northco
03-07-2006, 04:44 PM
All-Metro team
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, Mar. 07 2006
FIRST TEAM
Nathan Crossett
Francis Howell senior
275 pounds
A three-time state medalist and a repeat first-team selection, Crossett (47-3)
was the Missouri Class 4 heavyweight runner-up for the second consecutive
season, losing 6-3 to Blue Springs' Dom Bradley in this year's title match.
Earlier this season, Crossett handed Bradley his only loss, a 7-4 decision in
the Raytown Christmas Tournament. Crossett has signed to play football at
Lindenwood University.
Ian Darr
Civic Memorial senior
275 pounds
Another returning first-teamer, Darr (37-3) placed fifth in Illinois Class AA
despite competing with a broken nose. He was state runner-up in 2005, losing
2-1 in double overtime. As a sophomore, Darr was 39-0 when his season was shut
down due to a knee injury. Over the last three seasons, the powerfully build
Darr was 119-6.
Chris Dopp
SC West senior
152 pounds
A transfer from Fox, Dopp was not eligible until Jan. 5 but made up for lost
time, dominating en route to a Missouri Class 3 title and a 31-0 record. Three
of his four wins in Columbia, including his title-match victory over Park
Hill's Robbie Hicklin, were by fall.
Erik Hart
SC West senior
215 pounds
Hart, who plans to play football in college, had one of the more eventful Class
3 title matches in Columbia. After nearly getting the pin and building a solid
lead, he had to come up with a big-time scramble in the waning seconds to hold
off Park Hill's Kyle Rose for the 7-6 decision. Hart (39-8) placed fourth at
215 as a junior.
Tommy Hill
Roxana senior
125 pounds
Hill, a third-place finisher at state, wrapped up his career with 159 wins and
three Illinois Class A state medals. Hill (43-2) placed third at 103 as a
freshman and second at 112 as a sophomore. His only losses this season came to
Alton's Wade Lowe and to undefeated state champion Cort Lawton of Polo.
Vito Krischke
Northwest junior
112 pounds
After losing 11-10 to Zumwalt West's Greg Benenati at 103 in one of the most
action-packed title matches in Missouri history last year, Krischke (46-2)
survived to win a one-point match in this year's opening round before pinning
his way to a state title. In the championship match, he won by fall in 2:48
over DeSmet's Tim Ziegler.
Brandon Lococo
Francis Howell senior
160 pounds
The Post-Dispatch wrestler of the year, Lococo held off Blue Springs' Clarence
Neely 10-7 to capture the Class 4 title. Lococo, who has signed with Lindenwood
University, was a state runner-up in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He
finished this season at 47-0, joining St. Charles West's Dopp as the area's
only unbeatens.
Scott Penny
Granite City junior
189 pounds
Penny, a powerfully built junior, came into the season with tremendous focus
and did not stop until becoming the area's top Illinois Class AA finisher,
placing third in Champaign. Penny (45-2) suffered his only losses this season
to Class AA state champ Jerome Ward of St. Rita and runner-up John Schoen of
Marist.
Jimmy Pepper
Seckman senior
135 pounds
Pepper, a three-time medalist, entered this year's title match with a record of
49-0 but ended up on the short end of a 3-2 match with Oak Park's Dylan Joiner.
Pepper placed fifth at 119 in 2004 and finished fourth at 135 last year.
Mitch Stromsdorfer
Burroughs sophomore
152 pounds
A state medal hopeful as a freshman, Stromsdorfer missed out on a trip to
Columbia due to a concussion suffered in districts. After suffering his only
loss this season in a district title match, Stromsdorfer (37-1) seemed to get
better and better at state. He is Burrough's first champion since 1971.
Brandon Wiest
Zumwalt West junior
145 pounds
For the third time in as many seasons, Wiest reached the title match at state -
and lost to one of Oak Park's top wrestlers. This season, he fell 10-6 to
three-time champion Shane Nay of Oak Park. Wiest (35-4) was runner-up to Nay at
125 in 2004 and to eventual four-time champion Zack Bailey at 135 in 2005.
