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.

Corey Hopkins earned his ticket to the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame by being one of the best jumpers the school has ever produced. At the time of his induction the 2006 graduate held or was part of four outdoor track and field varsity records, one indoor record and two underclassmen marks. Hopkins put his name in the record book the first time in 2003 when he set the freshmen school record in the High Jump with a mark of 6-0. A year later as a sophomore Hopkins struck again when he established a new sophomore record in the triple jump with a leap of 43-5.

As a junior in 2005 Hopkins established his first outdoor varsity record when he went 23-2 in the long jump. It was also the long jump that earned Hopkins a trip to the Class AA state meet as he met the state qualifying mark with his third-place finish at the Marion Sectional when he went 22-6 1/2. He capped off his stellar season with a third-place finish at the Class AA state with a mark of 22-5 3/4. His performances for the season helped land Hopkins the team Most Valuable Player Award.

Hopkins finished his Salem career with a tremendous senior season. It began when he set a new school indoor record in the long jump with a mark of 22-3. He followed that with a new outdoor school record in the triple jump when he went 46-3. Hopkins was also part of two school record relay teams in 2006. He teamed up with Justin Helpingstine, Chris Williams and Grant Reed for a new standard of 3:22.50 in the 1600-meter relay. He also joined Reed, Helpingstine and T.C. Hargis for a school record time of 3:37.7 in the sprint medley relay.

Hopkins, who shared the team MVP with Reed for the 2006 season, earned a return trip to the Class AA state meet. This time he advanced in two events as he met state qualifying marks with a third-place leap of 22-9 in the long jump and 45-7 1/2 in the triple jump. Hopkins ended his high school career with another state medal as he was sixth in the triple jump at 46-3 to go along with a 12th place finish in the long jump at 22-0.

Hopkins went on to compete in track and field at the collegiate level at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he posted a fourth-place finish at the 2008 Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Meet in the long jump with a mark of 21-10 1/4.

At the time of his induction into the Salem High Sports Hall of Fame Hopkins was residing in Maryland Heights, Missouri where he was working as a senior robotic surgical specialist.

Grant Reed, a 2006 Salem Community High School graduate, was a multi-state medalist for the Salem Wildcats track team as well as the owner of multiple school records. Reed put his name in the record book for the first time in 2004 when he established a new sophomore school mark in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles with a time of 40.7. It was his senior season in 2006 when Reed made his biggest impact. It began with a new school indoor record in the 55-meter high hurdles with a time of 7.6.

When the scene shifted outdoors Reed established new school marks in the 110-meter high hurdles at 14.1 and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles at 38.7. Reed was also part of two school relay record teams. He completed the foursome of Corey Hopkins, Chris Williams and Justin Helpingstine when they posted a time of 3:22.50 in the 1600-meter relay. It was Reed, Hopkins, Helpingstine and T.C. Hargis that posted a new school mark in the sprint medley relay with a time of 3:37.7.

Reed, who claimed the Apollo Conference championship in the 300 intermediate hurdles as a senior, qualified for the Class AA state meet in both hurdle races at the Marion Sectional. Reed advanced as the champion in the 300-intermediate race with a time of 38.7 and as a runner-up in the 110-meter highs at 14.2.

The highlights did not stop there as Reed advanced to the finals in both events at state and took home eighth place finishes in each of his races as he had times of 15.04 in the 110 highs and 39.4 in the 300 intermediates.

Reed, who shared the Wildcats Team Most Valuable Player Award with Hopkins, would continue his track career in college as he attended Rend Lake College and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

At the time of his induction into the Salem High Sports Hall of Fame Reed resided in Salem and was a PLC Programmer.

There were few who could keep up with Anthony Jett during his time with the Salem Wildcats track program. The 1995 Salem Community High School graduate claimed six individual North Egypt Conference championships. That list began during Jett’s sophomore season in 1993 when he claimed the NEC 400-meter crown. Jett defended that NEC title in the 400 meters as a junior in 1994 and also added a first place finish in the 100-meter dash to his resume. Jett became a three-event NEC champion during his senior season in 1995 as he posted victories in the 100-meter dash with a time of :11.0, the 200 meters at :22.6 and his third 400-meter championship at :50.2.

