SHS Sports: Timelines from the Sidelines Tradition everlasting

The information in this column is provided by the book “The History of Staunton High School Sports (1908-2012)” which was researched and written by local resident and School Board member, Steven F. Moore. “Covering over 100-years of multiple sporting events of a local area is quite a daunting task,” and it is important to note that Moore acknowledges that he could not find everything that he wanted to include in the book.

Overview of 1908 to 1919:

Students had been receiving an informal education in Staunton since the 1880’s. It wasn’t until the 1894-95 school year that Staunton High School officially offered classes. 13 years later, SHS participated in the Macoupin County Meet, the first time the school sent student-athletes off to competition. In the early part of the century, the event consisted of two portions: oratory and track. While the oratorical portion, which took place in the morning, was the main feature, the majority of the focus will be on the sporting side of the meet.

By the 1911-12 academic year, Staunton fielded its first team sport, as football became the activity of choice in the community. While track has never been considered a major sport at SHS (and in fact was disbanded at one point for more than a decade), football immediately gained a loyal following in the community and to this day is still considered the main athletic attraction in town.

Class of 1908

Track (Boys)

Staunton High School’s first formal athletic contest occurred in 1908. The event was the Macoupin County Meet. Since the event represented the only time athletes competed during the year, the team did not officially have a coach. However, superintendent Bill Eccles escorted all of the participants, and therefore he has been designated as the coach for Illinois High School Association (IHSA) purposes.

Although 1908 marked the first time that Staunton participated at County, it was in fact the fifth annual production of the meet, and thus Macoupin County schools had been competing against one another since 1904. Staunton had just one winner that year, as Leslie George took home first place in the standing broad jump. He thus became the first decorated athlete in the history of SHS. It is worth noting that the top three finishers in each event at County moved on to the Inter-County Meet in which the best of Macoupin County faced off against their Montgomery County counterparts. Unfortunately, no athlete from SHS was able to take home gold at that meet, as Macoupin County lost to Montgomery County at the event, which was hosted by Staunton.

Class of 1909

Track (Boys)

SHS fared much better at the 1909 Macoupin County Meet, as the school had more experience with how the competition was conducted, and thus was able to effectively prepare in the weeks leading up to the event. The athletes also had excellent support from the community, as did most county schools. In fact, in the early 1900s the Macoupin County Meet was the highlight of the school year since community bragging rights were on the line. The preparation and support proved useful, as Staunton took home first place in four events, including the 100 meters, 200 meters, discus, and shot put under the direction of Bill Eccles.

Class of 1910

Track (Boys)

Staunton High School placed second overall at the 1910 Macoupin County Meet. SHS was led by championship performances from Leslie George (50 meters) and Bob Woods (triple jump). Superintendent Bill Eccles escorted the team that season.

Class of 1911

Track (Boys)

SHS won its initial Macoupin County Banner in 1911, finishing first overall due to strong performances in the oratorical session. The squad was not overly impressive on the track, as Art Goff was the lone gold medal winner, though he did set a county record in the standing broad jump. Sponsor Bill Eccles and the community must have been proud of the participants, as the banner was displayed in the store windows of various businesses on a rotational basis.