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With the three-peat complete, Bearcats a good bet for a fourth consecutive title
LHSAA State Wrestling Tournament: Division III
May 9th, 2021 | Written by: Editor
 

 

 

 

The Basile Bearcats might have been considered "off" a little by some during the state championships.  They only won two individual championships.  In 2019 and 2020 five Bearcats took brackets home with them.  This year they only had two champions, but stellar consolation rounds performances in which 10 of 12 Bearcats earned spots on the podium, was enough to win their third consecutive Division III championship by a comfortable 31.5 margin over runner-up De la Salle.  Re their two champions, Baylor Waggoner competed for St. Louis two years ago.  He did not compete at all last year when his family left the Lake Charles area after their home suffered severe hurricane damage.  Alex Menier, of course, won his fourth consecutive Division III title.

Next season Menier and Waggoner will venture into the chaotic morass of post-high school life.  But the Bearcats, who had three runners-up, will not be lacking for members to take their place.  After the seniors leave Basile still will have a 26-wrestler roster.  That roster should grow as being a part of a possible four-time state championship team has drawing power.

Division III brackets in PDF

Division III Champions
Basile Bearcats
One has to start off with Alex Menier when talking about this year's Division III tournament.  Menier completed a high school sweep of state championships, joining Gavin Christ, Carmen Cortez and the late Jimmy Vidrine as four-time state champions.  Senior Baylor Waggoner dominated the 195 lbs. weight class, in which he won his four matches with falls in less than one minute each.

Sophomores Jay Guillory and Luc Johnson, and junior Andre Johnson placed second for the Bearcats.

As a team, twelve of the Bearcats finished with spots on the podium.  One fifth-placer, Kye Smith, is only a seventh-grader.  As five team members were juniors, next year they will be a senior driven team.

Division III Runners-up
De la Salle Cavaliers
The Cavaliers did not lose one member of their 2019-20 state tournament team to graduation.  Nine were on their 2021 state tournament team and seven of those, 50% of the team, accounted for 75% of their point total. 

Zachary Lauland and Byron Phillips, III won individual titles for De la Salle, and Spencer Hughes and Luke Robertson placed second.  They will lose Lauland and Phillips to graduation, but they should still field a strong Division III team in the 2021-22 season.

Hannan finished third, 6.5 points behind De la Salle.  Mark Pennison won a state championship and Cade Hontiveros, Gavin Gautier and Grayson Pennison placed second.  Fourth-place Brusly was 68 points behind Basile, but the Panthers had the most individual champions.  Seniors Kaul Kayser and Marc Martinez went out on top of the podium, as did senior Andrew Trahan, who collected his third Division III championship.  St. Louis started the evening with back-to-back championships from Luke Caballero and Henry Hebert.  Wylie Boudreaux won Erath's first state championship and also garnered the Division III Outstanding Wrestler award.  Shad Sheffie completed an undefeated season with his second Division III title, John Curtis senior John Drake took home the 285 lbs. prize and Evangel freshman Michael Gilreath, who was two points away from winning a state title last season as a fifth-seeded eighth-grader, won his first title as a freshman, opening the door to a possible four-title sweep.

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Outstanding Wrestler

 

Wylie Boudreaux of Erath - 126 lbs.
 
Boudreaux entered the state championships with a 9-2 record against some stiff competition.  He won the North Vermillion 6 and placed fourth at the Louisiana Classic, losing to Division I runner-up Ethan Castex of Brother Martin and Division II state champion Cameron Davis of North Desoto.  In the LACL Boudreaux defeated Catholic's Ethan Ourso and Sulphur's Kyle Thibodeaux, who placed fifth and sixth respectively at the state championships, and Parkway's Brandon Turner, who was seeded seventh.  At this tournament Boudreaux won his first match in 1:25, fought off a tough Collin Veron of De la Salle 9-6 and then pinned Basile's Andre Johnson, a defending Division III state champion, in 1:06.

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Final Team Scores

Place Team Points Place Team Points Place Team Points
1 Basile 219.5 10 South Beauregard 54 19 Haynes 20
2 De la Salle 188 11 Church Point 53 20 Glen Oaks 7
3 Hannan 181.5 12 Evangel 48 21 Episcopal 3
4 Brusly 150.5 T13 Dunham 31 T-22 Bolton 0
T-5 St. Louis 119 T-13 Thomas Jefferson 31 T-22 Crescent City 0
T-5 St. Michael 97.5 15 Erath 30 T-22 Lakeside 0
7 Kaplan 81 16 DeQuincy 27 T-22 Notre Dame 0
8 John Curtis 77.5 T-17 Calvary Baptist 21 T-22 South Plaquemines 0
9 Bossier 58 T-17 Summerfield 21 T-19    

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