ABV All-South Teams
Henshaw, Smithpeters, Drone earn "POY" awards
Coaches' Smithpeters, Patton get the ABV mentor honors

03-27-13
BY JACK BULLOCK
The Harrisburg Bulldogs were clearly the top team in Southern Illinois and therefore they deserve some postseason awards from ABV.

The ones from this web publication are as follows.

The top two players and the top coach in Class 2A reside with the state-champions.

Capel Henshaw and Tyler Smithpeters have been playing basketball since grade school and they carried on with an outstanding run on the high school hardwood in the past four seasons.

The success began in grade school where the two were on a SIJHSAA Class L state championship team in eighth grade back in 2008-09.

The tandem continued their success all through high school.

With Henshaw and Smithpeters on the roster, the Bulldogs won four-consecutive regional championships.

They took one step up the ladder in each of the next two seasons; winning a sectional game in 2011 then winning a sectional championship in 2012 before rolling to a state championship in 2013.

Henshaw finished as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,884-points while Smithpeters finished with 1.641-points.

Tyler's numbers were a bit better this season as he led the team with a 16.4 points per game average, including a big post season run. He had 25-points in the supersectional win over Teutopolis and 23-points in the title game win over Seton Academy.

When Smithpeters wasn't scoring he was dishing assists as this 6-foot-4 senior averaged nearly five a game.

Henshaw, a 6-foot-3 senior, averaged 14.8 p.p.g. and led Harrisburg in rebounding with over seven a contest.

Between these two, Coach Randy Smithpeters received over 1,000-points this season in their quest for a state championship, which ended with a 50-44 win and a 34-1 final mark.

The ABV 2A “Player's of the Year” are Henshaw and Smithpeters in the Deep South.

Coach Randy Smithpeters has quietly won a lot of games in the athletic-rich school in Saline County.

The Bulldogs run this season was a culmination of a long journey that began with a toughening up of the non-conference schedule in the past four seasons and setting very high goals.

Coach Smithpeters put together this game plan and stuck to it, despite seeing his team suffer some losses during that run.

It is one thing to have a lot of talent to work with. But it takes the right attitude and teaching to make it all work.

Coach Smithpeters, by far, earned this ABV 2A “Coach of the Year” award for the Deep South.

Andrew Drone has been a starter for the 1A Gallatin County Hawks since he was a freshman and each year he got stronger and better.

At 7-feet tall, Drone stands out in a crowd. In the Southern Illinois basketball circles, he stood even taller.

Behind his scoring and rebounding, the Hawks advanced to the 1A Carbondale Supersectional where they lost an overtime decision to Nokomis.

However this shouldn't dampen the outstanding season that everyone in Gallatin County had.

Drone numbers were something else in 2012-13 and the career stats were also astonishing.

The Rice University signee scored 24.4 points a night as a senior, leading the Hawks to a 27-4 record, a school record number of wins in a season.

He averaged 6.8 rebounds a game, a number that probably would have been higher if he didn't have a lot of help from 6-foot-6 senior forward Patrick Lowe, also an ABV 1A Deep South first-team pick.

For his four seasons in Gallatin County, Andrew scored 2,459-points, a school record, and hauled in 712-rebounds.

His freshman season they reached a regional title game, losing to rival Carrier Mills.

They wouldn't lose another regional championship contest again, taking home three straight between 2011-13.

In 2011 the Hawks flew past Hardin County to win their first regional in the school's boy's basketball history.

They followed that season up with another regional championship in 2012.

Each of those wins, however, were followed by crushing defeats at the hands of Mounds Meridian. Once at Norris City-Omaha-Enfield and again on the Hawks home floor.

With those stinging defeats fresh in their minds, Gallatin County was on a mission in 2012-13.

The Hawks only suffered three defeats in the regular season, losing to Harrisburg twice in two tournament games (Harrisburg Invitational, Eldorado Holiday Tournament) and a shootout loss at Nashville against the host Hornets. Both teams are 2A.

But the Hawks saved their best run of the season for February. Gallatin won its regional and then outlasted Steeleville to win its sectional semifinal at Hardin County.

Then it was the ultimate revenge as Coach Robert “Radar” Patton's club defeated Meridian, 75-58, for a second time in the season (Eldorado Holiday Tournament semifinals).

Coach Patton had his troops eyeballing the big prize this season and but its goal of reaching Peoria fell just a bit short.

Nevertheless the job that he did, getting all of the kids in the program to buy into the system and understanding each of their rolls should not be overlooked.

