It has been 24 years since a Mexico Bulldogs boys basketball team has made a Final Four Appearance. That is what head coach Darren Pappas and his 28-0 Bulldogs hope to accomplish when they face Vashon tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon.
The 1998 team was coached by Scott Floyd and finished fourth in the State that year after losing to the eventual champion St. Francis Borgia.
Plenty of stars were on that team. Marcus Belcher who is now the Assistant Men’s Basketball coach at Illinois State University.
Chris Lewis now a sales associate at Pearl Motor Company in Mexico.
Power forward Jason Fowler, who resides in Mexico and is teaching area kids including his son Houston, basketball as a coach at the Mexico YMCA.Fowler says that the 1998 team was “Pumped and thrilled, to be at the Final Four. The team believed as a team they could beat anybody. Point guard Doug Hoer had experience making a Final Four as a freshman, and as teammate of Cookie Belcher.”
This years’ Mexico Bulldogs team has already rewritten the school history books with the most wins in a season.
Mexico’s opponent tomorrow Vashon is a powerhouse in basketball. The Wolverines are looking to repeat as State Champs. Vashon has been ranked number 1 in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association poll for the entire season. Since 1934, Vashon has won 14 State Basketball Championships, six as a member of the Missouri Negro Interscholastic Athletic Association and then eight as a member of the Missouri State High School Activities Association. The Wolverines have won State Championships in 2016,2017.2019 and last season.