It was not just the North Egypt Conference where Jett dominated the sprints. Jett was a two-time individual qualifier for the Class AA state meet. The first occasion came during his sophomore season in 1993 when he qualified in the 400-meter dash with a runner-up finish at the sectional in a time of :50.9. Jett earned a return trip to state in the 400 meters as a senior in 1995 when he won the sectional championship with a school record time of :49.5.

Besides his varsity school record in the 400 meters, at the time of his Hall of Fame induction Jett held the school freshman record for the 200-meter dash with a time of :23.6 and the 400-meter dash at :51.9. He also owned the sophomore school record in the 400 meters at :50.7 along with school indoor records for the 200-meter dash at :23.7 and the 300-meter dash at :33.5.
Salem won NEC team championships all four years with Jett in its track program.

While Jett also participated in cross country and basketball during his time at SCHS, it would be track that would be Jett’s ticket to the collegiate level as he competed the next four season with the Murray State University Racers. While Jett remained in the sprints at Murray State, he was inserted into the hurdles competition. Despite being a novice at the hurdles, by the time Jett finished his time in college he was less than one second off the school record in the 400-meter hurdles.

After graduation Jett worked nearly 20 years as a construction manager of health care facilities from Alaska to Florida before he returned to school to pursue a Masters Degree in cybersecurity.

Ryan Boyles provided some big moments for himself and the Wildcats track and cross country programs during his time at Salem Community High School. That ability and success would later continue on at the college level.

A 1996 graduate of SCHS, Boyles began to make a name for himself on the track during his sophomore season in 1994 when he won the North Egypt Conference championship in the 3200 meters with a time of 10:03. Later that season Boyles earned a ticket to the Class AA state meet in the 1600 meters with a runner-up finish at the sectional in a time of 4:35. Boyles added an NEC championship in the 800 meters during his junior season in 1995 as well as a runner-up finish in the 1600 meters to SCHS Hall of Famer Chris Owen. The same scenario repeated itself during Boyles’ senior season in 1996 when he once again won the NEC 800 meters and was second to Owen in the 1600 meters. Boyles, who won Salem’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1996, earned a return trip to the AA state meet in the 1600 meters with a sectional championship time of 4:31.

Boyles was a key contributor to the 1993, 1994 and 1995 Salem cross country teams that reached the Class AA state meet. He ran No. 6 and finished 151st at the 1993 state meet where Salem finished 21st as a team. A year later Boyles jumped all the way into the No. 1 spot for the Wildcats at the state meet where he finished 40th as an individual and Salem was 20th as a team. During the 1995 postseason run Boyles ran No. 2 for the Wildcats and 88th overall at the state race as Salem improved its team position to 16th. (more…)

One of the best distance runners Salem Community High School has ever produced, 1993 graduate Travis Fredericks concluded his high school career with the Wildcats at the Class AA state meet in both track and cross country.

Fredericks was selected to the Southern Illinois Coaches Association All-South Team three straight years beginning with his sophomore season in 1990 followed by return berths in 1991 and 1992. Fredericks also received Salem’s team Most Valuable Player Award in each of those three seasons. Fredericks had to settle for a runner-up finish at the North Egypt Conference Meet held at Salem’s Bryan Park during his senior season in 1992. That setback came to Jason Zieren of Carmi, who later went on to win the Class A state championship and starred at the University of Illinois.

Fredericks led Salem to a Class AA regional championship by winning the individual title with a time of 16:41. While the Wildcats were unable to advance to state as a team, a seventh place finish by Fredericks at the sectional race in a time of 15:47 earned him a trip to the state race as an individual. Fredericks was 54th at state with a time of 15:42. (more…)