ROCHELLE — Rochelle Township High School celebrated its Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 on Friday, when each of the five new inductees were recognized in a pregame ceremony before the varsity football matchup against Kaneland. The five new inductees include Mark Zilis, Joseph Torres, Jeff Truckenbrod, Linn Beermann-Leavitt and Gary Manning.

Mark Zilis

26 years ago, Mark Zilis began his coaching career at Rochelle Township High School, tasked with coaching the Hubs’ soccer team in its first year of existence. It was his first foray into high school coaching for the horticulturist, who owned and operated a nursery during a career in which he is considered one of the world’s experts on hostas. 

After four years of coaching soccer, Coach Zilis moved over to the track, where he initially coached distance runners on the boys’ team. Over the years two 1600 meter runners and two 3200-meter teams that Mark coached made it to the outdoor state meet. Luckily, one of his 800-meter runners asked coach Zilis if he’d help improve his form in the high jump, an event he learned quickly and thoroughly. 

From 2005 to 2024, coach Zilis guided six boys and two girls to a total of eighteen appearances in the Indoor Top Times Meet and the IHSA State Meet. This included Joe Torres, who earned all-state honors at the outdoor state meet in 2010 and won an indoor state championship in 2011 with a meet record high jump of 6-foot-7 and 1/4 inches. Zilis also coached Chris Weber, Andrew Myers, Jacie Wyatt and Teagan Meyers to state medals in the high jump. 

Chris Williams posted a top-10 finish at the IHSA State Meet in 2012, Dakota Swadinsky finished 11th in 2013, and Mason DeLillie won a sectional championship in 2019 under Coach Zilis’s tutelage. His career also provided him the opportunity to coach his four children, Andy, Amy, Anthony and Becky, in three different sports. 

After the 2023-24 school year, coach Zilis and his wife, Katie, moved to Champaign, where three of his five young grandkids live. The move ended his coaching career at RTHS, although he plans on coaching Connor, Milo and Landon throughout their athletic careers. His athletes at RTHS will remember him for far more than those individual performances. 

They’ll remember the care and attention he provided to every athlete, no matter how fast they could run or how high they could jump. They’ll remember hearing his loud, distinctive yells of encouragement from across the track as they rounded the final turn of their race, and they won’t soon forget seeing him pump his fist after they cleared the high jump bar. 

For hundreds of athletes, coach Zilis served as a guide, a motivator, and a cheerleader. He was a positive influence for athletes who needed his guidance. He left an imprint on RTHS that will last for years to come.

Joseph Torres

Joseph Torres was a 2011 graduate of RTHS. During his tenure at RTHS he was a multi-sport athlete earning nine varsity letters in football, cross country, basketball and track and field. 

In track and field, Joseph was a four-time indoor state qualifier and the 2011 2A indoor high jump state champion. He was a three-time IHSA state qualifier. Joseph qualified for state in the high jump and the 400-meter dash three times, and was a member of two state qualifying 1600-meter relay teams. Joseph took home a state medal in the High Jump with a ninth-place finish. He is the current 400-meter dash record holder at RTHS. 

Joseph attended St. Ambrose University where he continued his success in track and field. He qualified for the NAIA National Championships multiple times in the High Jump and the 1600-meter relay. He finished his career as a three-time All-American and is a member of the St. Ambrose record holding 1600 meter relay team. 

Joseph has worked for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway as a Maintenance Foreman since 2017. Joseph currently resides in Davenport, Iowa with his wife Eryn, and son Josiah who was born in February 2024.

Jeff Truckenbrod

Coach Jeff Truckenbrod, known as “Coach Truck” by his players, is a 1971 graduate of RTHS. He started as an assistant coach in the RTHS girls tennis program in the fall of 1998. At the time, Jeff’s youngest daughter had just completed her freshman year in the tennis program. After four years assisting with the girls team, coach Truck then began also assisting the boys. 

For the next 20 years, coaching both the girls and boys, Jeff’s majority of the time was spent coaching and mentoring the freshmen and sophomores helping them with the basics of the tennis game. During his tenure, coach Truck was able to coach two generations of Truckenbrods, from his youngest daughter Janet to his oldest granddaughter Allison. Coach Truck is grateful for his 25 years, and the young men and women he was able to mentor. 

Special thank you for the last five years goes to coach Kristy Eckardt the boys head coach, and coach Lizzie Cartwright the girls head coach. We made a great team. Lastly, thank you to Mr. Rich Harvey for all he does for the tennis program. Jeff is a lifelong resident in the Rochelle community. Jeff and his wife Mary have been married 46 years and been truly blessed with three children----Jennifer, Steven, and Janet. They are also blessed with 11 grandchildren, who all live in the Rochelle community.

Linn Beermann-Leavitt

Linn Beermann-Leavitt was a 1976 graduate of RTHS and the daughter of Gary and Jan Beermann. When Linn started high school at RTHS, the only women’s interscholastic sports team offered was tennis. All other sports interests were pursued through GAA – the Girls’ Athletic Association, an intramural program coordinated by the P.E. teachers. Linn went out for the tennis team her freshman year and qualified for state competition with her doubles partner Sue McMullin. 

Linn went on to qualify for the next three years, as well, with doubles partner, Deb Austin-Schabacher – a 2023 RTHS Hall of Fame inductee. In 1972, Title IX was enacted by the United States senate, guaranteeing the right of women to have equal opportunities to compete in high school sports, as well as other programs. Linn spearheaded the effort to expand women’s sports at RTHS by organizing a petition and presenting it to the school board. The school board responded with overwhelming support for this request and committed to adding women’s volleyball, basketball, track, and softball teams for the next school year. 

So, in 1974, Linn’s junior year, she and other RTHS women athletes were able to compete interscholastically in five different sports. When her RTHS athletic career ended, Linn had earned eight varsity letters and helped open the door for women athletes for decades to come. She feels privileged to have been a part of that journey and thankful for the support of the RTHS school board, administration and staff during that exciting time. 

Linn’s interests extended beyond athletics. She was very active in the music programs at RTHS, participating in concert band, marching band, stage band, and pep band, (under director, Terry Roderick) as well as orchestra and choir. She excelled in academics, graduating as valedictorian of her class and being acknowledged as a National Merit Scholar. After graduating from RTHS, Linn attended Iowa State University and majored in Industrial Engineering. 

Linn, who now goes by Belinda, and her husband Jim, live in Marcus, Iowa. They enjoy traveling, playing in their church praise band, and supporting the youth in their community by serving as high school youth group

Gary Manning 

Gary Manning, a 1959 graduate of RTHS, is the son of Laura and Neil Manning. During his tenure at RTHS, Gary was a versatile athlete, competing in football, basketball, wrestling, baseball and track and field. He was also a member of the varsity club for three years. 

On the football field, Gary played guard and linebacker and was dominant. He was selected to the first-team all-conference squad in 1957 and 1958. He was also selected to the 1958 All-State football team. His senior year, he served as one of the captains and was presented the Hackett Trophy Award. Along with being an outstanding athlete, Gary was selected as Homecoming King his senior year. 

Upon graduation, Gary went to the University of Eastern Montana to play football and then transferred closer to home and played football at Southeast Missouri State. After his stint at Southeast Missouri State, he enlisted into the U.S. Army and completed a tour in Vietnam. After Gary completed his tour in the Army, he came home and played semi-pro football for the Rockford Rams and Delavan Devils. 

When he retired from playing football, he opened up Manning Electric and was the owner and operator of the business. Gary was the father to five children who attended Rochelle Township High School. They were Grant, Kass, Rhonda, Andrea and Barrett. Gary passed away in January 2023 while still living in Rochelle.