Bureau Valley celebrates Wall of Famers

MANLIUS – Bureau Valley High School has accumulated an impressive “Wall of Fame” in a quarter of century since the school formed in 1995.

Forty individuals met the criteria of All-State recognition in either athletic or academic competition as well as a countless number of team and track relays to earn their place on the wall in the school commons.

On Friday night, those “Wall of Famers” came to life.

Bureau Valley welcomed home all of its “Wall of Famers” for a special Hall of Fame salute. Twenty nine of the 40 individuals made it back along with a host of other state team/relay members.

Each of the individuals were presented with their Hall of Fame plaques, which are now digitized in the school commons, and the team/relays plaques went up for silent auction to benefit the school’s athletic programs.

Three teammates from the Storm’s three state basketball teams from the turn of the century were on hand - Mike Behrens (’01), Reuben Slock (’01) and Adam Gutshall (’02).

Members of the Storm’s 2001 state runner-up cross country team reunited, including Randy Bill, Jason Bill, Richard Krafft and Dustin Marquis as well as football players and track athletes.

BV athletic director Brad Bickett, who coached Storm basketball for its first 15 years, said it was great to see all the Storm stars return from all sports.

“They all made a significant impact, not only in sports, but in the classroom, and they were leaders as well,” he said. “Hopefully, that’s what our students, whether they were in the student section or the young men who played against Newman, they saw the excellence there.

“I was happy to see them and their families return. It was pretty cool. It just made my night.”

Behrens lives in Byron and now does his body-checking in professional wrestling out of the Quad Cities. He made the wall for winning the state discus title and placing fifth in shot his senior year.

“It’s pretty cool. When I got the message, I was pretty excited,” Behrens said. “This is neat to come down and see everyone. The Hall of Fame is cool. I’m excited to show off the school to my wife, and she was excited, so that’s pretty cool. I see some people I haven’t seen in a 100 years.”

Behrens, who goes by the stage name of “Mason Beck,” jokes that he’s the “poor man’s version of the Undertaker” in the ring.

Slock, who is a father of two boys, made the trip home from Dayton, Ohio. He enjoyed showing his family where he came from and “all the trophies and stuff.”

“It’s amazing to be back at the school and see everything digitized like that,” he said. “It’s super special to have recognition of where it all started and where it’s going and all the great teams and players that have come through here.

“I haven’t seen a lot of people in a long time. Good to see people from our era. Got some other kids going around I have no idea [who they are]. It’s really nice to see these guys. Very special.”

Gutshall, who accompanied his wife, Kylee (Rosenthal, ‘00), for her Hall of Fame recognition on state track relays, enjoyed the nostalgia of the night.

“It makes you feel old, but young at the same time, because you remember everything. Seems like yesterday the different games and shots,” he said. “Everybody’s got more kids. We all have less hair, and what we have is turning white.”

Jason Bill (’02) said Friday’s trip was his first to his alma mater since graduating, and it was nice to come home. A state champion in the 1,600 meters in track and the state runner-up in cross country as a senior, Bill went on to run for the University of Illinois track and cross country teams.

“This place means a lot to all of us,” he said. “I think being a student-athlete is important. All the coaches, what they don’t realize is they were role models for us. Besides our parents and siblings, they were probably our biggest role models. So it’s nice to come back and see them and get together with a lot of old friends.”

A gastroenterologist for OSF in Peoria, Bill said Bureau Valley hasn’t changed much since he walked through its doors, seeing memories flash in front of his eyes.

“The place looks pretty similar to when we left,” the father of two said. “You remember PE classes in the gym, track practices, stretching right here [in the commons], doing laps around the school if it was really cold outside.

“Obviously, you remember some of the big moments. The state feats. The teams like our cross country team in 2001 getting second. That was probably the best memory I’ve ever had outside of collegiate athletics.”

Jason Kirby was the head coach for the Storm football team’s first state championship appearance in 2004. He said Bureau Valley, which he affectionately calls “Blue Heaven,” always will hold a special place in his heart.

“Just to see so many of the kids that I was able to coach and the success they had. And to be honest, the success they allowed me to have as a coach, to see them get honored on a night like this is really refreshing,” said Kirby, who led West Central to the 8-Man football state championship last fall.

“To see that it it means a lot to them to come back and wear their school colors and BV lightning bolts. I’ve always said, [Bureau Valley is] ‘Blue Heaven.’ Everybody’s really proud of the history of this school district and all of the wonderful things they’ve done in their short time.”