With the final out of the 2024 high school season recorded Saturday, let's look back at five of the most memorable things that happened for St. Louis area teams in Illinois and Missouri.
Duchesne is area's lone state champ
Before Mike Hollander and his coaching staff took over at Duchesne, the Pioneers were considered an afterthought regarding postseason play.
Not anymore.
The Pioneers were the only area team to win a state championship this year, topping Mid-Buchanan 9-0 in the Class 3 title game May 30 in Ozark.
Duchesne broke an eight-year district title drought before blazing through the sectional, quarterfinal and semifinals to reach its first state title game since 1984. Not content with a runner-up trophy, Duchesne slammed its way to the championship behind an explosive offense and the right arm of sophomore TJ Greise.
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The Pioneers will be bumped up to Class 4 next year due to the Missouri State High School Activities Association success factor for non-boundary schools, but with the amount of production returning, it's safe to say Hollander and his staff have the pieces to make another run at a title.
Tyson Oswald twirls a gem against a juggernaut
Lafayette senior Tyson Oswald had returned from an injury that kept him from the mound until early April. When he was inserted into a loaded pitching staff, the Lancers took off.
But he saved his best for last.
Against two-time defending state champion Liberty North in a Class 6 state semifinal May 31, Oswald was masterful on the mound in a 1-0 victory.
The senior righty faced two batters over the minimum and no-hit an offense that averaged nearly seven runs a game leading up to the final four.
Oswald's mastery and a scrappy offense helped get Lafayette back to the state championship game for the first time since 2000 before falling to Blue Springs 11-10 in the title tilt the next day.
Area teams go on magical runs
• Webster Groves knew it had the talent to make a deep run in the postseason, even if it hasn't been one of the area's bluebloods over the years.
Led by senior Jackson Torbit, the Statesmen knocked off defending Class 4 champions John Burroughs to claim their first district title since 20007. Then Torbit threw Webster past defending Class 5 champion Festus to punch its ticket to the state semifinals for the first time since 1969.
The Statesmen beat Kearney 7-5 in the semifinals before falling 5-1 to Willard in the Class 5 final, but the runner-up finish is the best in program history.
• Seckman claimed its first district title since 2011 and was one win away from its first semifinal appearance in program history, but it fell short to Class 6 runner-up Lafayette in the quarterfinal round.
• Lutheran St. Charles didn't have a sterling record going into the postseason, but Chris Smith and his coaching staff had his team believing the team could make a run. The Cougars bought into the message and sprinted to the end of the season, going 6-1 in the postseason and capturing a Class 4 third-place finish.
Edwardsville earns another state trophy
There has only been one team in Illinois history to win three consecutive state championships, and while Edwardsville fell short of that impressive feat after falling 2-1 in the Class 4A semifinals to Providence Catholic, there's no doubt the Tigers are among the elite in Illinois.
Trying to replace a host of seniors from back-to-back title runs and battling injuries to key players, Edwardsville was 90 feet away from playing for its third successive Class 4A title but ended the season with a third-place trophy.
The Tigers will have to replace key seniors again, namely Kolten Wright, Lucas Huebner, and Alec Marchetto. However, they are absolutely bursting at the seams with returning talent. A three-headed monster of Tony Eberlin, Chase Milburn, and Joseph Chiarodo headline the pitching staff returning next season.
Kelhenbrink, Dumont put on early-season show
Two future SEC hurlers got to square off before going to their respective colleges.
University of Missouri-signed Brady Kehlenbrink (Parkway South) and University of Tennessee-signed Andrew Dumont (St. Louis University High) faced off in the fourth game of the 2024 season in the championship of the St. Charles County Tournament, and the game lived up to the hype.
Parkway South edged SLUH 2-1 with Kehlenbrink and Dumont combining for 13 strikeouts in the 9 1-3 innings pitched. Junior Luke Sullivan pitched the final three innings for the Patriots and won, giving up one run on three hits and picking up five strikeouts.
SLUH went on to claim the outright Metro Catholic Conference title, while South shared the Suburban Conference Red Pool crown with Webster Groves.