It was a tremendous year of high school sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. During the 2016-17 school year, athletes and teams step up in a big way to produce state championships and achieve regional and national recognition in the process. Before we officially close the books on 2017, here is a look back to what was a special season in St. Louis.
East Side Dominates Illinois: After having its season cut short by a teacher’s strike in 2016, East St. Louis came back strong last fall by winning the Illinois Class 6 state championship. The Flyers were talented and equally determined as they rode the talents of such standout players as Jeff Thomas, Reyondus Estes, James Knight, Jarrell Anderson and Lamontre Harey to bring another state title back to the “City of Champions.”
Kirkwood takes Class 6 Crown: The Kirkwood Pioneers culminated a brilliant season by winning the Class 6 state championship in football. Kirkwood defeated Kansas City area powers Rockhurst and Blue Springs en route to winning their second state title. The Pioneers were a talented group led by do-it-all quarterback Reece Goddard, two-way performer Tahj Telfair, Joseph Jordan and a host of other tremendous players.
Vianney Takes the Gold: Thought to be a year away with all of its young talent, the Golden Griffins jumped the shark to win the Class 5 state championship. After upsetting Metro Catholic rival Chaminade and staging a big rally to defeat Staley, Vianney went on to defeat Fort Zumwalt North in an all-St. Louis championship game. Junior quarterback Tionne Harris was the ringleader of this talented group of championship performers along with big-play performers Kyren Williams and Cam Coleman.
Statesmen Reign Supreme: The Webster Groves Statesmen won the Class 5 state championship in boys’ basketball with a dominating victory over Lee’s Summit West. The Statesmen rode the dymanic duo of guard Courtney Ramey and forward Carte’are Gordon as they defeated state championship teams from three different states during the season. It was the third state championship for Webster Groves.
V. Get Ready to Roll: The Vashon Wolverines won their second consecutive Class 4 state championship in boys’ basketball. After a thrilling overtime victory over St. Mary’s in the sectionals, the Wolverines rolled through Sikeston, Kearney and Bolivar to win the state championship. It was the end of a great era as the careers of seniors Daniel “Peanut” Farris, Levi Stockard, Koray Gilbert and the rest of Vashon’s tremendous senior class graduates on top.
Northwest Academy Makes History: The Hornets made history by winning their first state championship as they defeated Whitfield for the Class 3 state crown in boys’ basketball. It also gave the Public High League two state titles as Vashon followed up a week later in Class 4. Northwest was led by dynamic senior point guard Ryan Warren and rebounding machine Jamar Williams and a talented supporting cast to take home the state title with a dramatic second-half rally against Whitfield.
Kirkwood Girls are Queens of the Court: After suffering a heartbreaking loss in last year’s Class 5 state championship game, Kirkwood returned to Columbia and achieved redemption as they defeated Lee’s Summit for its first state championship. The Pioneers were led by do-it-all senior forward Lauryn Miller, who closed out a glorious career with a state title. Guards Jayla Everett and Mikayla Wallace also came up big in the state tournament.
Incarnate Word is back on top: After an uncharacteristic fourth-place finish in the Class 4 state tournament in 2016, Incarnate Word returned with a vengeance and dominated the rest of the field in winning another state championship, the eighth in the school’s history. The Red Knights used a suffocating defense and the excellent play of guard Sonya Morris to roll to yet another state championship.
McCluer South-Berkeley girls go back to back: The tradition of McCluer South-Berkeley girls’ track was on display once again as the Bulldogs won another state championship, this year it was in Class 3. The Bulldogs were led by the dynamic sprint duo of seniors Raheema Westfall and Octavia Cato. Westfall won the 100- and 200-meter dashes while Cato was right behind in second place.
Edwardsville boys are on track: The Edwardsville Tigers won their second Illinois Class 3A state championship in three years by edging Southwestern Conference foe East St. Louis. The Tigers received state-championship performances from Travis Anderson in the 110-meter high hurdles and A.J. Epenesa in the discus to lead the way.
John Burroughs runs the track: The Bombers won the Class 3 state championship by a mere two points as they won the 4×400-meter relay on the last event of the day. JBS unveiled its freshman phenom in Brandon Miller who won the 800-meter run and anchored a pair of relays to state titles. Miller is one of the top young performers in the country.
Falcons track reach the Summit: Rockwood Summit survived a spirited competition to win the Class 4 state championship. The Falcons were led by super senior Rayvon Allen, who won the long jump and triple jump and ran a leg on the first-place 4×400-meter relay team.
ROTC Commands the Track: Cleveland Naval Jr. ROTC won its second Class 2 state championship in boys track to continue its recent tradition of excellence. The Commanders rode the individual talents of hurdler Antonio Norman, middle distance standout James Allen and jumper Kelsey Cole to take home another state championship.
