Bumper crop of state championships made it a year to remember in area high school sports

The 2018-19 sports season was an exceptional one for metro-east schools, which provided fans back home a bumper crop of state championships to celebrate.

The Southwestern Conference’s six team titles and eight individual track and field championships, in particular, sent notice upstate about the quality of the competition south of Interstate-80.

“I have been around the Southwestern Conference since the 1980’s and I have checked with and talked to people who have been around longer than that and nobody can ever remember a year when we had six teams in state championships — and that’s not even including the number of individuals who won state titles,” SWC commissioner Bill Schmidt said. “It was an amazing year and one that the member schools are very proud of.”

Few will forget the brilliance of two-time Illinois’ Mr. Basketball EJ Liddell as he helped lead a second half comeback which gave Belleville West a second straight Class 4A state title or the leadership of East St. Louis senior Terrence Hargrove Jr., whose emotion and talent were key in helping the Flyers win their first boys state basketball championship.

The basketball state championship was just the start for East St Louis which earlier this spring reaffirmed its position as a track and field powerhouse by winning both the boys and girls Class 2A State championships.

The O’Fallon Panthers won the girls state bowling championship in February and just a few weeks ago, Edwardsville capped a remarkable year for the Southwestern Conference by winning the Class 4A state baseball championship.

“It just goes to show the level of athletes and coaches we have in this conference. And, we down here see it every single year,” Schmidt said. “Of course, in order to win a state championship in any sport, you have to stay away from injuries and have a little luck along the way. We had those things this year.’’

Also this spring, the Columbia Eagles ended several years of near misses by winning the Class1 1A girls state soccer title. Add the 14 +state championships won by individual athletes and the ‘2018-19 season was one of the best ever in the metro east.

Illinois High School Association Executive Director Craig Anderson said the success of metro east area and, more specifically, the SWC teams and individuals are part of a deep talent pool state-wide.

“We obviously don’t play favorites, but we are a large and diverse state, so it is always neat to see IHSA state final trophies return to different communities throughout Illinois,’’ Anderson said. “The Southwestern Conference certainly has a proud and storied tradition, highlighted by East St. Louis being among the original 27 members of the IHSA.

“There are not very many Class 3A and 4A schools in the southern part of the state, so I know the region as a whole takes pride when a team brings home a state championship. They certainly had plenty to be proud of last year.”

In all, 48 metro-east teams advanced to state tournaments during the 2018-19 school year, while several others had athletes compete in individual sports for their schools.

No conference in the state had a better year than the Southwestern Conference.

“I don’t think any other conference in the state can say it won six titles this year,’’ Schmidt said. “And we had several other teams place in the top eight in their respective state meets.

“The competition in the SWC is very strong night in and night out in several sports. In boys basketball, you had West and East St. Louis win state championships. But you also had two schools, Collinsville and Alton, which were very strong and who beat both state champions this season. I think if you ask coaches like Joe (Muniz) at West and Edwardsville baseball coach (Tim) Funkhouser they will tell you the competition they played helped get them prepared for the postseason.”

While winning state championships in bowling, baseball and track and field were all special, it was a six-hour span on a Saturday in Peoria in late March where two SWC schools won state basketball titles, which stands out the most

“It shows that down south basketball is pretty good too,’’ Liddell said. “The Chicago Public League has been great for a long time now. But this year, the Southwestern Conference was probably the best in the state.”

The success of the Southwestern Conference at the state level in 2018-19 did not go unnoticed by IHSA administration and board members around the state. Most, if not all of the response was positive.

“I notice the following that downstate sports had at the boys and girls basketball tournaments,” IHSA board member and Niles Notre Dame High School principal Daniel Tully said. “Their crowds were passionate and excited and clearly happy to be representing their schools and their regions.

“It’s great to see schools from all over Illinois represented at the IHSA championships. Having champions represent the diverse geography of the state shows that any team can win and that the state series’ are letting the best teams and athletes in Illinois shine..’’

Following is a brief look at many of the top athletes and teams which made the 2018-19 school year one of the best in recent memory at the state level for the metro east area:

East St. Louis

No school had a better year than the East St. Louis Flyers and Flyerettes which combined for three team state championships, including its first boys state basketball title.

Playing at the Peoria Civic Center, East St. Louis (30-6) got an offensive rebound and basket from Richard Robinson in the closing seconds to force overtime and went on for an emotional 68-63 win over Chicago Bogan in the Class 3A title contest.

