You’re not suffering from double vision when you watch Northwest wrestling co-head coaches Ron and Bob Wilhelm seated next to each other during Lions’ matches.
That’s because the Wilhelms, 46, are identical twins. On Saturday at the All-Suburban Conferences championships at Hazelwood Central, about the only way to tell the Wilhelms apart was the different colors of their buttoned-down shirts and ties.
The brothers are Northwest graduates (1988) and attended the University of Missouri in Columbia together. They both married their high school sweethearts and live in the same subdivision.
What you’ve always heard about the uncanny ability of twins to feel the same feeling or think the same thought – even when they’re far apart – it’s all true, Bob said.
“We always say, ‘It’s a twin thing, you wouldn’t understand,’” Bob said, chuckling. “It’s like two brains become one. We seem to be on the same page because of the twin thing and it’s pretty cool.”
Bob said his bond with Ron gets even stranger.
“Our daughters were born exactly one year apart and our sons were born one year apart to the day. And we married our spouses within six months of each other.”
None of that was planned, he added.
“Our wives probably wouldn’t mind if we spent some time apart,” Bob said.
The Wilhelms’ wrestling pedigree started with their father, John Wilhelm, who won a state wrestling title for Mehlville in 1964. John and the twins’ mother, Linda Wilhelm, were both on hand Saturday to watch their sons.
While Ron is the spokesman for the team in addressing the media, both coaches are relentless in their pursuit of excellence on the mat.
Facing a typically strong field of teams at the All-Suburban Conferences Tournament, the Lions finished third with 311.5 points. Lafayette won with 380.5 points and Eureka placed second with 358.5.
The Lions were in second place after the first day of the tournament, but lost four matches in the semifinals by a combined five points and were fighting to hold on to third place as the finals began.
“Part of the issue with our team right now is we’re not at the weights we’re going to be for districts,” Ron said. “This is not the Northwest team you’ll see at districts but it’s the best team we have today.”
The best Lion wrestler, as it turned out, won the team’s only individual championship. Senior captain Tyler Stegall improved to 24-1 after beating Hazelwood Central’s Cameron Sharp (15-6) in a 5-0 decision at 138 pounds. Stegall pinned his first three opponents leading up to the finals. He finished fourth at 138 in the state Class 4 tournament last season.
“We’d like to think that on the right day, he’ll find himself in the state finals,” Ron said. “You have to be on your best to beat Tyler.”
Stegall hones his craft year-round and Ron noted that he’s a defending state champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Stegall recently signed with Maryville University to wrestle on a full scholarship.
“That makes me very proud and happy for him as a head coach,” Ron said. “He’s one of the very best we’ve ever had, technically. We’ve had other wrestlers who were state champions and went on to Division I schools, but I put Tyler right up there.”
Ron said Stegall has goals that are bigger than a state title.
“He wants to be an all-American,” Ron said. “We just want to keep him motivated and on that track and let Tyler do what he does on the mat.”
The other Lion wrestler to reach the finals Saturday was sophomore Austin Akins at 126 pounds. Akins (18-3) won his quarterfinal and semifinal matches by fall, then faced Parkway South sophomore Garret Kloeppel in the final. Kloeppel improved to 30-0 this season with a technical fall over Akins at 3:17.
Ron said Stegall has taken Akins under his wing. And like Stegall, Akins wrestles year-round, to the exclusion of other sports.
“Tyler provides that leadership for Austin,” Ron said. “Tyler is always willing to show him the latest techniques.”
Bob’s son, sophomore Carter Wilhelm, entered the tournament for the Lions unseeded but advanced to the semifinals at 106 and wrestled Fox’s Dylan Looney, also a sophomore. Looney pinned Wilhelm in 2:37 and went on to win the 106 crown, pinning McCluer North sophomore David Vance in 56 seconds for the title. Carter Wilhelm finished fourth and upped his record to 14-9.
“(That’s) the best tournament of his career so far,” uncle Ron said of his nephew.
At 132, Northwest senior Cody Dunnegan (17-5) lost a tight 2-1 decision in the semifinals against Lafayette junior Cameron Wegener, who improved to 30-1. Dunnegan beat Seckman freshman Anthony Chellew in a 12-0 major decision for third place.
Senior Dakota Thevel (17-5) advanced to the semifinals at 145 for the Lions, but his quest for the finals ended there with a 8-7 loss to Lafayette’s Anthony Michaels. Thevel finished fourth after losing a 6-2 decision to Parkway South’s David Marlow in the third-place match.
Junior Caleb Camacho (16-7) was the third Lion to lose in the semifinals in heartbreaking fashion when he yielded a 3-1 decision to Lafayette’s Caleb Covert at 152. Camacho lost both his matches in the consolation round.
Freshman Chase Stegall (21-2), Tyler’s younger brother, finished third at 170. He was yet another close shave for the Lions in the semifinals, losing a 4-3 decision to Lafayette senior Austin Stofer, who improved to 29-1 after winning the title.
“Chase is maybe one of the best wrestlers to come through the program as a freshman,” Bob Wilhelm said.