WE ARE ADAPTIVE WRESTLING-SPECIFIC MEDIA

Champions: St. Thomas More	OW: Enzo Lopez St. Thomas More	Runners-up: North Desoto

HEADLINES

1)    St. Thomas More upends Teurlings Catholic and North Desoto

The St. Thomas More Cougars last placed in the top ten of Division II teams in 2008, when they placed 7th under coaches Todd Guidry and Mark Lentz.  In that year Jean-Paul Ducrest was a state champion.  Four years later, competing in Division I, they crowned their second state champion in Hank Boudreaux.  From 2012 to 2020 the Cougars averaged a place of only 26.2.  From a team that had only seven members in 2019 and six in 2020, Martin Cannon, then an assistant principal, took over the fledgling wrestling program in 2021 and had nine grapplers.  The following year the Cougars put 22 guys on the mats, and that rose to 34 in 2023.  In 2024 Canon, who claims no credit for anything, despite almost doubling and quadrupling the Cougar roster size, gave the reins to Kerry Boumans, who won state championships for the Comeaux Spartans in 1987, 1988 and 1999.  Wrestling for St. Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota where he was a four-time NAIA All-American.  He then had a successful freestyle career in which he was an alternate for the 2000 U.S. Wrestling team in Sydney, Australia.

In 2024, Boumans' first year, the Cougars placed fourth in Division II and had three state finalists.  A year later in 2025 the team added its first state champion in 14 years, and added another one for good measure, while placing as the runner-up to Teurlings Catholic.

2026 Ken Cole Champions

The Cougars started the season with a win at the Warrior Open, a 40-36 dual meet victory over Brother Martin, a runner-up spot at the Knights Classic in Texas and a 35-29 dual meet win over Jesuit on November 29th.  On that same day they fell to Catholic 45-31, and things cooled down for a few weeks.  They placed fifth at the Texas Rumble at the Rock and fourth at the Jacob McMillan.  They came back in mid-December with a runner-up finish at the Trey Culotta.  The New Year did not start off very grand as the Cougars lost to Holy Cross in the semifinals, and Jesuit in the consolation finals, of the first Louisiana Dual Championships.  Things took off again two weeks later when the Cougars won the Ken Cole convincingly over Rummel, Jesuit, North Desoto and Teurlings Catholic.  A week later they lost by a mere seven points to Catholic at the Louisiana Classic.

The Division II team championship was nip and tuck from the get-go.  North Desoto led by five points after the quarterfinals.  The Cougars overtook the Griffins by 1.5 points after the semifinals.  After the medal rounds St. Thomas More led 277 to 270.5.  Each team had seven finalists.  Four Griffins were favored to win their finals matches, while three Cougars were favored to win.  North Desoto got a little nod in the 285 lbs. finals match in which 13th-seeded Gage Parker of North Desoto met 14th-seeded Sawyer Pugh of North Desoto. 

The Griffins, however, could not get closer than two points behind the Cougars, and that only lasted for a match after Jacob Kershaw won the 138 lbs. finals match.  In the next match Cougar junior Jonas Rebstock won by an injury default, putting the Cougars more than one match ahead of the Griffins.  An unexpected win by Enzo Lopez and a loss by top-seeded Andrew Arinder at 175 lbs. locked up the first Division II state title for St. Thomas More.  Winning titles for the Cougars were Foster Peterson, Jonas Rebstock, Enzo Lopez and Sawyer Pugh.  Placing second were James Treadway, Gannon Sheffield and Jules Deshotels.  North Desoto's state champions were Sy Stoute, Jacob Kershaw and Hayden Bell.  Placing second were Sage Stoute, Jayden Locke, Connor Locke and Andrew Arinder.