In one of the great performances in title game history, Hargrove led the Flyers to their first championship, scoring 32 points and adding 10 rebounds.

Hargrove will play college basketball at St. Louis University in the fall and coach Mark Chambers must also replace several other key players for the 2019-2020 season. But East St. Louis returns point guard Jahawn Anderson to be its floor general.

In girls track and field, coach Nino Fennoy’s team received individual titles from Veronica Sherrod in the 300 meter hurdles and wins in the 400, 800 and 1,600 meter relays as it finished with 72 points, seven more than runner-up Springfield Southeast. The Flyerettes also won the 400, 800 and 1,600 meter relays. Sherrod will return in 2020 to hopefully defend her title while Fennoy will also return a large group of sprinters including junior Markia Lampley.

On the boys side, the Flyers rolled to a 42 point win over Marengo to win the state title. Coach Barry Malloyd’s team got wins from Willie Johnson in the 400 meters and its 400 and 1,600 meter relay foursomes. Johnson returns in 2020 to lead a Flyers team which should enter the state finals as one of the favorites.

Belleville West

The Belleville West Maroons put a fitting end to a magical two-year run with a come-from-behind, 71-59 win over Evanston in the title game of the Class 4A State Basketball Tournament at the Peoria Civic Center.

The Maroons (34-4) trailed 35-29 at halftime but rallied behind Liddell (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Will Shumpert (21 points) to win their second straight state title. The Maroons graduated all five starters from that team but return guard Tommie Williams who should be among the top juniors in Illinois.

Nashville

The Nashville Hornets (36-2), behind the play of Bryson Bultman and Carson Parker, reached the title game of the Class 2A State Basketball Tournament where it lost to Chicago Orr, 50-36.

The Nashville Hornets (32-8) placed fourth in the Class 2A bracket. at the IHSA State Volleyball Tournament.

Edwardsville

The Edwardsville Tigers (37-5), behind all-state first baseman Drake Westcott, defeated St. Charles North 3-2 to win the Class 4A state baseball title at Route 66 Stadium in Joliet. The title was the third in school history for Edwardsville.

The win over St. Charles North was also the 700th in the coaching career of Tigers coach Tim Funkhouser. Westcott, a University of Louisville recruit, returns for his senior season in 2020 to lead what should be another strong Tigers squad.

The Tigers placed 20th in the boys and 24th at the Class 3A girls state cross country meet. The Tigers also placed 12th at the Class 2A State Golf Tournament located at Hickory Point Golf Course in Decatur.

Edwardsville tied for seventh place in the Class 2A boys state tennis tournament and was tied for 15th place with seven points in Class 2A girls state finals.

Edwardsville lost in the Class 3A dual team wrestling state quarterfinals.

Waterloo

In Class 3A baseball, the Waterloo Bulldogs (25-14) got hot at just the right time and used dominant pitching and solid defense to place third in the state finals. Behind sophomore Dustin Crawford, the Bulldogs defeated Dixon 9-2 in the third place game.

Led by 2017 state champion Jenna Schwartz, Waterloo placed 14th at the Class 2A State Cross Country championship in Peoria. Schwartz, a University of Missouri recruit, earned her fourth straight all-state honor, placing fifth.

Gibault

In Class 1A baseball, the Gibault Hawks (27-9), behind all-state pitcher/infielder Mark Branz, placed second, losing to Ottawa Marquette 14-5 in the state title game. It was the third straight year a metro east team placed second in the Class 1A state finals. Valmeyer placed second in both 2017 and 2018.

Led by the high scoring duo of Logan Doerr and Karson Huels, the Hawks (17-4-5) earned the fourth place trophy at the class 2A boys state soccer tournament, which was held at Hoffman Estates High School. The Hawks lost to St.. Ignatius College Prep 2-1 in the third place game.

O’Fallon

At the girls state bowling finals at Cherry Bowl in Rockford, the O’Fallon Panthers captured their first state championship. Individual competition runner-up Lauren Tomaszewski averaged 212 to lead the way for O’Fallon. The Panthers return three of their top five bowlers next fall, including senior Mary Orf.

O’Fallon placed seventh in the boys division and 18th in the girls division at the Class 3A state cross country meet in Peoria.

