2013-14 Results and Media Coverage
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on November 05, 2013 10:19 a.m.
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The 2012-13 wrestling season left some unfinished business for top Baton Rouge area athletes and programs — even those fans might not expect.
Catholic eyes state championships every year and returns to the mats this month hungry to do just that after falling short of that goal with a third-place finish in Division I.
Live Oak took the same spot, No. 3, in Division II, but hopes its strong senior class can complete the climb up those rankings this year before graduation.
And even Brusly, the Division III champion, is not satisfied with a ninth title in 10 years as the Panthers enter this season looking now for a 10th in the past 11.
"It's an ongoing process," Brusly Coach Jimmy Bible said. "The kids don't wanna be the ones to drop the baton, so to speak, and lose the championship, especially the seniors. They don't wanna be the senior class to go out and lose, so it's not hard to keep 'em motivated.
"And right now, we've got a pretty good group, a good little core group of guys, and then we'll get the football guys after the playoffs, and hopefully we'll be ready to rock and roll."
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Live Oak senior Cody Hill can understand that drive as well as anyone. The 2013 NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune All-Baton Rouge Wrestler of the Year quickly turned his attention last fall from the dominant individual state championship performance he had just completed to what improvements could still be made for his final season with the Eagles.
"Our biggest goal is to win state," Hill said. "Everything we're doing right now is for that. Everybody wants to win state, and I think we have a really good chance to do it." Hill hopes to not only win a third straight individual state title in the process, but also third consecutive Division II Outstanding Wrestler honors and push for the Louisiana wins record.
That attitude and work ethic in a veteran leader like Hill, as well as his many returning senior classmates are among the chief reasons for Live Oak Coach Chris Collier's optimism this fall.
"This year is the first year we've had a lot of our core guys returning and a good supporting staff of wrestlers," Collier said. "We should be serious contenders this year. We've been kind of a dark-horse type team before, but we should be able to make a pretty serious push with these guys, led by seven seniors."
Like Hill, Seth Bosarge and Jace Chenevert claimed individual titles last year, while John Hagan, Austin Hodge and Chris Murray all started for the Eagles as did returning junior standouts Brody Bonura and Colt Olinde.
"It's awesome just to see how far everything has come with the program," Hill said. "The biggest thing is how close we are. My freshman year, we were a lot more of an individual team. Now we're more of a family, and it's helped us put it all together."
Brennan Taylor and James Claitor return for Catholic to defend their individual titles, while other 2013 Bears champions have left holes for younger players to fill.
"I think we're gonna be pretty good," Catholic Coach Tommy Prochaska said. "When you lose guys like (Brandon) Luckett and other state finalists, it's tough to bounce back, but that's the sign of a good program is to be able to have somebody step into that spot."
Taylor wants more than an individual title this time around.
"Honestly, I wanna win a state championship as a team," the senior said. "That's the No. 1 goal. That's what we're working for. Every year when the seniors graduate, someone needs to step in and be a leader, but actually our underclassmen, our juniors and our sophomores, have stepped up, so I think we're going to be pretty good."
Bible may even have a better feeling about his own group than he did this time last year.
State champions Wyatt LeJeune Trevor Schermer and state finalist Baret Sanchez were just juniors in 2012-13, while finalist Koby Mancuso was just a sophomore.
"I've been here with 'em every day since Day 1 this year since I'm not coaching football," Bible said. "Last year was a strange year because if you would've asked me at the beginning if we were gonna win it, I would've probably told you, 'No,' because we just weren't that good a wrestling team early on. But we kind of come together by the end.
"This year we've got a good crew of eighth graders and then the younger kids from last year have grown up another year. I feel a whole lot better this year than I did this time last year."
Each program expects plenty of competition come state tournament time, though.
Bible pointed to John Curtis, North Vermilion, Rayne and St. Louis among the other best in Division III, while Collier expects "a dog fight" back and forth with Teurlings Catholic throughout the year in Division II.
For Prochaska and the Bears in Division I, many of the same New Orleans area programs will be the usual suspects. Brother Martin, Jesuit, Rummel and St. Paul's return among top teams at that level, with defending Division II champion Holy Cross making the jump from Division II to I as well.
"The New Orleans contingent is always strong, and those coaches do a good job with those programs," Prochaska said. "And then you throw Holy Cross into the mix, and honestly, I don't even know what they have this year. Holy Cross is always good, but it's going to have to be more of a feeling-out process with them."
Bible expects some of the other area teams to potentially make this year's Baton Rouge city championship meet a more interesting affair as well.
"East Ascension has a lot of kids, and they're real tough," he said. "Coach (Pat) Mahoney always does a good job, and then St. Amant, Brian Hess is over there, and he's got a lot of kids too. They're gonna do some good things this year.
"Live Oak, Coach Collier is great. Him and Coach Prochaska have good programs, and they're good guys. I think this year, it's not gonna be a run-away with the city championships. I think it'll be a little closer with a lot more teams making more of a push."
