meyer and Suppiah lost their only singles match at state as inclement weather reduced play from double to single-elimination.

It took some time for Bryant to build up the program. That success started to arrive in 1997 when the Lady Wildcats won their first sectional championship. Ironically that was year Bryant stepped away from coaching, but nearly all of those players had played for Bryant in previous seasons and in summer competition.
Under Bryant’s direction Salem won its first North Egypt Conference championship in 2002, which happened to be the league’s final year of existence. The Lady Wildcats won another conference title the following season during its first year of competition in the Apollo Conference. Besides its championship in 2003 Salem won Apollo Conference titles again in 2005, 2007 and 2008. While Bryant missed out on Salem’s first sectional championship, the Lady Wildcats won three straight under his direction during the 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons.

Besides the team’s success Bryant coached 26 players who qualified for state competition, 12 in singles and 14 in doubles from seven doubles teams. Two of Bryant’s players went on to play at Division I level, two more at the Division II level and several at the junior college level.

Bryant along with his wife, Linda, helped develop most of the high school players during the summer when he coached area youth in the United States Tennis Association. Among those players included his daughter Adrienne and sons Alex and Ethan. All three made significant contributions to the girls and boys tennis program at Salem Community High School. Bryant served as president of the Southern Illinois Tennis Association.

Bryant, who graduated from Olney High School, Olney Central College and Eastern Illinois University, taught at SCHS 33 years. After retiring from teaching the Bryants have relocated to Jonesboro, Arkansas.

The 2000 graduate provided a sign of things to come during her sophomore season when she received the program’s Most Improved Player Award. By the time she became a senior she had elevated her game and was a Southern Illinois Coaches Association All-South selection as well as team Most Valuable Player.

Greer, who spent two seasons with the Lady Wildcats basketball program, was a four-year participant for the girls track program. As a senior she received the track program’s Most Improved Player and B.E. Gum Awards. 

During her time at SCHS Greer was a member of the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the SCHS Female Scholar/Athlete of the Year for the 1999-2000 school year awarded by the Salem Times-Commoner.

Greer received a full-ride scholarship at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where she took her golf game to new heights. During the 2002 campaign Greer became SIU-E’s first Great Lakes Valley Conference individual champion and was named GLVC Player of the Year. She was also a All-GLVC selection in 2003. During her time at the school Greer served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Greer has used her education towards a highly successful career with Aflac. During her time with the company she became the youngest female State Sales Coordinator in Aflac history when she was promoted to that position in 2013 for the state of Iowa. At the time of her induction into the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame Greer was serving as Aflac Sales Training Consultant.

Greer currently resides in Chattanooga with her husband, Ethan, and children Maxwell and Meyer.

Mosbarger set the first of her two individual records as a junior in 1994 during a meet at Olney as she set a new mark in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.4. It also the very first time she had competed in that event. Mosbarger established her second individual school record as a senior in 1995 when she posted a time of 26.0 in the 200-meter dash.

Besides her two records set outside, Mosbarger also broke the school record in the 200-meter dash during indoor competition in 1994 with a time of 27.9. 

It was as a member of the 800-meter medley relay team where Mosbarger enjoyed her biggest accomplishment. During the 1994 postseason Mosbarger teamed up with Angie Burroughs, Julie Bierman and Serra Morton and earned an eighth place finish at the Class AA state meet with a school record-setting time of 1:49.6. That relay team has also been inducted into the Salem Sports Hall of Fame.

Mosbarger’s first school record came as a sophomore in 1993. She, along with Bierman, Morton and Erika Bryant, teamed up for a school record time of 4:05.2 in the 1600-meter relay.

Another relay mark fell in 1995 in the 800-meter relay as Mosbarger, Morton and Lori Huston posted a time of 1:47.0. It was also the 800 relay where Mosbarger helped set another record. This one was during indoor competition as she joined Huston, Morton and Stacey Easley and notched a time of 1:55.2.

Mosbarger, who also competed in cross country during high school, tried to continue her track career at Eastern Illinois University. That attempt ended her freshman season when she developed shin splints. Mosbarger was able to earn a BS degree in family and consumer science.

At the time of her Hall of Fame induction Mosbarger resided in Salem with her husband, Ivan, and son, Mays.

Front Row: Assistant Coach: Ziggy Tkaczenko, Stephen Bryant, Alex Henseler, Cole Piper
Second Row: Stephen Riley, Caleb Branch, Chase Smith, Keith Bumgarner, Coach Steve Ludwig, Cy Fogliasso

The 2008 Salem Wildcats bowling team continued to establish itself as one of the top programs in the state as it won its third state trophy in four seasons. While the Wildcats were unable to defend the state championship they won the previous season, Salem came away with an impressive second place finish.

