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From what I’ve read, I believe that before World War II, Madison County schools’ athletes were either more successful or perhaps more interested in basketball than football. If you know me, you know I’m no sports expert. I started by searching “basketball” and “football” in Volume 1 of local history and found that it contains the word “basketball” 43 times and “football” 38 times. I kept digging and asked many questions. Volume 1 of our local history included essays about rural schools and communities. My aunt, Hope Cannon Rhodes (1907-2004), wrote about the Laceola School, saying, “for recreation and entertainment in the school, there were basketball, baseball, horseshoe pitching, hopscotch, tug-of-war, volleyball and washer pitching.” Maibel Cole (1909-1996) told that, at Mecca School, students played basketball, both boys and girls, and also baseball. Sometimes they played against other schools, including Hollis, Ten Mile and George. Faye Blount Andrews (1917-2018) stated that North Zulch School’s older boys and girls played baseball or basketball during recess, while smaller ones played marbles, hopscotch, drop-the-handkerchief or jump rope. Orie Stewart (1916-2009) said that at Pee Dee School, “For entertainment, basketball was played in the fall and baseball in the spring. There were also school plays.” Edgar Mae Sueing (1924-2012) wrote that, at Tanyard School, older boys and girls played basketball, baseball, and volleyball, while younger children enjoyed “Hide and Seek” and other games.
