Before Trinity, State Boys
Soccer Ruled Aquinas, Rosary

By Jim Wieners

While Trinity Catholic won four state sports titles in the final three years of the now closed high school’s existence of 18 years (2003-2021), state titles at St. Thomas Aquinas, before and after the fall of 1985 merger with Mercy, and Rosary took place during the 28 year period of the winter of 1971 to the fall of 1998.
Aquinas, Rosary and Aquinas-Mercy, combined, won 19 Missouri State High School Activities Association titles 21 including two non-MSHSAA titles won by Rosary. Of the five sports where titles won, Boys Soccer won the majority including 11 by Aquinas including nine after merging with Mercy and five won by Rosary.
When Boys Soccer moved from the winter to the fall of 1975 Aquinas took the schools first title that November at the now-Gateway STEM. Two years later (1977), Aquinas became the first to have a second title but that was a co-championship with Bishop DuBourg in a game played at the now-Francis Olympic Field at Washington University.
The first of the last nine titles at Aquinas-Mercy were in 1985 as a Class 4A School while the last eight, during the 1988-1998 period, were as a Class 1A-3A school. Aquinas-Mercy were repeat champions three times but two times the Falcons won three-peat titles (1988-1990, 1996-1998)
Vince Drake, who also coached Girls Soccer to a 1987 State title, coached all 11 Boys Soccer titles won by the Falcons. The Falcons have the most MSHSAA titles and is one better than the 10 currently won by Christian Brothers College High (CBC)) (1969-2018). That is even more than the most Illinois High
School Association State titles (10) won by Granite City High (1972-1991).
The lineage of Mercy, Aquinas,
Rosary ends with the closing
of Trinity Catholic this year
as Granite City South (1976-1982).
It took Rosary three attempts to win their first Boys Soccer state title until the winter of 1971 when the Rebels defeated St. Mary’s 1-0 at the now-Saint Louis University’s Robert R. Hermann Stadium, avenging a 1970 loss to the Dragons. Rosary won their second title in 1979 but unlike Aquinas in 1977 the Rebels were the first to take home two undisputed titles as Fr. Jim Gahan, a then priest, coached Rosary to a 1-0 win over DuBourg at the now Lindenwood University Harlan C. Hunter Stadium. Rosary won Class 1A-3A state titles in 1985 (while Aquinas-Mercy won 4A), 1987 and 1991.
While Drake won all 12, Aquinas Soccer titles (including 11 Boys) it took four coaches to win five Rosary Boys Soccer titles. John Mohrmann, who recently coached St. Louis Priory to three state titles (2005, 2011, and 2017), coached two of Rosary’s five state titles (1986, 1987); And Mohrmann coached Priory in his’ first two championship games over Trinity, coached by Drake.
Rosary won Girls Soccer, years before the MSHSAA sponsored the sport in 1985, Boys Volleyball, as a club sport, and State Girls Basketball, Class 3A in 1998. Aquinas won State Boys Golf in 1978.
TRINITY CATHOLIC won Class Three State Football in 2018 while in 2019 the Titans won Class Three Boys and Girls Track & Field. On the last day of school in 2021, Trinity won Class Four Girls Track and Field. MERCY (1948-

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