After the Wildcats posted a solid 10-2 record during the regular season, Coach Steve Ludwig’s crew began its postseason march with a dominant performance at the Herrin Sectional where they took home the team title with a 183-pin margin of victory over runner-up Herrin. Salem, which compiled a winning team score of 6,286 pins, was led by individual champion Alex Henseler as the senior knocked down 1,419. Junior Chase Smith also played a key role in the 2nd placefinish as he finished fourth overall with 1,313 pins. The Wildcats also received contributions of 1,263 pins from junior Stephen Bryant, 1,176 pins from senior Keith Bumgarner, 936 pins from senior Steve Riley and 139 pins from sophomore Cy Fogliasso.

Salem made a strong bid to make it back-to-back state championships. The Wildcats were in first place after the initial day of competition as they led the field by 124 pins. However, a strong second day run by Freeport denied that opportunity as Salem finished 121 pins behind the state champions with a final team score of 12,817.

While the Wildcats were unable to take home the team state championship, Henseler secured the individual state crown with a total of 2,963 pins. Bumgarner filled the No. 2 position for the squad at state as he finished 25th overall at 2,560. Chase Smith was 28th at 2,550 and Bryant was 43rd at 2,494. Other contributors at state for Salem were Riley with 1,661 pins, junior Cole Piper with 237, senior Caleb Branch with 195 and Fogliasso with 157.

Alex Henseler was part of a lot of firsts for the Salem Wildcats bowling program. One of those firsts is being the first individual from the program to be selected for induction into the Salem High Sports Hall of Fame.

A 2008 graduate of SCHS, Henseler helped the Wildcats reach the state finals four straight years. Three of those years Henseler earned top ten state medals.

As a freshman in the 2005 season Henseler helped the Wildcats win their first sectional championship when they claimed the title at Herrin. Henseler was just the No. 5 bowler for Salem in that sectional performance with a score of 905, but came up big with a sixth-place individual finish at the state competition with a two-day series total of 2,620 pins. That performance helped Salem take home a third-place state trophy.

Henseler and the Wildcats earned another trip to state in 2006. Salem was sectional runner-up as a team and Henseler was third individually with a two-round series of 1,283. The sophomore and the team slipped at the state meet. The Wildcats finished 11th as a team and Henseler was 56th as an individual with a two-day total of 2,457.

Both Henseler and the Wildcats turned the corner in 2007. Salem won its second sectional team championship in three seasons and Henseler was a key contributor to that title with a round of 1,255 pins. The following week Salem claimed its first state bowling team championship and Henseler finished second in the individual competition with a total of 2,823.

Henseler saved his best for last as a Wildcat for his senior season in 2008. Henseler won the Herrin Sectional individual championship with his performance of 1,459 pins as Salem won its third sectional team crown in four seasons. Henseler closed out his high school career by winning the individual state championship and his two-day total of 2,963 pins was 144 more than his closest competitor. While Salem was unable to defend its state title from the previous season, Henseler’s performance helped the squad to a state runner-up finish.

During his time with the program Henseler set school and state records with a perfect game of 300 and high series at 822 although both of those marks have since been equaled.
Henseler went on to continue his bowling career at McKendree University. Henseler helped the Bearcats to a top 12 finish at the national meet in 2010.

At the time of his induction into the Salem High Sports Hall of Fame Henseler resided in Salem and was a truck driver for XPO Logistics.

Bruce Hixon’s 35 years in sports media included an 11-year stint as sports editor of the Salem Times-Commoner. Hixon began his sports tenure in 1985 at just 17 years of age as a contributing writer at the Olney Daily Mail before being promoted to sports editor in 1990. Hixon made the move to the Salem T-C in 1992 and began his coverage of Salem Wildcats athletics, a position that also included the sports scene at South Central, Patoka, Sandoval and Odin High Schools along with the junior high sports scene.

Hixon spent 13 years as the North Egypt Conference Sportswriters Association information director and statistician, a position he was appointed to while he was at Olney and maintained until the NEC’s closure at the end of the 2002-03 school year. During Hixon’s time at Salem he created the 75th season all-time team for the Salem Wildcats football program in 1999. Members of that squad were recognized prior to the team’s home contest against Mt. Carmel that year. Hixon selected and directed the Salem T-C’s annual Scholar/Athlete program. He also selected an annual Male and Female Athlete of the Year as well as all-area teams for volleyball, girls and boys basketball. Hixon had two stints that covered 21 years as a member of the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame committee where he assisted with nominations, research, write-ups and inductee presentations.

Hixon began a four-year stint as sports editor at the Brewton Standard in Alabama in the fall of 2003 before he returned to Illinois in 2007 when he began an eight-year run as sports editor at the Carlyle Union Banner. Hixon became a freelancer in 2015 when he became a contributing writer for the Breese Journal as well as a photographer for Kaskaskia College and WJBD Radio. Hixon was forced off the sports scene in 2020 when the COVID-19 epidemic shut down area sporting events.

