ATHLETICS
The Divernon High School Dragons and Lady Dragons had some real nice seasons. The boys definitely competed in
baseball, basketball, football and track. The girls have IHSA seasonal records listed in softball and volleyball. We
are certain the girls competed in basketball and track as well. Other sports may have been offered at the school
throughout the years. We are in need of the school's fight song lyrics and coach's names of several different seasons of
several of the sports.
BOYS BASEBALL
The hardballers of Divernon High have two seasons listed on the IHSA website(
www.ihsa.org). The boys of 1996-97 had a record of 15 - 6 under the leadership of Coach Jeff Marsaglia. Other team records
and coach's names are welcome and will be added if submitted.
1996-97 15 - 6
Coach Jeff Marsaglia
2005-06 5 - 15
BOYS BASKETBALL
Judging by the great coverage of this sport on the IHSA website, our guess is that Divernon residents loved their basketball. During
many of the seasons the Dragons did not disappoint! Overall the program won a total of FOUR District titles
and THREE Regional Championships!! There were also FIVE 20+ games-won seasons listed. The records of
the District Championship teams of 1938, 1943, and 1950 might add to that mark as well.
1912-13 10 - 2
1913-14 7 - 1
1919-20 11 - 3 Sangamon Cnty. Tourney Champs!
Coach George Bradley
1933-34
Sangamon Cnty. Tourney Champs!
1937-38
District Champions
1938-39 24 - 3 District Champions
Sangamon Cnty. Tourney Champs!
1939-40
Sangamon Cnty. Tourney Champs!
1942-43
District Champions
1945-46
Sangamon Cnty. Tourney Champs!
1949-50
District Champions
1960-61 10 - 14
1963-64 2 - 19
1964-65
Coach Jay Lorton
1967-68 3 - 20
1968-69 2 - 19
Coach Mike Boyer
1969-70 10 - 14
Coach Al Taylor
1970-71 17 - 7
Coach Al Taylor
1971-72 18 - 5
Coach Al Taylor
1972-73 16 - 10
Coach Al Taylor
1973-74 15 - 9
Coach
Al Taylor
1974-75 17 - 8
Coach Al Taylor
1975-76 24 - 3 Regional Champions
Coach Al Taylor
Sangamon Cnty. Tourney Champs!
Lost in 1st Rd of Sectional
Piasa (Southwestern) 66-63
1976-77 8 - 14
Coach Gene Woodward
1977-78 4 - 18
Coach Gene Woodward
1978-79 2 - 19
Coach Greg Lipe
1979-80 10 - 15
Coach Bob Elkin
1980-81 11 - 14
Coach Jim Edmonds
1981-82 13 - 12
Coach Jim Edmonds
1982-83 9 - 14 Coach
Marty Miller
1983-84 6 - 16
Coach Marty Miller
1984-85 5 - 17
Coach Carey McVickers
1985-86 9 - 13
Coach Carey McVickers
1986-87 6 - 16
Coach Carey McVickers
1987-88 4 - 19
Coach Carey McVickers
1988-89 4 - 19
Coach Mark Verticchio
1989-90 2 - 20
Coach Kent Leninger
1990-91
Coach Kent Leninger
1991-92 9 - 14
Coach Jeff Stevens
1992-93 10 - 15
Coach Jeff Stevens
1993-94 6 - 17
Coach Jeff Stevens
1994-95 17 - 9
Coach Jeff Stevens
1995-96 21 - 7 Regional Champions
Coach Jeff Stevens
1996-97 23 - 6 Regional Champions
Coach Jeff Stevens
1997-98 7 - 21
Coach Jeff Stevens
1998-99 5 - 21
Coach Jeff Stevens
1999-00 11 - 16
Coach Jeff Marsaglia
2000-01 3 - 24
Coach Jeff Marsaglia
2001-02 6 - 22
Coach Jeff Marsaglia
2002-03 9 - 19
Coach Jeff Marsaglia
2003-04 21 - 9
Coach Steve Allen
2004-05 16 - 12
Coach Steve Allen
2006-07 8 - 19
Coach Jeff Stevens
Sangamon County Tournament
Divernon played well in this tournament in the 1930s and 1940s. The boys won the championship a total of five
times, as research was completed by Mark Jurenga:
Five championships - 1920*, 1934, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1976
One 2nd Place finish
Five 3rd Place finishes
Five
4th Place finishes
Our good friend Phil Shadid tells us of Divernon's 1920 Sangamon County Basketball Championship:
DIVERNON, SANGAMON COUNTY BASKETBALL CHAMPS, 1920:
In a basketball tournament that until now had been lost to history, Divernon won the very FIRST Sangamon County championship
in 1920, five years before the official start of the annual tourney. In January 1920 the Illinois State Journal (Springfield)
reported that “some of the county schools are going to compete in a basketball tournament which they hope will become
an annual endeavor.”
The tournament was scheduled to be played in February at Springfield’s YMCA with Auburn, Chatham, Dawson, Divernon,
Illiopolis, Mechanicsburg, New Berlin and Pawnee taking part. Pleasant Plains, Riverton, Rochester and Williamsville decided
not to send their teams to the tourney.
But tournament officials had to postpone the original dates because the Flu epidemic that winter had severely effected
the Chatham, Illiopolis and Pawnee teams.
Finally, the tournament took place on March 11-12, 1920, a week after the state District tournaments concluded. None of
the county teams had advanced in the Districts.
Before a packed house at the YMCA, favored New Berlin, led by legendary coach Homer Bartholomew, opened
with a 23-14 win over Illiopolis, even though Junior star forward Roy Breeding and Illiopolis’ Red
Delaney were thrown out of the game, with five minutes left, for fighting. (They had briefly exchanged punches earlier
in the game, but the referee had not seen the altercation.) Auburn (rated second) and Dawson won their games, and third-ranked
Divernon breezed to a 30-10 trouncing of Chatham.
That night (March 11) New Berlin easily beat Dawson (29-12) in a semi-final and the next afternoon Divernon pulled a mild
upset with a 14-9 win over Auburn in the other semi-final. The night of March 12, the “Dragons” beat New Berlin
by a lopsided score of 21-8 to claim the championship. Robert Brown led the way with 8 points for Divernon
while Breeding had 6 for the losers. The Journal reported: “Team work (for New Berlin) which showed
in the tournament, was not so obvious in the final game. They seemed cold. Divernon broke up play after play, and stands out
supreme as the Sangamon champion.”
Divernon placed three on the All-County 10-man tournament team ( Virgil Case, Llewellyn Dean and
Harvey Starkweather).
Divernon’s rich basketball history will now include a SIXTH county championship to their credit: 1920, along with
1934, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1976.
