2013-14 Results and Media Coverage

In wrestling, coaching has to be hands-on

By gary estwick

Advocate staff photo by MATTHEW HINTON-- Brother Martin's Austin Meyers wrestles assistant coach James Casadaban at the school Wednesday.

It may be the most controversial split second of the Brother Martin wrestling season.   On Monday, senior Austin Meyn tangled with assistant coach James Casadaban, part of his preparation for the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s State Wrestling Tournament, which starts Friday at the Ponchtrain Center. About 20 minutes into practice, Casadaban went for a claw ride to an arm bar tilt, maneuvering his smaller opponent’s frame like so many French fries on the cafeteria menu.   Meyn grimaced.   Casadaban eased his grip, continuing to tilt him, hoping he didn’t injure Meyn days before his prep finale. That’s when Meyn jumped his hip over Casadaban and wound up on top, a reversal for the ages.   “He took advantage of me,” Casadaban said later in the week, his facial expression a mixture of disbelief and humor, even complimentary of Meyn, whom he considers his hardest worker. “This might have been the first points that have ever been scored on me (at practice).”

Meyn’s move is worth more than bragging rights in the Crusaders locker room, far more than a fantasy matchup between teacher and pupil. For if Meyn can withstand hip tosses and leg sweeps; half-nelsons, ankle picks and fireman’s carries against Casadaban, a former two-time state wrestling champion at Brother Martin and two-time NAIA All-American at Cumberland University who at any time, outweighs him by at least 30 pounds, Meyn should experience few major challenges this weekend.

“It’s probably the only reason I’m any good,” said Meyn, the top seed in Division I’s 138-pound weight class

Through thousands of hours of training, cutting weight and watching film, junior and senior prep wrestlers like Meyn become so good that their younger teammates offer little challenge, stunting their progression. Or in the case of guys like Holy Cross senior Michael Yeatman, the No. 3 seed at Division I 220 pounds, there isn’t always a teammate who can match his girth.

That’s where coaches change out of their dress shirts and ties in front of the classroom. They’re often better training partners because they can wrestle without injuring wrestlers, and can play full-time sparrer. This occurs throughout the state.

Brusly’s Trevor Schermer (Division III, 152 pounds), who is aiming for his fourth Division III individual state title, has spent plenty of mat hours against coach Jimmy Bible and others. In Division II, coach Kent Masson and his staff at Teurlings has helped heavyweight Travis Santiago prepare for the 285-pound weight class. In Baton Rouge, James Claitor (Division I, 145 pounds) and Matt Mire (152 pounds) compete against a host of hands-on coaches at Catholic High.

Such training blurs the line between teenagers and adults, setting wrestling apart from its sports contemporaries. You won’t find your high school football coach pushing a sled with his defensive linemen, or a basketball coach running suicides with the squad, a track coach completing a full sprint workout with the team.

Here, on wrestling mats like Brother Martin’s room, every toss and flip challenges athletes while building bonds with coaches that last for decades. Former U.S. Olympian Joe Corso, who mentored Brother Martin to a 2007 team title, wrestled the school’s finest grapplers at age 56, teaching as he rolled around the mat.

“They didn’t believe how good I was until I stepped on the mat,” said Corso, now 62.

At Jesuit, junior Jake Eccles called head coach Spencer Harris, “a second dad.”

“It’s almost like they’re one of your wrestling partners,” said Eccles, the top seed at Division I 170 lbs. “Even outside of wrestling, it builds a relationship because you and your coaches, they’re like my friends. I consider them family.”

It starts on the mat

Coaches force wrestlers to wrestle, not manhandle opponents on the mat, which they would often do against smaller, less-savvy teammates. Against more experienced, bigger, stronger competition — grown men that know they tendencies — they must be thinkers too.

Strategize.

It teaches them to react faster. To be careful about leaving openings because a tiny mistake can force you to end a match on your back.

The challenge is to push these wrestlers, push them hard, without breaking their confidence. For they’re much better than they appear at practice.

At Holy Cross, assistant coach T.J. Miller, a former Division III national champion at Wartburg College, said he will shoot at senior Yeatman to see how he reacts. If Yeatman handles it right, his sprawl keeps him on two feet, he’s rewarded with a takedown of Miller.

Takedowns of Miller don’t come easy, mind you.

“There’s days I let him beat me up, just to build up his confidence,” Miller said. “You can’t just beat a kid down, over and over and over. But I try my best to stay right at or just above his (wrestling) level to kind of raise it so they have to adjust, whether it’s speed or strength, how hard I’m going. Make the pace faster.”

It’s not just the athletes that are subject to injury.

At John Ehret, coach Daniel LeFleur suffered two broken ribs earlier this year during a practice session with Jack Fontenot, who at state is seeded third at Division I 152 pounds.

When East Jefferson wrestlers ran around campus this season, up and down the school’s football stadium steps, coach Nick Settoon was there with them, running. When Settoon taught them a technique on the mat, he also demonstrated it, showing its effectiveness.

The result?

“When you open your mouth to talk,” Settoon said, “they tend to listen a little more carefully.”

Casadaban has watched Meyn improve. When he goes for shots, it’s more finesse than brute, smooth rather than awkward as he transitions from takedown to the top, looking for a tilt or pin. It allows him to control his matches. At Holy Cross, Yeatman credited the sport for curbing aggression that once made him a not-so-pleasant student. On the mat, he’s improved his defense against shots and mentally, toughened up. He had no choice. Built out of frustration from being dominated by Miller, Yeatman decided one day that he was going to push as hard as it took to get to that next level.

“I’m wrestling without fear,” he said.

Improvement starts to show

Every prep wrestler has two ultimate goals: To earn a huge bear hug from their coach to cap a state championship season. And, to return after high school for a rematch against their former mentors, now lifelong friends and equals - well, maybe not on the mat.

Not just yet.

“Guys come back like ‘Yeah, coach, now I gotcha,’ “ Miller said, grinning as he set up his own punchline. “They come back and they’re immediately surprised (when I wrestle without holding back) and come back to reality real quick.”

Well, there’s always the state championship.

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