Blog

By Jim Wieners

The Missouri State High School Activities Association has entered two high schools from Wentzville, Holt and Timberland, in the 14-team field. The tournament also includes five of McCluer North’s Suburban North’s Conference rivals, three from the Hazelwood School District as well as Pattonville and Ritenour. Also competing includes two Francis Howell rivals from their school district, Fort Zumwalt West, Parkway North and Troy-Buchanan.

The top four wrestlers from each of the 14 weight classes, in all four classes, advance the MSHSAA State Championships, Feb. 14-16 at Mizzou Arena, Columbia. According to MissouriWrestling.com, as of Jan. 29, Holt is ranked third in State Tournament Team rankings and fourth in Dual Team and Timberland is ranked sixth in both while McCluer North is not ranked. Last year Timberland finished fifth in Class Four State and Holt was 14th while McCluer North finished 16th, just one half-point behind 15th-place Francis Howell Central (36.0-35.5).

McCluer North was 10-2 in dual meets including a 7-0 Suburban North Conference record. It is the fifth straight Suburban North title, their 13th in the last 14 years. McCluer North also has won the Lee’s Summit Tournament and the Francis Howell North Tournament Black Division. The Stars took fifth in the All-Suburban Wrestling Championships Jan. 4-5 at Hazelwood Central,

McCluer North has at least five wrestlers who qualified for state last year but did not place in the top six. They include junior Teron Woodson (113 pounds), junior Anthony Nichols (138), junior Gary Washington (160), senior Josh Wheeler (170), and senior Randall Young (285). According to MissouriWrestling.com, as of Jan. 29, Wheeler is ranked third, Young is ranked seventh and sophomore Travon Butler (220) is ranked seventh.

McCluer North head coach Jake Lapinski the Stars are in the Shadows of Holt and Timberland. However, “if we wrestle the way we are capable of wrestling (then) we are capable of making some noise,” Lapinski said after a McCluer North 48-27 home dual meet win Feb. 1 over Francis Howell in the former Florissant Junior High Gym.

OTHER WRESTLERS TO WATCH IN CLASS FOUR, DISTRICT TWO include Daniel Vaughn, Hazelwood West (285) Jeff Brock, Hazelwood East (182), and Isiah Cooper, Hazelwood Central (195). According to MissouriWrestling.com, as of Jan. 29, Vaughn, a two-time state qualifier who finished fifth last year, is ranked fifth, Brock, a Class Three State qualifier at 170 last year, is ranked sixth, and Cooper is ranked fifth.

McCLUER will compete in Class Three, District Two Friday-Saturday at Westminster Christian Academy, Town and Country, along with Riverview Gardens and former Suburban North rival Normandy. According to MissouriWrestling.com, as of Jan. 29, Marvin Nelson, who qualified for state the last two years for McCluer, is ranked sixth at 120, Xavier Jenkins, a state qualifier last year at 285, is ranked third, Lynxel Owens is ranked eighth at 195 and Di’ontay Hatch is ranked fifth at 220.

McCLUER SOUTH-BERKELEY will be in Class Two, District Two Friday-Saturday at St. Charles West. According to MissouriWrestling.com, as of Feb. 1, St. Charles West, ninth in Class Three State last year, is ranked eighth while among the other 12 teams in district competition Fulton is sixth, Mexico (Mo.) is 10th and Moberly is 11th. Three MS-Berkeley wrestlers are ranked including John Williams, a two-time state qualifier and state runner up last year at 120, ranked second at 132, Damien Bell, ranked sixth at 285, and Darian Young, ranked 12th at 113.