The top prep wrestlers in the state of Missouri will convene at the Hearnes Center in Columbia this weekend for the Missouri State High School Activities Association State Wrestling Championships. The competition begins today and will run until Saturday, with the finals beginning at 5 p.m on Saturday night.
Among the legions of talented young grapplers headed to the University of Missouri will be a dedicated bunch of young men from McCluer South-Berkeley High School. If this were the state boys and girls track meet or the state football playoffs, it would not be such a big deal to see such a presence from Berkeley, but wrestling is quite another matter.
As of 2000, Berkeley did not have a wrestling program. There was a program to speak of between the 1950s and ‘80s, but save for a brief appearance in 1995, wrestling was not offered at Berkeley for close to 25 years. That changed in 2001 when Jonathan Schultz came to North County from Decatur, Ill. to revive the program.
“We finished the season with six wrestlers on the team,” Schultz said of his first season.
Now, four years later, the Bulldogs have 23 athletes, with eight of them headed to the Class 1 state championships. Each bit of success has led to increased interest in the program and more athletes coming out for wrestling. The Bulldogs made a little history last weekend by winning the Class 1, District 1 title at Whitfield. It marked the first district title in wrestling in the school’s history. Berkeley finished with a 7-2 record in dual meets while finishing in the top three in two major tournaments this season.
“It’s been pretty incredible to watch,” Schultz said. “It shows the dedication of the kids and their level of commitment. I’ve been really impressed with how hard they work and their desire to learn more about the sport.”
The Bulldogs had five individual champions from the district meet. They are seniors Gary Brooks at 119 pounds, Eldridge Williams (171), Anthony Crayton (215), Gerald Hollins (275) and junior Deandre McBee (140). Also headed to Columbia are second-place finisher Mike Foster (152) and third-place finishers Mike Ramkhelawan (160) and Anthony Crawford (189).
Brooks, Crayton and Crawford have been the stalwarts in Berkeley’s emergence as a wrestling program to watch as they were the ones who Schultz built the team around four years ago. Brooks and Crayton became the first wrestlers in school history to amass 100 individual victories during their careers.
Brooks and Crayton could be Berkeley’s best hopes for individual state titles this weekend. Brooks is undefeated in 43 matches this year, while Crayton is 37-6 after finished fourth in the state championships in 2004.
“Our goal is to finish in the top 10 as a team this weekend,” Schultz said. “Whatever happens, I’m very proud of what the kids have been able to accomplish with the program in such a short period of time.”
Here are a few more wrestlers to watch this weekend who return as state medalists.
* Senior Chris Upchurch of Whitfield was the Class 1 state champion at 130 pounds in 2004. He will be one of the favorites at 145 pounds this year. Upchurch is currently 16-0. He missed the first half of the season with a broken hand.
* Senior Jamie Luckett of St. Charles West was the state runner-up in the Class 2 meet at 189 pounds in 2004. Luckett (39-2) will be one of the top athletes to watch in the Class 3 meet at 189 pounds.
* Junior D.J. Ford of Affton finished fourth in the Class 2 meet at 140 pounds. Ford (34-5) will try to earn a medal at 160 pounds this weekend. Ford is coached by his father, Devon Ford.
* Freshman Donte Butler of Sumner is the top Public High League performer headed to state. Butler will take a 22-0 record into this weekend’s Class 3 state meet. Joining Butler in Columbia from the PHL will be sophomore Cantrell Brown of Sumner (125), junior Lewis Jones of Vashon (140), junior Fortune McGee of Vashon (189) and senior Reginald Murphy of Vashon (275).
At this weekend’s Illinois Class A state championships in Champaign, Roxana senior Tol Calvin will be one of the top contenders at 135 pounds. Calvin (36-1) pinned Drew Cannady of Althoff to win an individual sectional championship at Vandalia last Saturday. Calvin finished 41-6 as a junior in helping the Shells to a runner-up finish in the 2004 Class A state team championships.