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2)    TC's Alex Rozas graduates undefeated by Louisiana opponents

2026 Louisiana Classic Finals

Teurlings Catholic's Alex Rozas ended his senior season as he did his freshman season, and the other two seasons as well, with a Division II state title, a Ken Cole title and a Louisiana Classic title.  He joins Airline's Ernie Perry, III and Brother Martin's Richie Clementi in ending his high school career without losing to a Louisiana opponent.  In his freshman year he was 55-0.  As a sophomore he was 48-1, with his only loss being a 2-0 decision to a kid from St. John Bosco in the Reno Tournament of Champions.  As a junior he won 51 matches and lost only two matches at the Beast of the East, in which he placed fifth.  One of those losses came from the top-ranked wrestler in the nation.  He lost three matches in his senior year.  Two were at the Walsh Ironman in which he placed fifth, and one at the Beast of the East, in which he placed third.  After his last LHSAA he was awarded Louisiana's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award.

2026 Ken Cole OW

His complete high school record was 204-5.  His wins include 25 matches over current or soon-to-be state champions, who combined for 28 state championships among them.  He joins his coach, Brad Macha, and elder classman Brock Bonin as four-time Division II state champions.

Rozas will continue his wrestling career with the Virginia Tech Hokies in the 2026-27 season.

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3)    After three disappointments, North Desoto's Jacob Kershaw finally comes out on top

Like Jesuit's Michael Barnett a few matches earlier, North Desoto's Jacob Kershaw walked onto the Division II state finals mat for the fourth time.  The other three times things did not go Kershaw's way.  As a freshman he fell to another freshman, Alex Rojas of Teurlings Catholic.  In his sophomore year he fell to Rummel's Dominic Durham 3-1.  As a junior he fell to two-time, and soon-to-be three-time state champion Kaiden Triche of Rummel.  In those last two events Kershaw was seeded first.

2026 Ken Cole Finals

In his senior season Kershaw was 43-2 and kept weight class watchers off guard as he competed at 138 lbs., 144 lbs. and 150 lbs. before opting for 138 lbs. for the Louisiana state championships.  One loss, at 138 lbs., came from an Iowa kid in the Gardener Edgerton Invitational in Kansas in early December.  Kershaw lost that match 2-0, and the wrestler who beat him won the Iowa 3A state championship.  His other loss was to St. Thomas More's Jonas Restock, also by a two-point decision, 4-2., in a January 2nd dual meet.  That was at 150 lbs.  In his senior year Kershaw won the Arlington Invitational and the Arlington-Martin Reece Invitational, both in Texas, and the Perry Invitational and the Port City Classic, both in Oklahoma.  He demolished the competition at the Ken Cole, handing Brusly's Dylan Ricks his first Louisiana loss.  In the state championships he pinned his first three opponents and teched his opponent in the finals.

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4)    Lopez wins Outstanding Wrestler

Durham winning at the Ken Cole

Senior Enzo Lopez of St. Thomas More had an outstanding season with a total record of 47-5.  Three of those were to Texas wrestlers: one in the finals of the Knights Invitational in League City, TX; one in the semifinals of the Rumble at the Rock in in Rockwall, TX; one in the Louisiana Classic semifinals to a kid who would win the LACL over Catholic's Brandon Scott and then win a Texas 5A state championship.  In Louisiana he went 1-2 with Holy Cross' Robert Morse, a soon-to-be Division I state champion.  He defeated Holy Cross' Matthew Krail, another soon-to-be state champion, St. Amant's Joshua Caronna, a soon-to-be state runner-up, and he beat Brother Martin's Anthony Cinquemano, who would later take third-place in Division I, four times.  Lopez was a returning state runner-up but had one serious Division II problem.

That was Rummel junior Dominic Durham, a 2024 state champion and 2025 third-place winner.  Lopez and Durham met in the finals of the Ken Cole, where Durham dominated Lopez, taking him down twice before pinning him in 2:40.