Kyle Williams
Mascoutah sophomore
119 pounds
A North Dakota state champion at 103 in 2005, Williams transferred into the
area and ended up as a fourth-place finisher in Illinois Class AA. He entered
the state meet at 39-0 and finished the season at 43-2.
Aaron Winning
Althoff senior
140 pounds
Winning placed fifth in Illinois Class AA, joining three-time state champion
Kip Kristoff of Civic Memorial as the only Metro East wrestlers to capture
medals in four consecutive seasons. Winning (45-6) placed sixth in Class AA in
2003 and 2004 and was a state runner-up at 130 in Class A competition a year
ago. He wrapped up his career with 175 wins, 115 by fall.
Justin Wolfrum
Zumwalt West senior
152 pounds
Lococo's top competition for wrestler of the year, Wolfrum (38-2) captured his
third state title and his fourth state medal this season, putting the finishing
touches on a stellar 168-8 career. He is one of several area standouts headed
to NAIA power Lindenwood University.
SECOND TEAM
Sean Bahmani, Edwardsville, senior, 275 pounds - Had some real
battles with Ian Darr.
Kyle Bradley, Howell Central, freshman, 103 - Runner-up finish
capped a 46-2 freshman campaign
Donte Butler, Sumner, junior, 112 - Three-time medalist lost in
finals, finished 34-2
Cody Farinella, Parkway North, sophomore, 125 - Third in 2005,
second this time around
Chris Flaugher, Edwardsville, senior, 189 - Sixth-place finisher in
Class AA
Brandon Herrington, Triad, senior, 189 - Finished 47-2, only losses
came in Champaign
Nick Lester, Eureka, freshman, 112 - Lost in semis to eventual champ
in 47-1 season.
Wade Lowe, Alton, junior, 130 - Opening-round OT loss at state ended
42-1 season.
Brian Oechsner, Troy, sophomore, 145 - Only loss was a one-pointer
in the quarterfinals to the eventual state champ
Jon Sumner, Eureka, senior, 171 - Four-time medalist, two-time
runner-up.
John VanVelkinburgh, Howell North, junior, 130 - Three state trips,
three state medals.
Wes Vilda, CBC, senior, 215 - Placed first, second, fourth in last
three state trips
Jake Vonderbruegge, Hillsboro, sophomore, 140 - Finals loss to
two-time champ ended a 39-3 season
Erik Warner, Zumwalt West, senior, 119 - Three-time medalist headed
to Lindenwood
HONORABLE MENTION
Collin Allgire (Belleville West), Josh Ard (Timberland), Tyler Babcock (Civic
Memorial), Aaron Bergen (Lutheran-St. Charles), Joe Brewer (Windsor), Matt
Brewer (Lafayette), Miles Bolin (Zumwalt West), A.J. Ciccarelli (Edwardsville),
Sean Dietz (DeSmet), Matt Espey (Zumwalt North), Josh Galbraith (Belleville
West), Mike Gagliano (Zumwalt West), Reid Garcia (Parkway South), Eric Gibson
(Holt), Darrin Green (Oakville), Steve Grelle (St. Charles West), Pete Iwen
(Holt), Wendell Jones (Hazelwood Central), Justin Keeney (St. Charles West),
Jesse Knott (Pacific), Justin Knott (Pacific), Matt Lester (Eureka), Ryan Mango
(Whitfield), Zack Meury (Fox), Josh Moore (Lafayette), Jon Newbold (Zumwalt
South), Jake Plaggenburg (Howell), Jason Ott (Whitfield), Jimmy Perez
(Mascoutah), Andrew Sanchez (O'Fallon), Brian Sanchez (Roxana), Mike Sobol
(Herculaneum), Matt Steyer (McCluer North), Casey Stillman (Zumwalt North),
Trey Traylor (Belleville East), Austin Wagoner (Granite City), Jordan Young
(Parkway West), Tim Ziegler (DeSmet).
