Jesuit Crowned State Champions Before Final Matches Even Begin; Senior Jonathan Dupre Wins Individual State Title  Jesuit’s 2008-09 Wrestling Team captured its 23rd state championship title on Saturday (February 14, 2009) at the Pontchartrain Center.  2009 State Wrestling Tournament Consolation & Semifinal Matches Photo Gallery 2009 State Wrestling Tournament Final Matches Photo Gallery Coach Carlos Bertot and the 2008-09 Jesuit Blue Jay Wrestling Team has brought home the State Championship trophy. Again. For the 23rd time. And this one was especially sweet because it was so anticlimactic -- the Blue Jays were in control of the outcome before the final matches even began.   Jesuit’s first place finish this weekend can be attributed to an extraordinary team effort -- the Jays managed to place a wrestler in all but one of the 14 weight classes, accumulating more than enough points in the preliminary, consolation, and semifinal rounds to snatch back the state trophy by the end of the semifinal matches.  Senior Jonathan Dupre wins his match. Four Blue Jays advanced to the final individual matches, with senior Jonathan Dupre (119) the only Jesuit wrestler to win his match. The three other Blue Jay finalists who took second place honors were junior Patrick Fitzsimmons (125), sophomore Chris Johnson (140), and senior Phil Zanco (189). At the conclusion of the tournament, Jesuit had accumulated 266.5 team points. Archbishop Rummel was a distant second with 232.5 points; St. Paul’s was third with 221.5 points; Catholic was fourth with 200 points; and, Bro. Martin was fifth with 193 points. Congratulations to Head Coach Carlos Bertot, his assistant coaches, parents, alumni, and students who came out to cheer the Jays on to victory, and of course, the entire 2008-09 Blue Jay Wrestling Team. Check Back for Photo Gallery of Saturday’s Matches Read about Jesuit's state title and Watch a tournament report from WWL-TV. View the LHSAA State Wrestling Tournament Brackets (Final). LHSAA State Wrestling Tournament: Friday Photo Gallery  Here are the final results for Jesuit’s wrestlers: Jay Ferro (103) -- 3rd Patrick Spruell (112) -- 4th Jonathan Dupre (119) -- 1st Patrick Fitzsimmons (125) -- 2nd Trevor Johnson (130) -- 3rd Timmy Harris (135) -- 5th Chris Johnson (140) -- 2nd Gerard Braud (145) -- 5th Stephen Vocke (152) -- 5th Andy Stahel (160) -- 6th Phil Zanco (189) -- 2nd Bat Brunner (215) -- 3rd Shane Delery (HW) -- 5th (The following article is courtesy of The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com.) Blue Jays Capture State Wrestling Title Rummel finishes 2nd; St. Paul's 3rd Sunday, February 15, 2009 By Billy Turner Staff writer Two seasons of second-place finishes might not be enough for some to call it quits and start over, but Jesuit Coach Carlos Bertot faces a different set of circumstances. At Jesuit, the State Wrestling Tournament is supposed to end with it winning a championship, as it did in Bertot's first season in 2005. But in his next two seasons the Blue Jays were runners-up, first to Brother Martin, then to Baton Rouge-Catholic. Second place doesn't rest easy in blue, not with titles in three of the previous five seasons and 14 since 1988. So this weekend at the Pontchartrain Center, the Blue Jays did enough to win Division I before the final round began. They took a 262.5-214.5 lead over second-place Rummel before winning in front of a crowd of 10,675. St. Paul's finished third. The biggest controversy came in Division II. Shaw's Raymond Savoy was tied in his final match against Teurlings' André Viator when Savoy was called for flagrant misconduct and was disqualified. That meant his points were taken away from Shaw, in essence giving Holy Cross the title. The Tigers won their 25th state championship, the first since 1988 and the most in state history. Bertot's club won the Division I title with a return to traditional methods. "I kind of took a step back and reflected on what we did poorly and what we needed to improve on across the board, staff, technique, what camps to go to specifically," Bertot said. "I think we were trying to do it the way the previous coach (Mark Strickland) did