MICHAEL KIRAL

KENNER – Hahnville concluded a successful first year of wrestling with a solid performance at the Division I state tournament at the Pontchartrain Center. The Tigers finished 26th with 13 points. Brother Martin won its third straight state championship with 317.5 points. Jesuit was second with 283 points, followed by Catholic of Baton Rouge with 131 points. Hahnville’s Galen Dempster went the furthest of the local wrestlers, advancing to the fourth round of the consolations in the 140-pound class. Dempster lost to seventh-seeded Corey Vice of Comeaux in the second round on a technical fall, 16-1, after receiving a bye in the first round. Dempster then received a bye through the first two rounds of the consolations before pinning Airline’s Casey Martindale in one minute, 40 seconds in the third round. East St. John’s James Genovese made it to the third round of the consolations after advancing to the second round of the 189-pound class. Genovese pinned Rummel’s Patrick Rigney in 3:11 in the first round before being pinned by fourth-seeded Paul DiGrado of Holy Cross in the second round. DiGrado went on to win the state championship with a win over second-seeded Blake Henry of Brother Martin. Genovese won his first consolation match with a forfeit over Belaire’s Andrew Parrino before being pinned by fifth-seeded Aziz Akhtar of Northshore in 2:55. Henry pinned Hahnville’s Steven Sigmon in the second round after Sigmon received a bye in the first round. Sigmon went on to pin Grace King’s Adam Oldstein in 32 seconds in the first round of the consolations before losing a 17-15 decision to Mandeville’s Matt Cooper. Dawan Alexander reached the third round of the consolations in the 112-pound class. Alexander was pinned by Brother Martin’s Krystal Kelly in 3:05 in the first round. After receiving a first round bye in the consolations, Alexander defeated Grace King’s Brandt Savoy in the second round, 10-4. Airline’s Derek Bletz pinned Alexander in 1:21 in the third round. Hahnville’s Barrett Naquin also reached the third round of the consolations in the 145-pound class. Naquin won his first match of the day, a 9-4 decision over Bonnabel’s Chris Baracco in the first round. Naquin was then pinned by top-seeded Chris Gaffney of Jesuit in the second round in 2:33. Gaffney went on to win the state championship. In the consolations, Naquin pinned St. Amant’s Cyril Mitchell in 1:33. Naquin then lost a 9-7 decision to Northshore’s Jay Grimsley in the third round. Anthony Ayo reached the third round of the 160-pound consolations after being pinned by Evangel’s Collin Holomon in 59 seconds in the first round. Ayo received a bye in the first round of the consolations, then won a forfeit over East Jefferson’s Michael Bradley in the second round. DeLaSalle’s Matthew Cruser pinned Ayo in 2:13. East St. John’s Calvin Raphile received a bye in the first round of the 275-pound class before being pinned by top-seeded Timothy Falter of Jesuit in the second round. Falter went on to win the state title. Raphile then received a bye in the second round of the consolations before being pinned by Evangel’s Jonathan Alexander in 3:21. Hahnville’s Brendan Banks also received a bye in the first round before being pinned by third-seeded Chuck Stall of Brother Martin in the second round. Banks was then pinned by Central’s Eric Houston in 1:48 in the second round of the consolations. Stewart Candella of Hahnville reached the second round of the 130-pound class after a first round forfeit win over West Monroe’s Carl Paulman. Candella was then pinned by eighth-seeded Justin Smith of Lafayette in 1:41 in the second round. Candella was pinned by Acadiana’s Bobby Hebert in 2:47 in the second round of the consolations. Josh Adams of Hahnville also received a first round forfeit victory over Belaire’s Wardell Johnson before losing to fourth-seeded Paul Lambremont of Brother Martin in the 171-pound class. Chad Miller of East St. John was pinned by Grace King’s Barry Rogers in the first round in 1:22. After a first round bye in the consolations, Miller was pinned by St. Amant’s Daniel Dunn in 1:38 in the second round. Hahnville’s Thomas Logan received a first round bye in the 215-pound class before being pinned by fifth-seeded Ryan Hallford of Northshore in 1:15. Logan was then pinned by Wesley Crossland in 3:35 in the second round of the consolations. The Tigers’ Brent Matis was pinned by Holy Cross’ Tony Palisi in 3:26 in the first round of the 152-pound class. After a first round bye in the consolations, Matis was pinned by Evangel’s Jewel Scott in 1:35 in the second round. Hahnville’s Robert Moreau was pinned by Higgins’ Joseph Stevens in 1:06 in the first round of the 119-pound class. Moreau then lost a 16-9 decision to Riverdale’s Mike Lachney in the first round of the consolations. In the same class, East St. John’s Michelle McGhee lost a technical fall, 15-0, to West Monroe’s Glen Yacher Jr. in the first round. McGhee received a first round bye in the consolations before being pinned by Sulphur’s Jay Hernandez in 2:33. The Tigers’ Jonathan Butts was pinned by Byrd’s Greg Chiartano in 2:19 in the first round in the 135-pound class. After a bye in the first round of the consolations, Butts lost an 18-3 technical fall to Comeaux’s Jason Bergeron in the second round. Hahnville’s Ezra Garza was pinned in the first round of the 125-pound class by Riverdale’s Chris Cade in 1:23. After a bye in the first round of the consolations, Garza was pinned by Northshore’s Tommy Raspino in 3:54. East St. John’s Melanie Maurin was pinned by Airline’s Joseph Robert in 2:23 in the first round of the 103-pound class. Maurin received a bye in the first round of the consolations before losing a major decision to Central’s Nathan Burnham, 16-3.