Belleville East

The Lancers’ 400-meter relay team won the Class 3A state track championship and helped the Lancers tie for eighth place in the Class 3A team competition with 24 points.

The Belleville East Lancers placed sixth at the IHSA State Bowling Tournament and 18th in the boys state finals.

Collinsville

The Collinsville Kahoks placed eighth at the IHSA girls state bowling tournament and 13th in the boys state finals.

In Class 3A soccer, the Collinsville Kahoks rebounded from a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Libertyville in the semifinals, to place third. The Kahoks (19-4-2) defeated Roselle Lake Park (3-2) in the third place game.

Columbia

After getting past longtime nemesis Althoff in the Class 1A sectional final it was clear sailing for the Columbia Eagles who won the Class 1A girls state soccer title last month in Naperville.

Led by a deep and gifted offensive attack which featured four players with 50 or more or more points, The Eagles (25-2-1) defeated Althoff 2-0 then outscored their final three opponents of the season 17-1 in winning the state crown. The Eagles lost three of their four top offensive players to graduation but return high scoring midfielder Haley Glover for her senior season in 2020.

Columbia Eagles also placed sixth at the IHSA boys state bowling finals at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon.

Roxana

The Roxana Shells placed 16th at the boys state bowling tournament; Roxana also placed 21st at the Class 1A IHSA girls state cross country finals and 24th in the boys class.

Alton

The Alton Redbirds placed 19th at the IHSA boys state bowling tournament in O’Fallon.

Freeburg

A state power in cross country, the Freeburg Midgets placed 12th in the boys division and 16th in the girls division at the Class 1A State finals at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

Freeburg placed 22nd at the IHSA boys state bowling tournament at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon.

Mascoutah

Mascoutah sophomore Olivia Moyer won the girls wheelchair state bowling championship, finishing with a score of 806 for six games.

Highland

The Highland Bulldogs placed ninth in the medium school division at the IHSA competitive cheerleading state finals in Bloomington. The Bulldogs were also 21st at the Class 2A girls state cross country meet in Peoria.

The Bulldogs placed fifth in the Class 1A Division of the state finals which were held in Bloomington.

Central

The Breese Central Cougars were sixth in the small school class at the competitive cheerleading state finals.

Okawville

The Okawville Rockets placed 24th at the IHSA Class 1A girls state cross country championship.

Glen Carbon (Father McGivney)

Father McGivney placed 14th at the Class 1A boys state cross country meet in Peoria.

Althoff

In girls track, sophomore Nariah Parks won the Class 1A 400 meters this spring in Charleston. Althoff senior Max Kristoff won the Class 1A 145 pound state wrestling title, finishing with a record of 44-4.

Looking to win a second straight Class 3A volleyball state title, the Althoff Crusaders came up short as they fell to the Sterling Golden Warriors 25-22, 25-21 in the state championship match at Redbird Arena in Normal. Althoff, led by junior all-state player Karinna Gall, finished the season at 36-4.

The Crusaders boys golf team placed 12th at the Class 2A state golf tournament which was held at Weibring Golf Course in Normal.

Marquette

The Alton Marquette Explorers placed fifth at the Class 1A Girls State Golf Tournament which was held at Red Tail Run Golf Course near Decatur.

Triad

The Triad Knights (19-3-2) girls soccer team capped a memorable postseason run with a third place finish in the Class 2A bracket. The Knights defeated Joliet Catholic 3-1 in the third place game.

Triad placed 19th in Class 1A state boys tennis finals and was 11th in the girls class with 10 points.

The Triad Knights placed fourth at the Class 2A dual team state wrestling tournament.

Wood River

Sophomore Jaydon Ulrich won the Class 2A shot put girls state title.

Granite City

One of the top distance runners in the state for the past four years, Granite City’s Andrew O’Keefe who won the Class 3A 1,600 meters. at O’Brien Stadium in Charleston earlier this month.

Cahokia

Cahokia senior Jacob Bullock won the Class 2A 220 pound state wrestling title, finishing his senior year at 34-0. Bullock will continue his wrestling career at Old Dominion University.

This story was originally published June 28, 2019 at 10:35 AM.

Dean Criddle

Belleville News-Democrat

618-239-2661

Dean Criddle has been a reporter at the Belleville News-Democrat for more than 32 years and currently covers public safety . The SIUE graduate was elected in 2020 to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame as a sports writer. Dean is married and lives in Belleville.