it. Every coach has to do it his own way. I kind of had to figure out what that was going to be. With the help of my coaching staff, we figured it out. We got back to the basics. We were trying to be a little bit flashy, and we got away from the basics. Once we did that, kids started responding well. "Even though people were telling me we had won it, I didn't believe them until I saw it on paper after the last consolation match. Once I saw the numbers, I kind of breathed easier." Senior Jonathan Dupre wrestles in his final match for Jesuit High School. The night couldn't have been more special for Jesuit's senior captain, Jonathan Dupre, who won his final at 119 pounds and got to celebrate the team championship as well. "I won the individual title as a sophomore, but there was something missing. To be team captain, to win the state team championship, to win the individual, it doesn't get any better than that," Dupre said. He was the only individual Jesuit champion. Rummel won four. St. Paul's won three. Bertot said this team kept getting better over time, but even he was surprised at how well it wrestled in the two-day tournament. "When we came back from out of town during the holidays, we were beat up and we were sick and had some guys out," he said. "We had a little bad spot there. Then things started to pan out. We beat (Rummel) in a head to head. Having those wins helped our team's confidence coming into the tournament. We did the training right, not training them too much. "In the quarterfinal round, we did really well. Our kids got a lot of bonus points, and that's when I knew it might be doable. Also, there were some upsets on other teams. Catholic lost some. St. Paul's lost some as well as Rummel. That helped us out a bit." 2009 will be added to the Blue Jay warmups. Perhaps the biggest surprise for Jesuit was at 114 pounds, where Chris Johnson, seeded fifth, upset No. 1 seed Chase Gourgues of St. Paul's in the semifinals. Johnson lost in the final against second seed Justin Eunice of St. Amant. "We had a rough time in the semifinals. I think our kids did their best, but the Jesuit kids were just on fire. Every year there's something that goes on with this team. I'd love to put a camera up in their practice room before state to see what they're doing because every year they wrestle what some would say is above their heads. But not for them." Rummel Coach Rod Cusachs said it was Jesuit's stellar work in the quarterfinals that made the difference. "They came alive in the quarters. They surprised a lot of people. That's when they jumped on everyone. I don't know what it is. I take my hat off to them. They wrestled a great tournament."   (The following article is courtesy of The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com.) Wolves, Raiders, Crusaders Seek Strong Finish at State Meet Saturday, February 14, 2009 By Billy Turner Staff writer It's routine for Jesuit's wrestling team to look to the past. "We do talk about (legacy) a lot," said Jay Ferro, the second seed at 103 pounds who is in today's semifinals against Alex Zorilla of St. Paul's at the state tournament at the Pontchartrain Center. "We look up on the wall every day, and we see the names of those who have won state championships. They trained where we were; they were where we are. That's where we want to get to." The Blue Jays have won 14 state championships since 1988 and have the team lead in Division I after the quarterfinals at the state meet. Finals begin today at 6:30 p.m. The Blue Jays have a team total of 159.5 points. St. Paul's (139.5), Rummel (136), Brother Martin (130) and defending champion Catholic (129) are in close pursuit. The open day attendance was 4,973, down 132 from last year. "We feel pretty good about where we are," Jesuit Coach Carlos Bertot said. "We pushed through to the semifinals what we did last year with 10. That was our goal. We had no real surprises. We had some losses that were kind of expected, but the guys are wrestling phenomenally." The Blue Jays also had four remaining wrestlers in consolation brackets. Last season, Jesuit led after the first day, fell back to third, and took back the lead