2013-14 Results and Media Coverage
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KENNER – Trevor Schermer and his brother Austin had already secured a spot in the history of the Brusly wrestling program – and now they’ve etched their own milestone in the state record books.
Trevor Schermer’s pinfall victory in the finals made him and Austin the only brother combination to have each won four consecutive state titles in the history of Louisiana high school wrestling.
The record-setting win put the icing on the cake for Brusly in its 10th Division III state title win in 11 years Saturday before 3,640 fans in the championship session of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Wrestling State Championship meet at the Pontchartrain Center.
Brusly also set the record for most points scored by a team at the state meet. The final tally of 343.5 eclipsed the previous record of 339, set by Brother Martin.
“This was one of the best – maybe the best – wins in the history of our program,” Brusly coach Jimmy Bible said. “These were all goals we set at the beginning of the season, along with the strong finish in the Louisiana Classic and the win at the Baton Rouge City Tournament.”
Schermer’s pin over Colin Laird of North Vermillion in the 152-lb. division put the Panthers a half-point over the Brother Martin record. “This still hasn’t quite sunk in,” said Trevor Schermer, minutes after his record-setting win. “I’ve been waiting on this moment a long time… it’s been on my mind since last year.” Trevor overcame a 2-1 deficit in the first round after Laird accomplished several takedowns. Schermer (54-3) countered and scored the pin at the 3:56 mark. “When I did the neckwhip, I saw his shoulder flat on the mat and knew it was over,” he said.
Schermer’s win reflects how success has made Brusly wrestlers set a higher bar for success, according to Bible.
“The goals we’ve set in place have gotten forward, so now we’re seeing guys with three and four state title,” Bible said. “That says a lot about the hard work our guys do all year long.”
It was also a huge night for junior Koby Mancuso, a second-generation grappler who won his first-ever state title. He reached the finals the last two years, but came up dry at the well on both occasions. It all came together this year for Mancuso, whose win on a 14-5 decision over Benjamin Kirkikis of Episcopal-Baton Rouge in the 145-lb. weight class allowed him to follow in the footsteps of his father, BHS assistant coach Kirk Mancuso, a state champion during his years on the BHS mat squad. “Last year after I lost in the finals, I knew I had to come back and get what I felt rightfully belonged to me,” Koby Mancuso said. “I’ve been going in the weight room with my dad since I was a baby, and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps, so this is a dream come true for me.”
Freshman Kendon Lee (50-1) finished a trailblazing first year in varsity when he won on a 24-6 decision over Logan Griffin of Thomas Jefferson High School in the 113-lb. weight class. “It was a great way to cap off this season,” Lee said. “I had a tough opponent who just kept on coming… he was a very good wrestler.”
Freshman Austin Franklin (34-21) also brought home his first state title when he won on a 13-4 decision over Matthew Matherne of Ouachita in the 106-lb. weight class. “It feels great … I worked very hard and it paid off,” said Franklin, who has wrestled since 4th grade. “To win the state title I had to go out and wrestle the best match of my career, and I have to say that my opponent was really tough.”
Panther Senior Barret Sanchez, meanwhile, bagged his second state title in his final showing with the Panthers. He won his first medal his sophomore year and finished runner-up last year.
Sanchez (50-11) pinned Rhett Maturth of North Vermillion at the 3:28 mark in the finals for the 120-lb. weight class. “I started my freshman year with zero experience,” Sanchez said. "But I got help from some great coaches and some great teammates. I love all the years I had with this program, and it’s made me very proud to be a Brusly Panther.”
Senior Wyatt LeJeune (50-11) followed his classmate with a pinfall over Kelby Comeaux of Cameron at the 2:50 mark in the 126-lb. weight class. It marked he second state title for LeJeune. “It feels great, but it’s also a very emotional time because it’s probably the last time I’ll ever wrestle and I’ll miss this a lot,” LeJeune said.
The same applied for Dillon Prejean (34-12), a junior who wrestled his final match for Brusly at the state meet. He won on a 7-6 decision in a fierce battle against Jared Smith of St. Louis. Prejean’s birthday fell past his date for senior eligibility. “I’ll miss the coaches, the teammates, and I’ll always be grateful to Trevor, who taught me everything I know about wrestling,” he said.
Alex Martin of De La Salle forced Brusly’s Diondre Dorsey to settle for the runner-up spot when he won on a 14-6 decision in the 160-lb. weight class.
Bible admits it will take a lot more to top the success of the 2014 season. He said this season’s success will serve as his team’s goal next season.
“This one may have been the best ever, but now we have to top it,” he said. “We’ve got think about how we’ll do it, so we’ll enjoy the victory for 24 hours and get back to work Monday on the next season. “