St. Charles Valley Lutheran HS "Ventures"
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St. Charles Valley Lutheran High School
stcharlesvalleylutheranhsdav.jpg
Submitted by Tim Misch / Taken by John Graham (http://www.flickr.com/groups/vlhs/)

St. CHarles Valley Lutheran HS Entrance
stcharlesvalleylutheranentdav.jpg
Courtesy of Tim Misch / Taken by John Graham

The History of St. Charles Valley Lutheran High School
 
St. Charles (population 32,134) is located in northeastern Illinois and is one of Chicago's western suburbs.  Illinois Route 64 is the main roadway leading to and from St. Charles.  Illinois Routes 38, 31, and 25 also travel through St. Charles.  The Fox River and Chicago & Northwestern Railroad both travel through town as well.  St. Charles sits in the east-central portion of Kane County.   
 
According to the Wikipedia website (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Charles,_Illinois) St. Charles was first settled in 1834 and became know as the town of St. Charles in 1839.  It was officially incorporated as a city in 1874.  The population of St. Charles was about 1,500 from 1850 through 1900.  It has steadily in creased over the past 100 years to its current bustling status.

St. Charles Valley Lutheran School
stcharlesvalleylutheranschooldav.jpg
Farnsworth Mansion

The history of the Valley Lutheran High School in St. Charles can be read about at the following address:  http://www.st-charles.lib.il.us/history/farnsworth.htm .  In sumary the school was opened in 1907 as an all-girls school run by the opened by the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, MI., as "Mount St. Mary's Academy".  It spent some of its time as a boarding school.  The Sisters ran it as a girls' high school for some time.

  It served in this capacity as a high school until it was closed in the spring of 1972.  In the fall of 1974 it was reopened as Valley Lutheran High School, a co-educational school.  Financial issues caused the closure of the school in 1991.The school has since reopened in Elgin.
 
The school building that once housed Mt. St. Mary Academy and Valley Lutheran High School was razed to make way for new housing. Special gratitude is extended to Mary Ann Zeszutko for many items of information provided on this page.   
 
St. Charles Valley Lutheran High School Quick Facts
 
Year opened:                              1974
Year closed:                                1991
Valley Luth. HS team nickname:  the "Ventures"
Valley Luth. HS team colors:       Columbia Blue, Black, and White
School Fight Song:                      "Valley Lutheran"
                                                                    Sung to "On Wisconsin"
                                                                    Submitted by DAVID BLACK
 
                                     Valley Lutheran, Valley Lutheran
                                     Ventures all are we!
                                     Fight the battle, blue and silver,
                                     On to victory!
 
                                     In the conquest, to the finish,
                                     This our battle cry!
                                     Ever uphold your glory
                                     Valley High!

Valley Lutheran Gymnasium
stcharlesvalleylutherangymdav.jpg
Submitted by Tim Misch / Photographer John Graham (http://www.flickr.com/groups/vlhs/)

Athletics
 
The Valley Lutheran High School Ventures competed in both boys and girls sports.  The boys achieved success in basketball, football, and wrestling. The girls enjoyed IHSA success in basketball and volleyball.  It is probable other sports such as softball, baseball, track, and cross country may have been offered as well.  School fight song is being sought.  The Valley Lutheran Ventures competed in the Big 8 Conference.
 
Boys Basketball
 
The boys basketball program is covered ont he IHSA website from 1980 through 1991.  The program garnered two winning seasons during that time in a true hotbed of high school basketball.
 
1979-80       5 - 19
1980-81     10 - 13                                                Coach Barry Kolb
1981-82     17 - 8                                                  Coach Barry Kolb
1982-84                                                               Coach Barry Kolb
1984-88                                                               Coach Rick Garrison
1988-89     13 - 12                                                Coach Jack Pallas
1989-91                                                               Coach Bruce Biedinger
 
Girls Basketball
 
The Lady Ventures won two Regional Titles in the 15 seasons covered on the IHSA website.  Coach Larry Eichert led the team from 1979 through 1987.
 
