Any high school with a dominant athletic team during any season of the academic year has a right to be proud.

If that school has two dominant teams in the same season of an academic year ... That is an accomplishment, indeed.

When it's two dominant teams of the same gender in the same season, there is reason to be boastful.

And when that school only has a graduating class of 102 — that's downright crazy.

Yet Moniteau High School pulled off that very feat this spring.

The Warrior baseball team finished 17-6 and won the District 9 Class AA championship. Pitcher-infielder Hunter Fitzingo was named the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference MVP.

Moniteau's boys track team extended its multiple season streak of consecutive dual meet victories to 32. The Warriors won their third straight KSAC championship and James Parenti was named KSAC Field Athlete of the Year.

Neither of these teams were one-man teams. Fitzingo and Parenti had plenty of company.

And despite the relatively low student numbers at Moniteau, the great majority of these boys either played baseball or did track, not both.

Their results were astounding.

Moniteau baseball had a team batting average of .306. The Warrior pitchers had a team earned run average of 2.48. The pitching staff compiled 192 strikeouts in 135.1 innings.

Fitzingo hit .426 at the plate. He was 4-1 with a 2.07 ERA, 81 strikeouts and 17 walks in 54 innings on the mound.

Gage Neal had a .365 average at the plate. He was 3-1 with a 1.25 ERA, 35 strikeouts in 22.1 innings on the mound.

Chance Nagy was 5-0 with a 3.14 ERA. Catcher Jared Lominski hit .419 with four homers and five triples. All four of his homers left the yard at Pullman Park, no easy task.

Lee DeMatteis hit .379, Tyler McFadden .362.

Looking at track and field, a number of Moniteau athletes posted some of the best times and distances in Butler County this season. That includes some schools more than twice its size.

Parenti's discus throw of 171 feet, 10 inches was 23 feet, 8 inches farther than anyone else in the county. Parenti's shot put toss of 50-6 was third longest.

Teammate Nick Martino ranked fourth in the shot put and fifth in the discus county-wide. Ethan McDeavitt was among the county's top five in three events — the 300-meter hurdles, high jump and triple jump.

Kyle Norling was third in the county in the 110 hurdles and pole vault.

It seems hard to believe that a small rural high school can house enough quality athletes to dominate in two sports at the same time.

Moniteau proves that it's not the size of the school that determines success.

It's the level of desire inside the athlete.

The nickname “Warriors” is aptly attached to this group.