During his time in the newspaper business Hixon twice took first place for best sports section among bi-weekly newspapers by the Southern Illinois Press Association and received the same honor from the Alabama Press Association. Hixon also received multiple awards from the Illinois Press Association for sports section, sports column, sports story and sports photography. Hixon was selected as the Kaskaskia Division of the Illinois Principals Association Media Person of the Year in 2015.

Hixon was working at Carlyle Walmart at the time of his induction into the Salem Sports Hall of Fame. He resides in Carlyle with wife Tami and his two children, Carson and Amy Hixon.

Whether it was as a player, an assistant coach or a head coach, Jim Koehler was a part of Salem Community High School athletics in five different decades.

A 1966 graduate of SCHS, Koehler was a member of the 1965 Wildcats football team that went 8-1 and won the North Egypt Conference championship. Koehler was a four-year member of the Wildcats football and baseball programs while he was a student at the school.

Koehler returned to his alma mater in 1976 as a world history teacher, a position he held for the next 27 years. A year later he began an eight-year run as the Lady Wildcats basketball coach, a program that was still in its infancy and had just two previous seasons of competition. Under Koehler’s direction Salem won back-to-back North Egypt Conference championships in 1978-79 and 1979-80. His 1978-79 squad had an undefeated regular season of 23-0 and finished 24-1 overall. The 24 wins stood as the school record for 20 years. Koehler had an overall record of 103-84.

Koehler had two stints as the Lady Wildcats softball coach, 1979 and 1985-91. His 1979 squad won the NEC championship, a district title and advanced to the sectional championship game where The Lady Wildcats lost to Cahokia. Salem won a regional championship when Koehler returned to the program in 1985 and added another NEC crown to his resume in 1989. That season the Lady Wildcats had a perfect conference season and also won the NEC Conference Tournament.

Koehler served as a varsity assistant and freshmen football coach from 1991-2002. During his time with the program Salem won NEC co-championships in 1992 and 1993 along with an outright crown in 1997. Koehler was also a part of eight Salem football playoff teams.

Besides what he accomplished in athletics, Koehler was involved with the SCHS Prom and began the tradition of announcing the arrival of the Prom attendees. He also helped sponsor Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

At the time of his induction into the Salem High Sports Hall of Fame, Koehler resides in Salem with his wife, Angie.

A three-sport athlete during his time at Salem Community High School, 2007 graduate Justin Helpingstine made his biggest impact in track and field. Helpingstine set four school marks in the 800-meter run, all of which he still held at the time of his induction into the Salem Sports Hall of Fame. They included the freshmen time of 2:03.7, the sophomore time of 1:59.2, the indoor mark at 1:57.64 and the varsity outdoor record of 1:53.5. He was also part of three varsity relay records, which included times of 3:22.5 in the 1600-meter relay, 7:56.1 in the 3200-meter relay and 3:37.7 in the sprint medley relay.

Helpingstine advanced to the Class AA state meet as a junior in the 800 meters when he met the state qualifying time with his third-place mark at the Marion Sectional at 1:56.2. He was also a member of the 1600-meter relay team that advanced to state and included Corey Hopkins, Chris Williams and Grant Reed. That foursome was second at the sectional at 3:24.5.
As a senior in 2007 Helpingstine earned a return trip to state in the 800 meters when he won the Belleville East Sectional with a time of 1:56.2. Helpingstine along with Adam Wilkins, Wes Villalobos and Kory Pruden also won a sectional title and earned a state berth in the 3200-meter relay with a school record time performance of 7:56.1. Helpingstine closed out his high school career with a strong showing at state when he finished third in the 800 meters at 1:54.4.

Besides his accomplishments on the track, Helpingstine also had a solid cross-country career with the Wildcats as he was a three-time member of the Southern Illinois Coaches Association All-South Team for Class AA. Helpingstine took home the team Most Valuable Player Award in both cross country and track as a senior. Helpingstine was also a two-year member of the Salem boys basketball team in high school before he shifted his full focus towards running.

Helpingstine continued his track career for two more seasons at the collegiate level at Eastern Illinois University. During his time with the Panthers he helped set the school varsity 3200-meter relay record. He was also a member of 3200-meter and distance medley relay freshmen records.

During his freshmen season at EIU he was fifth in the 800 meters at the Ohio Valley Conference Meet followed by a sixth-place finish in the 1500 meters as a sophomore. Helpingstine was sixth in the 800 at the 2008 OVC Indoor Meet and was a member of EIU’s runner-up distance medley relay at the 2009 OVC Indoor Meet.

One of Helpingstine’s biggest honors at EIU came in the classroom as he received the OVC Academic Medal of Honor, which is given annually to the student-athlete who achieves the highest grade point average in a conference-sponsored sport.

After two years at EIU Helpingstine concluded his education at the University of Illinois when he received a Bachelor and Master’s Degrees in civil engineering.
At the time of his induction into the Salem High Sports Hall of Fame Helpingstine resided in Summerville, South Carolina where he served as a structural engineer.