St. Louis-area wrestlers brought home two state-championships and several other medals from last weekend’s Missouri State High School Activities Association Wrestling Championships in Columbia.
Junior standouts Ryan Mango of Whitfield and Esmond Ford of Affton completed perfect seasons by winning individual state championships at the state meet, which was held at the Mizzou Arena.
Mango earned his second conseuctive individual state title by winning the 119-pound division in the Class 1 tournament. Mango, who finished the season with a 45-0 record, was also instrumental in leading the Warriors to the Class 1 team championship.
Mango pinned his first three opponents in succession before defeating Jordan Orr of Brookfield 6-3 in the championship match. His first three victims were Stephen Parker of Holden, Ronnie Bloss of Lathrop and Grady Granger of Butler. In the past two seasons, Mango has compiled a record of 87-2 en route to winning back-to-back state titles. He was the state champion at 103 pounds last year as a sophomore.
Affton’s Ford joined Mango on the winner’s podium as an undefeated state-champion from the area. Ford was the Class 2 state champion at 130 pounds. He finished the season with a 43-0 record.
Ford defeated Austen Payne of Nevada, Reny Ries of Richmond and Ben Hunter of Harrisonville in the first three rounds before besting Michael Merritt of Monett 11-6 for the state championship.
Several other area wrestlers brought home second-place medals after advancing to the state-championship match. Sophomore Brandon Wilbourn of Francis Howell Central finished second in the Class 4, 135-pound weight class. Wilbourn lost the match by default when he was knocked unconscious in his championship match against Eureka’s Nick Lester. Wilbourn finished the season with a 39-4 record.
A pair of heavyweights also brought home second-place medals in the 285-pound weight class. Jorcell Davis of Hazelwood West was the runner-up in the Class 4 division. He was defeated by Steve Dieckhaus of Francis Howell Central in the finals. Davis finished the season with a 35-4 record. DeMarco Kemp of University City finished second in the Class 3 division at 285 pounds. Kemp finished with a 35-8 record.
A third 285-pounder, sophomore Wesley Bell of McCluer, was one of the surprises of the state tournament. Entering the competition with an 18-8 record, Bell pulled off one of the early shockers of the tournament when he defeated No. 1 seed Elijah Madison of Oak Park in the first-round 4-2. Madison came into the state meet with a 39-0 record, but the unheralded Bell pulled off the huge upset. Bell went on to finish in sixth place in the first state competition.
Willie Williams of McCluer South-Berkeley came home with a second-place medal in the 152-pound weight class in the Class 2 division. Williams advanced to the finals before losing a hard-fought match to Tyler St. Louis of Platte County 6-3. Williams’ teammate at Berkeley, Lawrence Coleman, finished fifth in the 189-pound division. Coleman had a strong performance in the wrestlebacks to earn his fifth-place medal.
Other top area performers included freshman Terrell Wilbourn of Francis Howell Central, who finished fifth in the Class 4 tournament at 103 pounds. Wilbourn finished his first varsity year of wrestling with a 48-4 record.
Terrell Smart of Hazelwood Central finished sixth in the Class 4 meet at 145 pounds. He finished the season with a 45-11 record. Teammate Chauncey Smith of Hazelwood Central finished fifth at 189 pounds to end the season at 48-5. Devon Brun of Hazelwood West earned a sixth-place medal at 160 pounds to finish with a 39-12 record.
