ALTON - More than 200 attendees packed the Best Western Premier Hotel in Alton on Sunday for the 75th Gallatin Players of the Year Banquet. Marquette Catholic and Civic Memorial fans left happy as Owen Williams of the Explorers and Kelbie Zupan of the Eagles took home the male and female Player of the Year awards respectively. They headlined a great night for the diamond edition of the longtime high school basketball banquet. Alton Mayor David Goins served as keynote speaker and gave a passionate speech about success. The former Redbird basketball player used the word success as an acronym to inspire the young basketball players in the crowd, connecting hoops with the game of life. Goins, a winner of the POY award in 1978, was one of 15 former recipients of the honor who attended Sunday. He joined Ricci Stotler (CM, 1967), Kevin Caldwell Sr, (Alton, 1990), Eric Frankford (CM, 1994), Amie Gernigan (Marquette, 1994), Nic Stotler (CM, 1996), Angela Payne (Roxana, 1996), Michelle Beiermann
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