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, Mar. 07 2006
FIRST TEAM
Nathan Crossett
Francis Howell senior
275 pounds
A three-time state medalist and a repeat first-team selection, Crossett (47-3)
was the Missouri Class 4 heavyweight runner-up for the second consecutive
season, losing 6-3 to Blue Springs' Dom Bradley in this year's title match.
Earlier this season, Crossett handed Bradley his only loss, a 7-4 decision in
the Raytown Christmas Tournament. Crossett has signed to play football at
Lindenwood University.
Ian Darr
Civic Memorial senior
275 pounds
Another returning first-teamer, Darr (37-3) placed fifth in Illinois Class AA
despite competing with a broken nose. He was state runner-up in 2005, losing
2-1 in double overtime. As a sophomore, Darr was 39-0 when his season was shut
down due to a knee injury. Over the last three seasons, the powerfully build
Darr was 119-6.
Chris Dopp
SC West senior
152 pounds
A transfer from Fox, Dopp was not eligible until Jan. 5 but made up for lost
time, dominating en route to a Missouri Class 3 title and a 31-0 record. Three
of his four wins in Columbia, including his title-match victory over Park
Hill's Robbie Hicklin, were by fall.
Erik Hart
SC West senior
215 pounds
Hart, who plans to play football in college, had one of the more eventful Class
3 title matches in Columbia. After nearly getting the pin and building a solid
lead, he had to come up with a big-time scramble in the waning seconds to hold
off Park Hill's Kyle Rose for the 7-6 decision. Hart (39-8) placed fourth at
215 as a junior.
Tommy Hill
Roxana senior
125 pounds
Hill, a third-place finisher at state, wrapped up his career with 159 wins and
three Illinois Class A state medals. Hill (43-2) placed third at 103 as a
freshman and second at 112 as a sophomore. His only losses this season came to
Alton's Wade Lowe and to undefeated state champion Cort Lawton of Polo.
Vito Krischke
Northwest junior
112 pounds
After losing 11-10 to Zumwalt West's Greg Benenati at 103 in one of the most
action-packed title matches in Missouri history last year, Krischke (46-2)
survived to win a one-point match in this year's opening round before pinning
his way to a state title. In the championship match, he won by fall in 2:48
over DeSmet's Tim Ziegler.
Brandon Lococo
Francis Howell senior
160 pounds
The Post-Dispatch wrestler of the year, Lococo held off Blue Springs' Clarence
Neely 10-7 to capture the Class 4 title. Lococo, who has signed with Lindenwood
University, was a state runner-up in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He
finished this season at 47-0, joining St. Charles West's Dopp as the area's
only unbeatens.
Scott Penny
Granite City junior
189 pounds
Penny, a powerfully built junior, came into the season with tremendous focus
and did not stop until becoming the area's top Illinois Class AA finisher,
placing third in Champaign. Penny (45-2) suffered his only losses this season
to Class AA state champ Jerome Ward of St. Rita and runner-up John Schoen of
Marist.
Jimmy Pepper
Seckman senior
135 pounds
Pepper, a three-time medalist, entered this year's title match with a record of
49-0 but ended up on the short end of a 3-2 match with Oak Park's Dylan Joiner.
Pepper placed fifth at 119 in 2004 and finished fourth at 135 last year.
Mitch Stromsdorfer
Burroughs sophomore
152 pounds
A state medal hopeful as a freshman, Stromsdorfer missed out on a trip to
Columbia due to a concussion suffered in districts. After suffering his only
loss this season in a district title match, Stromsdorfer (37-1) seemed to get
better and better at state. He is Burrough's first champion since 1971.
Brandon Wiest
Zumwalt West junior
145 pounds
For the third time in as many seasons, Wiest reached the title match at state -
and lost to one of Oak Park's top wrestlers. This season, he fell 10-6 to
three-time champion Shane Nay of Oak Park. Wiest (35-4) was runner-up to Nay at
125 in 2004 and to eventual four-time champion Zack Bailey at 135 in 2005.
