Overview of 1920 to 1929

The first-ever SHS yearbook was published for the 1920-21 school year. It was a quality piece that included a surprising amount of detail about the students. Unfortunately, it was not produced again until 1924 and stopped being published soon thereafter. One can only presume why there were no annuals for over twenty years. The Great Depression certainly played a role. A push to conserve paper during wartime was likely a factor as well.

Regardless, Staunton was not alone in its plight, as most community high schools in the area did not publish yearbooks during the era. The original SHS yearbook was titled the Myrtle and Maroon, one can understand why baseball records have been named after Staunton’s school colors at the time. At some point, the yearbook became known as the Echo, as it still is today.

In addition to the construction of what is now the current high school building (the Class of 1923) was the first to graduate in the new facility), the 1920s saw two new sports added to the athletic offerings in the district. Boys basketball began in 1920-21, and the baseball program was likely launched two years later. While basketball has in general struggled in gaining traction within the community, baseball is well-rooted in Staunton’s past. However, the focus on the sport has generally been at the city level, and in fact the high school only competed in baseball sporadically in the first few years. Thus, despite the fact that no other program at the high school has won as many conference championships, baseball has rarely garnered much attention at SHS. Coupled with the fact that season results were often unattainable by the yearbook deadline, one can understand why baseball records have been difficult to uncover. Although not a sporting chance, it is worth mentioning that football enjoyed a decade of supremacy unlike any other, as national records for offensive dominance on its way to a perfect 10-0 season.

The decade also saw the formation of the South Central Conference (SCC) for the 1926-27 school year, of which Staunton was a charter member. In fact, SHS remained in the league until 2009-10, when the school switched to the Prairie State Conference for three seasons before rejoining the SCC. Other original members of the SCC included Carlinville, Gillespie, Hillsboro, Litchfield, Mt. Olive, Nokomis, Pana, Shelbyville and Taylorville.

Class of 1926

Basketball (Boys)

The 1925-26 Staunton basketball team was coached by Byron Bozarth. The team featured Dave Wilson, a second Team All-Tournament selection at the Macoupin County Tournament. The team finished with an unofficial record of 5-4, as it is likely the squad played more games than were reported.

Football

The 1925 football team, directed by Byron Bozarth, was a formidable squad. The team finished 7-1, with the only loss coming to Alton Western Military Academy by a score of 6-0. Staunton began the season with two close wins. A week one affair with Kirkwood resulted in a 12-6 victory, followed by a 13-0 win over Greenfield. The week three loss to AWMA preceded five straight victories, with four coming via shutout. Staunton defeated Pana 28-0 before beating St. Louis University High (26-0). Another win over Kirkwood, this time by a score of 34-6, followed, and wins over Hillsboro (33-0) and Benld (27-0) closed out the season. One of the standouts on the team was Roy Awe, a senior who went on to play football at Illinois College.

Track (Boys)

Coming off the previous season’s eighth place finish at State, coach Byron Bozarth’s track team looked forward to repeating its success from the prior year. Unfortunately, little is known about the season, though it is clear that the squad was unable to duplicate the success of the one that came before it.