Brother Martin welcomes top-notch wrestlers to Trey Culotta Invitational

Pat Mashburn, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, December 17, 2012 3:15 p.m.

Brother Martin welcomes 12 teams, including four from outside Louisiana, to the Trey Culotta Invitational wrestling tournament on Friday and Saturday.

Brother Martin's Kyle Delaune, ranked first in the 182-pound class, leads a talented field into the Trey Culotta Invitational. - (Pat Mashburn)

Joining the Crusaders from the New Orleans area are Jesuit, Shaw, St. Paul’s, Mandeville, Fontainebleau and East Ascension. The out-of-state teams participating are St. Thomas (Houston) Houston High (Texas), Vestavia Hills (Ala.) and Shawnee High (Okla.).

“We expect a very competitive tournament this year,” Brother Martin coach Robbie Dauterive said. “We have the prep state champions form Texas along with the perennial top five team Vestavia from Alabama.”

On Friday, the wresters will be placed into two six-man brackets and wrestle a total of five matches. The top four from each pool advance to an eight-man championship bracket while the bottom two from each pool enter a round-robin consolation bracket.

The tournament gets underway at noon Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday. The championship bracket finals are slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday

Holy Cross to visit Sin City: There won’t be much time to relax over Christmas as the Tigers head to the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. Last season Holy Cross finished 14th out of 74 teams in its first appearance in the event, which features nationally ranked wrestlers in each class and provides the opportunity to earn All-America honors. Furthermore, schools must have won a state championship at least once in the past five years to earn an invitation. Last season in Vegas, Nick Michael, now wrestling at Wartburg College (Iowa), won the 152-pound class title.

St. Paul’s captures St. Tammany Parish Tournament: Eight Wolves took individual weight class titles en route to a 13th title in the last 15 seasons, while Fontainebleau finished second, and Mandeville third.

Connor Campo, the 132-pound class champion was selected as the Outstanding Wrestler. Other champions were Chris Meraux (120), Quinn Perret (126), David Engelhard (145), Dominic Iovenitti (152), Jordan Peterson (160), John Brands (182) and Zach Mangrum (285). Trey LeBlanc (138), Collin Kersker (170) and Colin Francis (220) finished third in their respective weigh classes.

Mandeville’s Nick Desbordes (113) and Garrin Pellegrino (138) won in their weight classes while Garrett Bauman (145), Colin Prosper (120), Frankie Arena (170) and Jack Ingles (160) all finished second. Christian Raquet (132) finished third.

Safety Measures: In an effort to promote safety within the sport, wrestling now utilizes a Hydration Test throughout the season. Prior to the season, wrestlers are given a Urinalysis that used to test body fat percentage. During the season, a competitor must maintain at least 7 percent body fat, and may only lose 1.5 percent each week. Anymore, results in the wrestler losing their eligibility. The test also shows the lowest attainable safe weight during the season.

Staying put: With attendance at record highs, the LHSAA Executive Committee voted last week to accept another two-year proposal that keeps the state tournament at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.

Upcoming schedule: The Deep South Bayou Duals at Baton Rouge Centroplex is a two-day tournament that begins on Dec. 28.

Referees needed - The Greater New Orleans Wrestling Officials Association (GNOWOA) is looking for new members. Candidates should have some wrestling background or experience as well as a strong desire to uphold and maintain the strong traditions of the wrestling community while earning money. Interested individuals should contact President Jerry Schmidt at (504) 813-9372 or email Gerald.Schmidt@spr.doe.gov.