Maplewood Richmond Heights wrestler, Romelle Person wasn’t happy with how his season ended last year, as a freshman — going well into the state championship bracket. He improved on that this year, making it to the championship match — taking second in Class 1.
“I just thought that next year is my year, and every year after that,” Person said about his freshman finish.
He began getting up at 4:30 a.m. every morning to run and weight-lift as soon as football season ended. “There’s no point in just playing with it; might as well go hard for it,” he said.
Person’s goal is to be the 50th MRH wrestler to be state champion. He’s doing summer wrestling camps and a tournament in Ohio in the spring to face some of the toughest competition in the country to prepare for his junior season.
He began wrestling in fifth grade, placing well most years in the AAU state tournament.
He struggled with his weight this year. He wrestled at 106 pounds as a freshman, and this year couldn’t make 113, settling at 120.
MRH athletic director Rich Nixon said Person’s plan next year is to wrestle at 120, “then put on six pounds of pure, unadulterated muscle,” and wrestle district and state at 126.
“We’re extremely proud of all our guys,” Nixon said. Freshmen Ronald Stewart (106) and Kar’Mel Brewer (113) also went to state. He said three other MRH wrestlers missed going to state in the last minute of their district match.
“For a young man his size, Romelle possesses great strength and explosiveness,” Nixon said. “He embodies all those things that makes us proud to say we’re a Blue Devil at MRH.”