1975-78                                                        Coach Mary Huebner
1978-79                                                        Coach Larry Eichert
1979-80    14 - 6    Regional Champions       Coach Larry Eichert
1980-81                                                        Coach Larry Eichert
1981-82    15 - 9                                            Coach Larry Eichert
1982-83    23 - 3    Regional Champions       Coach Larry Eichert
1983-84    15 - 10                                          Coach Larry Eichert
1984-85    12 - 12                                          Coach Larry Eichert
1985-86    12 - 12                                          Coach Larry Eichert
1986-87                                                        Coach Larry Eichert
 
Football
 
A trip to the IHSA football playoffs in 1986 hi-lited the Ventures of the grid iron. In a September 9, 1978 game against Rockford Lutheran, Venture WR Brian Schultz accumulated 265 rushing yards in the win. That mark is good for thirteenth best in Illinois H.S. Football history.
 
1976-82                                                                          Coach L. Larrabee
1982-84                                                                          Coach W. Block
1984-86                                                                          Coach Paul Moses
1986-87  6 - 4  Qualified for IHSA Class 2A Playoffs       Coach Paul Moses
                      Lost to Reed-Custer 28 - 19 
1987-89                                                                          Coach Paul Moses
 
Great player - Don Shaw (Class of 1977) earned an Honarable Mention Defensive Team All-American Lutheran High School Football Team selection as a Linebacker at Valley Lutheran HS. Great job Don!!
 
 
Girls Volleyball
 
The lady netters won a District title in the early 1980s.  Team records and coach's names of this and other great Venture volleyball teams are not currently available. 
 
1980-81            District Champions
 
Wrestling
 
The grapplers of Valley Lutheran High School were the pride of the school as far as seasonal records go. Coach John Vogt led the Ventures for 13 seasons with all but one team having a winning season record and that one team having a .500 record. In addition two individuals brought home medals from the IHSA State Wrestling Meet.  Pete Robson was even crowned the STATE CHAMPION in 1985!!  Coach Vogt's team records are listed below.  
 
1975-76    14 - 6 - 1                                            Coach John Vogt
1976-77    18 - 3                                                 Coach John Vogt
1977-78    21 - 3                                                 Coach John Vogt
1978-79    17 - 8                                                 Coach John Vogt
1979-80    17 - 9 - 1                                            Coach John Vogt
1980-81    19 - 6                                                 Coach John Vogt
                Individual Medalist
                Mark Handrock        138 LBS. Wgt. Class    4TH Place
1981-82    13 - 9 - 2                                            Coach John Vogt
1982-83    17 - 5 - 3                                            Coach John Vogt
1983-84    24 - 1                                                 Coach John Vogt
                Individual Medalist
                Pete Robson            185 LBS. Wgt. Class    3RD Place
1984-85    14 - 7                                                 Coach John Vogt
                Individual Medalist
                Pete Robson            185 LBS. Wgt. Class    STATE CHAMPION!! 
1985-86    14 - 11                                                Coach John Vogt
1986-87    11 - 11 - 1                                           Coach John Vogt
1987-88    22 - 3                                                  Coach John Vogt
 
QUICK PIN!
 
From David Black:
 
"Tom Kaczor recorded a 3 second pin in a match in 1977. See the official Illinois HS wrestling records at http://www.ihsa.org/activity/wr/records/aindiv.htm. This is also a national record since this is the fastest possible pin. Here is the entry:

185 — [31.]  :03, Tom Kaczor, St. Charles (Valley Lutheran) vs. Darrin Raab, Aurora (Waubonsie Valley), Jan. 18, 1977."
 
Seeking More Information
 
If you have ANY information you would like to share regarding St. Charles Valley Lutheran High School, especially photos of the old HS building and great teams of the past, please e-mail them to us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net.  You can also write to us at:
 
Illinois HS Glory Days
6439 N. Neva St.
Chicago, Il,  60631