Louisiana state wrestling notebook: Several competitors able to claim another individual championship

By Cody Thorn 

Photo of Sam Houston wrestler Tyson Roach

BOSSIER CITY - Landon Reaux got back on top of the podium just like he did two years ago - by rallying late.

Reaux, from Youngsville Southside, outscored Catholic-Baton Rouge's Watts Goodson by an 11-10 decision in a showdown of state champions in the Division I 120-pound title this past weekend.

Goodson, a state champion last year at 126, dominated early in the finals on Saturday at Brookshire Grocery Arena and held a 7-3 lead in the second period at one point and was up 8-5 going to the third period. Reaux outscored Goodson, 6-2, over the final two minutes and got the go-ahead points with 23 seconds left.

“I’ve begun that position in my previous state championship; I was down late in the last period,” Reaux said. “I’m comfortable in those bad positions.”

In Reaux's 2020 title at 106 pounds, he trailed, 5-3, going into the third but got a takedown with 7 seconds left to win 7-6 against Brother Martin’s Dylan Moser.

Reaux was 49-5 this season and was the top seed heading into the state tournament.

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Teammate Wiley Boudreaux - another top seed - won the 138-pound title. He pinned St. Paul's Conlan Enk with 5 seconds left in the match. Tied at 3-all, Boudreaux got a takedown with 11 seconds left that led to the fall.

He was 50-4 this season.

Both Reaux and Boudreaux celebrated their respective wins by body-slamming head coach Mike Stelly to the mat.

New Orleans Brother Martin and Mandeville Fontainebleau also had a pair of champions in Division I.

Samuel Favaza ended up with a 49-9 record and won the 106-pound title with a pin for Fontainebleau. Aiden Lindsey added the other title for the Bulldogs with a 7-1 decision against Gunner Guidry of Holy Cross in the 152-pound finals.

Richie Clementi and Kent Burandt won titles for Brother Martin.

Clementi was a champion at 113 pounds last year and won first at 132 this year. He was the top seed and knocked off second-seeded Christian Worley of Catholic by a pin. Clementi, the first in-state high school to land a NIL deal, won his 100th career match as well at the state meet.

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Burandt won a title by a 15-0 tech fall at 145 pounds to get a title - a year after losing by a pin in the 145 title match.

Landry Barker won the 160-pound title last year and added the 170-pound title this year for St. Paul's. He ended this season with a 41-0 record.

Holy Cross’ Nick DiGeralamo (160), East Ascension’s Jacob Schexnaydre (195) and Sulphur’s Brayden Laidlaw (220) also won crowns. The third-seeded Laidlaw upset second-seeded Griffin Ellis of Jesuit in the semifinals before beating fifth-seeded Gage Kelly of Live Oak in the finals.

Division II

While Lafayette Teurlings Catholic and North DeSoto dominated most of the Division II competition, there were other notable showings.

Moss Bluff Sam Houston’s Tyson Roach won a second straight championship and did so in a different division after taking first at 106 last year at Division I.

Roach beat Teurlings Catholic’s Brennan Boyer by a 7-6 decision, outscoring him 5-0 in the final period to win 126 pounds.

“It was nerve-wracking, but I never give up; I am known as a third-period wrestler,” said Roach, who improved to 58-5 with the win. “That also came with a lot of cardio. ... I never gave up and pushed until the end.”

He said the title this year means more despite winning last year - which he heard a lot of talk about Reaux not competing at the state meet in his weight class - after head-to-head clashes in the season that Reaux won.

“I did it last year and it was taken when I heard Landon missed weight. ... No one can take this away," Roach said. "I got it fair and square.”

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Top-seeded Pollex Coleman added another title for the Broncos. He won at 120 pounds with a pin in 1:11 against Teurlings Catholic’s Brennan Romero.

Two other top seeds that won titles were Metairie Archbishop Rummel’s Kaiden Triche and Bossier City Parkway’s Kristofer Mesloh.

Triche (113) finished the year with a 49-7 record, while Mesloh was 42-6.

Brusly’s Anthony Denova (182) and Carencro's Ledgerrick Collins (195) were both second seeds that won - upsetting the favorite. Denova won 7-5 against North DeSoto’s Caden Robison, while Collins won, 3-1, against Teurlings Catholic’s John Wayne Prejean III.

Division III

There was a mix of new champions and repeat ones in Division III.

New Orleans De La Salle’s Dylan Duvernay and Shane Barbarin won titles again after entering as the No. 1 seeds in the field.

Duvernay, the 106-pound champ last year, won the 113 title with an 11-3 major decision against Archbishop Shaw’s Blake Andre - the No. 2 seed.

Barbarin (120) dropped down a weight class last year and still came out on top.

“Seeing all my hard work pay off. ... I had to cut a lot of weight to get where I am and to achieve this is awesome,” Barbarin said.

He finished 30-9 after a 10-5 win against Luke Caballero of Lake Charles St. Louis Catholic.

Another De La Salle title came from top-seeded Luke Robertson at 170 pounds, as Robertson ended up a perfect 23-0 this season.

Covington Archbishop Hannan’s Preston Gautier won by a pin against Evangel Christian Academy’s Jamir Wilson in the 152-pound title. Gautier won the 152 title last year as well and was 36-7 this season.

Other titles were spread through other schools in Division III.

St. Michael the Archangel’s Antonio Barraza, the third seed, won by a pin in 1:34 against Evangel Christian Academy’s Joseph Gilreath - the No. 1 seed - in the 132-pound finals.

Top-seeded Camden Gautreaux of DeQuincy won by an 8-1 decision at 138. John Curtis Christian School’s AJ Smith entered as the top seed and left that way, winning at 195 with a 12-7 decision against Episcopal’s Will York.

James Baldwin of Dunham was another No. 1 seed and he beat St. Louis Catholic’s Henry Milligan by an 11-2 major decision in the 220-pound finals. Both Baldwin and Smith finished with only one loss on the year.

At 285 pounds, second-seeded Ryan Fobbs of Erath won against No. 1-seeded Raymond Howard of Archbishop Shaw by a pin at 5:09. It was tied 1-all at the time.