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Eleven returning state champions from Louisiana entered the Deep South Bayou Duals.  Only eight made it through the day undefeated.

Sixteen mats are used in the two-day long Deep South Bayou Duals, in the Exhibition Hall of the Baton Rouge River Center.

Defending Division I champions to survive unscathed were Brother Martin's Paul Klein, Connor Campo and David Englehardt of St. Paul's, Matt Calcote of Rummel, Brandon Luckett of Catholic and Tyrek Malveaux of Comeaux.  Jacob Dale was the only Division I state champion to lose in a spectacular match against Klein, who prevailed 4-3.

Match of the Day: Brother Martin's Paul Klein (21-1) defending Division I state champion at 106 lbs. vs. Comeaux's Jacob Dale, (15-2) defending Division I state champion and OW winner at State.

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Within this visual microcosm of the match Klein took Dale down (2-0).  Dale tried a switch, and when Klein re-switched, Dale stepped over and reversed him to tie the score (2-2).  Klien escaped and the round ended 3-2 for Klein.  In the 2nd and 3rd rounds each wrestler escaped but could not muster a takedown, leaving Klein with a 4-3 decision.

Returning Division II state champion Cody Hill of Live Oak went 5-0.  Hill also weighed in at 120 lbs, wrestling three matches at that weight and his other two at 126 lbs.  Teurling Catholic's state champion Nick Schneider had a disappointing day at 182 lbs., splitting his two matches with visitors from Tennessee and Oklahoma and winning a forfeit.

Division III Brusly had two returning state champions.  Junior Trevor Schermer went 3-0 at 132 and 138,on the day while classmate Baret Sanchez went 2-2 at 120,

Two as yet undefeated Louisiana Division I wrestlers lost for the first time this season.  Catholic's James Claitor went 1-1 and Rummel's Rick LaCava posted a record of 3-2.

Brother Martin showed some versatility by weighing-in Devin LeBlanc at 152 lbs. and Kyle Delaune at 170 lbs.  The moves, like Hill's weighing in at 120, opens up different line-ups for Live Oak and Brother Martin later in the season at individual tournaments in which teams scores are kept, particularly at the state championship.

Eight pools were wrestled with each pool consisting of five or six teams.  The top two placers in each pool move into a 16-team bracket on Saturday, except that the teams which finished second are relegated to the back half of the bracket and can only vie for third place overall.  The eight teams that finished 3rd in their pools fill an eight team bracket, as do the teams that finished 4th and finished 5th in their pools.  Four of the pools had six teams.  The four 6th place teams will wrestle in a four team round-robin bracket.

Comeaux just missed a chance to finish second to Brother Martin in Pool H.  Comeaux wrestled Auburn, Alabama, to a 40-40 tie.  Auburn got the nod as even though each team had seven wins, six of Auburn's wins can via pins, while Comeaux scored only five pins and two technical falls.