Kyle Williams
Mascoutah sophomore
119 pounds
A North Dakota state champion at 103 in 2005, Williams transferred into the
area and ended up as a fourth-place finisher in Illinois Class AA. He entered
the state meet at 39-0 and finished the season at 43-2.
Aaron Winning
Althoff senior
140 pounds
Winning placed fifth in Illinois Class AA, joining three-time state champion
Kip Kristoff of Civic Memorial as the only Metro East wrestlers to capture
medals in four consecutive seasons. Winning (45-6) placed sixth in Class AA in
2003 and 2004 and was a state runner-up at 130 in Class A competition a year
ago. He wrapped up his career with 175 wins, 115 by fall.
Justin Wolfrum
Zumwalt West senior
152 pounds
Lococo's top competition for wrestler of the year, Wolfrum (38-2) captured his
third state title and his fourth state medal this season, putting the finishing
touches on a stellar 168-8 career. He is one of several area standouts headed
to NAIA power Lindenwood University.
SECOND TEAM
Sean Bahmani, Edwardsville, senior, 275 pounds - Had some real
battles with Ian Darr.
Kyle Bradley, Howell Central, freshman, 103 - Runner-up finish
capped a 46-2 freshman campaign
Donte Butler, Sumner, junior, 112 - Three-time medalist lost in
finals, finished 34-2
Cody Farinella, Parkway North, sophomore, 125 - Third in 2005,
second this time around
Chris Flaugher, Edwardsville, senior, 189 - Sixth-place finisher in
Class AA
Brandon Herrington, Triad, senior, 189 - Finished 47-2, only losses
came in Champaign
Nick Lester, Eureka, freshman, 112 - Lost in semis to eventual champ
in 47-1 season.
Wade Lowe, Alton, junior, 130 - Opening-round OT loss at state ended
42-1 season.
Brian Oechsner, Troy, sophomore, 145 - Only loss was a one-pointer
in the quarterfinals to the eventual state champ
Jon Sumner, Eureka, senior, 171 - Four-time medalist, two-time
runner-up.
John VanVelkinburgh, Howell North, junior, 130 - Three state trips,
three state medals.
Wes Vilda, CBC, senior, 215 - Placed first, second, fourth in last
three state trips
Jake Vonderbruegge, Hillsboro, sophomore, 140 - Finals loss to
two-time champ ended a 39-3 season
Erik Warner, Zumwalt West, senior, 119 - Three-time medalist headed
to Lindenwood
HONORABLE MENTION
Collin Allgire (Belleville West), Josh Ard (Timberland), Tyler Babcock (Civic
Memorial), Aaron Bergen (Lutheran-St. Charles), Joe Brewer (Windsor), Matt
Brewer (Lafayette), Miles Bolin (Zumwalt West), A.J. Ciccarelli (Edwardsville),
Sean Dietz (DeSmet), Matt Espey (Zumwalt North), Josh Galbraith (Belleville
West), Mike Gagliano (Zumwalt West), Reid Garcia (Parkway South), Eric Gibson
(Holt), Darrin Green (Oakville), Steve Grelle (St. Charles West), Pete Iwen
(Holt), Wendell Jones (Hazelwood Central), Justin Keeney (St. Charles West),
Jesse Knott (Pacific), Justin Knott (Pacific), Matt Lester (Eureka), Ryan Mango
(Whitfield), Zack Meury (Fox), Josh Moore (Lafayette), Jon Newbold (Zumwalt
South), Jake Plaggenburg (Howell), Jason Ott (Whitfield), Jimmy Perez
(Mascoutah), Andrew Sanchez (O'Fallon), Brian Sanchez (Roxana), Mike Sobol
(Herculaneum), Matt Steyer (McCluer North), Casey Stillman (Zumwalt North),
Trey Traylor (Belleville East), Austin Wagoner (Granite City), Jordan Young
(Parkway West), Tim Ziegler (DeSmet).