It was a tremendous year of high school athletics in the St. Louis metropolitan area. We highlighted many of the top events from the past school year a couple of weeks ago in our annual Prep Year in Review. This week, it is time to highlight some of the top athletes of the year in their respective sports. Here is a look at the 2014-15 St. Louis American Prep Athletes of the Year by their sports.
Football (Offense): John Moten (John Burroughs). The senior running back rushed for 2,589 yards and scored 37 touchdowns to lead the Bombers to a 13-2 finish and a runner-up in the Class 3 Show Me Bowl. Moten also led the Bombers to a second-place finish in the Class 3 state track and field meet. He is headed to Northwestern.
Football (Defense): Terry Beckner Jr. (East St. Louis). The 6’5″ 298-pound defensive end was rated among the top prospects in the country throughout his senior year. Beckner was a force on defense with 74 solo tackles and three quarterback sacks. Beckner signed with the University of MIssouri over several of the nation’s top programs.
Soccer: Hassan Abdallah (Soldan). The senior striker from Kenya led the Tigers to a history-making 2014 campaign. The Tigers advanced to the Final Four and the Class 2 state championship game, thus becoming the first school from the Public High League to accomplish this feat. Abdallah scored 22 goals to lead Soldan in scoring.
Girls Soccer: Charrisse Williams (Westminster). An excellent senior forward, Williams scored 16 goals and had 19 assists for an impressive total of 51 points. Williams helped the Wildcats to a 17-4 record and a share of the Metro League title. An excellent basketball player as well, she is headed to Lindenwood University on a basketball scholarship.
Softball: Anna Chisolm (Parkway North). One of the top players in the area, Chisolm finished her stellar career with several of the school’s offensive records. As a senior, she batted .585 with eight home runs, 39 runs batted in, 15 doubles, four triples and 19 stolen bases. She had a career batting average of .591.
Cross Country: Dorrian Gordon (O’Fallon). The senior standout enjoyed a big season in earning All-State honors in Illinois. Gordon won the Southwetern Conference championship and followed up with a Class 3 sectional championship. He finished in 14th place at the Illinois Class 3A state championships. He is headed to Saint Louis University.
Boys Basketball: Jayson Tatum (Chaminade). The 6’9″ All-American enjoyed a stellar junior campaign in leading the Red Devils to a third-place finish in the Class 5 state tournament. Tatum averaged 26 points and 11 rebounds a game to lead the Red Devils in both catetories. He was ranked the No. 1 player in the USA in the Class of 2016 for much of the season. He is currently playing for the USA 19U team at the World Championships in Greece.
Girls Basketball: Napheesa Collier (Incarnate Word). The senior 6’2″ superstar concluded her career by leading the Red Knights to their third consecutive Class 4 state championships. Collier averaged 26.7 points, 13 rebounds and 4.1 blocks in leading IWA to a 29-2 record. Collier earned a spot in the McDonald’s All-American game. She is headed to the University of Connecticut.
Wrestling: Romelle Pearson (Maplewood). The junior standout compiled an impressive 45-1 record and won the Class 2 state championship at 120 pounds. Pearson defeated defending state champion Kaleb Popplewell of Maysville in an overtime thriller in the state championship match. In two seasons, Pearson has advanced to the state championship match, having finished second as a sophomore in 2014.
Girls Volleyball: Leketor Member-Meneh (Lutheran South). An outstanding junior athlete, Member-Meneh led the Crusaders to a 20-9-5 record. A 5’8″ outside hitter, she averaged nearly seven kills per set to lead the St. Louis area. She is also a standout on South’s basketball team.
Boys Volleyball: Cameron Hibbler (Westminster). The senior outside hitter emerged as the top player in the metro area in 2014. A 6’4″ athlete, Hibbler led Westminster Christian to the Class 3 state championship as he led the St. Louis metro area in kills.
Baseball: Mike Million (CBC). An excellent senior catcher, Million batted .326 and drove in 19 runs to help the Cadets to the Class 5 state championship. Million was also a standout receiver on the Cadets’ Class 6 state-championship football team.
Boys Track: Ja’Mari Ward (Cahokia). One of the top jumpers in the country, Ward led the Comanches to their fifth consecutive state championship by winning the long jump and triple jump while setting state records in the process. Ward was also a fixture on the Comanches sprint relay teams that dominated the field at the state meet.
Girls Track: Jasmine Barge (McCluer North). The star hurdler led the Stars to their second consecutive state championship. Barge won the 110-meter high hurdles and 300-meter intermedate hurdles at the state meet to complete an undefeated season in both events. She also was a silver medalist in the 200-meter dash. She finished her career as one of the top hurdles in the history of the Show-Me State.
