Argenta High School offered boys basketball (www.ihsa.org) and probably baseball, track, and football as well.  Team nickname, team colors, team records, coach's names, and school fight song are all items we are seeking to help better document the Argenta HS athletic program.

 

 

Argenta High School was a cause for great excitement on many a winter night.  The boys basketball team had some great seasons in the 1950s and early 1960s.  A total of SEVEN District titles and one Regional title showed the Argenta HS strengths of the era.  The year of 1950-51 saw Argenta's deepest run into the State Tourney making it all the way to Sectional Tournament action.  Coach's names and team records of these and other great Argenta teams are not currently available. Scores involving Argenta HS in the IHSA State Tournament were located on a website titled "Illinois High School Postseason Basketball Scores" and are listed below.

 

Argenta-Oreana Coach Clay Haurberg provided the following research and excellent information regarding the Argenta High School basketball program:

 

"Origins:

Regarding the school mascot: 

The Argenta HS teams were known as the "Hawks" until the end of the 1944-45 school year, when they changed their mascot to the "Bombers", an homage to US Army Air Force from WWII. (See attached photo of a Argenta Hawks jacket)

Some unusual history:

1914-15    0 - 3                                                              Coach unknown 

1915-16    4 - 3                                                              Coach Fred Zeise 

1916-17    0 - 3                                                              Coach unknown 

1917-18    1 - 4                                                              Coach R.L. Reeves 

1918-19    1 - 5                                                              Coach E.W. Zeppenfeld

1919-20    1 - 1                                                              Coach E.W. Zeppenfeld

1920-21    0 - 3                                                              Coach E.W. Zeppenfeld

1921-22  15 - 11        Decatur District Tournament       Coach E.W. Zeppenfeld

                                  1st Rd lost to Dawson 15-12

                                  Atwood beat Bethany in title game

                                  Atwood lost to Centralia 24-16 in State Championship Game

     

1922-23    5 - 7                                                              Coach E.W. Zeppenfeld

                  

1923-24    3 - 7         Decatur District Tourney              Coach E.W. Zeppenfield

                                 1st Rd lost to Bethany 19-13

            

1924-25    0 - 3         Decatur District Tourney              Coach E.W. Zeppenfield

   

1932-33   17 - 5       Monticello District Tournament      Coach Vernon Drenckpohl 

                         

1935-36     5 - 16     Monticello District Tournament       Coach Vernon Drenckpohl 

                                 Semi-final Beat Kenney 54-44

ARGENTA (60): Dalton 21, Groves 12, Harrison 11, Walters 7, Craft 6, Reeser 2, Hallendorf 2.

MATTOON (58): South 14, Wagner 13, Sewell 13, Davis 7, Manuel 3, Branson 3.

DECATUR (73): Meurlot 28, Poland 19, Olivero 10, Norman 9, Shildneck 4, Hughes 2, Alderson 1.

ARGENTA (57): Walters 21, Groves 13, Dalton 13, Craft 5, Reeser 3, Harrison 2.

                                 Decatur placed 4th in State Tournament

   

1951-52     6 - 17      McLean District Tournament            Coach Don Sullivan

                                 Early Rd Scores Needed

                                 1st Rd lost to Clinton 49-45

                                 Bloomington Trinity beat Clinton in title game

                                   

                                  Semi-final lost to Bloomington 66-52

                                  Clinton beat Bloomington in title game

  

1955-56   19 - 9       Clinton Regional Tournament           Coach Leslie Shadel

                                       

1957-58   10 - 13     Clinton Regional Tournament          Coach Dale Huff

                                Bloomington Regional Tournament 

                          
1965-66   14 - 14     Niantic District Champs                 Coach Paul Taylor

                                Decatur Regional Tournament 

Hal Craig '40 - Leading scorer for Argenta as a senior, and key member of the 1938-39 squad that reached the sectional finals. Went on to play for Eastern Illinois University after high school and was the 2nd leading scorer for the Panthers in 1944-45.

Leon Heinle '46 - Scored 1,053 points at Argenta HS. Played at Illinois State University. Was a 4 year starter for the Redbirds. Team captain as a senior (1949-50).

Thomas "Ralph" Tucker '54 - Scored 642 points at Argenta HS, with a team-leading 420 points as a senior. Attended Illinois State University and played 3 years for the Redbirds. He was elected team captain as a senior.

David McConkey '56 - 1,212 points at Argenta HS. Played on the University of Illinois freshman squad in 1956-57.

David Darnall '60 - Dave was the leading scorer in regional play as a senior at Argenta, and had a 31-point outburst against Farmer City that season. Graduated from Illinois State University, but did not play sports there. 

He began his coaching career with stops at Stanford, Gridley, Roseville and Momence high schools before landing the head coaching position at Eureka College. Dave led the Red Devils to 3 straight trips to the NAIA Division II National Tournament and won the National Championship in 1994, after which he was named NAIA Division II Coach of the Year. Eureka won 5 conference titles in his 20 years as head coach. He is a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches, Illinois State University, Greater Peoria, and Argenta-Oreana High School Sports Halls of Fame.

Coach Vernon Drenckpohl - Head coach at Argenta from 1931-1942. 8 winning seasons with a record of 153-108 in 11 years at the helm, 4 Macon County Tournament titles and 1 CENOIS Conference title. His 1938-39 squad won an IHSA district title and advanced to the IHSA sectional final before falling to Champaign HS. Went on to successful stints at Vandalia and Sycamore high  schools. Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1978.

 

     

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