Wednesday's Spartan Open at East Ascension High School in Gonzales will provide an early season look at some of the
state's best grapplers and perhaps a preview of some Louisiana Classic and state
championships matches. Below is a preview of wrestlers to keep an eye on
at the event:
[Please note that in previewing the match-ups the editor
was not privy to the entry forms and thus may have left out some potential
contenders.]
| Weight Class |
Possible Matches |
| 106 |
| Last year's Division II runner-up, junior Colt Olinde of
Live Oak, will face some stiff, if younger, competition.
Also entered is freshman Joseph Foret, who won the
Mandeville Open, in which he defeated Rummel sophomore
Robert Fairchild (also scheduled to compete) and Brother Martin freshman
Seth Gambill. Stephen Shields (yes, of that family!),
another Brother Martin freshman, who placed second at the
St. Michael Warrior Open, will represent the Crusaders in
this event.. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Colt Olinde |
Joseph Foret |
Robert Fairchild |
Seth Gambill |
|
|
| 113 |
| The 113 pound weight class could entail a rematch of the
2013 state championship at 106 pounds. Brother Martin's
Mason Mauro won that finals match against Rummel's Devyn Breaud
10-5. Not to be overlooked, however, is returning Division
II state champion Jacob Chenevert of Live Oak, who is 11-1 this
season. |
 |
 |
 |
| Mason Mauro |
Devyn Breaud |
Jacob Chenevert |
|
|
| 120 |
| This weight class should prove very entertaining. Holy
Cross' Dylan Soileau, who was forced to withdraw from the 2013
state championships due to an illness, was unstoppable at the
Mandeville Open and is undefeated in his five matches this
season. East Ascension's Jacob Bernard is fresh off of a
victory at the Griffin Open in which he defeated Brother
Martin's Ryan Genco in the finals, avenging a loss to the
Brother Martin junior three days earlier. Two-time
Division III state champion Raymond Bushnell, a Basile
sophomore, is 12-2 with a Central Wildcat Open championship. |
 |
 |
| Dylan Soileau |
Raymond Bushnell |
|
|
| 126 |
| Brother Martin sophomore Taylor Gambill is 5-0, and three of
those wins are against competitors he may see on Wednesday.
Those include Tyler Mire of Rummel (5th in 2013 Division I),
Collin Guerra of Holy Cross (2nd in 2013 Division II) and Matt
Ashford of East Ascension. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Taylor Gambill |
Tyler Mire |
Collin Guerra |
Matthew Ashford |
|
|
| 132 |
| It is very possible 132 pounds could provide the best match
never wrestled last season: a twice Division I state champion
vs. a twice Division II one. Paul Klein of Brother Martin
and Cody Hill of Live Oak should find themselves on the opposite
side of the bracket which could make for a fascinating final.
Klein looked fantastic on his way to an Outstanding Wrestler
award at the Mandeville Open and enters with a 4-0 record.
Live Oak's Cody Hill had an early disappointment in the St.
Michael Warrior Open but has come back to win ten straight
matches, including tournament wins at the Central Wildcat Open
and the Dutchtown Griffin Open. Last year's most noted
common opponent of the two was Comeaux's Jacob Dale. Hill
beat him 3-1 at the Griffin and Klein beat him twice: 4-3 at the
Deep South Bayou Duals and then in a shocking round one pin in
the Division I state finals. This could very well be a
preview of the Louisiana Classic finals, a tournament that both
wrestlers won in 2012 and in which case both suffered injuries
during 2013. Tristan Lee of Teurlings Catholic and Tristan
Wheeler of St. Amant will give Klein and Cody their toughest
opposition. |
 |
 |
| Paul Klein |
Cody Hill |
|
|
| 138 |
| If 132 pounds potentially has the best match of the day, 138
could be the best weight class. Brennan Taylor is a
defending Division I state champion from Catholic and is
undefeated this year. Brother Martin's Austin Meyn
defeated Taylor three times in the 2012-13 season, except in the
state championship finals. Meyn is undefeated this year.
Rummel's Rick Lacava placed 2nd in Division I last year and Holy
Cross junior George Benoit is a two-time Division II runner-up.
