2013-14 Results and Media Coverage
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on January 30, 2014 10:30 a.m.
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Success sometimes comes without notice, and other times it has been a few years in the making.
Take Fontainebleau wrestler Christian Ponson, for example. The dust had barely settled when he won the 287-pound title at the prestigious Louisiana Classics wrestling tournament less than two weeks ago in Baton Rouge. Moments later, he made a bold proclamation.
“Anyone who wants a shot at me, they can come get me,” he exclaimed. “I’m ready.”
For those who may not have heard of, or know him, it might sound brash or even boisterous, but a deeper look reveals that Ponson is a product of a program that has been on the rise for the last couple of years, and may now be starting to hit its stride in some respects. His victory in the tournament marked the first time a wrestler had won a title, and it coincided with the school’s eighth place finish out of 48 teams, the best ever.
“Every year since his freshman season, he’s gotten better,” Fontainebleau Coach Rick Zimmer said. “Christian has worked very hard, seeing his potential.”
There’s no doubt that the rest of the competitors in the Division I 285-pound weight class have heard the statement, but to his credit, he’d just won what many consider to be the true state championship. Unlike the state tournament where weight classes crown champions in each of the three divisions, at the Louisiana Classics, each weight class is open to competitors from all three divisions.
For now, Zimmer’s thoughts are geared toward keeping his team focused, avoiding any kind of a letdown. “From now and until the state tournament, my biggest concern is that we’ve achieved a bit of success and I don’t want us to be satisfied with that,” Zimmer said. “We want to be a top 10 team, and to do that, we’re going to have to be able to score some points.” |
Fontainebleau has already inserted itself into the discussion about being a top 10 team, and scoring key points at the state tournament at the Pontchartain Center could be a daunting task in some respects, but not impossible.
“We know we are going to score points with guys like Ethan Eisenhardt at 182 and Christian (Ponson) at 285,” stated Zimmer, “but our younger guys are going to have to come through and Garret Kuggleman will have to step up.”
Kuggleman’s contribution at this point in the season will be more crucial due to an injury to Daniel Priola in a tournament less than two weeks ago, effectively ending his season. Having competed in the 225 pound class for most of the season, Kuggleman will drop down a class to take Priola’s place in the 195-pound class.
By working hard enough and believing, Fontainebleau has been making fortunes lean in their direction as evidenced by the St. Tammany Parish Tournament.
“At Parish, we caught on fire because kids like Thomas Savoy got big wins,” Zimmer said. “Kids were fired up and started winning other matches, and learning what it’s like to have faith in themselves.”
This season’s success has been in the works for the last two to three years with the team’s youth wrestling program and Zimmer credits his staff, including the addition of assistant coach Jimmy Ballentine, a Pearl River native. Ballentine wrestled Greco Roman collegiately Gardner-Webb in North Carolina and brought with him a wealth of knowledge on technique, which continues to pay huge dividends.
