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Brother Martin's 29-24 win over Holy Cross could lead to a very close state championship

Date 28th, 20117 | Written by: Editor


29	24

The text in quotation marks was reprinted from an article published on December 16th.

"It was close. Both schools put forth their current best teams. Both schools won seven matches. It came down to the last match. When it was over, it was Brother Martin, by virtue of a three-point advantage in falls*, and two extra points won via major decisions, that came out on top.

Brother Martin 29, Holy Cross 24.

* The Crusaders scored two falls for 12 team points in two matches. The Tigers had one fall for six team points, but that was only one match. To offset the second Brother Martin match, any of the three-point decisions the Tigers won gave them three points, for a total of nine Tiger points in the four matches involved: 12-9=3.

While the match was decided in the last match of the evening, any differing outcome in the previous 13 matches would have sealed it for either team.

Early on in the Conlin Gymnasium Friday night it looked like the match would be dominated by the Crusaders. Luke Cotton, a 2016 state champion and 2017 state runner-up, scored a fall, followed by a decision by Alex Duncan and a major decision by Patrick Evans, jumping to a 13-0 lead. The Tigers got on the board with a decision by Brady Butler, but that was followed by another Crusader major decision by Seth Alfonso, giving Brother Martin a 17-3 lead after five matches.

The Tigers looked like they would come back strong with decisions by Caden Mumme and Spencer Rayes closing the gap to 17-9. The Crusaders, however, next won a decision by Garrett Legendre, increasing their lead to 20-9. The Tigers needed a boost to get back within striking distance, and they got it via a fall by Ryan Doody, closing to within five points, 20-15. That fall, however, was negated by Mack Brown's fall for the Crusaders, and Brother Martin was back to an 11-point lead, 26-15.

The lighter weights would determine the final outcome, and the Tigers roared back with decisions by Jacob Frost, Caruso Signorelli and Michael Lundin. After 13 matches the Crusaders found themselves ahead by a mere two points, 26-24. Brother Martin had a formidable anchor, though, in 2017 state champion Daniel Croy. Croy's win sealed the match for the Crusaders 29-24.

If anything, both teams learned they have more work to do. With the match so close, the Crusaders cannot afford to "rest on their laurels," and the Tigers have to find at least one more match to win, or pin to make, to keep pace.

The Crusaders are now in the driver's seat for the Catholic League championship, which perhaps now is a more appreciated accomplishment than it had been prior to last season when Holy Cross won it. The Crusaders still have St. Paul's and Jesuit to worry about, while the Tigers, who defeated St. Paul's 47-12, last real test will be the Blue Jays."

This was the first match between the two New Orleans powerhouses, and it showed that just a few points at the state tournament may provide the team championship for either one.

Matches