before finishing second. "We need the wrestlers who are supposed to win to win, and the ones who are underdogs to push through," Ferro said. Schools looking to overtake the Blue Jays have some work to do: -- St. Paul's advanced six wrestlers to the semifinals and had five remaining competitors in consolation brackets. The Wolves haven't won a Division I title. -- Catholic has eight wrestlers in the semifinals, with two in consolation brackets. -- Brother Martin has five semifinalist and five in consolation brackets. -- Rummel had four reach the semifinals, with eight reaching consolation brackets. Rummel took the early lead after two rounds with 90.5 points. Jesuit (88) was just behind, with Brother Martin (86), St. Paul's (77) and Catholic (77) trailing. "After day one, you knew the team scores would be close," Brother Martin Coach Matt Lambert said. "A lot will be determined in the semifinals (today). We had 10 in the quarters, and we lost a couple of tough matches. I'm really counting on my seniors who lost in the quarters to come back and win some in the consolations." There were no upsets of No. 1 seeds on the first day, but perhaps the biggest upset came in the 135-pound class. Unseeded Noah Brower of St. Thomas More beat second-seeded Tre Vaughn of St. Amant. In Division II, Holy Cross (99.5) set the pace in the team competition, with Shaw (98.5) second. Shaw has 10 wrestlers in the semifinals, and another one reached the consolation. The Eagles finished second last season after holding the lead until late in the final session. Holy Cross placed eight wrestlers in the semifinals, with four others reaching the consolation brackets. Teurlings (76) was third in the team competition, with St. Michael(75) and Parkway (74) hot on their heels. "We're pretty excited right now," Shaw Coach John Cassreino said. "We have 10 in the semifinals, and we'll see how that goes. It's all about getting the thirds, about the consolations. You have to have them. We learned that last year. "I'm sitting here nervous; I'm always nervous. We're watching Holy Cross; we're watching Parkway and Teurlings." All of Shaw's top seeds -- Brandon Surrency, Raymond Savoy, Blaise Pertuit, Kelly Leblanc and Alex Rutledge -- advanced to the semifinals. In Division III, Brusly (97) has a commanding lead in the team competition. North Vermillion (64) and John Curtis (62) were in second and third place. The Patriots had seven wrestlers move on to the semifinals, including Cullen Frazier, the top seed at 130 pounds. De La Salle (20) was in 11th place in the team competition, and Fisher and Northlake Christian each had 17 points.

Sophomore Andy Stahel (160) works hard to turn and pin this Eagle during the Jesuit - Shaw Dual in the Jesuit gymnasium Wednesday night. The Jays won the dual, 58-18. Jesuit-Shaw Wrestling Dual Photo Gallery Team Results Jesuit 58 Shaw 18 Individual Results 103 - Robbie Muller ( Jes )  lost to Blaine Percle ( Shaw ) 3-2 112 - Ethan Caballero ( Jes ) pinned Forrest Ricks ( Shaw ) 5:02 119 –Brett Lacour ( Jes ) lost to Brandon Surrency ( Shaw ) 5-0 125 – Mike Firmin ( Jes ) pinned Evan Lutz ( Shaw ) 3:12 130 – David Mahoney won by forfeit 135 – Matthew Dupre ( Jes ) lost by pin Blaise Pertuit ( Shaw ) 3:06 140 – Brandon Hoard ( Jes ) won by forfeit 145 – Zach Carmello ( Jes ) won by forfeit 152 – Matt Firmin ( Jes ) lost by pin to Alex Rutledge ( Shaw ) 3:14 160 – Andy Stahel ( Jes ) won by major decision against Dustin Cascio ( Shaw ) 12-1 171 – Patrick Nance ( Jes ) won by pin against Ivy Turner ( Shaw ) :40 189 – Joey Tumminello ( Jes ) won by forfeit 215 – Bat Brunner ( Jes ) won by pin against Mason Briant ( Shaw ) 1:51 285 – Shane Delery ( Jes ) won by pin against Cameron Falcon ( Shaw ) :51

