Crazy first day rules tournament

Brother Martin leads Jesuit in Division I

By Billy Turner, Staff Writer for The Times-Picayune: February 18, 2006

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament was advertised as a wide-open, anyone-could-win event.  And upsets were common on the tournament's first day.

"I think that there were more upsets than normal," Rummel coach Ryan Hess said.  "Everybody is so close.  It's hard to see the difference in the two and three seeds and the four and five.  We even had some unseeded players in the semi-finals."

The tournament is being held in the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, the first state championship event held in the metro area since Hurricane Katrina.  The tournament attendance for Friday was 3,996, just 223 less than last year's first day.

It was such an unusual day, Brother Martin leads despite its coach being unsatisfied with his team's performance.

The Crusdaers have 123 points to Jesuit's 110.5.  Catholic is tied for third with St. Paul .  Rummel is fifth with 87.5.

Brother Martin's Reed Hart (103), No. 1-seed Justin Shields (125), Travis Meaux (130), No. 1-seed James Casadaban (140), No. 1-seed Matt Cotaya (152) and James Aitken (215) are in the semifinals.

"We had a bad day," Brother Martin coach Joe Corso said.  "We wanted to put more in the semifinals but we didn't."

"Jesuit may already have this won, but they have weaknesses, same as we have weaknesses.  They're going to have trouble getting a lot of champions out of their group.  But who knows?  They might come in and have nine.  They wrestled wel.  That's the key, wrestle better in each round.  We wrestled well coming back.  I think we're in there for the top three.  Tomorrow will be a long day."

Under first-year coach Carlos Bertot, the Blue Jays have wrestlers in the winner's bracket in 11 of 14 weight classes.  They even got unexpected help from two unseeded wrestlers, Sean Regan and Michael Matthews.  Regan, in particular, was a pleasant surprise for Bertot.

They have No. 1-seed Kevin White (103 pounds), Michael Gruezke (112), Ben Capella (119), No. 1-seed Brad Gruezke (135), No. 2-seed Pat Braud (140), J.P. Richard (145), No. 2-seed Christian Rabito (152), Matthews (160), Regan at 171, Johnny Palmer at 189 and No. 1-seed Michael Bossetta (215) in this morning's semifinals.

Regan defeated No.2-seed Matt McGrath of Rummel at 171 pounds in the quarterfinals.  "He (McGrath) had beaten us twice this season.  That was a big win for us," Bertot said.  "We're doing pretty well.  The kids are wrestling hard and if we keep it up, we'll be OK."  Matthews beat No. 5-seed Will Stall of Brother Martin to advance to the semifinals.

St. Paul has semifinalists Jared Stritzinger (125), Danny Tigert (135), Scott Hebert (145), No. 1-seed Travis Lacour (171), Evan Bartholomew (215) and No. 1-seed and two-time defending state champion David Boyce at 275.

"It seems that nothing goes as planned at the state tournament," St. Paul coach Craig Ketelsen said.  "We lost a couple we thought we could have had.  But we've already placed more this year than we did last year.  We know we're in a dogfight."

Of Jesuit, Ketelsen said, "they did a really great job.  But there are big points to be made up in the semifinals  We'll just try to get as many through as we can."

The Blue Jays won last year with 297.5 points to Rummel's 215.  Brother Martin finished third and Airline was fourth.

"Coach Bertot has done a great job with his team," Hess said of the Blue Jays.  "They're always tough."

Rummel has David Staines (103), No. 1-seed Tyler Ehret (112), Spencer Dussouy (130), No. 2-seed John Kent (135) and Greg Kempton at 215 left in the winner's bracket.  But the Raiders had two No. 2-seeds, Travis Burke and McGrath, lose.

The Raiders, thus, have a lot of work to do in the semifinals.

"That's one thing about my kids, they always compete.  I'm never disapointed in them," said Hess, whose team finished second to Jesuit last year.  "We're young and we've got a bunch of kids who are at the show for the first time."

Fontainebleau's Logan Church, a seven seed, upset Rummel's Burke to make the semifinals at 189.