Tiny Illini Bluffs High School coming up big with college recruits

GLASFORD, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — Hank Alvey is enjoying his final season of high school sports.

It’s track season now but soon he’ll be on a basketball floor playing college hoops at Lehigh University. In November, Alvey signed his National Letter of Intent alongside five classmates in what’s been an amazing year for student-athletes at Illini Bluffs High School.

“We challenge ourselves all through elementary and middle school on to high school. And now to the college level,” said Alvey. “That’s why we are successful.”

The Illini Bluffs’ senior class is made up of 62 students, 27 of them are playing varsity sports at the school. And 11 are committed to compete in college.

“It’s crazy,” said Josh Bradley baseball recruit Josh Vaughn “We’ve been tight since we were young. Watching everyone fulfill their dreams to play college athletics. It’s great.”

Annabelle Fortin is a three-sport athlete at the school in Glasford.

“We eat, sleep and breathe success. we’ve talked about my class individually. We have so many talented athletes. I feel like we just push each other to be the very best in any sport,” said Fortin. Lily (Luczkowiak) is going (to college) for basketball, Reese (Cruit) and I are going for volleyball. Girls and boys going for other sports. It’s insane to think we have this many athletes coming for such a small school.”

In the past two months, IB has celebrated Jackson Carroll’s state wrestling title and the girls basketball team finishing class 1A state runner-up. The high school with fewer than 300 students just keeps pumping out athletes.

“We are winners,” said ICC basketball signee Lily Luczkowiak. “That’s what we want to do. Softball, basketball, wrestling. Great athletes at Illini Bluffs and great coaches too.”

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