SHS Sports: Timelines from the Sidelines Tradition everlasting

Class of 1944

Baseball

The 1944 baseball season was historic for Staunton High School. The team, under the direction of B.H Gibbons and behind the outstanding pitching of senior Fred Brenzel, became members included Carl Dalton; Gene Dietiker; Bill Edwards; Walt Fritz; Junior Hebenstreit; Fred Monschein; Bud Neuhaus; Jack Shaw; Bob Spagnola; Jim Sullivan; John Vesper and Marvin Winkel. Brenzel later returned to SHS andlet the baseball team back to State in 1957, in addition to his fine accomplishments as football coach at the school.

The postseason began easily enough for the Bulldogs, as the team shut out Alton Western Military Academy (15-0) to win the District Title. After defeating Lovington in the semifinals at Sectionals, SHS beat Springfield Lanphier 3-2 in thirteen innings to advance to State. Brenzel pitched the whole game for SHS, fanning 21 batters in the contest. In fact, in winning the game, Staunton defeated future Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were defeated 14-13 by St. Bede Hight School out of Peru in the first game at the State Tournament.

After the season, Coach Gibbons took Brenzel; Edwards; Neuhaus; and Spagnola to St. Louis for a formal workout with the Browns. All four individuals fared well at the audition, and Brenzel (pitcher) and Spagnola (catcher) were asked to come back and form a battery for upcoming team workouts. Brenzel eventually earned his degree from Southern Illinois University. While there, he competed in both baseball and football for the Salukis.

Basketball (boys)

In his second season as head coach of the basketball program, B.H. Gibbons’ 1943-44 Bulldogs finished with a record of 21-6 overall and 10-2 in the south Central Conference. The win total marked the forth 20-win season in the program’s history, and the excellent league finish represented the best result in the SCC for the Bulldogs in nine years. Bother conference losses were to Taylorville team that finished as undefeated state champions.

Despite the outstanding season, Staunton was able to capture any hardware, with rival Gillespie once again playing the role of nemesis. The Bulldogs were led by seniors Fred Brenzel; Art caldieraro; Cal Dalton; and Bob Pervinsek. At the Macoupin County Tournament, SHS defeated Brighton (32-7), Carlinville (36-34), and Virden (42-18) before dropping the title game matchup with Gillespie with a score of 39-25. Gillespie ended Staunton’s season at Regionals, defeating the Dogs 31-28. Ironically, SHS had beaten Gillespie in both regular season matchups that year.

Football

Coming off just the third winless season in School history, Staunton welcomed new football coach for the 1943 season. B.H. Gibbons, who was already coaching baseball and basketball for the district, added football to his list of duties. As with many coaching changes, the program’s philosophy changed immediately, as Gibbons established the “T” formation on the offense. Through it took the team a couple of weeks to get used to the new system, scoring output increased from the previous season. The team also improved in the win column, finishing 3-5 overall, including 3-3 in the South Central Conference.

The season began with consecutive non-conference losses to Mt. Olive (13-6) and Edwardsville (27-13). However, fortunes changed in Week 3, as Staunton pulled off a surprising blowout win over Hillsboro, defeating the Hiltoppers 32-0. Another win followed, this time over Pana by a score of 25-13. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were unable to sustain the momentum losing to Gillespie (13-6), Carlinville (32-6) and Benld before ending the season with a 13-6 victory over Mt. Olive. The season finale was a reversal of fortunes from the first game of the year when the Wildcats had defeated the Bulldogs by that very same score. The Bulldogs did not face Taylorville during the season, but it is worth nothing that the Tornadoes took home the SCC crown that year. The Bulldogs featured just for seniors in the Class of 1944, as Fred Brenzel; Art Caldieraro; Bill Stiegemeier; and Vernon Striegel were looked upon to lead the young team. In addition to continuing his baseball career in college, Brenzel also ended up on the football team at Southern Illinois University. He eventually returned to SHS and served as long-time baseball and football coach at the school. Brenzel is still the football program’s all-time wins leader.