Minooka Community High School announces Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Minooka Community High School’s committee for the Athletic Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2025 inductees:

The 2013 Softball Team: Under the direction of head coach Mark Brown, it was the first girls team in MCHS history to win an IHSA state title. After a solid 7-7 regular season in conference play, Minooka won seven straight postseason games. It beat St. Charles East 14-3 in the title game after Rachel May hit a three-run home run down the left field line in the sixth inning. In that championship game, Minooka set three records: most runs scored for a state championship game (14), most hits in a state championship game (19) and most home runs in a state championship game (3).

Tim Stevens, Class of 1995: Stevens earned all-state honors in three different sports during his career at Minooka. In his senior year as quarterback, he was an All-State honorable mention. He is most proud of leading Minooka to a 12-7 win over Morris, which was ranked No. 1 at the time. In basketball, he was All-State 3rd team as a senior and All-State honorable mention as a junior. He qualified for the state finals in the 3-point contest, where he finished ninth in Class 2A. He ended his basketball career with a school-record (as of 2025) 1,120 points. He also holds records in assists, 3-pointers and free throws. In baseball, he earned All-State team honors as a senior and finished his career with a .409 batting average and a pitching record of 10-4.

Dustin Williams, Class of 2001: As a linebacker, Williams recorded 301 tackles during his career at Minooka. During the homecoming game his senior year – a win over Geneva – Williams had 11 solo tackles, seven assists and four sacks. That year, he was the best defensive player in the Suburban Prairie Red Conference. He was named All-State by two organizations, and he was voted Illinois Defensive MVP in an internet fan poll. He continued his football career at the University of Kentucky. Although two years were marred by injuries, at one point in November 2003, he led the Southeastern Conference in tackles per game. He also was a three-year varsity letterman on the track and field team.

Nina Simotes, Class of 2001: When she graduated, Simotes had the most career points ever for Minooka with 1,522, despite missing games her senior year because of an injury. As of 2025, she is No. 2 on the all-time list. She is currently second for most points ever scored in a game (36). She was All-Conference all four years in basketball at MCHS. She also earned an All-State special mention from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association her junior and senior years. She was a member of two of the best volleyball teams in Minooka’s history, including the 1999 Elite Eight team. After high school, she played basketball for four years for the University of Louisville, appearing in 81 games and scoring 384 points.

Ashley Jones, Class of 2006: By far the most decorated swimmer ever at Minooka, Jones earned All-State honors all four years of high school. She medaled at state all four years, with a state championship under her belt in the 200-yard individual medley her junior year. That same year, she was third at state in the 500-yard freestyle. Other state medals include second in the 200-yard individual medley (2003) and third in the 100-yard backstroke (2003). At Indiana University, she earned All-American honors with a seventh-place finish in the 400 individual medley in her final year. She placed in numerous races in the Big Ten Championships over multiple years and set several school records while at Indiana. She also qualified for the Olympic Trials in both 2004 and 2008.

Ray Liberatore: The winningest girls basketball coach in school history, Liberatore started as head coach during the 1994-95 season, when the school was still in Class 2A. He capped his career during the 2017-18 season with his fourth regional championship and his fifth 20-win season in a row. Along the way, Liberatore would win five conference championships and coach six girls who earned All-State honors, two of whom earned those honors two years in a row. He tallied 363 wins over 24 years and won at least 20 games seven times. Throughout his tenure at MCHS, Liberatore also served as a freshman boys basketball coach, sophomore girls basketball coach and assistant varsity boys basketball coach. In the early 1990s, he began coaching football. Liberatore helmed the sophomore squad for many years and also served as an assistant varsity coach. He was a guidance counselor at MCHS for more than 30 years.

Bob Tyrell: Tyrell served as athletic director at Minooka from 2005 to 2023, an era during which MCHS had tremendous success in sports. Minooka brought home 23 IHSA state trophies, including four state championships during that time. He began teaching industrial arts at Minooka in 1995 and later worked as a dean. He quickly became involved in athletics, coaching at various levels of football and baseball. He also served as the head varsity baseball coach during the 2002 and 2003 seasons, when he had an overall record of 46-23, and won two regional titles and one conference title.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be introduced at the homecoming game Friday, Oct. 3, after the sophomore football game versus Plainfield Central High School. The sophomore game starts at 5 p.m. and will end about 7 p.m. The varsity game begins at 7:30 p.m. There will be a social gathering after the game at Aces Garage Bar & Grill. The Minooka Athletic Hall of Fame Committee will honor the Class of 2025 and their families at a dinner Saturday, Oct. 4, at Aces.