2013-14 Results and Media Coverage
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on December 27, 2013 7:15 p.m.
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Baton Rouge – The 2013 Deep South Bayou Duals kicked off in full force at the Baton Rouge River Center Friday. Forty teams from eight states, including some of Louisiana’s top squads, competed on 16 mats spread across the floor surrounded by throngs of fans in the stands.
Teams began the two-day event competing in eight pools consisting of five teams each. The top two squads from each pool will play in the championship bracket, but only four will have the right to call themselves champion. In the semifinals, 2013 Division I runner-up Jesuit will take on Division I champion and Catholic League rival Brother Martin and Jefferson High School (Jefferson, Ga.) will square off against North Forsyth High School (Cumming, Ga.).
Some of the usual suspects from Louisiana made the bracket like Teurlings Catholic, Brusly and Catholic-Baton Rouge. Some of the top teams from around the country made the championship bracket as well like Gilmer High School (Ellijay, Ga.), the Georgia AAAA Dual state champions from 2010-2013, and Jefferson High School (Jefferson, Ga.), the Georgia AA Dual state champions for 12 consecutive years.
Live Oak veteran and senior Cody Hill said he relishes the atmosphere and enjoys playing against teams he would normally never see.
“There is just a lot more competition here from in the state and out of state,” he said. “Just a lot more kids, and the bigness of it puts it at the level of state competitions.
“It helps in the long run to play against teams you’ve never played against because you just have to wrestle them and your match.” |
Unlike the LHSAA State Wrestling Championships, the Deep South Bayou Duals implements a dual wrestling format where the team, and not an individual, must win to advance. Assistant tournament director and Brusly Coach Jimmy Bible said the tournament as a whole is a great experience for the players.
“For our kids and the kids who don’t get to go out of state and see other teams, it’s something you can’t replicate,” he said. “We pull a lot of the top teams from Louisiana who just want to come and wrestle these guys. We have 17 out-of-state teams here, so my kids really look forward to the tournament itself because they get to see other teams from around the state.”
Brother Martin junior and two-time individual state champion Paul Klein echoed these sentiments.
“I think this kind of atmosphere helps our team,” he said. “It helps us as far as under pressure because you’ve got a lot of good teams. It definitely helps us to get to the next level.
“This is a lot like state in the way that a lot of people are watching you and you’re playing in a big arena. So this helps us just focus in on our match.”
Day two continues Saturday at 9 a.m. with the championship set to start at approximately 3:30 p.m.
