WE ARE ADAPTIVE WRESTLING-SPECIFIC MEDIA

Champions: Holy Cross Tigers	OW: Michael Barnett - 120 lbs.	Runners-up: Brother Martin Crusaders

Final Team Scores

1)    Holy Cross blows away competition

Any inkling that Holy Cross might vie for a Division I team championship was not evident until after the Louisiana Classic.  Sure, they defeated Jesuit 36-34, but that was on December 3rd.  In the dual meet, both teams were without the services of four wrestlers who would be on their State rosters.  For the Blue Jays, those who did not compete in the dual meet included two soon-to-be state champions (Michael Barnett and Will Berry) and one soon-to-be runner-up (Isaac Orillion).  Jesuit might have fared a lot better in the dual meet had Barnett, Berry and Orillion participated.  But, well, who cares?  It was a December dual meet.  A state champion wrestler can score 34 points in a state tournament.  In a dual meet, the same wrestler is limited to scoring only six points.  Sure, the Tigers placed second in the Louisiana Dual Championships, but that was to Catholic, who was everyone's favorite come the State Championships.  And the same dual meet standards apply re the number of points a wrestler can score.

In the Louisiana Classic Holy Cross placed third behind Catholic and Division II's St. Thomas More.  The Bears scored 16.5 points more than the Tigers did.  But, if one takes out the Division II contenders, the Tigers make-up 12 points just in the finals.  In non-finals rounds, taking out matches against St. Thomas More, Teurlings Catholic and Rummel, the Tigers would have scored five extra points and won the event.

After the LACL some hopes must have been dashed when the Crusaders defeated the Tigers 42-20 in a dual meet.  Not to worry, though...

At the State Championships the Tigers showed what they were made of without Division II wrestlers in their way.  After Friday's wrestling was completed the Tigers were 1.5 points behind Brother Martin.  On Saturday, after the matches were completed that were scheduled to be over on Friday, the Tigers were ahead by 4.5 points over Catholic, who was 4.5 points ahead of Brother Martin.  After the semifinals the Tigers had scored 257 points, 28.5 points ahead of Brother Martin.  Catholic was third, 14 points behind the Crusaders.  Prior to the finals, neither Brother Martin nor Catholic had enough finalists to have made a difference in the team standings.  Since the LHSAA took over the state championships in 1975, Holy Cross won three Division I titles: 1983, 1988 and 2017.  They added Division II state championships in 2009 and 2013, and a Division III team title in 2011.

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2)    Fourth time's a charm for Jesuit's Barnett

On January 2nd Jesuit senior Michael Barnett dropped from 126 lbs. to 120 lbs.  When that happened, a mouthwatering matchup was destined between the senior Barnett, who had been on the wrong end of three finals appearances, and defending Division I state champion Zane Blanchard of Southside, whose only loss came from Alex Rozas of Teurlings Catholic.

They first met in the finals of the Ken Cole Memorial.  Blanchard shellacked Barnett by scoring 11 points in the first period to Barnett's one.  The Shark junior took Barnett down after 46 seconds had elapsed.  After that, Blanchard was awarded four nearfall points, twice. The next four minutes for the Shark wrestler was basically a "prevent defense," which allowed the Southside junior to "coast" a bit.  Barnett managed an escape point in the second period, and an escape and a takedown in the third period, in which the Blue Jay also received a penalty point for Blanchard's perceived stalling.  Blanchard protected his least and prevailed 11-7.  The two met again in the Louisiana Classic finals.  Again, Blanchard scored first - via a takedown after 37 seconds.  Barnett scored an escape with 34 seconds remaining.  In the second period Barnett scored a reversal, tying the match at 3-3.  In the third period it took only 15 seconds for Blanchard to score a reversal and retake the lead at 5-3.  With just over a minute Barnett escaped.  But neither wrestler scored again and Blanchard won 5-4.  There were a few things that could be said about the first two matches between Blanchard and Barnett.  At the Ken Cole Blanchard won by four points.  At the Louisiana Classic Blanchard won by one point.  That was a decidedly different match than the Ken Cole finals match.  I tried to do some math to prove my point but failed miserably.  Sans mathematical proofs, my point is that Barnett was much more of a problem for Blanchard at the Louisiana Classic than at the Ken Cole.   That fact prompted some pundit to write on January 24th, "Expect to see these two again in the state finals in February.  Both wrestlers know that only a two-point score may make the difference come February."

That pundit looked to be an idiot after the first period of the 120 lbs. state finals, as Blanchard scored a three-point takedown after less than a minute.  Barnett replied with only a one-point escape.  In the second period each wrestler scored a two-point reversal, make the score 5-3 in favor of Blanchard.  Barnett started down in the third period, and after 40 seconds scored an escape to cut Blanchard's lead to one point.  With about 20 seconds remaining Blanchard shot a double-leg and after a scramble the Blue Jay senior secured a takedown making the score 7-5 in his favor.  He rode out the remaining 12 seconds and, after three unsuccessful bids in the finals, Barnett finally walked off the mat with a state title.

