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It's no surprise that Alli was
named Centralia High School male athlete of
the year for the 1988-1989 school year.
On the mat for Coach Dick Carpenter he
earned varsity letters in 1987, 1988 and
1989, becoming the premier heavyweight
wrestler in Southern Illinois his Senior
year. He finished the 1989 season with
36 consecutive wins and only two
losses. He was the first CHS wrestler
to qualify for the IHSA state meet for a
second time. Of his 36 wins, 25 were
by pin, with one coming in only 8
seconds. Being the first CHS wrestler
to win 30 or more bouts in a single season,
he captured Regional, Sectional and
South-Seven Conference championships.
He was named Southern Illinois Wrestler of
the Year and received the Southern Illinois
Coaches Association All-South award, along
with the Loren Garrish Memorial Award and
the Dick Carpenter Scholarship. Alli
was also South-Seven Conference heavyweight
champion in 1987, and took second in 1988.
He recorded a 28-6 record his junior season
as he qualified for his first state meet by
placing second in the Sectional. After
being named the outstanding underclassman
wrestler for 1987 he had the most wins by
fall in both 1988 and 1989. He was
team MVP both seasons. He concluded
his 3-year varsity career at CHS with an
83-19 record with 54 pins. Under
coaches Bill Blair and Rod White, Alli
continued to show his athletic prowess in
track and field, winning four varsity
letters. He still holds the CHS shot
put record at 59' 1", and qualified for
the IHSA state meet in this event in 1987,
1988 and 1989 (qualified for finals).
His sectional qualifying marks were:
first in 1987 (53' 8¼"), second in
1988 (53' 11½") and third in 1989
(54'2" - one inch behind his brother
Jason). He also met the qualifying
mark for the state meet in the discus, as he
placed third in the 1988 Sectional. In
South-Seven Conference action he set a new
Frosh-Soph shot put record at 51'11" in
1987 (record broken by brother Jason the
next year at 52' 3") and then placed
second in the varsity conference meet.
In 1988 he placed second again (54' 7")
and was third in the discus (157'
9½"). In 1989 he was conference
shot put champion at 55' 6" and placed
fourth in the discus at 146' 0".
At the Orphan Relays he won with his record
toss of 59' 1". He was high point
man in field events for 1987, 1989 and
1989. Alli received the Southern
Illinois Coaches Association award in both
the shot put and the discus for 1989, and
also participated in the Illinois top-ten
meet held at Parkland College. A
three-year starter in football (1986, 1987,
1988), Alli received South-Seven Conference
recognition in 1987, and was named
All-Conference First Team defensive lineman
in 1988. His senior year he was also
team MVP and played in the Southern Illinois
football coaches association East-West All
Star Classic. After high school Alli
played one season of football at Greenville
College. In only the second year of
football for the school, the all freshman
and sophomore team had a record of 8-2 and
qualified for the NAIA Division II national
playoffs. This team has been inducted
into the Greenville College Hall of Fame.
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