1924 was banner year in Macoupin County

The high schools of Macoupin County have been playing sports for a long time, and there have been plenty of highlights.

The mere mention of the elite teams of county history brings reverence. Staunton’s 1993 state title in boys’ basketball. Carlinville’s state team title in boys’ track in 1996.

The dream season of Gillespie in 1994-95, when both the girls’ basketball and softball teams placed at state. Bunker Hill’s 1987 state title in softball.

One banner year, however, is nearly forgotten today. 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest sports years in county history – 1924, when Girard won the state track title in a three-way battle with Carlinville and Chesterfield, schools with plenty to brag about on their own.

Chesterfield repeated as the county basketball champions in 1924, while Carlinville was loaded in football behind one of the top individual performers in the history of Macoupin County.

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Indeed, the schools of Macoupin flexed their muscle throughout 1924. On May 10, little Chesterfield decisively won a large and prestigious track meet at Jacksonville, with Girard a distant second. The Jacksonville meet was a preview of the big events to come.

Today, a state title is the gold standard, the best that any high school team can hope for. But in that era, the Macoupin County meet, particularly in track, was just as important – if not more so.

Though it’s hard to imagine today, the state track competition actually was overshadowed by county meet, which was held the following week. That was just fine for Girard, Chesterfield, and Carlinville, who each had a wealth of talent in 1924.

In Champaign, Macoupin County schools flew past the competition. Girard, led by coach C.H. Cushman, came away with the Class B state title, with Chesterfield in a tie for second.

Carlinville tied for fourth with another nearby school, White Hall. Incredibly, the top four spots had gone to schools within a forty-mile radius of one another.

Macoupin athletes captured an astounding six state titles, including two from Chesterfield’s Bill Knoop in the 50 and 100. Knoop, the son of a longtime Chesterfield physician, later enjoyed a long career as an educator, including as superintendent of schools in White Hall, before his death in 1984.

Carlinville’s Leland “Tiny” Lewis followed with two of his own in the shot and discus. Future Carlinville attorney Ed Phelps won the 880 and Girard’s Ted Whitler captured the javelin.

Girard also produced four other top-three finishes, including second-place results from Howard Green (mile) and Floyd Anspaugh (pole) with a second in the mile.

There was a double podium finish for Girard from Harold Chere and Clyde England with a 2-3 showing in the long jump. Ernest Lomelino of Modesto was fifth in the 880.

Girard then had to do it all over again the following week at the Macoupin County meet, which became the ultimate rematch.

Tiny Chesterfield took advantage, capturing its second consecutive county title with 42 points, ahead of Carlinville with 32 and Girard with 30. That the reigning state champion could only muster a third-place showing shows the depth of the county field in 1924.

Similarly, the individual depth many disciplines was unparalleled up to that time. Knoop swept the three sprint events for the second straight year, while Tiny Lewis edged Whitler in both the discus and shot. Lewis also captured the javelin as well as his second straight win in the high hurdles, finishing ahead of Chesterfield’s Howard Dams.

Ten county records were set in 1924 including three by Lewis, who finished his career with seven county track titles.

The Macoupin County Enquirer succinctly summed up the event as “the best meet ever held in Macoupin County.” And the sports year was just half over.

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Chesterfield had entered the spring with plenty of confidence. The little school was not only a track contender, but an established basketball power.

Three months before the epic county track meet of 1924, Chesterfield had captured the county basketball title.

The 1924 county tournament was the sixth in the history of the event, which began in 1919 in a second-floor gymnasium on the northeast side of the Carlinville square. Five teams made up the field.

By 1924, the event had grown to thirteen schools and was played in the new high school in Carlinville, where large crowds packed the gym. They were treated to another show by Chesterfield, as many of the track stars also played basketball. Carlinville was second, while Staunton, a pre-tournament favorite, did not place.

It was a common theme for Chesterfield, whose nickname was “C-Hawks.” The squad wore maroon-and-white jerseys, with a fight song that went to the familiar tune of the Notre Dame fight song.

The C-Hawks won three straight county titles again from 1929-31. The high school closed in 1947. Decades later, the echoes of those elite Chesterfield High School squads remain in the village.

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Then came the fall, which belonged to the Carlinville football team. Both the head coach and the star player were among the top gridiron standouts in county history.

The first-year head coach was Michael Seyfrit, who had played on the Notre Dame teams of 1920-21 that went a combined 19-1 under the legendary Knute Rockne. Seyfrit then played for two years in the fledgling National Football League in 1923-24.

Seyfrit later served as Macoupin County State’s Attorney from 1932-40 and also chaired the Democratic State Central Committee. From 1950-52, he was the state’s public safety director under Gov. Adlai Stevenson.

His best player was Tiny Lewis, who was one of the greatest all-around athletes in the history of Carlinville High School. Lewis, who also played in the early NFL, was a particular standout in track, capturing seven individual county titles for Carlinville.

He went on to star in the backfield at Northwestern, which captured a share of the Big Ten title with Michigan in 1926. Lewis continued his track career in Evanston as well, finishing fourth in the nation in the shot put in 1927.

By the time he hit the NFL, Lewis was still called “Tiny,” though he really was not. Sources list him at six-feet-two and 210 pounds.

His first year in the league was 1930 with the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans, which went 5-6-3. Lewis appeared in 13 of the Spartans’ 14 games in that inaugural season, with seven starts and two rushing touchdowns.

The Portsmouth franchise moved in 1933 to become the Detroit Lions. Lewis also appeared in one game with Cleveland in 1931.

With such talent, Carlinville rolled to a 7-1 mark in 1924, with five shutouts. The Cavaliers’ only loss was to nearby Greenfield. Carlinville, however, didn’t play Staunton, another county football powerhouse that went 6-1-2 that fall.

The previous season, Staunton had rolled to a 10-0 record, including a 233-0 win over Gillespie. Weeks before that, Staunton defeated Carlinville 26-20 in front of 2,000 fans, a huge number in an era of limited transportation.

Certainly, area fans were disappointed that the two schools did not meet again in 1924. It was one of the few negatives for Macoupin County sports in a remarkable year, which is largely forgotten today.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or [email protected].