They beat nearly everyone that they faced in 2012-13 and they were about two minutes away from a regulation win in the supersectional before foul trouble and a defensive effort from Nokomis eventually wore down the Hawks.

Coach Robert “Radar” Patton is the ABV 1A “Coach of the Year” for the Deep South.

All-in-all it was a great season for Southern Illinois boy's high school basketball and each of the individuals listed here deserve this recognition.

Henshaw, Smithpeters and Drone are all three deserving on the ABV honors as are Coaches Smithpeters and Patton.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
As with the previous year's - the ABV lists will be scrutinized. But as always I stand by my selections. Most importantly these awards are about the kids and the two coaches listed.

If you - as a fan - have a comment that is disparaging to the ones chosen then send it to me. Don't post it on some message board and embarrass some young man. If you have a complaint send it ABV.

Like Harry Truman said - "The Buck Stops Here."

Someone could probably make a case for several others to be on the list.

I believe 50 players in each class - 1A and 2A - is enough.

There are over 100 schools in the ABV Area.

Harrisburg gets three players on the list.

They got the job done in the postseason.

No other team gets more than two players listed.
Each list consists of a 10-Player First Team; 10-Player Second Team and 30-Player Special Mention.

Names are listed in alphabetical order. I'm sure there will be one or two of them with misspelled names or the wrong heights or class. I can fix those later.

I hope you enjoy.

Jack.

ABV Class 1A All-South Team

Player Of The Year
Andrew Drone – Gallatin County – 7-foot Sr.
Coach Of The Year
Robert “Radar” Patton – Gallatin County.
ABV First Team
Andrew Drone – Gallatin County – 7-foot Sr.
Anthony Johnson - Oblong - 6-foot-4 Sr.
Gabe Owens – Woodlawn – 6-foot-4 Sr.
Devante Price - Egyptian - 6-foot-3 Sr.
Jeremy Weeke – Okawville – 6-foot-1 Sr.
Marquis Bourney – Madison – 6-foot-2 – Sr.
Patrick Lowe – Gallatin County - 6-foot-4 Sr.
Zeke Snell – Goreville – 6-foot-4 Jr.
Wes Degener - Waterloo Gibault – 6-foot-3 Jr.
Joshua Jones - Mounds Meridian – 6-foot-6 Sr.
ABV Second Team
DiJon Bryant – Madison – 6-foot-3 Sr.
Dalton Hinterscher - Dieterich - 5-foot-10 Sr.

Logan Hildebrand – North Clay – 6-foot-5 Sr.
Tyler Meyer - New Athens - 6-foot-4 Jr.
Levi Maxey – St. Elmo - 5-foot-11 Jr.
Dayton Tripp - Goreville - 6-foot-3 Sr.
Darin Winkelman - Steeleville - 6-foot-5 Sr.
Michael Schoffner – Mounds Meridian – 6-foot-1 Jr.
Matt Schreder – Waterloo Gibault – 6-foot-1 Sr.
Garrett Ziegler – Altamont – 6-foot Jr.
Special Mention
Dustin Atteberry - Cisne - 6-foot Sr.
Brady Barnes – Beecher City – 6-foot-1 Jr.
Conner Beasley – St. Elmo – 6-foot-4 Sr.
Tyler Burmester – CORL – 6-foot-2 Sr.
Tyler Castleman - Joppa - 6-foot Jr.
Johnnie Clift – Patoka – 5-foot-10 Jr.
Tyler Eddleman – Dongola – 6-foot-6 Sr.
Justin Fulk – Stewardson-Strasburg – 6-foot-4 Sr.
Jordan Hale - Waltonville - 6-foot-5 Jr.
Kris Harlow – Woodlawn – 6-foot-2 Sr.
Jake Hensler – Okawville – 6-foot-3 Sr.
Brady Householder – Thompsonville – 5-foot-9 Sr.
Cordon Hight – Century – 6-foot Sr.
Austin Hunter – Brownstown – 6-foot-5 Sr.
Jon Kuhns – Altamont – 6-foot-3 Sr.
Justin Kulich – Sesser-Valier – 6-foot-6 Sr.
Ike Margrum – Odin – 5-foot-8 Jr.
Dylan Martin – NCOE – 6-foot-2 Sr.
Nick McPhail – Zeigler-Royalton – 5-foot-9 Jr.
Colin Meese – Oblong – 5-foot-9 Sr.
Justin Prewitt – Egyptian – 6-foot-2 Jr.
Blake Ragland - New Athens - 6-foot Jr.
Taylor Schmitt – Lebanon – 6-foot-1 Jr.
Cameron Taborn – Carrier Mills – 6-foot-2 Sr.
Terion Taylor - Cairo - 5-foot-10 Sr.
Fischer Tharp – South Central - 6-foot-3 Sr.
Tyler Thompson – Pope County – 5-foot-10 Sr.
Tanner Traub – Dieterich – 5-foot-9 Jr.

