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Prep Sports Year-in-Review
Girls Rule State Again In Incarnate
Basketball, McCluer North Track
By Jim Wieners
Like last year High School Girls Sports were the rule as Incarate Word Academy captured another State Basketball Championship and McCluer North repeated in Track & Field.
INCARNATE WORD ACADEMY marked the third straight Class Four Championship after an enrollment drop from Class Five after the 2011-12 season. It was their fifth title in the last six years, their six in 10 and seven overall since winning their first in 1995. Since the Missouri State High School Activities Association started sponsoring Girls State Championships in the mid-1970s IWA has won 27 state titles in three sports including 11 in Volleyball (1976-2006) and nine in Soccer (1989-2009).
After opening the 2014-15 season by going 1-2 against three Arkansas high schools in a tournament in Fort Smith Southside, Ark., IWA won their last 28 in a row. That includes a 53-50 overtime win Feb. 7 over eventual four-peat Class Five State Champion Columbia-Rock Bridge in the Webster Groves Winter Challenge.
IWA won Class Four, District Six over
Soldan-International Studes (48-10) and Jennings (65-27). IWA won the Sectional over Miller Career Academy (73-38), the Quarterfinal over St. Charles West (69-30), the Semifinal over Bolivar (78-55) and the Championship Game over Mary Institute-Country Day (60-27). The key player in the IWA three-peat, University of Connecticut-bound Napheesa Collier, scored nearly 27 points per game, had 13 rebounds per game, made over 70 per cent of her field goals and over 80 percent of her free throws as well as making 127 steals and blocked 128 shots.
IWA had a shot at adding to their nine
State Soccer Championships but finished fourth after losing June 5 in the Class Three semifinals to eventual runner up Rockwood Summit and the third-place game to Webster Groves, both by indentical 2-1 scores. IWA defeated Riverview Gardens (10-0) and Rosati-Kain (4-1) to win Class Three, District Six, defeated MICDS (2-1) in the Sectional and St. Dominic (1-0) in the Quarterfinal. Kansas City Notre Dame de Sion won the Class Three title.
McCLUER NORTH repeats as State Girls Track & Field Champions but it is the first in Class Five, the first year as a five-class sport, after winning last year in Class Four. It is the third girls state championship joining Basketball in 1986 and has won 10 titles since 1975, which is many as McCluer High (1968-1993).
Leading the way for McCluer North girls is graduating senior Jasmine Barge who repeated as state champions in the 100-Meter Hurdles and 300-Meter Hurdles. The BOYS team had a State Track & Field Champion in junior Long Jumper Harry Ballard.
McCLUER BOYS took third in Class Four Track & Field thanks to three State Championship Relay Teams (4×100 Meters, 4×200 Meters and 4×400 Meters).
McCLUER SOUTH BERKELEY won Class Three Boys Track and Field winning state titles in two indivdiual events (110 Meter Hurdles and 400 Meter Dash) and two relays (4×200, 4×400 Meters) while the Girls finished second by a point and a half to John Burroguhs despite graduating senior Kamira Franklin winning dashes at 100, 200 and 400 Meters and helped the 4×400 Meter Relay win. McCluer South Berkeley has won six titles since 2007 the second for Boys Track and 27 overall combined with Berkeley High with Boys Track winning 16.
TRINITY CATHOLIC took third place in Class One State Girls Soccer June 5-6, the final games for retiring 47-year veteran coach Vince Drake. Trinity lost in the Semifinal to eventual runner up Columbia-Father Tolton Regional Catholic 3-1 thanks to a pair of second half Emma Johnson breakaway goals but rebounded in the third place game over Kansas City-Barstow, 3-1 courtesy of two first half Kierstyn Weaver goals off free kicks. Jackson-Saxony Luthean won the Class One title, the first Lutheran Soccer Champion (Boys or Girls)..
NORTH TECHNICAL got their first Girls Track & Field State Champion in junior Constance Jackson won the 100-Meter Hurdles and got their first State Relay Champion in the Girls 4×100 Meter Relay. In 2009 Marquis White was North Tech’s first Boys State Champion winning 100 and 200 Meter Dashes.
HAZELWOOD CENTRAL had only one state Track & Field champion as sophomore Destiny Nash won the Class Five Girls 400 Meter Dash. Hazelwood Central Football and Boys Basketball teams were Quarterfinalists and Football was Class Six, District Two runner up to eventual state champion CBC.
LUTHERAN NORTH Football was a Class Two Quarterfinalist, losing 14-7 to Palmyra. Lutheran North shared the Metro League title with John Burroughs and Westminster Christian Academy.
