The competition between the Mary Institute and Country Day School against John Burroughs School has remained a celebrated rivalry and significant part of both of the teams’ seasons. The battle parallels those of epic proportions; Army vs Navy, Harvard vs Yale, Duke vs UNC, take your pick. The rivalry between the two schools is easily one of the most significant and long-lasting in Saint Louis. The annual metro league matchup between John Burroughs and MICDS is one of the longest continuing series in football as well as a wide variety of sports, including soccer, tennis, basketball, and baseball. In fact, MICDS holds its homecoming the same week that its sports teams play Burroughs’. Both schools traditionally host pep rallies and bonfires as well.

The first basketball game between these institutions occured on March 2, 1926, when the Rams defeated the Bombers 23-16. Meanwhile, the first football contest between the two schools was on October 9, 1926, the Rams beating the Bombers 13-0. Since then, Bomber Football has won 9 state championships while MICDS has won 7. Since 2000, MICDS has led the series 14-7, winning the last four games in a row.

In field hockey, the Bombers beat the Rams twice this year, a particularly spectacular feat considering the last-second game winning shot on the newly-built Bomber field hockey field. The two squads then faced off again in the state semifinals where the Bombers pulled another clutch performance to advance to their first title game since 2010. This semifinal win marked the third consecutive victory against the Rams after losing seven straight games from 2013 through 2018.

The tennis rivalry has also been very successful for the BurBombers. Throughout the 90s, MICDS Girls Tennis won the state championship 3 times. However, MICDS Girls Tennis has failed to claim a state championship since 2009. Bomber Tennis has won the title 5 times since 2009. Recently, JBS Girls Tennis achieved a triple crown of state championships after winning the championship their 2020 season.

Boy’s Tennis has also experienced their fair share of success against the Rams. Throughout the 90s, the record between the teams was practically even, as the Bombers and Rams each defeated each other in the championship once and twice respectively. The Rams defeated John Burroughs for the state championships in 2013 and 2015. Since then, Boys Bomber’s tennis has swept MICDS Tennis, winning two consecutive state championships in 2018 and defeating MICDS in the 2019 final. It is important to note that due to COVID-19, the 2020 season was canceled.

In Boys’ Soccer, the Bombers have won the past four contests against the Rams. The last game in which the Bombers fell to MICDS was in 2018. In the past 5 years, the Bombers have only been defeated in two games to the Rams, demonstrating a recent period of dominance.

In a town where baseball is king, the Bombers are 6-4 in the last ten games against the Rams. After a season cancellation last spring, the Bombers look forward to improving with new faces on the roster after dropping the last two games against the Rams in 2019. As we look ahead on the following years, it is clear that Bomber’s sports programs have a bright, talented future against the Rams. As the two schools look toward facing off this spring, it is important to respect and celebrate the rich history surrounding one of Saint Louis’s most prestigious high school rivalries.