In a match from earlier this season, junior Patrick Spruell has his opponent in trouble. Patrick was one of many Blue Jay wrestlers who took first place at this weekend’s tournament. After capturing the district title this past Wednesday, Jesuit wrestlers went to work at the Greater New Orleans Championship held at the Br. Martin High School. Congratulations to Jays for their first place team finish. 2009 Greater New Orleans Wrestling Championship Results Top Five Team Team Scores 1. Jesuit 272.5 2. Brother Martin 123 3. Fountainbleau 73 4. Riverdale 72 5. Hahnville 48 Individual Results for Jesuit First Place   Jay Ferro @ 103 Patrick Spruell @ 112 Jonathan Dupre @ 119 Patrick Fitzsimmons @ 125 Trevor Johnson @ 130 Chris Johnson @140 Gerard Braud @ 145 Andy Stahel @ 160 Patrick Nance @ 171 Philip Zanco @ 189 Bat Brunner @ 215 Runner Ups ( Second Place ) Stephen Vocke @ 152 Shane Delery @ 285

Sophomore Andy Stahel works to pin his opponent at Jesuit-Chalmette Duals at Chalmette High School on Wednesday evening. With the Jays win over the Owls, Jesuit sweeps its district duals this season to claim the district title. Congratulations to all the Jesuit wrestlers for their determined effort. Chalmette-Jesuit Wrestling Dual Photo Gallery Dual Results Jesuit 75 Chalmette 6 Individual Results 103 - Jack Bowling(Jes) won by Forfeit 112 - Brett Lacour(Jes )won by major decision 15-1 over Harly Straub ( Chal) 119 - Ethan Caballero won by forfeit 125 - Matt Firmin won by forfeit 130 - David Mahoney ( Jes ) pinned Zach Sloan ( Chal ) 2:22 135 - Timmy Harris (Jes) pinned Claude Morris(Chal) :55 140 - Chris Johnson (Jes) pinned Zach Armond (Chal) 1:48 145 - Zach Carmello won by forfeit 152 - Matt Firmin ( Jes ) pinned Brock Cadman ( Chal ) 5:15 160 - Andy Stahel ( Jes ) pinned Justin Conrad ( Chal) 2:34 171 - Patrick Nance ( Jes ) won by forfeit 189 - Joey Tumminello(Jes) won tech fall over Tyler Teal( Chal ) 20 -5 215 - Phillip Zanco (Jes ) won by injury default over George Artigues ( Chal ) 285 - Cal Creel ( Jes ) lost by pin to Zach Starks ( Chal ) 1:05

Senior Shane Delery (285) works to gain position on his opponent. Shane went on later to win this match. The Blue Jays won 8 of the 14 matches at the Jesuit-Br. Martin Dual on Wednesday night in the Jesuit gymnasium.  Jesuit won the competitive dual, 38-21. Jesuit-Br. Martin Wrestling Dual Photo Gallery (The following article is courtesy of The Times-Picayune and nola.com) Jesuit's Brunner Won't Let Blood Get in Way of a Win He leads Blue Jays' comeback against Crusaders in meet Thursday, January 22, 2009 By Pierce W. Huff Staff writer The body of Jesuit senior Bat Brunner almost let him down in his match against Brother Martin sophomore Garrett Dawson on Wednesday. Brunner had two cuts on his lips, two on his nose and one under his right eye, and they were all bleeding at various times during his match at 215 pounds, which was stopped numerous times for breaks as coaches and trainers had to take time to stop his bleeding. But Brunner survived, holding on for a triple-overtime victory, and that win was one of several key victories for the Blue Jays in a 38-20 dual-match at Jesuit. The Blue Jays, who finished second in Division I at the state tournament last year, have put together a solid two weeks after having most of their wrestlers sit out the Lee High Tournament two weeks ago. Last week, Jesuit defeated Rummel 39-25 in a dual meet and finished second in the Fandetti-Richardson Brawl in Johnson City, Tenn. "I would like to think we have some (momentum)," Blue Jays Coach Carlos Bertot said. "We don't have our full lineup either, so I think we're doing pretty well." Jesuit's winners were Chris Johnson (140), Andy Stahel (171), Phillip Zanco (189), Brunner, Shane Delery (289), Jay Ferro (103), Patrick Spruell (112) and Jonathan Dupre (119). Brunner (30-9) has learned how to wrestle through trouble. "At least half of my matches this season have been stopped because of bleeding," he said. Brunner's victory gave the Blue Jays a 19-14 lead. He is 2-0 against Dawson this season, but Wednesday's match wasn't easy. The wrestlers had a scoreless first period. Dawson led 1-0 at the end of the second period. Brunner tied the score at 2 in the third period to force overtime. Both wrestlers scored one point in the second overtime period. "We wrestled each other at district last year and at state last year and at the Trey Culotta tournament and just now, and he's gotten better every time," Brunner said. Jesuit-Br. Martin Dual Results Team Score: Jesuit 38                     Brother Martin 21 