Maplewood Richmond Heights wrestlers repeated as state champion, and as runner-up, at the Missouri Class 1 State Championships on Saturday in Columbia.
Updated with Romelle Person interview following championship match, beow.
MRH qualified five wrestlers for state from the district meet, and of those, senior Romelle Person won the state championship at 126 and Ronald Stewart took runner-up at 113 — both for the second year in a row. Brentwood sent six to state, and none advanced. See a report in The Brentwood Spirit.
Person told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch defending his crown made him hungrier for another state title. “I knew that I had a mission. I had to keep working harder because I knew people were coming for me. I knew I had to keep working hard.”
See also: Brentwood 3rd, MRH 4th in wrestling district meet, Four MRH wrestlers advance at state
According to the MRH Wrestling Alumni Facebook page the last time an MRH wrestler won state twice in a row was when “Ice Man” King Parsons did it in 1969-70.
MRH took eighth as a team with 57.5 points.
Interview of Romelle Person following his semifinal win, by Missouri Wrestling.