STEAM Academy (MSB) Replaces

Football With Boys’ Soccer

By Jim Wieners

After changes to schools by the Ferguson-Florissant School District Board McCluer South-Berkeley (MSB) formerly Berkeley High, is now STEAM Academy at McCluer South-Berkeley.

STEAM Academy, located on 201 Brotherton Lane, at South Florissant Road, in Ferguson, opens Thursday, Aug. 15 for students in the entire Ferguson-Florissant School District. Athletic programs will be at STEAM Academy with teams named Bulldogs, just like Berkeley High and MSB. However, there will be a change in dropping Football and replacing it with Boys Soccer.

The last Football game for the 7-4 Bulldogs in 2018 was Nov. 2, a 71-10 Class Three, District Three semifinal loss at eventual State Champion Trinity Catholic. The inaugural Boys Soccer Game will be Sept. 5, 4:15 at Hazelwood Central while the first Bulldog home game is Sept. 9 against McCluer

Howard Brown, 1999 Berkeley High alum, coached the Bulldogs for 15 years. During that time Berkeley High and McCluer South-Berkeley to a 90-72 overall record, six district finals, four distinct titles, two quarterfinal appearances, a 2016 Class Three State semifinalist (Losing to eventual State Champion Monett) and won the last three Suburban Conference Central American Division titles (2016, 2017, 2018). The 2018 Bulldogs appeared from MS-Berkeley on the syndicated telecast of the “Ellen” show (host Ellen DeGeneres) on KSDK television in St. Louis.

Berkeley High Football won the 1987 Class   3A State title, was a 1984 Class 3A runner up to Lexington and was dethroned in the 1988 Class 3A semifinals to eventual State Champion Lutheran North, the first of three in a row (five overall).

Brown will still be coaching high school Football in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. He is now the head coach of McCluer. Students that attended McCluer South-Berkeley and still want to play football can still play for Brown at McCluer, since their attendance area is south of Interstate 270, including the former MSB attendance area. McCluer North’s attendance area is north of I-270.

Brown will take McCluer to a site for the 2019 opener that is familiar to him, Aug. 30 at Jennings. Berkeley High and McCluer South-Berkeley are archrivals with Jennings in the Suburban League, Suburban East Conference and Suburban Central American. Brown was 10-6 versus Jennings and the Bulldogs won the last five in a row. McCluer is 5-2 against Jennings but the Comets lost the last two

McCluer is coming off a 0-10 season in 2018. While Brown was coaching at MS-Berkeley McCluer was 20-96 during that 15-year span. The Comets only won three post-season games, including 2009 over Montee Ball and the Wentzville-Timberland Wolves in overtime.

Football was one of 29 state titles won by Berkeley High and McCluer South-Berkeley, all coming after the Berkeley-Ferguson-Florissant-Kinloch School Districts merger in the mid-to late 1970s. Berkeley won 14 Boys and six Girls Track and Field titles. MSB won two Boys and six Girls Track and Field titles.

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