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Seneca senior Paxton Giertz finished as the No. 2 all-time leading scorer in the Illinois Valley, just nine points behind DePue’s Ron Zagar, who has held the top spot for 68 years. Here’s a look at the 25 all-time top scoring leaders for Illinois Valley schools past and present, including all schools in the BCR coverage area, as researched by BCR Sports Editor Kevin Hieronymus:
| Name (years) | School | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Ron Zagar (1953-57) | DePue | 2,515 |
| 2) Paxton Giertz (2021-25) | Seneca | 2,506 |
| 3) Jim Kinney (1957) | Magnolia Swaney | 2,301 |
| 4) Charlie Moretz (1953-56) | Buda | 2,224 |
| 5) Parker Neuhalfen (2011-15) | Bureau Valley | 2,208 |
| 6) Brad Bickett (1982-86) | Ohio | 2,177 |
| 7) Don Hamel (1965-69) | Mendota | 2,158 |
| 8) Brian Piper (1987-91) | Ohio | 2,132 |
| 9) Carlton Fay (2003-07) | Putnam County | 2,129 |
| 10) Lance Harris (1982-86) | Ohio | 1,936 |
| 11) J.J. Cravetta (2008-12) | Streator | 1,930 |
| 12) Lee Piccinelli (2004-08) | Henry | 1,907 |
| 13) Tom Schertz (1979-83) | Tiskilwa | 1,891 |
| 14) Shane Phillips (1989-93) | Ohio | 1,865 |
| 15) Seth Evans (2005-09) | Seneca | 1,847 |
| 16) Christian Benning (2021-24) | Streator | 1,832 |
| 17) Shawn Jeppson (1994-98) | Hall | 1,829 |
| 18) Paul Hart (2018-20, 21-22) | St. Bede | 1,811 |
| 19) Roger Cannon (1962-66) | Neponset | 1,809 |
| 20) Roger Weller (1951-55) | LaMoille | 1,785 |
| 21) Reuben Slock (1997-01) | Bureau Valley | 1,771 |
| 22) Ron Marroquin (1980-83) | DePue | 1,767 |
| 22 tie) Gary Langham (1987-90) | LaSalle-Peru | 1,767 |
| 24) Owen Landwehr (2015-18) | Mineral (Annawan) | 1,751 |
| 25) Jerry Zielenski (1964-68) | Hennepin/Putnam County | 1,736 |
Notes on players:
Ron Zagar scored 1,014 points as a senior, averaging 37.6 ppg. Was at Iowa four years (played three).
Paxton Giertz is a senior at Seneca High School.
Brad Bickett played at Eureka College and before launching a Hall of Fame coaching career with stops at Western, Bureau Valley and Rock Falls.
Don Hamel played at Northern Illinois and had a long, successful coaching career in Texas.
Carlton Fay played at Southern Illinois.
Shawn Jeppson was the 1998 AP Class A Player of the Year. He also scored more than a 1,000 points at ISU.
Paul Hart played his junior season in Arkansas during COVID.
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