SHS Sports: Timelines from the Sidelines Tradition everlasting

Class of 1940

Basketball (Boys)

Returning lettermen Livion Basso, Art Brumme, Valentine Cool, and Merlin Menk welcomed a new coach to the 1939-40 basketball team, as Carl Medenhall began his tenure running the program at SHS. Mendenhall's squad finished 10-12 in his first season, including 5-7 in the SCC. The season had its ups and downs, but two impressive victories included wins over large school powers Collinsville and Edwardsville. After starting the season 2-0, Staunton dropped its first game of the year to Granite City, directed by former SHS coach and player Bryon Bozarth. Granite City went on to win the state championship that season.

Football

Art Ruffini’s 1939 football team once again showed great competitiveness, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, despite only one game being decided by more than a touchdown, the squad faltered to a 2-3-4 record overall, including 1-3-2 in the SCC. Interestingly enough, the four ties were all scoreless affairs. SHS did battle with both Gillespie and Mt. Olive twice during the season, and each matchup ended without a point being registered. The season started with one of those ties against Mt. Olive in Week One. Week Two saw Ruffini’s team defeat Granite city (7-0), a program coached by his former mentor, ShS alum and ex-coach Byron Bozarth. A 7-6 upset victory over Hillsboro ensued, and visions of a conference title came into view. Unfortunately, those aspirations were quickly dashed with a Week Four shutout loss to Pana (21-0), and in fact SHS did not enter into the winner’s column again all season. After playing Gillespie to a scoreless tie, the Bulldogs dropped games to Benld and Carlinville (13-6). A rematch with Gillespie was scheduled in order to raise money for band uniforms, but this game too ended in a scoreless tie, as did the annual Armistice Day game with Mt. Olive. Benld, Carlinville, and Pana shared the SCC title in 1939.

Track (Boys)

Though not much information has been found regarding the 1940 track team , it is knowing that the unit did not fare well at the Macoupin County Meet, as no individual was able to capture gold for coach Art Ruffini’s crew. Unfortunately, it appears that the 1940 squad was the last to compete for the school for over a decade. The program did not resume competition until 1953.

Class of 1941

Basketball (Boys)

The 1940-41 basketball campaign got off to a discouraging start, as Carl Mendenhall’s squad won just two of its first fourteen contests. However, game number fifteen went a long way in turning around the season, as the Bulldogs upset eventual Regional champion Edwardsville. The win over Edwardsville seemed to act as a springboard for the team, as the unit headed into the Macoupin County Tournament confident despite a poor seed. The play represented the team’s demeanor, as SHS defeated Girard (30-26), Bunker Hill (40-26), and Chesterfield (38-34) to reach the championship game. Unfortunately, the Dogs faltered in the title match, eventually losing to Gillespie by a score of 45-29. The squad continued to play better down the stretch, finishing with a record of 10-17 overall, including 2-10 in the SCC.

Football

Coach Art Ruffini’s football team faced a very difficult schedule in 1940, as nearly every rival SCC school had several returning letter winners to guide their respective teams. However, the campaign got off to an excellent start with a victory over rival Mt. Olive in Week One by a score of 6-0. After losing to Granite City (12-0) in Week Two, SHS began SCC play with two consecutive ties against Taylorville (6-6) and Nokomis (0-0). A 31-19 loss to Gillespie in Week Five ended the team’s championship hopes, though the Bulldogs pulled a major upset over previously unbeaten Carlinville in Week Six by a score of 13-6. A 26-7 loss to eventual SCC champion Benld preceded a non-conference win over Auburn (12-7). The Bulldogs played a poor game in the season finale, losing 31-13 to Mt. Olive in the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Thus, the squad finished 3-4-2 overall, with a 1-3-2 record in the SCC.

Class of 1942

Baseball

The 1942 baseball team is believed to be the first squad representing the high school in nearly twenty years. Though 3-M baseball thrived both before and after this time period, for unknown reasons the school was unable or unwilling to field a team. That changed in 1942, as Carl Mendenhall directed a squad that went on to win the District championship. SHS played just four regular season contests, earning splits with both Gillespie and Livingston. In postseason tournament action, SHS nosed out Gillespie before defeating Mulberry Grove in twelve innings to capture the title. Though the team fell in the first round of the Sectional Tournament to Taylorville, the program was building momentum for what became one of the best in the area over the next thirty years.

Basketball (Boys)

Despite returning just one letterman in the form of John Dal Pozzo, the basketball program continued where it left off from the end of the previous season, winning four of its first six games. Unfortunately, the team played subpar basketball the rest of the way, eventually finishing with the record of 11-15 overall and 5-7 in the SCC. The end of the season also marked the end of Carl Mendenhall’s time directing the program after three years at the helm.

Football

Art Ruffini’s 1941 football team struggled to overcome heavy losses to graduation, and the squad faltered to a 1-6-1 overall record, including 1-4-1 in the SCC. As usual, the season began with the first of two matchups with Mt. Olive, with Staunton coming out on the short end of a 19-0 contest. Another shutout loss followed, this time to Edwardsville (14-0). Week Three began the SCC slate with a game against Hillsboro, one that the Bulldogs lost in close fashion (7-6). The team continued plugging away and was able to garner a 6-6 tie with Pana in Week Four, followed by the lone victory of the season in a 6-0 shutout of Gillespie in Week Five. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs closed out the season with three consecutive shutout losses to Benld ( 6-0), Carlinville (25-0), and Mt. Olive (19-0). Benld was predicted to win the SCC in 1941 for the third consecutive time, but many members of the team were injured in a bus crash early in the season, thus paving the way for Carlinville to take home the crown.

Class of 1943

Baseball

In his first year coaching the baseball team, B.H. Gibbons directed the program to its second District Tournament championship in as many years. After advancing to the title game due to a forfeit win over Alton Western Military Academy, the Dogs defeated Livingston 5-3 to advance to the Sectional Tournament. Unfortunately, Staunton dropped its first game at Sectionals, effectively ending the 1943 season.

Basketball (Boys)

The 1942-43 basketball program welcomed a new coach in B.H. Gibbons, and his leadership paid immediate dividends as the team finished with a winning record for the first time in seven years. After dropping four of their first five games while the players learned Gibbons’ system, the Dogs rebounded with six straight wins and eventually finished with a 15-11 record, including 5-7 in the SCC. More importantly, SHS appeared in the championship game of both tournaments entered during the year. At the Macoupin County Tournament, the squad defeated Brighton (48-9), Medora (37-18), and Mt. Olive (32-36) before losing in the title game to Gillespie (28-21). The Bulldogs also advanced to the championship game of the Regional only to lose to Greenville by a score of 39-27. After the season, senior Walt Geinke was accepted into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. “ Colonel” Beinke returned to Staunton years later and dedicated many seasons to the golf program as a volunteer coach.

Football

Though nearly every game on the schedule was competitive , the 1942 football team became just the third in school history to fail to win a game, as the squad finished 0-7-1 overall and 0-5 in the SCC. The season began in decent fashion, as the Bulldogs were able to battle Mt. Olive to a scoreless tie in Week One. The only blowout on the year came in Week Two, as Staunton was outclassed by Edwardsville (32-0). The SCC schedule began with a Week Three loss to Taylorville (7-0), and another shutout loss followed, this time to Nokomis (12-0). The Bulldogs also fell to Gillespie (13-6), Carlinville (12-2), Benld (13-6), and Mt. Olive (6-2) to wrap up the winless campaign. The loss to Carlinvillle helped the Cavaliers secure their second straight SCC championship. The end of the season also brought an end to the coaching tenure of Staunton alum Art Ruffini after six years directing the program.