Lacava and Benoit have one loss each on the season. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Brennan Taylor |
Austin Meyn |
Rick Lacava |
George Benoit |
|
|
| 145 |
| Dutchtown junior Brandon Cowell has only one setback in his
seven matches this year, a 4-2 loss to Brother Martin's Daniel
Evans in the finals of the Griffin Open. and he won the Central
Wildcat Open His noted competition will include Mandeville
runner-up Pierce Williams of Brother Martin and Andrew Poussan
of St. Louis. |
 |
 |
| Brandon Cowell |
Pierce Williams |
|
|
| 152 |
| Catholic junior Matthew Mire is 7-2, with losses only to
Brusly's Trevor Schermer and Jesuit's Efosa Eboigbe - neither of
which will be in Wednesday's field. Returning Division III
state champion Marshall Hill of Parkview Baptist is entered, but
he happens to be one of Mire's wins. Division II state
champion Lehrue Stevens, IV, will also be there, as will Mason
Williams, a Brother Martin junior who placed 4th in 2013 and is
making his 2013-14 season debut. |
 |
 |
 |
| Matthew Mire |
Mason Williams |
Lehrue Stevens, IV |
|
|
| 160 |
| This weight class is "up for grabs," so to speak.
Zachary's David Rittel is 5-2 with a runner-up finishes at the
Griffin and Warrior opens. East Ascension's Dequan Jackson
was a runner-up at the Griffin and placed fourth at the Warrior
Open. Alexander Kellar of Teurlings Catholic and Morgan
Root of Catholic will be looking for their first titles of the
season. |
 |
| Dequan Jackson |
|
|
| 170 |
| Holy Cross has a chance to score a lot of points in the last
matches of the 2014 state championships. If that happens,
the late points should start with junior Brice Duhe. A
Division II runner-up as a sophomore, Duhe has wrestled
excellently so far this year. His 4-0 record includes a
Mandeville Open championship and a dual meet victory over former
Division II rival Kody Woodson of Shaw. Duhe also tainted
the debut of Brother Martin's Texas transfer Travis Quarterman
(7-1) via a fall in the Mandeville finals. Quarterman does
two victories over Woodson, though. Live Oak's Brody
Bonura is having a fine season, though, with championships at
the Wildcat and Griffin opens and a runner-up finish at the
Warrior. |
 |
 |
 |
| Brice Duhe |
Brody Bonura |
Travis Quarterman |
|
|
| 182 |
| Holy Cross' Porter Dazet was an unexpected finalist for the
Tigers in the 2013 state championships. This season he
made it to the finals of the Mandeville Open. Brother
Martin's Nick Comardelle placed third at the Warrior Open and
has a record of 6-2. |
 |
| Porter Dazet |
|
|
| 195 |
| Daniel Relayson could continue Holy Cross' points run, but
to do so he will have to get past Brother Martin Yehia Riles.
Riles, a 2013 Division I finalist, defeated Relayson in a
"Sudden Victory" period in the Mandeville Open finals, and is
5-0 on the season. Live Oak junior Nick Simoneaux should
not be overlooked. Simoneaux is 6-1 this year and is fresh
off a Griffin Open championship. |
 |
| Yehia Riles vs. Daniel Relayson |
|
|
| 220 |
Michael Yeatman was another Holy Cross finalist in 2013.
He won at Mandeville and his 4-0 record consists of a whole 8:51
seconds worth of wrestling. But he should be tested by a
few entrants. Belle Chasse's Logan Thompson was also a
2013 Division II finalist. And Brother Martin's Josh
Tapia, who placed fourth in 2013, is expected to have a very
strong season. Quin Gillian of Byrd and St. Louis' Robert
McPherson should also fare well.
|
 |
 |
 |
| Michael Yeatman |
Logan Thompson |
Quin Gilliam |
|
|
| 285 |
| At 13-0, East Ascension's Conor Karwath has won the Warrior
Open, the South Walton "Border Wars" and the Griffin Open.
He has beaten Jesuit's Dominic Carmello and Catholic's Nicholas
Cashio. But expect him to be challenged by Belle Chasse
senior Robert Kennedy, who placed 3rd in Division II in 2013,
and Holy Cross' Travis Gardner, who is 4-0 with a Mandeville
Open title. |
 |
 |
 |
| Conor Karwath |
Robert Kennedy |
Travis Gardner |
|
|