Individual Dual meet results are as follows: 103 – Jay Ferro ( Jes )  pinned Blake Schmidt ( BM ) 5:33 112 – Patrick Spruell ( Jes ) pinned Austin Ivasivich ( BM ) 1:07 119 – Jonathan Dupre ( Jes )  won by decision against Ian Otillio ( BM ) 5-1 125 – Jared Munna( Jes )  lost by decision to Josh Railey ( BM ) 7-1 130 – Trevor Johnson ( Jes )  lost by decision to Wesley Fernandez ( BM ) 10-2 135 – Timmy Harris ( Jes ) lost by major decision to Reed Hart ( BM ) 21-7 140 – Chris Johnson ( Jes ) pinned Jason Puente ( BM ) 2:54 145 – Stephen Vocke ( Jes ) lost by decision to Patrick Shine 3-2 152 – John Canada ( Jes ) lost by decision to Sean Dunn ( BM ) 10 -6 160 – Matt Firmin ( Jes ) lost by major decision to Paul Ramirez ( BM ) 12-4 171 – Andy Stahel ( Jes ) pinned Jay Jones ( BM ) 5:13 189 – Phillip Zanco ( Jes ) won by major decision against James Wagner ( BM ) 12-0 215 – Bat Brunner ( Jes ) won by sudden victory ( OT ) against Garrett Dawson 2-2 , 30 second ride out. 285 – Shane Delery ( Jes ) won by major decision against Sam Engro ( BM ) 16-5

Junior Patrick Fitzsimmons works to pin his opponent over the weekend at the Fendetti-Richardson "Brawl" in Johnson City, Tennessee. The Jays finished second in this competitive meet. The Wrestling Jays return to action Wednesday evening at 6:30 when Jesuit hosts Br. Martin in the annual dual. Come out Wednesday evening to support the Blue Jays! Check out the photos from this past weekend’s meet at the Fendetti-Richardson Brawl. Fendetti-Richardson Brawl Results Team Scores : First- Cleveland, 170.5                        Second- Jesuit, 165.5 Individual Results: 103 - Jay Ferro - Second 112 - Patrick Spruell - Third 119 - Jonathan Dupre - Second 125 - Patrick Fitzsimmons - Third 130 - Trevor Johnson - Third 135 - Timmy Harris - Third 140 - Chris Johnson - Fifth 145 - Stephen Vocke - Second 152 - John Canada - Fourth 160 - Andy Stahel - Third 171 - No entry ( Spencer Sticker was injured previously) 189 - Joey Tumminello - Did not place 215 - Bat Brunner - Second 285 - Shane Delery - Third

Junior Patrick Spruell breaks out of his opponent’s hold to score a point for Jesuit. Patrick later went on to win his match. At the Jesuit-Rummel Dual, the Jays started out slow Thursday evening, dropping four of their first six matches to Rummel; however, the Jays remained focused and determined winning seven out of the eight remaining contests to win the competitive dual, 39-25. Jesuit-Rummel Wrestling Dual Photo Gallery Jesuit Wrestling Reunion Photo Gallery Jesuit-Rummel Dual Results Team Results Jesuit 39  Rummel   25 Individual Results 103 : Jay Ferro ( JES )  wins by technical fall against Dakota Boesch ( RUM ) 24-8 112 : Patrick Spruell( JES )   wins by decision against Kevin Blaise ( RUM ) 10- 2 119 : Rex Hannemann ( JES )  wins by decision against Philip Roemig ( RUM ) 5-0 125 : Patrick Fitzsimmons ( JES ) wins by major decision against Mark Pinero ( RUM ) 11-1 130 : Trevor Johnson ( JES )   lost by fall to Johnny Calcotte ( RUM ) 1:02 135 : Timmy Harris( JES )   wins by decision against Rhett Ernst ( RUM ) 8-6 140 :  Chris Johnson( JES )   wins by decision against Scott Gibbons ( RUM ) 8-4 145 :  Stephen Vocke( JES )   wins by fall against Alex Belsome ( RUM ) 3:56 152 : John Canada( JES )   lost by major decision to Tony Wood ( RUM ) 13-5 160 : Andy Stahel( JES )   lost by decision to Jonathan Schneider ( RUM ) 3-0 171 : Spencer Sticker( JES )   lost by injury default to Bernie Dupuy ( RUM ) ( 2nd round ) 189 : Philip Zanco( JES )   wins by technical fall against B. Cohen ( RUM ) 17-1 215 : Bat Brunner( JES )   wins by fall against Tyler Burke ( RUM ) : 30 285 : Shane Delery( JES )   lost by DQ to John Bertucci ( 2nd period )

Senior Patrick Nance tries to bring his Tiger opponent to the mat during their match Wednesday (Jan. 7) at Holy Cross. While Nance was a winner, Jesuit’s Varsity B Wrestlers lost the dual meet to the Tigers, 39-29. Jesuit-Holy Cross Wrestling Photo Gallery

Sophomore Randal Agee works to pin his opponent at the Grapevine Duals. The Jays took third place in a competitive tournament. Check out the action in the Grapevine Duals Photo Gallery.