As a freshman Barnett was seeded third and made it to his first finals appearance.  He was pinned by the fifth seed, Samuel Favaza of Fontainebleau, in 4:17.  As a sophomore, the top-seeded  Barnett fell to the second seed, Scott Cascio of St. Paul, 9-6.  In 2025, again seeded first, the Blue Jay fell to another second seed, Caleb Kirk of Catholic, 6-4.  In 2026 Barnett was seeded second to a returning state champion and rose to the challenge.  He was voted the Outstanding Wrestler in Division I.

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 3)    Three wrestlers repeat as champions

[Left to Right]  Michael Barnett was not the only Division I wrestler who advanced to the state finals more than once.  Catholic's Kristian Scott made his fourth finals appearance, although his trips were very different than Barnett's.  As a freshman Scott met Airline's Ernie Perry, III, in the finals, who defeated Scott 13-1 MD to win his fourth consecutive state championship.  Scott won his next three finals matches 5-2, 4-0 and 16-0 TF.  Catholic sophomore Caleb Kirk won his second state championship and is at the halfway point to becoming the fourth wrestler to claim four Division I individual titles.

[Left to Right]  Holy Cross's Anthony Oubre took home a bracket to go with the one he won in 2024.  That was via a pin following a "Fat Man's Roll," more commonly known as a Peterson Roll, which is rarely seen at 113 lbs.  This time Oubre went the distance, winning 6-0 over Sulphur's Carson Thibodeaux. Acadiana's Ozias Gray, pictured with Michael Barnett of Jesuit, won his second Division I state championship with a 4-1 victory over Holy Cross' Michael Klein.  Gray is the first Ram to win two state titles.

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Random Photos

St. Thomas More coach Kerry Boumans and Holy Cross Coach Grant Hughes with Brother Melchior Trophies; Holy Cross coach Grant Hughes with his former St. Paul coach Craig Ketelsen; Billy Edmonston with Sulphur coach Jean-Paul Duhon; Billy Edmonston of Live Oak with little brother Josh; Billy Edmonston warming up before the finals.

Holy Cross' Anthony Oubre (1-3); Brother Martin's Quinn McDermott (4).

Holy Cross contingent and Brother Martin placers.

Acadiana team; Chalmette team; East Ascension team; East Ascension coaches.

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Placers by Weight Classes

106 Pounds

William Fontenot of Brother Martin defeated Paul Evans of Catholic 4-2

3rd 4th 5th 6th Lee Gervais Holy Cross Landon Deleon St. Amant Zander Hollis Slidell Matty Bennet Jesuit

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132 Pounds

Anthony Oubre of Holy Cross defeated Carson Thibodaux of Sulphur 6-0

3rd 4th 5th 6th Scott Cascio Brother Martin Braiden Sellars Fontainebleau Alec Sonnier Catholic Peyton Breaux St. Amant

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138 Pounds

Ozias Gray of Acadiana defeated Michael Klein of Holy Cross 4-1

3rd 4th 5th 6th Jacob Britt Destrehan Dylan Eppinett Dutchtown Cayden Myers Covington Mark Evans Catholic

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144 Pounds

Matthew Krail of Holy Cross defeated Quinn McDermott of Brother Martin 2-0

3rd 4th 5th 6th Alex Amedee East Ascension Luke Brickey Catholic Josiah Sejour Live Oak Athens Dufour St. Amant

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150 Pounds

Robert Morse of Holy Cross defeated Ian David of Acadiana 25-7 TF

3rd 4th 5th 6th Joshua Lara Brother Martin Christopher Stricker Jesuit Bruce Bletz Airline Dominic Ruggieri Southside

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165 Pounds

Braylon Stewart of East Ascension defeated Isaac Orillion of Jesuit 11-0 MD

3rd 4th 5th 6th Mason Asevado St. Amant William O'Neal Lafayette Cooper Williams Catholic James Pote Brother Martin

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190 Pounds

Caleb Shartle of St. Paul's defeated Quinn Anderson of Jesuit 18-7 TF

3rd 4th 5th 6th Kent Pearson St. Amant Ja'Michael Treadwell Covington Oren Russell Denham Springs Gareen Bader Holy Cross

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215 Pounds

John Martinez of St. Paul defeated Billy Edmonston of Live Oak via a disqualification

3rd 4th 5th 6th Josiah Stewart Dutchtown Connor Vargas Jesuit Landon Olds Acadiana Gabriel desBordes Fontainebleau

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285 Pounds

Will Berry of Jesuit defeated Christopher Godso, III 19-3 TF

3rd 4th 5th 6th Gage Brown St. Paul Javier Hollis Slidell Aiden Anderson Baton Rouge Julian Blanchard St. Amant

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Questions?

Just ask Bastet!