Trey Witges – Waltonville – 6-foot-2 Sr.
Reid Wilson – Steeleville – 6-foot-3 Sr.
Eric Young - Christopher - 6-foot-1 So.

ABV Class 2A All-South Team

Co-Player's Of The Year
Capel Henshaw – Harrisburg – 6-foot-3 Sr.
Tyler Smithpeters – Harrisburg – 6-foot-4 Sr.
Coach Of The Year
Randy Smithpeters - Harrisburg.
ABV First Team
Adam Etter - Breese Mater Dei - 6-foot Sr.
Capel Henshaw – Harrisburg – 6-foot-3 Sr.
Cody Huels – Carlyle – 6-foot Sr.
Kyle Pruemer - Teutopolis - 6-foot-5 Sr.
Hunter Reine – Roxana – 6-foot-9 Sr.
Aaron Siler – Robinson – 5-foot-11 Sr.
Derek Smith – Teutopolis – 6-foot-2 Sr.
Tyler Smithpeters – Harrisburg – 6-foot-4 Sr.
Jacob Timmermann - Breese Central - 6-foot-1 Jr.
Brandon Wolfe – Casey-Westfield – 6-foot-3 Jr.
ABV Second Team
Dylan Davdison - Newton - 6-foot-1 Sr.
Dylan Hardin - Pinckneyville - 5-foot-9 Jr.
Matt Hilmes - Carlyle - 6-foot-3 Jr.
Levi Laws - Mount Carmel - 6-foot-1 So.
Taylor Maurer - Marshall - 6-foot-5 Sr.
Royce Newman – Nashville – 6-foot-7 Fr.
Derek Nicholas – Robinson – 6-foot-4 Sr.
Aaron Rushing – Sparta – 6-foot-7 Sr.
Chris Schwartz – Chester – 6-foot-2 Sr.
Eli Taborn-Scott – Harrisburg – 6-foot-4 Jr.
Special Mention
Michael Aschemann - Carterville - 6-foot Sr.
Daulton Beltz – Du Quoin – 6-foot-3 Sr.
Scott Brown – Nashville – 6-foot-2 Sr.
Justin Dieker – Freeburg – 6-foot-9 Jr.
Christian Dunning – West Frankfort – 6-foot-3 So.
Erick Sosa – Piasa Southwestern – 6-foot-1 Sr.
Matt Hartnett – Roxana – 6-foot-4 Sr.
Nathaneal Higgins – Benton – 6-foot-2 Jr.
Austin Holloway – Staunton – 6-foot Sr.
Ryan Howard – Litchfield – 6-foot-2 So.
Kyle Kleeman – Carlinville - 6-foot-2 Sr.
Michael Klein – Wesclin – 6-foot-5 Jr.
George Kuhlman – Trico – 6-foot-5 Sr.
Brady Kunz - Wesclin - 6-foot-5 Jr.
Nathaniel Lackey – Fairfield – 6-foot-6 So.
Ethan Leib – Flora – 6-foot-4 Sr.
Jake Lochhead – Chester – 6-foot-2 Jr.
Phil Lockhart – Sparta – 6-foot Sr.
Austin McPheron – Johnston City – 6-foot-4 Sr.
Reese Metcalf – Mount Carmel – 6-foot-3 Jr.
Alex Metzger – Pana – 6-foot Sr.
Dylan Miller – Hillsboro – 6-foot-8 So.
Kane Wilson – Murphysboro – 6-foot Sr.
Chris Priebe – Pinckneyville – 6-foot-5 Sr.
Austin Rickhoff – Breese Central – 6-foot-3 Sr.
Trivette Scales – Casey-Westfield – 6-foot-2 Sr.
Jacob Schuette – St. Anthony – 6-foot-3 Sr.
Lucas Stone – Newton – 6-foot-3 Jr.
Christian Taylor – Flora – 6-foot-2 Sr.
Michael Wells – Vandalia – 6-foot-2 Sr.