EDWARDSVILLE - The 2004 girls golf team the 2000 boys soccer team and the 1990 boys baseball team, all state champions, were inducted into the Edwardsville High School Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies Saturday evening at the Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville.
The three teams are among the greatest in Tigers' history and have all left lasting impacts on the Edwardsville athletic program.
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Here's a look at the three teams that were inducted in the Hall:
2004 GIRLS GOLF TEAM
The 2004 girls golf team, the first, and to this day, only girls team ever to win an IHSA state championship, was dominating in winning the championship, defeating Normal University by 23 shots to take the crown with a team score of 654.
Marissa Cook finished second as an individual with a 152 for two days, with Jessica Collins coming in fifth with a 159 to help the Tigers win the title. Other members of the team were Lauren Norsworthy, Sheena Collins, Taylor Brengard, Whitney Shaw, Mia Mendoza, Bria Keffer, Courtney Siebert and HanLynn Vahlkamp.
It was a very tight-knit group that loved playing golf, and it showed in every tournament and meet they played in. The state journey started at their own regional, winning with a score of 295, then went on to take the Alton sectional with a 320, with Cook winning the individual title in a playoff with Ashley Freeman of Belleville East.
The Tigers went on to win the state title by shooting team scores of 329 on the first day and 325 on the second day to defeat the Pioneers.
Norsworthy was the only senior on the team that year, while Cook went on to qualify for the state tournament in all four years of high school and Collins finished in the top ten three times at the state meet.
2000 BOYS SOCCER
The 2000 boys soccer team went 25-3-1 in winning the program's first-ever state tournament in St. Charles, in far west suburban Chicago, becoming the first St. Louis area school other than Granite City or Collinsville to win an IHSA title
The Tigers won their Class AA quarterfinal game over Rockford Boylan Catholic 2-1 after extra time, then went on to defeat Aurora Waubonsie Valley in the semifinal 4-0 and stunned the nation's top-ranked team, New Lenox Lincoln-Way, 4-1 in the final to take the championship.
It was the second win of the season over Lincoln-Way for the Tigers, having won in a tournament in a penalty shootout. The Tigers' only losses of the year came to Granite City, Oakville and CBC.
Luke Kreamalmeyer led the team with 38 goals, a school record, and had the first-ever hat trick in a state final, while Jesus Belascoain scored 11 goals and Jason Winterbottom added 10 goals. The defense was solid all season, conceding only 19 goals, while Nathan Gibson played tremendously in goal, going 22-3-1 with 115 saves and a goals-against average of 0.63.
The team was coached by Mark Heiderscheid, then in his first year, and assisted by John Ginestra.
1990 BASEBALL TEAM
The 1990 baseball team, coached by the colorful Tom "Moto" Pile, was one the nation's best teams of that year, going 32-3, winning the Class AA state championship for the first time ever, also finishing with the top-ranking by the Chicago Tribune, the number seven rank by Collegiate Baseball and the number 12 ranking in the USA Today Super 25.
The Tigers won the title over Joliet Catholic 4-1 in what turned out to be Pile's final game, as he retired at the end of the season. His assistant coaches were Mike Waldo and Darrell Butler.
Tom Price was the ace of the pitching staff, going 13-0 with a 0.95 ERA, while Joe Blasingim went 8-0 with a 1.89 ERA. The regular lineup all hit over .300 for the season, with Mark Little hitting a team-high .402 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs. Current Tiger coach Tim Funkhouser also made an important contribution with a .325 average and 17 RBIs.
The win was the Tigers' 25th straight as a part of their state-record 64-game winning streak, currently the seventh-longest streak in national high school history.
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