The Eric Lewis Invitational, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at MICDS, is one of the more unique wrestling events in the area, featuring teams from all four Missouri classifications.
A year ago, Class 1 Whitfield beat out Class 3 Summit and Class 4 McCluer North and Holt for the top spot. Whitfield went on to finish as the state runner-up.
Another team to watch this weekend is Ladue, which has won events at John Burroughs, Chaminade, De Smet and St. Charles this season.
Top competitors expected at MICDS include former state champion and three-time medalist Cory Lester (Burroughs), defending state champion Rodney Hahn (Whitfield), two-time state medalists Chris Wilkes (Whitfield), Clayton Ream (Holt) and Austin Smith (Whitfield), and state medalists David Evans (Parkway North), Jack Pantanella (Whitfield), Ethan Sherertz (Whitfield), Ian McIntosh (Summit) and Darrell Pamkin (McCluer North). Ritenour's Eric Bowman, who placed fourth at state a year ago, is not expected to wrestle due to injury.
PUTTING IN THE TIME
The phrase "practice makes perfect" goes a long way toward explaining Chris Wilkes' success. The Whitfield 132-pounder no doubt has set a standard for practice time over the last year or so.
Wilkes enters the weekend at MICDS at 28-0 after winning the Route 141 Rumble at Summit last weekend. Those 28 wins come on the heels of an eye-popping 54-win sophomore season. In between last season and this, Wilkes was on the mats nearly every day, wrestling more than 100 summer matches.
"You've got to keep going," he said of his rugged schedule. "That's what you've got to do if you want to get better."
A 16-year-old junior, Wilkes didn't have a number in mind when he made his summer plans. One hundred matches wasn't a goal, it just happened. He had never wrestled that much in the offseason.
Hitting 100 matches -- Wilkes estimates he lost five times -- sounds next to impossible. But Wilkes, who won a USA Wrestling national title during the summer, shrugs off the notion of impossible.
"Really, it went pretty fast," he said. "It didn't seem like 100."
A third-place state finisher to cap both his freshman and sophomore seasons, Wilkes has been among the area's best this season. He was named the outstanding wrestler at the high-profile Granite City holiday tournament, won at Summit last week and will be the favorite again this weekend.
But Wilkes isn't looking at Saturday's matchups. And he's certainly not looking a month down the road at the state tournament.
"You can't worry about that," he said. "It's a distraction."
OTHER WEEKEND EVENTS
• Billed as the best in-season tournament featuring all Missouri squads, the Winnetonka Tournament in suburban Kansas City includes local teams Seckman, Eureka, Troy and Francis Howell Central. Also in the field are defending Class 4 champion Blue Springs, 2011 Class 3 runner-up Oak Park and Park Hill, last year's Class 4 third-place finisher.
• McCluer South-Berkeley, Lafayette and Francis Howell (Kyle Thrasher Memorial) are the other local schools hosting weekend tournaments. In Illinois, Edwardsville hosts a quad with Niles Notre Dame, Quincy and Civic Memorial beginning Saturday at 11 a.m at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center.
NEW RECORD AT PRIORY
Zach Lavallee set the Priory career record for wins recently. The senior 120-pounder is at 86 wins for his four-year varsity career. The old record, 83 victories, belonged to 2001 grad Danny Veraldi.
Next on Lavallee's wish list is hitting the 100-win mark.
"It's definitely within reach, and that's his new goal," Priory coach Steve Rolwes said. "He has time."
A four-year starter for the Rebels, Lavallee (24-1) has blossomed in the last two seasons. He won 27 matches last year at 112 pounds.
Dennis Barnidge of STLhighschoolsports.com contributed to this report.
