- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,195,546
- Reaction score
- 59
Jun. 26—GIBSON CITY — Change is in the air for the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley football team.
Gone are the 19 seniors that helped the Falcons win an average of seven games in the last four seasons, including eight in 2025.
So too is coach Chad Augspurger, who departed in February to take the same position at Mattoon.
But new coach Seeff Grauer — a longtime assistant whose son, Ryker, was among that big senior class — believes the Falcons have what it takes to compete in a crowded Heart of Central Illinois Conference.
"We bring back quite a bit of talent," Seeff Grauer said. "We did graduate a lot, but we bring back quite a bit of talent, and we've got some big guys coming up that we're excited about. We've already got guys in the weight room working pretty hard."
GCMS will start its season on Aug. 21 against Tri-Valley as the No. 9 team in The News-Gazette's preseason top 10 rankings.
Tucker Mueller, who started at quarterback as a junior in 2025, will return as the Falcons' signal-caller.
"To touch the ball every play and (be) involved more, I'm really, really excited about that," Mueller said. "Just being able to control a game, I guess that really excites me."
Mueller will run an offense that should look familiar to Falcons' fans.
Grauer most recently coached GCMS' offense under Augspurger and doesn't plan to make major changes. The same can't be said for the other side of the ball.
"It's an offense that I've been around for quite some time," the first-year Falcons coach said.
"Defensively, we're going to mix it up," Grauer continued. "Coach (Luke) Stout, who was with us last year, is going to be taking over the defense and he coached over in Indiana at a large high school. He was a defensive guy over there for quite some time, so it's a natural fit for him."
Fellow senior Reed Tompkins should factor into GCMS' plans as a wide receiver and expects to take on a leadership role on a revamped roster.
Sophomores Bo Grider and Mason Mueller — Tucker's younger brother — are players the Falcons believe will take a step forward within the offense, as well.
"With all the seniors we're graduating, there's going to be a lot of slots, a lot of positions that need to be filled by guys who weren't as active last year, or guys who maybe didn't even play at all in varsity," Tompkins said. "I am confident in our ability to step up."
Tucker Mueller wants to make sure his voice is heard to a greater extent.
"Last year having a really senior-heavy team, I didn't get to, I think, voice or be as big of a leader as I could have been," Tucker Mueller said. "Just because I was kind of behind a lot of guys, and even in my position, I felt like I was kind of a little more quiet than I should have been."
Christian Brown projects as the Falcons' No. 1 running back after making a dent in the backfield as a sophomore in 2025, then playing a key scoring role on the Falcons' boys' basketball team last winter.
GCMS also has speedy options in slot receiver Tristan Wooten and Evan Landers-Kristensen.
Landers-Kristensen won the Class 1A 400-meter dash state title on May 30 at the IHSA state boys' track and field meet in Charleston.
"That makes the defense be really, really honest, because if they're not, that could be a problem," Grauer said. "That could be a great problem for us."
Junior Carson Sexton will lead the Falcons' offensive line after attending summer camps at Indiana, Oklahoma State, Purdue and Illinois, among others.
Sophomore Kollin Nash will factor into GCMS' defensive fortunes, while Kaden Brucker's efforts in the weight room have led to optimism ahead of his senior season.
The Falcons' relative youth will have to prove itself in the trenches, however.
"I don't mean to harp on it, but we lost a lot of seniors, a lot of talented ones," Grauer said. "But we've got to step up and keep moving forward, and we have a lot of guys that will do that, including very much so (Tucker Mueller and Tompkins)."
Grauer, meanwhile, has adapted well to his new role.
Major tweaks to the IHSA season — including the expansion of the playoffs from 256 to 384 teams and an earlier start date — haven't impacted his first summer leading the program.
"The nice part about them moving the dead week is we kind of roll from July 6," Grauer said. "We have a couple days off between our last summer stuff, and then right into August 5, so that is nice. It makes it feel like a long season, but when you love football like these guys do, like I do, that long season just seems like it happens pretty quickly."
Tucker Mueller, for his part, has looked forward to his senior season since Nathan Garard was his reader at GCMS Elementary School. Tompkins also recalls those experiences fondly, along with watching the likes of Aidan Laughery and Bryce Barnes before they moved on to play at Illinois after helping GCMS win back-to-back 2A state championships in 2017 and 2018.
"It was like they were superheroes," Tompkins said. "This town can get really, really, really, I don't want to say worked up, but in a good way about when a good football team comes around. Gibson City definitely is consistently an above-average football school."
Continuing a long-standing tradition of reading stories to elementary schoolers is something the Falcons still take pride in.
"It takes them out of their comfort zone," Grauer said, "but also knowing that you're bettering yourself and those kids going over there, reading, spending time with the younger ones trying to show that you know you can't just see them on Friday nights."
