WE ARE ADAPTIVE WRESTLING-SPECIFIC MEDIA

Can anything be assessed after the first two weekends of the 2023-24 LHSAA wrestling season?  Not really...aside from questions.  Questions that need answering. 

What is up with the 132 lbs. weight class?  Walker junior Kye Karcher pinned defending Division I state champion Samuel Favaza in the Lakeshore Open finals.  He pinned 2022 Division III state champion Cameron Redditt of Brusly and defeated Jesuit's Jose Rincon (D1 6th).  Those are wins of the highest quality.  So, how come Karcher is 8-2?  Well, Aiden Krass of East Ascension has a 12-0 start, including a 9-1 MD win over Karcher at the Warrior Open, and Karcher lost the consolation finals of that event to Holy Cross' Nicholas Sauerwin 9-7.  Karcher survived and placed fifth in Division I in the meat grinder that was 120 lbs. last year, so a couple of November setbacks will not faze him.

Krass' undefeated start is not surprising, and it includes quality wins over Karcher and Division II runner-up Brennan Boyer of Teurlings Catholic.  Now, would someone please tell me who St. Thomas More's Jonas Rebstock is?  Krass defeated him 4-0 in the Warrior Open finals and 9-7 in the St. Thomas More Cougar Classic semifinals.  This unknown entity (to me, I mean) also defeated Sauerwin 9-1 MD in the Warrior Open semifinals.  Krass' mother knows who he is as she mentioned him as one of two very tough opponents Krass faced in winning the Cougar Classis.

Speaking of who is that kid, what about Michael Klein of Holy Cross?  He beat veteran senior Holden Wempren in the Warrior Open finals 11-0 MD.  The kid is in eighth-grade!  I did not forecast him in my state preview, but he certainly raises the chances of the Tigers against Jesuit come February.

Two-time defending Division III state champion Dylan Duvernay exorcised three demon matches from his past in the Warrior Open semifinals when he defeated Airline's Logan Olsen in 1:52.  Olsen bested Duvernay in the 2022 Warrior Open finals in 4:18 and 7-2 in the 2023 Louisiana Classic quarterfinals.  In the 2021 Trey Culotta consolation semifinals Olsen scored a fall over Duvernay in 4:42.  Duvernay is on track to be a three-time Division III state champion and Olsen will only get better from the loss.

The premium match so far this year is at 126 lbs.  It is between Sam Houston senior Tyson Roach, a 2023 Division II and 2022 Division I state champion, and Acadiana sophomore Ozias Gray, who has been tearing up tournaments across the nation after being ineligible in his freshman year.  Gray has five falls and a technical fall in his "wins" column, but he has two losses to Roach.  The first was a 7-5 SV match in the Warrior Open finals, but the second was a 10-3 thrashing in the Cougar Classic finals.  The questions here are, has Roach figured-out Gray, or did Gray just have a bad match in the 10-3 loss?  After two years of Roach and Southside's Landon Reaux, I will not attempt to answer that one.  I predict that one of them will drop to 120 lbs. after the Louisiana Public Schools Championships or the Ken Cole, so both should have a legitimate shot at a Louisiana Classic title.  Somewhere in that mix, though, will be Jesuit's defending Division I state champion Bodi Harris.  Jesuit does not have anything scheduled for the weekend of the Ken Cole, which is a week prior to the Louisiana Classic rather than after it, this season.  They might want to consider adding it to their schedule.

Another Bronco is also undefeated and has Warrior Open and Cougar Classic championships.  That would be 9-0 junior Caleb Lavine, who has wins over Holy Cross' Matthew Krail and Jamarcus Thomas of East Ascension.  Thomas, 8-4, may be one to watch.  He is slippery and a little unorthodox, but it works.  

I can glean no more. 

Back to Top

Warrior Open - November 4th

Jesuit had three champions and Airline, Sam Houston and Live Oak two apiece at the Warrior Open at St. Michael the Archangel.

Aiden Krass	Cole and Alise Gros	Kolton West

Back to Top

Rumble on the River - November 4th

Chalmette High School took home a team championship at the Lakeshore Open.  The Owls had four champions and four runnesr-up, and outscored a Brother Martin second team lineup 219-210.  Fontainebleau took third with 196 points.

Fontainebleau placers

Back to Top

Cougar Classic - November 11th

No team scores were kept but East Ascension fairly dominated the Cougar Classic at St. Thomas More.  The Spartans had seven champions and a runner-up at the event.

East Ascension at Cougar	Anthony, champion Aiden and Stella Krass

Back to Top

Lakeshore Open - November 4th

Dutchtown won the Lakeshore Open, besting Fontainebleau 222 to 204.5.  Chalmette placed third with 163 points.  The Griffins had five champions, and won four title matches in-a-row from 165 lbs. to 215 lbs. 

Fontainebleau Placers	Champs Gabriel Millbern and Kye Karcher

Back to Top

Brusly 8 - November 11th

Kolton and Kevin West of Live Oak at the Brusly 8	Billy Edmonston of Live Oak at the Brusly 8

Back to Top

Cinco Ranch Big 12 - November 11th

Brother Martin had four champions and three runners-up in winning the Cinco Roach Big 12 in Katy, Texas.  The Crusaders outscored team runner-up Kat Cinco Ranch 250.5 to 165.

Brother Martin Placers

Back to Top

Arlington Invitational, TX - November 11th

The Gilreath brothers of Evangel, 2023 and 2021 Division III state champion Michael and 2023 Division III runner-up Joseph, each placed second in the 26-team field at the Arlington Invitational in Texas.

Evangel Placers

Weight Name Place        Weight Name Place 113 Joseph Gilreath 2nd   150     165 Michael Gilreath 2nd   157

Jesuit 53-St. Paul 15 - November 11th

The Blue Jays won nine matches and had a forfeit in a 53-15 dual meet win over St. Paul at Jesuit. 

Worth noting in this match was Isaac Orillion of Jesuit.  He lost to two-time Division I runner-up Conlan Enk, a senior, but only 6-3.  Orillion is starting as a mere freshman.  He must know someone.  (He is actually head coach Jon Orillion's nephew.  His father is 1996 Division I state champion. and 1997 and 1998 runner-up Matthew Orillion.)

CONFUSED?

Back to Top

©  2023-24 by Louisiana Wrestling News

You may not make electronic copies of these copyrighted materials nor redistribute them to 3rd parties in any form without written permission.