A Forgotten Tournament Revived
The Mercer County Tournament was more than a series of games; it was a seasonal rite for high schools across western Illinois between 1921 and 1943.
Aledo emerged as the dominant force, capturing 17 of the 22 championships, while Reynolds, Viola and Sherrard each added a single trophy to their names.
The competition included a rotating cast of schools — Joy, Seaton, Keithsburg, New Boston, New Windsor, Matherville, and Roosevelt Military Academy — creating a rich tapestry of rivalries.
Morgan Braucht, the Mercer County High School boys basketball assistant coach, has been digging through archives to piece together the tournament’s story, a quest that will be featured on the WRMJ Sports podcast.
The tournament’s abrupt end in 1943, halted by gas rationing tied to World War II, left a gap in the county’s sporting memory, but recent research is reviving interest in its legacy.