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Ferguson-Florissant Sends 16 Wrestlers To State, the 3 Hazelwoods Sending 8
By Jim Wieners
Among the two school districts in the Florissant Valley area, both with three high schools, the Ferguson-Florissant School District has a two-to-one ratio of High School Wrestlers going to the Missouri State High School Activities Association Championships Feb. 20-22 at Mizzou Arena, on the University of Missouri campus, in Columbia.
Ferguson-Florissant’s three high schools will send a combined total of 16 wrestlers while Hazelwood’s three will send a combined total of eight.
The school with the largest entry of the Ferguson-Florissant team is the least likely to be mentioned, McCluer South-Berkeley, who will compete in Class Two with six wrestlers, one of the largest fields in team history. McCluer South-Berkeley has no state champions and, prior to moving to Ferguson, Berkeley High has only one champion
The wrestler that has the best chance to win state is senior John Williams (138 pounds), who took second last year at 132 and two years ago at 120. Williams, a District Two champion, will be joined by sophomore Lawrence Woods (120) juniors Darion Young (113) and Jamal White (170) and seniors Adrian Watson (145) and Pernell Robinson (195). Woods and Young were state qualifiers last year.
McCluer North will be one of four area high schools (the other three are Hazelwood Schools) that will compete in Class Four and for the second year in a row North will send five after sending 11 two years ago. Only one returns from last year as junior Travon Butler a District Two champion at 220 who sets his sights on the state title after taking third last year while another two-time qualifier, senior Gary Washington (170), qualified two years ago (160) but missed out last year. Also going to state are sophomores Efe Osagae (126) and Cayelon Barton (195) and junior Terrell Pampkin (132).
McCluer will compete in Class Three and will send five for the second year in a row but only senior Kamerun Williams (126) as a state qualifier. Seniors Alex Willis (a District Two champion at 152) and Wyatt Clark (195), Junior Christopher Minton (132) and sophomore Jarvis Hubbard (170) also qualified.
Of the eight wrestlers from the Hazelwood Schools that qualified seven of them are seniors and the only exception is West junior Nick Lange (160). Returning to state are Khial Jamison (170), Central (sixth last year), Jerry Stepps (106), the only East wrestler and Daniel Vaughn (220), West (a four-time qualifier, fifth two years ago and heads to state with a 41-0 record and a district title). Other wrestlers that will each make their only appearance are Jaylen Gomilla (106), Cameron Dunn (145) and Allan Person (152), Central, and Raamish Saeed (195), West.