Junior Spencer Sticker works for points in a match earlier this season. Spencer won first place for his weight class in his match at the Bulldog Open this weekend at Fontainebleau High School. Congratulations to Jesuit’s varsity wrestling squad an outstanding showing at the Bulldog Open at Fountainebleau High school this past weekend. Out of twelve starters entered in the tournament, eleven Blue Jays made the finals and five came out champions. Individual results are as follows: First Place : Jonathan Dupre @ 125                    Trevor Johnson @ 130                    Chris Johnson @ 135                    Spencer Sticker @ 171                    Phillip Zanco @ 215 Second Place : Jay Ferro @ 103                        Rex Hannemann @ 119                        Patrick Fitzsimmons @ 130 B team                        Max Fisk @ 135                        Gerard Braud @ 145                        Andy Stahel @ 160 Third Place : Patrick Spruell @ 112                     John Canada @ 152 Fourth Place : Greg Schwing @ 119 B team                       Jared Munna @ 125 B team                       Patrick Nance @ 160 B team In the 130 weight class, it was an all Jesuit final with Patrick Fitzsimmons and Trevor Johnson. In a selfless move, both wrestlers decided not to wrestle each other; and Patrick forfeited to Trevor for the team. Congrats to all our Blue Jay wrestlers. They will be in action again after the holidays in a dual meet against Mandeville on Dec 3rd at Mandeville High School. Come out and support your Blue Jay grapplers!!

Junior Trevor Johnson won his match in the Jesuit-St. Paul’s Dual, Wednesday night. Trevor’s pin helped the Jays secure a Jesuit win over St. Paul’s, 37-31. Congratulations to Jesuit’s varsity wrestling squad for winning their dual against the St. Paul’s Wolves Wednesday night in Covington, Louisiana. The Jays emerged victorious in a hotly contested dual meet by a score of 37-31. Individual Varsity scores are as follows: 103 lbs – Jay Ferro ( Jes ) won by forfeit   112 lbs – Brett Lacour ( Jes )  won by decision over Richard Stewart (STP) 119 lbs – Rex Hannemann ( Jes )  won by pin over Peter Chatry ( STP)   3:19 125 lbs – Jonathan Dupre ( Jes )  won  by pin over Cody Gourgues ( STP ) 2:44 130 lbs – Trevor Johnson ( Jes )  won  by pin  over Daniel Johnson ( STP ) 2:52 135 lbs – James Cavalier ( STP ) won by pin over David Mahoney ( Jes ) 3:27 140 lbs -  Kory Miller ( STP) won by pin over Chris Johnson ( Jes ) 5:43 145 lbs – Chase Gourges ( STP) won by major decision over Gerard Braud ( Jes ) 17-4 152 lbs -  Tyler Davis ( STP ) won by decision over John Canada ( Jes ) 8-5 160 lbs – Andrew Stahel ( Jes ) won by decision over Reagan Reed (STP) 6-5 171 lbs – Spencer Sticker ( Jes ) won by decision over Tyler Olister ( STP) 9-2 189 lbs - Richard Green ( STP ) won by forfeit 215 lbs – Phillip Zanco ( Jes ) won by major decision over Alex Grasshoff ( STP ) 13-0 Final Varsity Dual score:  Jesuit 37 St Paul’s 31

Jesuit’s varsity wrestling team took to the mats Saturday at the Mandeville Open to start the 2008-2009 campaign. Seniors leading the wrestling squad are Bat Brunner (left), Stephen Vocke, Jonathan Dupre, Jared Munna, Patrick Nance, and Philip Zanco. The Jays dominated the field with eight finalists and five champions. Mandeville Open Wrestling Photo Gallery 2008 Mandeville Open Jesuit High School Individual Results First Placers- Patrick Spruell – 1st @ 112                      Rex Hannemenn - 1st @ 119                      Jonathan Dupre - 1st @ 125                      Spencer Sticker – 1st @ 171                      Philip Zanco - 1st @ 215                         Philip also received the                    Outstanding Wrestler Award. Second placers- Jay Ferro @ 103                          Trevor Johnson @ 130                          Gerard Braud @ 145 Thirrd placers - Brett Lacour @ 112                         Greg Schwing @ 119                         Matthew Dupre @ 130 ( B team )                         Max Fisk @ 135                         John Canada @ 152                         Andy Stahel @ 160 Fourth Placers - Alex Jennings @ 103                          Matt Firmin @ 125 ( B Team )                          Chris Johnson @ 135

Congratulations to sophomore Jeff Vitenas for being named to The Times-Picayune All Metro Wrestling team.

