Status: Fini

There is a decidedly different flavor to the 2014 Jazz Town Duals, and out-of-state entrées are dominating the local cuisine¹. Four teams not from not from Louisiana will be the top seeds in Sunday's championship rounds at the Xavier University Convocation Center.  And one of those teams is not the one anyone, aside from perhaps the team members themselves, expected to be there. Round #4 was the main event of the day as it pitted the top two teams of three of Saturday's four pools against one another. The top four finishers with 4-0 records were Easton, PA, the Mater Dei, IN ("A" squad), the Oklahoma Rampage and Team Valley, IA. Posting records of 3-1 on the day were Archer, GA, the Crusader W.C. ("A" squad), the New Orleans W.C., and Pittsburgh, KS. Sunday's Brackets Sunday's Schedule

Twenty-two teams, divided into two pools of six teams and two teams of five teams, filled out the final roster for the 2014 Jazz Town Duals.  Each team wrestled four opponents in Saturday's pool competition.

In Pool A it was the Oklahoma Rampage that pulled off the major upset of the day, defeating the Georgia powerhouse Archer Tigers in the best dual of the day.  The Rampage opened up a 30-12 lead after the first 10 matches, and Archer's 12 points included matches won by their state champion Bullard brothers.  But then Archer went on an 18-point run with two pins and two decisions, netting the score at 30-30 with one match remaining.  Archer put forth a junior who placed third in the 2014 Georgia 6A 106 lbs. state championships.  The Rampage sent sophomore Levi Youngwolfe of Pawhuska High school who, in the 2013 Oklahoma 3A state championships at 113 lbs., went two-and-out.  But Youngwolfe was not fazed and caught his opponent's' head and ankle from the neutral position, turned it into a cradle and finished the match in 47 seconds (photo left), as well as the meet at 36-30. Do not count Archer out at 3-1.  Four of the Rampage's decisions were by three or less points and the Bullard brothers are quite capable of back-to-back pins.  Their road will not be easy as they have to face one of the other teams that went 4-0 on Saturday, but it would be unwise to consider them as anything but a top-10 nationally ranked team.  In their victories Archer won with scores of 78-0, 60-21 and 64-21.

In Pool B Easton scored wins of 59-12, 90-0, 39-21 and 63-14.  The 39-21 Round #4 victory was over Louisiana's three-time defending Division I state champions Brother Martin (Crusader W.C. "A").  It was the first loss for the Crusaders since the semifinals of the 2012 Deep South Bayou Duals.  The Crusaders recorded a 3-1 record that included wins of 74-6, 66-12 and 68-18.

Pool C was dominated by Team Valley, Iowa, which registered victories of 69-12, 81-6, 56-28 and 72-9.  Jesuit (New Orleans W.C.) provided them with their hardest match and won their other three matches by scores of 75-6, 66-15 and 61-12.

In Pool D the Mater Dei team scored more points than any other front-runner (267 while yielding only 32) posting victories of 79-0, 81-0, 64-9 and 43-23.  Pittsburgh, KS gave them their hardest match and finished 3-1 on the day with wins of 74-11, 74-12 and 50-25.

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Best T-Shirt

The 2013 Winner

Several teams sported their own Jazz Town Duals t-shirts, albeit certainly unaware that the editor picks a Best T-shirt winner (a tradition since 2013).  Last year the Westbank W.C. won hands downs with "DUCKS IN COMMAND" (photo left). The competition this year was fierce. Team Valley showed their colors... as did Mater Dei.

The decision caused a minor rift in the editor's household, and hence for the editor's future well being, WE HAVE A DRAW!  And the winners are...

Easton, Pennsylvania and the Oklahoma Rampage!

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton paid tribute to the musical heritage of the city on the front and back of their shirt, as well as the casual attitude that makes New Orleans the finest city that has befuddled other cities' planners since 1718 when Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville decided to build a city on a swamp.  Had they added a little green to the purple and gold already on the design, they might have won outright.

Oklahoma Rampage The Rampage honored not only the music but also the Vieux Carré and the Mighty Mississippi.  Plus, they added Godzilla, which is a much better metaphor than the editor used earlier as it encompasses so many past, current and, odds are, future aspects of our beloved Crescent City.

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The results of Saturday's pool matches are presented below:

Pool A

Pool B

Pool C

* Scores were incorrectly reversed on the event's Website page as of 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Pool D

Sunday's Brackets

Sunday's Schedule

¹    Forgive the 2:30 a.m. metaphor.  (My God - at 2:41 a.m. I just realized the awful pun included in that metaphor!)

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