Lacon (population 1,979) is located along the banks of the Illinois River at the intersection of Il. Route 17 and Il. Route 29. This places Lacon in the middle of Marshall County about 25 miles north and a little east of Peoria. The Lacon/Marshall County Airport is located on the southeast side of town.
Varna (population 436) is located at the intersection of Il. Route 89 and Il. Route 17. This places Varna in the center of Marshall County. A city of reference would be Metamora located 20 miles southwest of Varna.
Both of these north-central Illinois towns originally supported their own high schools and both currently have pages on this site. The late 1940’s saw the towns of Varna and Lacon began talks of consolidation for their school districts. The year was 1949 when this effort was realized. The result was the creation of the Mid-County School District.
The high school for the Mid-County DIstrict was located in Varna. David Wier tells us the following about the new high school building constructed for Mid-County High School:
“I was a 1973 graduate of Mid-County. The last year for the Varna building was 1973. My brother Timothy, who is one year younger and graduated one year behind me, was in the first class which graduated from the new facility on Route 17.”
The new building opened up about four or five miles west of Varna on Illinois 17, and still stands today. Mid-County welcomed their neighbor to the west, Sparland, in 1995 to join them to form Midland High School. The high school for the Midland DIstrict uses the 1973 building.
Mid-County High School Quick Facts
Year opened: 1949
Year new building opened: 1973
Year consolidated: 1995
Consolidated to: Midland School District (Varna)
Mid-County HS team nickname: the “Bulldogs”
M-CHS team colors: Black & White
School Fight Song: unavailable
Mid-County High School 1949 – 1972
Varna, Illinois
Athletics
The Mid-County High School Bulldogs competed hard, year-in and year-out. The boys were offered baseball, basketball, cross country, football, and track. The Lady Bulldogs were offered basketball, track, volleyball, and softball (www.ihsa.org). It is possible that other sports were offered. Team records and coaches’ names are needed.
Boys Baseball
The boys baseball team of Mid-County High won two Regional titles.
1984-85 Regional Champions
1993-94 Regional Champions
Boys Basketball
The hardwood court men of Mid-County High School won a total of SEVEN Regional Championships, and five Tri-County Conference Tournament titles. Legendary Coach Roger Beals made a brief stop in Mid-County as well.
The Bulldog boys’ basketball team won five Tri-County Conference tournaments (1952-80-89-92-94). Coach Ralph Hallam was a legendary skipper for the Bulldogs during the 1970’s and ’80’s as his win-loss record would show, and was a colorful character off the court by the quotes he gave to the media in post-game interviews, too.
1948-49 Varna District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed
1st Rd Beat Sparland 59-54
Semi-final lost to Lostant 55-43
Long Point Beat Lostant in title game
1950-51 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed.
1951-52 Granville Regional Champions Coach’s name & record needed
1989-90 Granville Class ‘A’ Regional Tourney Coach Ralph Hallam
1st Rd Beat Toluca 56-47
Semi-Final lost to Minonk-Dana-Rutland 41-34
Gridley beat Minonk in title game
1990-91 Wenona Class ‘A’ Regional Tourney Coach Ralph Hallam
1st Rd Beat Wenona 61-32
Semi-Final lost to Flanagan 54-27
Flanagan beat Lowpoint-Washburn in title game
1991-92 Varna Class ‘A’ Regional Runner-UpCoach Ralph Hallam
Tri-County Tourney Champs
Regional Scores
1st Rd Beat Wenona 81-34
Semi-Final Beat Gridley 66-54
Title game lost to Flanagan 49-43
1992-93 Roanoke Class ‘A’ Regional Tourney Coach Ralph Hallam
Tri-County Tourney Runner-Ups
Regional Score
Semi-Final lost to Minonk Fieldcrest 58-53
Gridley beat Fieldcrest in title game
1993-94 Minonk Class ‘A’ Regional Tourney Coach Ralph Hallam
Tri-County Tourney Champs
Regional Scores
1st Rd Beat Lowpoint -Washburn 63-46
Semi-Final lost to Roanoke-Benson 64-57
Minonk Fieldcrest beat R-B in title game
1994-95 10 – 14 Varna Class ‘A’ Regional Tourney Coach Ralph Hallam
1st Rd Beat Flanagan 67-56
*Semi-Final lost to Roanoke-Benson 64-62
Roanoke-Benson beat Minonk Fieldcrest in title game
*Final varsity basketball game for the Mid-County HS “Bulldogs.” Sparland joined the district in the summer of 1995 to form the Midland HS “Timberwolves.”
Boys Cross Country
The Bulldog harriers made their mark as well. The team of 1994 qualified for the IHSA State Meet Competition
1993-94 Team Qualified for the IHSA State Meet!!
