I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year as we embark on another journey of sports in the St. Louis metro area. As we get started in 2025, here is a look back at what took place in 2024 in our annual St. Louis American Sports Year in Review.
*Jayson Tatum Gets His Ring: St. Louisan Jayson Tatum has been one of the young stars in the National Basketball Association from the time he entered the league in 2018. After seven brilliant seasons with the Boston Celtics, Tatum reached the pinnacle as he led Boston to its record 18th NBA championship. A couple of months later, the former Chaminade College Prep star was a part of the USA Basketball Team that won the gold medal at the Olympics Games in Paris.
Napheesa Gets Gold: Former Incarnate Word Academy basketball star Napheesa Collier had a tremendous summer on the court. She was a starting forward for the USA Women’s team that won its eighth consecutive gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris. She returned to the states to lead the Minnesota Lynx to the finals of the WNBA Playoffs, where they lost an exciting five-game series to the New York Liberty. Collier was voted the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year as well as a First Team All-WNBA selection.
Incarnate Word Streak Continues: The Incarnate Word Academy girls basketball dynasty reached record levels as it won its fourth consecutive Class 6 state championship in March. The Red Knights defeated Springfield Kickapoo in the state championship game, which in turn set a new state record with 131 consecutive victories. The current winning streak is at 138 games with the Red Knights 7-0 start this season.
Vashon Basketball Continues to Roll: The Vashon Wolverines rolled to another state championship in boys basketball in 2024. The Wolverines defeated John Burroughs to win their fourth consecutive state championship. During the summer, head coach Tony Irons stepped down to become the new coach at Mineral Area College. He was replaced by former Vashon star and Mizzou basketball standout Jimmy McKinney.
Cardinal Ritter Girls Track Dynasty: It was another banner season for the Cardinal Ritter College Prep girls track and field team. The Lions won the Class 5 state championship, which was the fourth in succession. Coach Tiffany Spain has the Ritter program rolling with great athletes such as her daughter, star hurdler Kyndal Spain among many others.
Mizzou Football Shines: The Missouri Tigers put together another strong season under the direction of Eli Drinkwitz. The Tigers won 10 games for the second consecutive season and they closed 2024 with a thrilling 27-24 victory over Iowa in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville. Several St. Louis area players had a big hand in the Tigers success, including quarterback Brady Cook (Chaminade), receiver Luther Burden III (East St. Louis), receiver Mookie Cooper (Trinity), running back Jamal Roberts (St. Mary’s), defensive backs Marvin Burks Jr. (Cardinal Ritter) and Toriano Pride (Cardinal Ritter).
Cardinal Ritter Basketball Wins Again: Cardinal Ritter College Prep won the Class 6 state championship in boys basketball. It was the fourth state title in five years for the Lions, who won in Classes 3, 5 and 6. The Lions defeated fellow St. Louis school Chaminade in the state championship game.
Metro East Football Dominance: The East St. Louis Flyers enjoyed a dominant season in winning yet another IHSA Class 6A state championship. The Flyers defeated Geneva to win its 11th state championship in the program’s storied history. Belleville Althoff rode the dominance of senior running back Dierre Hill to win the Class 1A state championship. Hill scored seven touchdowns in the Crusaders’ victory over Lena-Winslow in the state championship game.
SLU Women’s Basketball Excels: For the second consecutive season, the Saint Louis University women’s basketball team made history. In 2023, the Billikens won the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament title to earn the program’s first ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. SLU followed up in 2024 by winning the championship of the WNIT, thus becoming the first A-10 program in history to win a postseason tournament. The Billikens defeated Minnesota in the championship game.
Lutheran North, DeSmet Reign: These two excellent programs brought home state championships to the St. Louis area. Lutheran North defeated Festus to win the Class 4 state championship while DeSmet defeated Nixa to win the Class 6 state championship.
Lift for Life, John Burroughs win titles: Lift for Life Academy and John Burroughs both won their second state championship in girls basketball. Lift for Life defeated Park Hills Central for the Class 4 state championship while John Burroughs defeated Lutheran St. Charles for the Class 5 state title.