To get to the state finals the second-seeded Lopez pinned his four opponents.  The top-seeded h Only had three matches before the finals, and they got tougher with each advance.  The first match ended in an 18 second fall.  In the second match, Durham only managed a technical fall.  In the semifinals, Comeaux's Jose Argenal went the full-six in a 12-8 Durham win.  In the finals it did not get any better for the Raider junior.  In both the first and the second periods, Lopez took down Durham and scored four nearfall points, giving the Cougar a 14-0 lead.  Taking the bottom position to start the third period, Lopez only required an escape for a 15-point technical fall, which he was awarded after 17 seconds had elapsed.   Lopez was an easy pick for the Division II Outstanding Wrestler award.

5)    Carter Macha wins third Division II title – going for four to match his father

In his senior year of 2026-27 Carter Macha seeks to do what only Brock Bonin and Alex Rozas has done for the Rebels - win four Division II state championships.  His father, Coach Brad Macha, completed the same feat for Redemptorist from 1992 to 1995.

3x D2 Champion

In the 2025-26 season Macha went 27-3.  Two of those losses were to St. Paul's Caleb Shartle - one in a dual meet and one in the finals of the Louisiana Classic.  Shartle is a senior and will not be around next season.  His only other loss came in the second of five matches with St. Thomas More's Jules Deshotels.  Macha won their first match 10-9 in the Jacob McMillan finals, and as close as that was, losing to Deshotels in their next match, the Trey Culotta finals, via a fall in 5:05 was not totally unexpected.  It seemed Macha had solved the Deshotels problem as he won their next two matches 14-8 and 17-10.  That was not the case, however, as Macha needed a Sudden Victory period to win their fifth match and his third Division II title.  Yet unlike Shartle, Deshotels will return for the 2026-27 season.  As it turns out, Macha won his first tournament, the Jacob McMillan, and his last tournament, the Division II state championships, in his junior season.  In his other two tournaments he placed second.  Look for Macha to be heavily favored once the 2026-27 season begins.

6)    Sy Stoute takes first step to four state titles

2026 Ken Cole Finals

North Desoto freshman Sy Stoute was undefeated by Louisiana competition in the 2025-26 season.  The only blemish on his 27-1 record was from an Oklahoma wrestler who would later place third in the OSSAA 4A state championships.  Only 15 of his matches were against Louisiana wrestlers, but he had a late start, as his first match was on December 20th, 2025.  Save one, Stoute did not have a lot of tough matches in Louisiana.  He defeated Teurlings Catholic's Russell Maturing (2nd in D2), Sam Houston's Jase Seguin (4th in D2) and Erath's Shade Hamlin (6th in D3).  Aside from the "save one," his biggest Division I victory came from a wrestler who went 2-2 at the state championships.  North Desoto did not go to the Louisiana Classic, and hence Stoute did not have matches against the likes of St. Paul's Connor Ayala (1st in D1), Brother Martin's Jagger Martinez (2nd in D1) or Sulphur's Ty Bowser (3rd in D1).  But do not sell the young man short.  He won the Ken Cole via an 18-1 TF and placed second in the only other tournament in which he participate, the Port City Classic in Oklahoma.

The "save one" mentioned above is another freshman, John Thiele of Rummel.  Thiele and Stoute met three times during the season, and they were all close matches.  Stoute won 3-0 in the Louisiana Dual Championships, 5-2 in the Ken Cole semifinals and 15-2 MD in the Division II state finals.  Let us not forget that, in the Louisiana Classic, Thiele placed second to Ayala as an 18th seed who beat the second-seeded Bowser 7-2 and the third-seed from Jesuit, William Roniger, in 3:57. 

Hence, Stoute, behind Ayala and Martinez, could be considered the third best at his weight class.  RankWrestlers has Stoute finishing second behind Ayala at 113 lbs.  I have to disagree as Ayala beat Jagger 4-2, while he beat Thiele 10-2 MD.  Then, again, Stoute demolished Thiele 15-2 MD in the state finals, so I do not vehemently rank Stoute third.  I do so just because Stoute did not wrestle most of the better 113 lbs. wrestlers.