Jesuit Head Wrestling Coach Carlos Bertot   (The following article is courtesy of The Times-Picayune and nola.com)   A Coach's Strength Shows in Adversity Jesuit's Bertot: Better next year   Thursday, February 14, 2008 Pierce Huff   Sometimes the true measure of a coach isn't what he does when he leads teams to championships, but what he does when he and his team fall short of winning title.   Nobody would have blamed the Jesuit wrestling team if they crumbled after dropping from first place to 28 points back in third place after the Division I semifinals in the LHSAA state wrestling tournament last Saturday at the Pontchartrain Center.   But Blue Jays coach Carlos Bertot has always told his team that state wrestling championships are won in the wrestle backs, and not just the championship bracket. With that in mind, Jesuit responded with five wrestlers finishing in third place, which helped it reclaim first place by nine points going into the championship matches. Jesuit finished second to Baton Rouge Catholic (214-210) in Division I. It was a momentous loss for Jesuit, because it marked the first time since 1983 that neither Jesuit or Brother Martin had won at least a share of the Division I title. It also marked the first time since 1988 that the Blue Jays or Crusaders didn't win the state championship outright. But no one can question Bertot's leadership of Jesuit when it mattered the most on high school wrestling's biggest stage of the season. Only a good coach can rally his troops when faced with failure. Only a good coach can get his players to focus on the big picture when the smaller picture seems so dark. That's what Bertot did at the state wrestling championships. The Blue Jays administration owes Bertot some gratitude for being a good example in victory and defeat this season. The Jesuit parents owe him thanks for teaching their sons how to overcome adversity. And the players owe him a pat on the back for being their mentor and their friend. I remember last year when Jesuit finished second to Brother Martin and had their streak of three consecutive Division I state championships snapped. Bertot looked me in the eye and told me things would be different the next year, and they were. The Blue Jays were arguably two state champion wrestlers away from winning the Division I title. When was the last time Jesuit did not have at least one state champion wrestler? (It's proof that fate was on Baton Rouge Catholic's side last weekend.) This weekend, Bertot, in his quiet, soft-spoken manner, told me again that things would be different for Jesuit next year. And I believe him. After all, the proof is there. Anyone can be a leader in good times, because that doesn't take much effort. But leading a team in tough times takes faith, perseverance and hard work. Anyone can coach a great team, because in a lot of ways great teams coach themselves. They have talented, smart and dedicated athletes who know how to win games. But not many people can teach good teams how to be great. The bar for the Jesuit wrestling team is set high every year, and for good reason. The Blue Jays are always contenders and are one of the state's winningest programs ever. The school has enough material from its championship wrestling banners over the years to clothe five different wrestling teams. But when the roll call of great Jesuit wrestling seasons is remembered in the future, this Blue Jays 2007-08 season deserves as much appreciation as some of the championship-winning teams of the past. And Bertot deserves his due. He kept Jesuit together in the face of adversity, and that gave the team a chance to win another state title even though it eventually fell short. And that's always championship coaching.