Mid-County Bulldogs of 1955
Boys Football
We do not know the exact years, but as the photo to the right attests, football was offered to the boys of Mid-County at least in the mid-1950’s. If you have any records or coach’s names please forward them so we can share them on this page. Thank you to Rolf Sivertsen for sharing the the photo of the 1955 Bulldog football team. The photo below depicts the boys from the fall of 1952. It states that this was the third season of football for the school. Thank you to Mark & Terri Taylor of TnT Images for sharing this with us. Click on either photo to view an enlarged version.
**From Bill Austin, regarding the photo of the football team of 1955:
“My dad is #35 in the photo, “Chuck” Charles Austin, son of Bill and Lilian Austin.
Mid County HS Football Team of 1952
Courtesy of Terri & Mark Taylor (www.tntimages.com)
Girls Golf
The Lady Bulldog linksters had some great success in the early 1990’s. The girls won a total of three Regional titles and qualified for the IHSA Class A State Tournament on two occassions. Unfortunately, the coaches’ names are not currently available.
1989-90 Team Finished TENTH in the IHSA Class A State Meet!!
Individual Medalist
Julie Orrison 14TH Place
Final Team Standings
1) Wilmette Regina Dominican 707
2) Winnetka New Trier 742
3) Normal Community 767
4) New Lenox Providence Catholic 774
5) Waukegan East 777
6) Naperville North 780
7) Hinsdale Central 783
8) Edwardsville HS 798
9) Galesburg HS 799
10) VARNA MID-COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL 826
1990-91 Regional Champions
1991-92 Regional Champions
Team Qualified for State Meet
Individual Medalist
Julie Orrison 11TH Place
1993-94 Regional Champions
Girls Softball
The Lady Bulldogs had a great run in softball as well. Five Regional titles and two Sectional titles were the hi-lites of the diamond-ladies seasons. Most of the team records and coach’s names of these and other good Mid-County softball teams are not available.
1986-87 21- 6 Regional Champions Coach Bill Scott
Sectional Champions
Team Qualified for IHSA State Competition
1987-88 Regional Champions
1988-89 25- 8 Regional Champions Coach Mike Orrison
1991-92 Regional Champions
1993-94 Regional Champions
Boys Track & Field
One male trackster earned the only medal in IHSA competition in the history of Mid-County High School. His excellent accomplishment is listed below.
1991-92 Jay Wingfield 100 Meter Dash 8TH Place
Girls Volleyball
The Mid-County lady netters were not without their moments. A Regional title was earned in 1983!
1982-83 Regional Champions
Boys Golf
The Mid-County Bulldogs competed in boys golf as well. One linkster even earned a medal at the IHSA State Meet competition. Kris Hahn did this in 1988 by finishing in 14th Place!!
1988 Kris Hahn 14TH Place!!
Theatre
The Illinois Theatre Festival is the largest, non-competetive high school theatre festival in the world. It was organized in 1976 by teachers from the Chicago suburbs. This festival is still going strong as they perform at the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) and Illinois State University every other January. Mid-County High school participated in this festival in 1984 and 1986.
MEMORIES
From Jeanne Orrison:
“One of our friends just e-mailed us this website. We enjoyed scrolling through it.
My husband, Mike Orrison, was a teacher and a coach at the Mid-County High School/ Midland High School in Varna from 1969 – 2000 when he retired and we moved out here to Kernersville NC. We can add some information to “our” site. One of the statements was that the school song was “unknown”. The tune was the same as the Ohio State fight song. We know the words if you want them.
He also started the Girls’ Golf Team in 1988 and continued coaching them until 2000 when he retired. I (Jeanne Orrison) became his assistant at that time as he was also the Boys’ Golf Coach. Individual girls could play on the boys’ team before 1988 and try to qualify in the girl’s state tournament. Susan Orrison was one of these individuals who qualified for the sectionals in 1985. Mike coached many good golfers and had 22 straight years of coaching either a boy or a girl who qualified for sectionals either as a team or as an individual. Some went on to play in the State tournaments.
Mike also coached girls’ softball which you already have on the website. Here is some additional information… In 1988 the girl’s team won BOTH the regional and sectional tournaments and advanced to the state tournament.”
**From Danny Dunn:
I remember art class in 1982 sitting next to LaVonne Missel who went on to become “Miss Illinois” and was a top 10 finalist for “Miss America”! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5hJVCjkpU0 .
Need Your Assistance
If you have any further information regarding the many successes attained at Mid-County High School before its merger with nearby Sparland, please write to us via e-mail at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. You can also write to us via real mail at:
