Status: Fini

"Maybe they seen something we didn't."

2014 Deep South Bayou Duals Champions - Brother Martin

It is probably better to think of that comment (about the finals officials), overheard when an illegal hold was called in the 138 lbs. match, as one originating from shock more so than "sour grapes."  Not long afterward the same commentator was overheard, as were many other Thompson supporters nearby, to say "This team is really good." But nobody quite saw this coming. They were referring to, of course, the Brother Martin Crusaders, who surprised everyone, aside from themselves, perhaps, by dominating the finals match of the 2014 Deep South Bayou Duals, defeating defending Alabama 6A state champion Thompson High School 51-15.  The Crusaders won 11 of the 14 matches contested, registering four pins and two major decisions along the way. Three of Brother Martin's wins, including Steven Shields' 10-8 Sudden Victory one, were only by two points.  Thompson is a very good team, as they evidenced via their 38-30 defeat of Holy Cross (another very good team) by winning nine of their 14 matches with the Tigers.  What really put away the Warriors in the finals were the six matches in a row won by the Crusaders from 126 lbs. to 160 lbs.  That was a 29-0 swath of points (and it only included one of Brother Martin's three state champions).

The Crusaders outscored their seven opponents 383-74.  They lost 17 of 98 total matches, but only nine of those losses were by Crusader starters.

Nobody expected the Crusaders would wax the runner-up team from Thompson High School in Alabama, the defending Alabama 6A state champions, 51-15.  Granted, Thompson did not have their state champion 285 lbs. starter, but in a worst-case scenario that would have only made the final score 45-21.  That is still a huge difference from the Crusaders' 29-29 "we have to use criteria h" finals victory last year against Jefferson, GA.

The match marks exactly two years since the Crusaders lost a tournament or a dual meet, which was a December 30th, 2012, semifinals loss to eventual champion MacArthur High School of Oklahoma.

A summary of the wins by the Crusaders is provided below:

Team Placers

Runners-up - Thompson High School of Alabama	Third Place - Holy Cross

Fourth Place - Altus High School of Oklahoma	Eighth Place - Rummel

Missing in photos above were the following placers: Catholic (5th), Jesuit (6th) and Liverpool, NY (7th).

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Outstanding Wrestlers

Dominic Latona of Thompson, AL (120 lbs.), at 7-0, was voted the Lower Weight Class Outstanding Wrestler.  Latona's wins included victories over Hahnville's Nicholas Lirette (12-0), Brusly's Austin Franklin (1:17), Brother Martin's Steven Rumney (9-5) and Holy Cross' Beau Bush (1:59).	Yehia Riles of Brother Martin (182 lbs.) was voted the Higher Weight Class Outstanding Wrestler.

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Noteworthy Performances

The following wrestlers were either undefeated or only suffered one loss in at least four matches during the tournament:

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Possibly Of Interest re Future Tournament Seeding

The long anticipated match between Brother Martin's senior three-time defending Division I state champion and Brusly's sophomore defending Division III state champion happened, with Klein prevailing 7-5 in a very good match;

Kayser went on to defeat Sulphur's Brennan Taylor 5-0;

Taylor was also defeated by Jesuit's Maxwell Grosch by a 7-2 score;

Brother Martin's Steven Rumney, already in the toughest weight class in the state so far, met another one for the first time in Brusly's Division III state champion Austin Franklin.  Rumney prevailed in a close 8-6 match.  Rumney may have had the worst luck of anyone in the event as two of his four matches were against wrestlers who went undefeated over the course of the tournament: Altus' Montorie Bridges (7-0) and OW Dominic Latona of Thompson (7-0);

Hahnville's Nicholas Lirette also fell victim to Thomson's Latona, losing his first match of the season 12-0;

Holy Cross' Brice Duhe ventured up to 182 lbs. to face Live Oak's Brody Bonura, but the Eagle proved too strong for the Tiger, winning 5-3;

Rummel's Joe Kerry avenged a 3-2 loss to Kynan Sonnier of Teurlings Catholic with a fall over the Rebel in 1:04;

Brody Martin of Jesuit sewed up the top seed at 106 lbs. for the Louisiana Classic, for a day.  His 6-4 win over Rummel's Blake Mateau on Monday was superseded by an 8-4 Mateau win on Tuesday.

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