Joe Cobena (171) hits the mat during his semi-finals match Saturday afternoon at the Pontchartrain Center. Cobena won his match and went on to win third place in his weight division.  State Wrestling Tournament: Jesuit Photo Gallery The Jays were leading the Catholic High Bears by a mere nine points at the start of the final matches. Only two Jesuit wrestlers made it to the finals this year -- sophomore Jeffery Vitenas (103) and senior Michael Gruezke (135). Both gave it their best shot but lost their matches. Catholic High had five wrestlers in the finals and eventually pulled ahead of Jesuit. LHSAA Wrestling Tournament Final Results Team Standings Finals Division I State Tournament Brackets  (Finals) Seeded Wrestlers by Division/Weight Class  (The following article is courtesy of The Times-Picayune and nola.com) Catholic Ends 25-year Reign of Jesuit, Martin Neither of Blue Jays' Finalists Able to Win Sunday, February 10, 2008 By Pierce W. Huff   For more than two decades the Division I state wrestling championship has been dominated by Jesuit and Brother Martin, as the last time neither had won at least a share of the Division I state wrestling title was in 1983 when Holy Cross won. The Division I championship has been won outright by the Blue Jays or Crusaders every year since 1988.   During that span, the schools have alternated winning titles with one team going on a championship streak and followed by the other.   But Baton Rouge-Catholic wrestled away Division I dominance Saturday at the Pontchartrain Center. With a clutch showing in the semifinals and finals, the Bears rallied to win the state championship. Jesuit finished second and Brother Martin finished third. The two-day tournament had a record attendance of 10,675, breaking the two-day mark of 10,042 set last year. Jesuit, which has won 14 state championships since 1988, had a roller-coaster ride through the tournament Saturday. The Blue Jays entered the day with the lead, but lost it and slipped to third place, before regaining it once more. Entering the championship matches, Jesuit led with 210 points, followed by Catholic (201), Brother Martin (186) and Rummel (170). But Jesuit only had two finalists, Jeffery Vitenas (103 pounds) and Michael Gruezke (135), and needed them to win their matches. Catholic had six finalists, and it needed to win most of their championship matches to have a shot. In the first Division I championship match, Vitenas, seeded second, lost to top-seeded Matthew Rabinowitz of Airline (9-1). Fourth-seeded Blake Savoie of Catholic defeated No. 3 Tyler Richardson of Brother Martin 9-4 to win the 112 title. Top-seeded Alex Hurst of Catholic defeated No. 2 Wesley Fernandez of Brother Martin 13-4 to win at 119. The result left the Blue Jays and Bears tied for the lead with 210 points. The Crusaders' Andrew Casadaban then kept Jesuit from winning the state team title when he defeated Gruezke 10-4 in the final at 135. "I didn't wrestle my best match," Gruezke said. Jesuit Coach Carlos Bertot said it was disappointing for the Blue Jays not to have at least one wrestler win a state title. "I knew we had some tough matches going in," he said. "Vitenas had lost to Rabinowitz before, and I was hoping he could pull out a close one. Gruezke wrestled and gave it 200 percent." With the Blue Jays out of wrestlers in state championship matches, all Catholic needed was for one of its three remaining wrestlers in the finals at 145, 152 and 171 to win an individual title to give the Bears the state championship. Comeaux's Zachary Saucier defeated Catholic's Benjamin Carroll 6-4 at 145. But second-seeded Trent Fresina defeated No. 1 Bernie Dupuy of Rummel 6-4 at 152, and the result gave the Bears 214 points, surpassing Jesuit's 210. "In any wrestling tournament, there is always the chance that you may not be at your best," Gruezke said. The Blue Jays went 2-6 in the semifinals, while Brother Martin and Catholic each went 6-1. Rummel was 4-3. That gave the Bears a two-point lead. "It was disappointing for us (dropping to third)," Bertot said. "I think some guys didn't wrestle well." But in the wrestle backs, Jesuit's Jonathan Dupre (112), Gregory Veech (119), Gerard Braud (130), Joe Cobena (171) and Shane Delery (285) finished third. The result put the Blue Jays back in the lead going into the finals with 210 points, followed by Catholic (201), Brother Martin (186) and Rummel (170). "It's the same thing I've been telling the team all year: You win state in the wrestle backs," Bertot said. Gruezke said his teammates showed a lot of heart to wrestle Jesuit back into the lead. "It showed the true fight we have," he said. "It showed that once we're down, we will fight back." But Jesuit couldn't hold on to the lead in Division I. 2008 LHSAA State Wrestling Tournament Jesuit Individual Results Jeff Vitenas - State Runner-up (Second) @ 103 Jonathan Dupre - Third Place @ 112 Greg Veech - Third Place @ 119 Boe Reboul - Fifth Place @ 125 Gerard Braud - Third Place @ 130 Micheal Gruezke - State Runner-up (Second) @135 Lee Redfearn - Fourth Place @ 140 Patrick Keiffer - Fifth Place @ 145 Stephen Vocke - Fifth Place @ 152 Spencer Sticker - Sixth Place @ 160 Joe Cobena - Third Place @ 171 Bat Brunner - Fifth Place @ 215 Shane Delery - Third Place @ 285 The Blue Jay wrestling team finished as state runner-up to Catholic High of Baton Rouge with a score of 214-210.