Chadwick - Rich in basketball tradition

 I have been posting the most improved Missouri boys and girls basketball teams by class since I started rating teams back in 2017 and 2018.  One of those teams was on top of class two for BOTH boys and girls!

Know what town that was?

Chadwick, Missouri.

And then you have to ask, where in the heck is Chadwick Missouri?  Well, I will tell you about Chadwick and why they have been so good these past four or five years.  Well, I learned a lot about Chadwick from Taylor Daugherty, a member of the boy's 2009 final-four team.  While Taylor was a sub on that team, he has been a die-hard fan and supporter of Chadwick for the past 14 years.

First, a little bit about Chadwick from Wikipedia

"Chadwick is an unincorporated community in eastern Christian County, Missouri, United States.[1] It is located approximately six miles southeast of Sparta along Missouri Route 125. The community of Oldfield is approximately three miles to the north along Route 125.[2] It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its ZIP code is 65629.

Chadwick is located in the hills of the Ozarks along the south edge of the Springfield Plateau. It sits on a ridge between the East Fork of Bull Creek to the west and Swan Creek to the east.[2]

History[edit]

A post office has been in operation at Chadwick since 1883.[3] The town had its start that year when a subsidiary of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (Frisco) laid rails from Ozark, Missouri into Chadwick.[4] The community was named for an official of the Frisco.[5] But passenger service on the Frisco line was discontinued in March 1933,[6] and in 1934 the line from Ozark to Chadwick was abandoned entirely.[7]"

The population of Chadwick is 460 people according to Google.  Heck, I had 800 students in my graduation class from Richfield Minnesota back in 1966.  I cannot imagine how a town of 400-plus people can field excellent basketball teams year in and year out.  I cannot imagine how a school with 50 students can field good basketball teams on both the boys' and girls' sides?

The boys have had some great teams over the years, went through some down years in 2013-2018, but, according to Taylor, have garnered nine district titles and two final four spots in 1997 and 2009.

The girls have had even greater success with 13 district titles and six state final fours including a 2005 state championship.  Here are Taylor's season summaries with the MSHSAA summaries below:



Some other interesting notes from Taylor, including some photos from the Ozarks Sports Zone.com, with his comments:

"All we have is basketball. Chadwick’s always been fairly consistent in basketball, since 2001 Chadwick girls have won 13 district crowns, 6 final 4s, 1 state runner and 1 state championship. Boys in that same time frame have won 9, with 2 final 4s. We had a four years were the talent was down, but right now Chadwick has such an athletic group of juniors on both sides.



And the cool history behind it all. Chadwick is such a small town. On the girls, the current junior class Raeleigh Little and Kerrigan Guerin, their parents are who kicked off the rich tradition of basketball. Rae’s mom (Jessi Peirce) let the Chadwick girls to 3 final 4s and 1 state championship. She was part of the first girls final 4 for Chadwick. Kerrigan, her dad led the boys to the 1st final 4 in 1996 (he’s now head coach of both teams).





Last year, the Chadwick girls ranked #2 in my Gramps ratings and ended up with a third-place finish at state.  Several seniors have graduated but look for good things from them again this year.






For the boys, our stud Clayton Garrison, his mother, Brittany Bilyeu, was a part of the 2 girls final 4s. Just a strong family ties in Chadwick. Very proud of our history."

It is a feel good story and I love to hear about these small town teams that have such a rich tradition.  It makes my statistical rankings come alive with real people and rich stories of their achievements and disappointments.

Good luck to Chadwick again this year.  And, Taylor, thanks for the heads up.






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