Weight Classes	Notes (Thumbnailed photographs lose resolution.  They will open into much better photographs.)
106	Neiman Mitchell of Houston Westside may have been the man to beat at 106.  He won all five of his pool matches, increasing his record to 26-0.  However, his team will drop to Bracket #4 which may not pose any significant threats to him.
113	Senior Mitch Capella from Jesuit should prove to be Louisiana's best in this weight class, even though he only wrestled one match.  Taylor Gambill of Brother Martin will be tough, as he won his two matches by technical falls.  The wrestlers have not met this season and only have out-of-state losses. Capella in a rare position. Capella back on his feet. Capella throwing... ...and winning 12-8 over Roswell. Taylor Gambill en route to a 16-1 TF against Auburn. Eric David gets a 1st round pin for Baton Rough High School
120	Comeaux's loss to Auburn places them in the 3rd place bracket with Live Oak and Cody Hill.  A match between Hill and Dale is possible in that bracket.  Hill is one of the, after today, three wrestlers to have defeated Dale.
126	In the Championship Bracket Catholic's Brennan Taylor is on the championship side, while two-time defending Division I state champion Calcote, as Rummel placed second, is on the side that can only vie for third.  Both should do their parts to advance their teams to the next round, but a rematch of their first meeting, which Calcote won 4-2 in SV, could occur if Catholic does not advance to the finals.  On the top side of the Championship bracket is freshman Jonathan Blankenship of Platte County, Missouri, who won three matches had two forfeits.  "Johnny," said is father, "has been wrestling since he was five.  He loves it." Taylor scoops a leg... and goes for near-fall points Johhny Blankenship of Platte County, MO, scores a fall.  He was 5-0 on Friday.
132	To no one's surprise Division I state champion Connor Campo of St. Paul's went 5-0 in his pool round, but his last match against Platte County's was no cakewalk.  Connor won 3-2 as a stalling point had been called earlier on Crabtree.  But without that point, the "Sudden Victory" round may have been difficult as neither wrestler was able to take the other down during the match. Rummel's previously unbeaten Rick LaCava had a hard day, winning only two matches and a forfeit while losing to wrestlers from Florida and Alabama.
138	Catholic's James Claitor lost his first match of the season by a fall to Beau Doerr of Gulf Breeze, Florida.  Rummel's Joe Kerry, though not undefeated but having very strong showings of late, went 2-2 on the day.  Brother Martin's Mason Williams should be at 132 or 138 after going 3-0 on the day. Mason Williams of the Crusaders pins Jacoby Guillory of Comeaux in 1:27.
145	St. Paul's Division I state champion David Englehardt had no problems in his pool, going 5-0, his last match being his toughest against Platte County's Jordan Karsten 11-4.  Karsten went 4-1. St. Paul's David Englehardt scoops an ankle for a single-leg takedown against Karsten. Stranger things have happened... Jordan Karsten pins East Ascension's Aiden Carter in an earlier match. Brother Martin's Patrick Hoppe pins Comeaux's Kole Miller in 0:39.
152	Jordan Giroir for Brother Martin went 4-0 one the day, even though LeBlanc also made that weight class.  Giroir at 152 vs. Comeaux's Nicholas Malveaux, whom he pinned at 1:08.
160	LeBlanc's second match was at 160, and qualifies for the 2nd Match of the Day: Until last week's Trey Culotta Invitational, Leblanc had only lost matches to out-of-state competition.  Last week he lost to defending state champion Brandon Luckett of Catholic.  Today he would face the only person to beat Luckett, two-time defending state champion Tyrek Maleaux from Comeaux.  LeBlanc gets the first takedown. After an escape Malveux gets a takedown. Malveaux gets a boost up. Malveux escapes a shot and holds on to win 8-4.
170	Brother Martin's Daniel Albrecht (2-0) and Aaron Gambino (2-0) jon Jesuit's Jimmy Brown (5-0) and St. Paul's Collin Kersker as the only undefeated local wrestlers to make it to the championship bracket.  The Crusaders' Kyle Delaune made weight at 170 lbs. but his matches were all at 182. St. Paul's Collin Cosker is comfortable with hi 9-8 lead as time runs out.
182	Delaune was 3-0 at 182 lbs. and his best local competitor, Gage Grush of Jesuit, was 5-0.  Michael Daiy of Lafayette was 5-0 but his Lions will be in the 5th place bracket.
195	Jordan Soileau and Yehia Riles split duties for Brother Martin at 195, with Soileau going 2-0 and Riles 2-0.  Riles can also go 182 is Delaune goes 170.
220	Josh Tapia (2-0) represents the best hope for the Crusaders at 220 lbs. in the Championship Bracket, particularly by beating Matthew Tillman of Comeaux by a pin and a Ft. Walton Beach wrestler 4-3.  Jacob Clapp also shared the responsibilities at 220, garnering one win and a forfeit.
285	Ross Brister, who went 4-0, is Louisiana's best hope at 285, a weight class dominated by other teams on Brother Martin's side of the Championship Bracket.

The "Winners" side of the Championship Bracket includes Phoenix vs. Jesuit, Catholic vs. Jefferson City, MO, MacArthur, OK vs. Platte County, MO and Clay, FL vs. Brother Martin.

The "Second Place" side of the Championship Bracket, for those teams that can only place as high as third, includes Niceville, FL vs. Roswell, GA, Clear Falls, TX vs. Grissom, AL, Teurlings Catholic vs. St. Paul's and Rummel vs. Auburn, AL  Ten of the 16 teams in that bracket are not from Louisiana. 

Wrestling is slated to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday with the finals scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

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