Should North Desoto enter next season's Louisiana Classic, there will be a lot of sophomores between 113 lbs. and 126 lbs. (if they are fed this summer) vying for a #1 ranking.  Stoute, Martinez, Bowser, Slidell's Xander Hollis and Holy Cross' Mason Parria come to mind.  But they will also face the likes of Catholic's two-time defending state champion Caleb Kirk and runner-up Paul Evans, who will only be a freshman, as will Holy Cross' Lee Gervais. 

It should be fun to watch how things pan out.

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RANDOM PHOTOS

St. Thomas More with fans; St. Thomas More poster

Pollex, Chevy and Hunter Coleman - the early years; Kerry Baumans with Grant Hughes and Brother Melchior trophies; Machas: Brad, Carter, Bella, Noah and Jennifer; 

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Division II Placers

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120 Pounds

Landon Modica of Rummel defeated Sage Stoute of North Desoto 4-2

3rd 4th 5th 6th Jaden Jameson Shaw Antonio Femmer St. Thomas More Andrew Sonnier Teurlings Catholic Aiden Detrinidad NOMMA

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126 Pounds

Alex Rozas of Teurlings Catholic defeated Jason Locke of North Desoto 17-1 TF

3rd 4th 5th 6th Kale Muscarello Shaw Shep Baumer St. Thomas More Evan Shepherd Belle Chasse Josh Gulman Rummel

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132 Pounds

Foster Peterson of St. Thomas More defeated Connor Locke of North Desoto 17-1 TF

3rd 4th 5th 6th Phillip Adams Shaw Blaise Watson Teurlings Catholic Rasean Murray NOMMA Cooper Richard Comeaux

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138 Pounds

Jacob Kershaw of North Desoto defeated James Treadway of St. Thomas More 15-0 TF

3rd 4th 5th 6th Sebastian Clark Teurlings Catholic Parker Richard Comeaux Ryan Mitchell Kenner Discovery Alex Nguyen NOMMA

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144 Pounds

Jonas Rebstock of St. Thomas More won via Injury Default over Benjamin Ebling of Brusly

3rd 4th 5th 6th Gavin Stevens Sam Houston Mason Martin Hannan Bryce Chambers North Desoto Liam Ferguson Belle Chasse

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150 Pounds

Gage Ahysen of Rummel defeated William Jewell of Teurlings Catholic 15-0 TF

3rd 4th 5th 6th Dylan Ricks Brusly L.J. Williams North Desoto Andrew Robichaux E.D. White Evan Clark St. Thomas More

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157 Pounds

Enzo Lopez of St. Thomas More defeated Dominic Durham of Rummel 15-0 TF

3rd 4th 5th 6th Noah Macha Teurlings Catholic Jose Argenal Comeaux Nicholas Cardenas Kenner Discovery Evan Arceneaux Vandebilt Catholic

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165 Pounds

Harrison Hudson of Sam Houston defeated Gannon Sheffield of St. Thomas More 8-4

3rd 4th 5th 6th Connor Frazier Hannan William Erdelac North Desoto Kaleb Sonnier Teurlings Catholic Jamyrick Chaisson Carencro

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175 Pounds

Noah Yonker of Hannan defeated Andrew Arinder of North Desoto 4-1 SV

3rd 4th 5th 6th Zach Cestia Southside Evan Poole Brusly Alex Hernandez Rummel Jack Falgout Vandebilt Catholic

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190 Pounds

Carter Macha of Teurlings Catholic defeated Jules Deshotels of St. Thomas More 17-14

3rd 4th 5th 6th Cruz LeBlanc Belle Chasse Ryan Rist Hannan Patrick Bloomer Sam Houston Aiden Breaux Rayne

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285 Pounds

Walker Pugh of St. Thomas More defeated Gaue Parker of Sam Houston 14-5 MD

3rd 4th 5th 6th Khaymen George Carencro Kade Tinsley North Desoto Madden Credeur Comeaux Dominic DiGiovanni Rummel

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Questions?

Just ask Bastet!