Fini

North Vermillion's Gavin Becker dominated his Division III competition this season, culmination in a 7-0 finals win over Ouachita Christian sophomore Sam Pitts 7-0.  After two thirds and a runner-up finish, Becker was finally on the top of the podium.

Synopsis

Gavin Becker had a season of which anyone in any division would be proud.  Against Division III opponents he was 9-0.  Versus Division II he was 12-0.  In Division I he went 10-3, with two of his losses coming at 120 lbs., one to Troy Detweiler of Dutchtown and the other to Steven Shields, now a three-time Division I state champion for Brother Martin.  His only loss at 113 lbs. was a 6-3 decision against Brother Martin's Luke Cotton, now a Division I state champion.  At 126 lbs. he had two wins over Comeaux's talented freshman Dyllon Bernard.  He had two wins over Division I third-placer Dylan Ames, also from Comeaux.  Other wins were over Rummel's Brandon Willis, Josh Hebert of Teurlings Catholic, Jacob Spahn of Holy Cross, Division III state champion Adam Gaspard of Kaplan and Rayne's Cooper Simon.  More importantly, Becker owned a 7-2 decision from the Brusly Invitational semifinals over Sam Pitts of Ouachita Christian, who would later be his state finals opponent.  Becker won the Jacob McMillan Memorial, the Brusly Invitational, the Ken Cole Invitational and the Lafayette Metro Tournament.  He placed third at the Louisiana Classic.  His 31-3 record including three technical falls, six major decisions and 17 wins via falls.  Placing third as he had in 2013 and 2014, or second, as he did last year, were not in his plans for 2016.

Ouachita Christian sophomore Sam Pitts also had a good season.  He had three Division I losses, two to state placers Adam Larriviere of Jesuit and Brier Babin of St. Amant, and he also had a loss to Dutchtown's Troy Detweiler.  He placed second at the Warrior Open, third at the Evangel Eagle Open, third at the Brusly Invitational and first at the John Curtis Invitational.  But he had the loss to Becker as well as two to Evangel's Richard Mack, III, who did not compete at the state tournament and thus Pitts was seeded second.  Pitts eased into the finals with a bye and two technical falls.

In olden days when a fourth-place finish meant watching others receive certificates on the podium, third was considered a very good place to be.  In the school's first competitive season Haynes' Cameron Frost made that trip as he became the first Yellow Jacket to place in the state championships.  Seeded fourth, Frost was upset 10-9 by fifth-seeded Grant Gebo of De la Salle.  In the consolation rounds, however, he ran-off four straight falls, including one in 0:42 against Gebo to place third.

Placers Place Name School Seed Year 1st Gavin Becker North Vermillion 1 12 2nd Sam Pitts Ouachita Christian 2 10 3rd Cameron Frost Haynes 4 9 4th Grant Gebo De la Salle 5 9 5th Hunter Richie Brusly 6 10 6th Curtis Sylve, Jr. South Plaquemines 3 12

Saturday Consolation Semifinals

CSF: (4) Cameron Frost (HAY) pinned (6) Hunter Richie (BRU) in 4:09.

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Quarterfinals

(1) Gavin Becker (NV) pinned (8) Hunter Langley (BAS) in 2:57.

(5) Grant Gebo (DLS) defeated (4) Cameron Frost (HAY) 10-9.

(6) Hunter Richie (BRU) pinned (3) Curtis Sylve, Jr. (SPL) in 1:34

(2) Sam Pitts (OC) defeated (7) Gage Sonnier (JC) via an 18-3 technical fall.

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Semifinals

(1) Gavin Becker (NV) pinned (5) Grant Gebo (DLS) in 5:42.

(2) Sam Pitts (OC) defeated (6) Hunter Richie (BRU) via an 18-3 technical fall.

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Championship Consolation Rounds

(4) Cameron Frost (HAY) pinned (5) Grant Gebo (DLS) in 0:42.to win 3rd place.

(6) Hunter Richie (BRU) pinned (3) Curtis Sylve, Jr. (SPL) in 0:45 to win 5th place.

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Finals

(1) Gavin Becker of North Vermillion defeated (2) Sam Pitts of Ouachita Christian 7-0.

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