There were some talented high school wrestlers in the St. Louis metropolitan area during the 2007-08 season. This week, we celebrate our young grapplers with the second annual St. Louis American All-Area Wrestling Team. Congratulations to Whitfield’s Ryan Mango and Affton’s Esmond Ford, who share this year’s St. Louis American Wrestler of the Year Award after undefeated state-championship campaigns. They follow in the footsteps of former McCluer North star Donald Wells, the 2007 winner and an undefeated state champion as well.
Here is a closer look at the members of the St. Louis American All-Area Wrestling Team:
103 pounds: Terrel Wilbourn (Francis Howell Central): Wilbourne enjoyed a stellar freshman campaign by finishing fifth at the Class 4 state championships. He compiled a 48-4 record in winning the GAC and district titles.
112: Antoine Green (McCluer North): An All-Suburban North Conference performer who wrestled at both 112 and 119 pounds. He finished his senior year with a 35-12 record while qualifying for the Class 4 state tournament.
119: Ryan Mango (Whitfield): The St. Louis American Co-Wrestler of the Year, Mango became a back-to-back state champion in 2008. After winning the 112-pound title as a sophomore, Mango came back to become the Class 1 state champion at 119 pounds with a record of 45-0. He also helped the Warriors win the Class 1 state team title.
125: Daryl Thomas (Edwardsville): One of the top performers in the metro east area. Finished his senior season with a 44-3 record after winning the Southwestern Conference, regional and sectional titles in his weight class. Thre three-year state qualifier finished his career with 103 victories.
130: Esmond Ford (Affton): Ford shares the Wrestler of the Year Award with Whitfield’s Mango. The son of Affton coach Devon Ford, young Esmond sported a 43-0 record en route to winning the Class 2 state championship at 130 pounds.
135: Brandon Wilbourne (Francis Howell Central): Wilbourne’s excellent sophomore ended with a run to the Class 4 state-championship match, where he was the state runner-up. A GAC and district champion, Wilbourne finished the season with a 39-4 record.
140: Dominique Thornton (Hazelwood East): An All-Suburban North Cofnerence performer, Thornton had a 37-8 record as a senior while qualifying for the state tournament for the third consecutive year.
145: Terrell Smart (Hazelwood Central): The All-Suburban North Conference performer earned a sixth-place medal at the Class 4 state tournament after finishing fifth as a junior. Smart had a record of 41-11 this season.
152: Willie Williams (McCluer South-Berkeley): The All-Suburban East Conference wrestler compiled a 27-5 record and advanced to the finals of the Class 2 state tournament, where he was the state runner-up.
160: Darren Manning (Sumner): One of the top performers in the Public High League, Manning turned in a 33-7 record while making his second consecutive appearance at the state tournament.
171: Maurice Alexander (Eureka): Standout junior performer who finished the season with a 29-11 record in qualifying for the Class 4 state tournament.
189: Lawrence Coleman (McCluer South-Berkeley): Coleman earned a fifth-place medal at the Class 2 state championships while compiling a 31-10 record this season.
Chauncey Smith (Hazelwood Central): Smith finished his career by earning a fifth-place medal at the Class 4 state championships. He ended the season with a record of 48-8.
215: Charles Toney (Oakville): After finishing fourth in the district tournament, Toney battled back to take a third-place medal at the Class 4 state tournament to finish the season with a 31-4 record.
285: Jorcell Davis (Hazelwood West): The senior heavyweight enjoyed a 35-4 season while finishing second in the Class 4 state tournament. He will head to Lindenwood University in the fall.
Demarco Kemp (University City): Kemp was the runner-up in the Class 3 state tournament while finishing the season with a 35-8 record.