Champions Crowned at State Wrestling Tourney

Earlier this season Francis Howell Central senior Terrel Wilbourn lost to Blue Spring’s Keenan Hagerty for his first and only loss of the season, so Saturday’s rematch in the state championship was his shot at redemption, according to assistant coach Chris Wehmer.

But midway through the bout Wilbourn went down, clutching his knee. It appeared that his chance to win a third state title might be over.

“He’s had a problem with his knee all year,” Wehmer said. “He strained some ligaments. He sat out a portion of the year.”

The senior refused to quit. He finished the match favoring his strong knee and went on to win 6-3.

“This kid’s one of the hardest workers in the room,” Wehmer said. “He’s a very mentally tough kid. He wanted this more than anything.”

What Wilbourn showed Saturday night was exactly what Wehmer said made him the team’s leader.

“He’s like the foundation of the program,” Wehmer said. “The whole room revolves around him. Other kids see his work and they want to be like T. He showed a great example there.”

Wilbourn's state title helped the Spartans take second place in Class 4. Howell Central picked up 126.5 points to fall just short of Blue Springs (173 points).

Ben Henson of Howell Central fell to Hazelwood West’s Antoine White in the 119-pound championship. While Henson maintained control for the early portion of the match, a late push by White led him to a 502 victory.

Senior Matt Greene placed third in the 171-pound weight class.

l senior J.D. Hurst placed third in the 160-pound division. Hurst lost 7-5 to Matthew Schieber from Penney High School in his third match of the MSHSAA State Wrestling Tournament.

He bounced back to win his next match, but fell in his final match of the season to Craig Clark of Blair Oaks High School. Clark topped Hurst 5-4, giving Hurst a third place finish to out his high school career. 

Lutheran finished with 16 points, good enough for 28th place in Class 1. 

tied for 19th place with 24 points. Conor Vortherms (189 pounds) placed fifth. Andrew Moore (152 pounds) placed sixth.