WE ARE ADAPTIVE WRESTLING-SPECIFIC MEDIA

After a runner-up finish at last week's Louisiana Classic (LACL), the Teurlings Catholic (TC) Rebels are in a prime position to defend their 2022 team championship after the first Day of the 46th Ken Cole Memorial, held at Comeaux High School in Lafayette, Louisiana, on January 20th and 21st.

The relatively slim six-point lead over the North Desoto (ND) Griffins should increase dramatically after the semifinals on Saturday morning, though.  The Rebels have seven semifinalists and are favored to win four of those matches.  North Desoto has five semifinalists but are only favored to win three of those matches.  Should they fare better than their seeding, the Griffins could make this a horserace in the finals, as no TC vs. ND matches are in the semifinals.

Lurking too close for comfort are the first-ever Public-School State Championships team champion East Ascension (EA) Spartans.  North Desoto was not at that event, nor were the Rebels as TC is a Catholic school.  The Spartans are hungry after a disappointing 11th-place finish at the LACL. 

TC and ND each have five competitors in the wrestlebacks.  EA has four.

The editor regrets that a persistent headache and an inability to focus - with his eyes, not just his camera - caused him to leave only an hour after wrestling began.  Pizza, mixed with some chardonnay, Tylenol, butalbital, Benadryl and ambien should remedy things by the semifinals at the latest.

Colt Fisher (right) of Sam Houston wanted to make sure he got his picture taken.  Teammate Lelyn Saucier jumped in with personal commentary.

Top Ten Team Scores after Friday

Brusly has two semifinalists in the 170 lbs. weight class, third-seeded scorer Silas Robichaux and fifth-seeded non-scorer Chris Miller.

Actually, what I wrote Friday night was wrong.  Miller was the points scorer.  The seeding committee, however, deemed Robichaux worthy of a higher seed. 

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Day-One Upsets

Please know that not all  fifth-seed over fourth-seed matches are mentioned here. 

Aiden Krass of EA might easily have been seeded fifth instead of sixth, which may have given him a rematch with Brusly's Cameron Redditt, to whom he lost in mid-December, in the quarterfinals.    Instead, he faced unseeded Sulphur freshman Kylan Fontenot, who upset third-seeded Louis Lindsey of Haughton in Round-One via a fall in 3:27.  The Spartan sophomore pinned Fontenot in 4:13 to setup a semifinals match with TC's Brennan Boyer.  Krass and Boyer have not met this season.

The 132 lbs. weight class looked at the rules and expectations, and then took them and threw them out the window, after dowsing them with jet fuel and setting them on fire.  Not so much Christopher Bacot, as the top-seeded Parkway senior did what he was supposed to do, winning his first three matches via two falls and a Major Decision (MD).  Rummel junior Mason Scholl started the ruckus when he upended fifth-seeded Jamarcus Thomas of EA 8-6 in Round-Two.  At around the same time Holy Cross sophomore Henry Mulville did the same to #4 Cameron Hebert of North Vermillion (NV) (I may get used to these acronyms fast) 6-1.  Seeding played a factor, sort-of, in the ensuing quarterfinal match, as the kid who beat the #4 seed (Mulville) beat the kid who beat the #5 seed (Scholl) in 5:42.

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Then it just gets worse, for seeds, I mean.  J.P. Webre, a Jesuit freshman, defeated #3 Rylan Fontenot of Rayne 6-3 in Round-Two.  Then he helps open the door to the finals to #6 Cayden Richard of Acadiana, losing to the Ram sophomore via a fall in 5:56.  Have I not mentioned that Richard just does not quit?  Webre was ahead 7-3 with a minute remaining in the match when Richard took him down and pinned him.  THE WHOLE SIX MINUTES!  Richard will meet seventh-seeded Houston Westside junior Xavier Royere in the semifinals.

Drew Snyder, a non-scoring non-seeded TC senior, defeated #4 Tyler Villareal of Haughton 10-8.  Snyder fell to #5 Caleb Andrews of Belle Chasse in the quarterfinals by a very respectable 4-1 score versus the Cardinal senior.

It is a #5 over #4, but anyone who beats a higher-seeded Foster Shank of Dutchtown deserves mention.  Chase Smart, a North Desoto sophomore seeded fifth, defeated Shank 6-4.

Seventh-seeded Raider Neil Borne defeated #2 Gabe Cuba of Catholic 10-6 in the quarterfinals.  The Rummel senior will face ND junior Lake Bates, #3, in the semifinals.

2021 Division III runner-up Chase Miller is a non-scorer for Brusly, but perhaps he will be allowed to compete in the finals should he and Panther teammate, #3 Silas Robichaux, make it to the finals.  Miller, at #5, defeated #4 Aden Landry of John Curtis 8-6 SV.  Both Panther wrestlers will have their hands full in the semifinals, though, as Miller faces #1 Gabriel Bonin of EA and Robichaux faces #2 Braedon Simoneaux of TC.  Perhaps the two will meet in the consolation finals and allowed to wrestle with the difference between fourth and third placing points on the line.

At 195 lbs. unseeded Episcopal junior William York upset #3 Ledgerick Collins of Carencro 6-4. 

  Confused?

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