By Woodrow Carroll
It was homecoming week at Hinckley-Big Rock High School last week and Royals did themselves proud. For starters, the HBR soccer team won a 7-0 shutout game against visiting Yorkville Parkview Christian Academy Falcons last Friday, Sept. 27. However, the game seemed a bit secondary to the events surrounding the game.
Prior to the game, they honored former varsity soccer coach Larry “Doc” Peppers by naming the soccer field in his honor. An honor Peppers well deserved!
Many of Peppers’ former players were there for the festivities. And, Peppers is not only in the IHSA Hall of Fame as a soccer coach, he is in the Hall of Fame for his time coaching the HBR girls basketball program. Peppers’ record in girls basketball at the school was 581-218.
From 1976-2007 Peppers coached the boys soccer team with a record of 571-155-42. A record that leaves his victory total at the top of the heap among Illinois high school soccer coaches.
One of the individuals attending Peppers’ induction was former Earlville, Earlville/Leland, and Paw Paw coach, Roger Essmann. Many times Peppers and Essmann’s teams did battle. And, Essmann ranks fourth in the IHSA victory total with 465 victories.
A Rockford Auburn High School product, Peppers did on-the-job training as soccer coach in his early years at HBR. Soccer was a newcomer to many schools and coaches with experience coaching the game were few and far between. Then and now, HBR was a member of the Little Ten Conference and the Royals broke in front when it came to soccer although the likes of Malta, Waterman, Somonauk and Earlville were there to take up the challenge.
Illinois crowned its first boy’s soccer champion in 1972. From 1972-1996 there was a single class taking in schools of all sizes. HBR and Peppers stood out, playing many of the larger enrollment schools.
The Fall of 1979 left an indelible mark on HBR soccer. During the regular season, the Royals played three road games against Granite City South, Belleview West, and Cahokia. Granite City South was defending State champion and the soccer program was nationally known. (Granite City South was coached by Gene Baker who had a near monopoly on State championships at the time.) HBR, preformed well, but ended up losing to GC South, 2-0.
In the 1979 State tournament, the Royals mauled Niles North, 7-1 in quarterfinal action. Then Granite City South followed up by beating Wheaton Central, 7-0, to bringabout a semifinal contest between Hinckley-Big Rock and Granite City South.
The rematch between HBR and GC South was once again a 2-0 victory for the GC South Warriors who, went on to defeat New Trier East for the State soccer championship.
In 1980 and 1981 Hinckley-Big Rock reached the quarterfinals of the State soccer tournament only to come up short. Peppers’ final State tournament venture was in 2003. Playing in the Class A tournament, the Royals were on the short end of a 3-0 score against Chatham Glenwood.
The soccer foundation started by coach Peppers came to play in the 2012 Class A Tournament. The HBR boys soccer team, coached by Paul Taeuber, finished in third place in the Class A Tournament with a final record of 23-5.
It was a fit honor accorded Larry Peppers naming the soccer field in his name. The man has served the school and community with distinction.