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Having four individual champions and a team score of over 300 points, it is a little hard to believe that Brother Martin only finished in second place at the 18^th Stuart Schay Blackhorse Invitational, held at Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee last weekend.  Yet the Crusaders’ 302.5 points was second to the 323 points scored Christian Brothers of Memphis.

Christian Brothers, however, is ranked 48^th nationally by Intermat, and the Crusaders can be very proud that three of their champions, Dominic Casdaban (138 lbs.), Tyler Robertson (145 lbs.) and Devin LeBlanc (160 lbs.) scored wins in the finals against Christian Brothers opponents.  Brother Martin’s other champion, Austin Meyn (126 lbs.), defeated an opponent from Hoover High School in Alabama in his finals match.

"We wrestled about as well as we possibly could at this point of the season.  CBHS has 11 senior starters and we knew it would be a battle, they’re a great team and the better team won," said Crusader coach Robert Dauterive.  "To score 300 points and lose is always tough, but placing 13 of 14 in the top four at a very tough tournament is a bit of consolation.”

Paul Klein (120 lbs.), Daniel Albrecht (170 lbs.) and Kyle Delaune (182 lbs.) placed second in their weight classes.  The Crusader’s other wrestlers who placed in the top eight of the two-day tournament were Taylor Gambill (3^rd at 113 lbs.), Josh Tapia (3^rd at 220 lbs.), Ross Brister (3^rd at 285 lbs.), Stephen Rumney (4^th at 106 lbs.), Mason Williams (4^th at 132 lbs.) and Patrick Hoppe (4^th at 152 lbs.).

“I was so proud of junior 126 lb. Austin Meyn.  He broke his arm in last season finals and not only returned to the finals but won in dominant fashion," commented Dauterive.  Meyn, who was not seeded in the tournament, defeated top-seeded Payton Garlington of Hoover 3-1.  On the way he pinned one opponent, scored a major decision on another and had an 11-7 semifinal win.

Top-seeded Casadaban had three pins, including one in the finals, and a major decision, in his matches.

Brother Martin is a frequent visitor to the Blackhorse tournament, placing 2^nd in 2011 and winning it from 1999-2007.  Houston head coach Walt Holmes said Coach Dauterive first asked him about going to the Blackhorse at a Thanksgiving dual meet in 1997.  Holmes was quite happy to include Brother Martin in the event.

“It’s good to have kids meet people from other parts of the country, and we put them up in our homes,” said Holmes.  “Our parents stay in touch with these kids and know where they go to college and what they do afterward.  It’s a unique relationship.  It’s bigger than ‘us.’”

Brother Martin wrestling families will return the favor later this year at the Trey Culotta Duals.

This year’s Blackhorse was held in honor of former Houston wrestler Stuart Schay.  Schay wrestled for Houston from 1997 to 2003 and was a finalist in the 2002 Blackhorse.  Schay died in an automobile accident in 2004, but his family has remained a large part of the Houston wrestling program, including his younger brother Holden, who was a Tennessee state champion in 2011, his younger sister Haley and their parents Molly and David, who presented this year’s awards.

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