Fini

Having lost two previous matches to Shaw's Martin Garrett, including in last season's state finals match, Parkway's Dalton Driggers upset the defending state champion 7-4, earning a state championship and the Division II Outstanding Wrestler award.

Weight Class Synopsis

Defending Division II state champion Martin Garrett of Shaw posted a 44-9 record prior to the state championships, and he defeated and lost to some good competition.  He defeated Sam Houston's Mataius Lavine, Matthew Webre of Ouachita Christian, Seth Alfonso and Mason Massicot of Brother Martin and Travis Hale of Zachary.  His losses were not to slouches, and included Division I opponents Brison Adams of Covington, St. Amant's Hunter Hawkins, Brother Martin's Alfonso (in their last of two matches) and Noah Roux, one out-of-state wrestler, Jesuit's Paul Treuting and Nathan Koenig, and Caden Mumme of Holy Cross.  He used falls in 3:38, 0:42 and scored a 12-4 major decision over Teurlings Catholic's Vaugn Romero in the semifinals to reach the Division II finals for the third consecutive year.

 Perhaps more important to Garrett's season was that at the Trey Culotta Invitational he pinned Parkway's Dalton Driggers in 5:30.  Driggers was Garrett's opponent in the 2017 Division II 160 lbs. championship match.  Garrett won that match 7-3.

Driggers did not have a very rigorous schedule in his 28-7 pre-state season.  He won the Riot on the Red and the Lone Survivor tournaments, but his "highest" quality win was a 6-2 decision over Lavine.  His losses were incurred by opponents in all three divisions: Evan Richards of Comeaux and Travis Hale of Zachary in Division I; Camdyn Ingram and Garrett in Division II, and Bruce Arseneaux of Church Point and Peyton Matherne of John Curtis of Division III.  (He also had a loss at the Trey Culotta to Bowman Hill of Vestavia Hills.)  Driggers used falls in 2:59, 3:45 and a 13-4 major decision over Lavine in the semifinals to reach earn a rematch with Garrett for the Division II title.

Driggers scored first on a single-leg shot which Garrett countered but ended up low, allowing Driggers to spin behind him.  The Panther used cross-body and crab rides to control Garrett to the end of the period to maintain his 2-0 lead.  With Garrett starting the second period on the bottom, Driggers rode him in the same manner as he did in the first, including throwing in some forced-nelson attempts.  Garrett tried several rolls, but Driggers stuck to him like glue, and the round ended as the first one did, with Driggers hanging onto a precarious 2-0 lead.  On bottom for the third period start, Driggers stood up and used a hip heist to lower Garrett's stance behind him.  Driggers the turned into Garrett while reaching back for the Shaw wrestler's head and ended up putting Garrett on his back for three nearfall points.  Driggers now led 7-0, but a penalty point was awarded to Garrett for an illegal hold.  With 0:25 remaining Garrett escaped to make the score 7-2, and then Garrett sprawled and spun on a low single-leg shot by Driggers, cutting the Parkway wrestler's lead to 7-4.  But Garrett did not have enough time to score any more, and Driggers walked away with the championship and, a little later, with the Division II Outstanding Wrestler award.

The third-seeded junior from Sam Houston, Mataius Lavine, pinned Haughton's Ryker St. John in 1:52 to reach the consolation finals.  Romero pinned Belle Chasse's unseeded Dayton Hunter in 4:55 for the right to compete for third place.  Lavine pinned Romero in 3:00 at the Ken Cole and required 3:37 to pin him again to place third.  In a rematch of a round two meeting in which Hunter defeated St. John of Haughton 4-2, St. John avenged his loss 5-2 to place fifth.

Early Championship Rounds

R1: (4) Kendrall Williams (CAR) over Joseph Piwko (RUM) 13-6

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Quarterfinals

(1) Martin Garrett (SHW) over (8) Brandon Carrigan (BNT) in 0:42

(5) Vaughn Romero (TC) over (4) Kendrall Williams (CAR) 13-2 MD

(3) Mataius Lavine (SH) over (6) Jataveon Hemphill (NW) in 4:22

(2) Dalton Driggers (PKY) over Dayton Hunter (BC) in 3:45

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Semifinals

(1) Martin Garrett (SHW) over (5) Vaughn Romero (TC) 12-4 MD

(2) Dalton Driggers (PKY) over (3) Mataius Lavine (SH) 13-4 MD

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Consolation Rounds

C1: Nawab Singh (LO) over Santos Maldonado (NOMMA) in 3:52

C1: (7) Ryker St. John (HAU) over Matt Howard (STM) 12-6

CSF: (3) Mataius Lavine (SH) over (7) Ryker St. John (HAU) in 1:52

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Championship Consolation Rounds

(3) Mataius Lavine (SH) pinned (5) Vaughn Romero (TC) in 3:37 to place 3rd

(7) Ryker St. John (HAU) defeated Dayton Hunter (BC) 5-2 to place 5th

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Finals

(2) Dalton Driggers of Parkway defeated (1) Martin Garrett of Shaw 7-4

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