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The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has bestowed the 2020 Louisiana Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award to Alex Yokubaitis, the four-time Division III state champion from St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles.  Yokubaitis is the first wrestler from a Division III school to be honored with the award. Modest to a fault, Yokubaitis has always impressed the editor with his proclivity on the mats and his politeness off the mat.  Even after very rare losses he shows nothing but respect for his opponents and does not show a hint of disappointment.

Yokubaitis joined a select few who have won four Division III state championships.  Coming to mind are Gavin Christ of Basile, Austin Franklin, Trevor Schermer and Austin Schermer of Brusly after the creation of Division III in 2000.  Prior to that, in Division II was Redemptorist's Brad Macha, Chad Buras of Buras, Carmen Cortez of Basile, Ernie Peyton of Hackberry and Tim Leblanc of Brusly.  Division I has only two such individuals, Paul Klein and Steven Shields, both of Brother Martin.  And, of course, there is Basile's Jimmy Vidrine, who won five state titles.

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2017 33-3	2018 27-1	2019 44-3	2020 50-1
106 Pounds	113 Pounds	120 Pounds	126 Pounds
11-2 over David Kent of Brusly	12-5 over Colton Kendrick of John Curtis	15-0 TF over Zachary Lauland of De la Salle	15-0 TF over David Diecidue of Hannon

In his four varsity years he compiled a record of 154-8, never losing more than three matches in a season.

While he never won the Louisiana Classic he lost to excellent competition.  In 2018, his sophomore year, he lost in the finals against Rummel's Blake Mateu, a senior who would defeat Yokubaitis 5-3 to win his third Louisiana Classic title, and later that year won the Dave Schultz award.  In 2019, after being upset by North Desoto's Joshua Sarpy, Yokubaitis came back to place third, defeating Brother Martin's Ethan Castex 7-1.  In his senior year he lost to a Texas kid nobody liked, and he came back from that to avenge his 2019 loss to Sarpy with a 10-3 win to place third. 

Yokubaitis "In Action"

2018 Division III Finals 12-5 over Colton Kendrick of John Curtis	2019 Brusly Invitational Finals Fall over Kaul Kayser of Brusly in 0:45	2019 Louisiana Classic 7-1 win over Ethan Castex of Brother Martin to place third

2020 Louisiana Classic 10-3 win over Joshua Sarpy of North Desoto to place third	2020 Ken Cole Memorial Semifinals 15-0 Technical Fall over Reed Bergeron of Comeaux	2020 Ken Cole Memorial Finals 8-5 Win over Joshua Keeler of Parkway

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Those who did defeat Yokubaitis were Chris Montalbano of Rummel (a three-time Division II state runner-up), Colten Sonnier of Teurlings Catholic (a 2018 Division II state champion and 2019 Division II state runner-up), Blake Mateu of Rummel (a three-time Division II state champion, a Division I state runner-up and the 2018 Dave Shultz High School Excellence Award winner), Connor Hoffman of Brother Martin (a 2018 and 2020 Division I state champion) and Joshua Sarpy of North Desoto (a two-time Division II state champion).

In his 154 wins he defeated a 2018 Division I state champion twice, a 2020 Division I state champion twice, a three-time Division I runner-up, a two-time Division I runner-up twice, four wrestlers who combined for seven Division II state championships, three Division II runners-up and a two-time Division III state champion twice.

The wrestlers who defeated Yokubaitis once might be happy they did not face him a second time.  In the last of their two matches, Yokubaitis defeated Sarpy 10-3.  Sonnier defeated Yokubaitis twice in his freshman year and once in his junior year.  Yokubaitis defeated Sonnier in their next three matches.  Sonnier won their last match at the 2019 Ken Cole.  Sonnier is understandably pleased to be the wrestler who gave Yokubaitis the most trouble in his high school career.  Nobody else defeated the St. Louis wrestler twice, much less three times.

Of their last match Sonnier recalls "Alex had already beat me twice my senior year before our Ken Cole match.  I really wanted to win that match and I was fortunate to get a five-point move in the first period.  Then I increased the lead to 6-0 early in the second period.  After that, I just coasted.  I knew the only way he could win was if he pinned me.  I knew he would get points, and at the end. he had a chance to score more.  I just did my best to hold on and not get turned." In general, Sonnier said "Alex was a very consistent wrestler and he was able to just get the job done in big matches and against really good wrestlers.  He also used his hips better than anyone I have ever wrestled.”

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Louisiana Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award Winners

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