Continue reading...
Gone are the 19 seniors that helped the Falcons win an average of seven games in the last four seasons, including eight in 2025.
So too is coach Chad Augspurger, who departed in February to take the same position at Mattoon.
But new coach Seeff Grauer — a longtime assistant whose son, Ryker, was among that big senior class — believes the Falcons have what it takes to compete in a crowded Heart of Central Illinois Conference.
"We bring back quite a bit of talent," Seeff Grauer said. "We did graduate a lot, but we bring back quite a bit of talent, and we've got some big guys coming up that we're excited about. We've already got guys in the weight room working pretty hard."
GCMS will start its season on Aug. 21 against Tri-Valley as the No. 9 team in The News-Gazette's preseason top 10 rankings.
Tucker Mueller, who started at quarterback as a junior in 2025, will return as the Falcons' signal-caller.
"To touch the ball every play and (be) involved more, I'm really, really excited about that," Mueller said. "Just being able to control a game, I guess that really excites me."
Mueller will run an offense that should look familiar to Falcons' fans.
Grauer most recently coached GCMS' offense under Augspurger and doesn't plan to make major changes. The same can't be said for the other side of the ball.
"It's an offense that I've been around for quite some time," the first-year Falcons coach said.
"Defensively, we're going to mix it up," Grauer continued. "Coach (Luke) Stout, who was with us last year, is going to be taking over the defense and he coached over in Indiana at a large high school. He was a defensive guy over there for quite some time, so it's a natural fit for him."
Fellow senior Reed Tompkins should factor into GCMS' plans as a wide receiver and expects to take on a leadership role on a revamped roster.
Sophomores Bo Grider and Mason Mueller — Tucker's younger brother — are players the Falcons believe will take a step forward within the offense, as well.
"With all the seniors we're graduating, there's going to be a lot of slots, a lot of positions that need to be filled by guys who weren't as active last year, or guys who maybe didn't even play at all in varsity," Tompkins said. "I am confident in our ability to step up."
Tucker Mueller wants to make sure his voice is heard to a greater extent.
"Last year having a really senior-heavy team, I didn't get to, I think, voice or be as big of a leader as I could have been," Tucker Mueller said. "Just because I was kind of behind a lot of guys, and even in my position, I felt like I was kind of a little more quiet than I should have been."
Christian Brown projects as the Falcons' No. 1 running back after making a dent in the backfield as a sophomore in 2025, then playing a key scoring role on the Falcons' boys' basketball team last winter.
GCMS also has speedy options in slot receiver Tristan Wooten and Evan Landers-Kristensen.
Landers-Kristensen won the Class 1A 400-meter dash state title on May 30 at the IHSA state boys' track and field meet in Charleston.
"That makes the defense be really, really honest, because if they're not, that could be a problem," Grauer said. "That could be a great problem for us."
Junior Carson Sexton will lead the Falcons' offensive line after attending summer camps at Indiana, Oklahoma State, Purdue and Illinois, among others.
Sophomore Kollin Nash will factor into GCMS' defensive fortunes, while Kaden Brucker's efforts in the weight room have led to optimism ahead of his senior season.
The Falcons' relative youth will have to prove itself in the trenches, however.
"I don't mean to harp on it, but we lost a lot of seniors, a lot of talented ones," Grauer said. "But we've got to step up and keep moving forward, and we have a lot of guys that will do that, including very much so (Tucker Mueller and Tompkins)."
Grauer, meanwhile, has adapted well to his new role.
Major tweaks to the IHSA season — including the expansion of the playoffs from 256 to 384 teams and an earlier start date — haven't impacted his first summer leading the program.
"The nice part about them moving the dead week is we kind of roll from July 6," Grauer said. "We have a couple days off between our last summer stuff, and then right into August 5, so that is nice. It makes it feel like a long season, but when you love football like these guys do, like I do, that long season just seems like it happens pretty quickly."
Tucker Mueller, for his part, has looked forward to his senior season since Nathan Garard was his reader at GCMS Elementary School. Tompkins also recalls those experiences fondly, along with watching the likes of Aidan Laughery and Bryce Barnes before they moved on to play at Illinois after helping GCMS win back-to-back 2A state championships in 2017 and 2018.
"It was like they were superheroes," Tompkins said. "This town can get really, really, really, I don't want to say worked up, but in a good way about when a good football team comes around. Gibson City definitely is consistently an above-average football school."
Continuing a long-standing tradition of reading stories to elementary schoolers is something the Falcons still take pride in.
"It takes them out of their comfort zone," Grauer said, "but also knowing that you're bettering yourself and those kids going over there, reading, spending time with the younger ones trying to show that you know you can't just see them on Friday nights."
Continue reading...
