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North DeSoto’s Jacob Kershaw has walked out of the Brookshire Grocery Arena three times over the past four years with a hang-dog look on a face that almost made it to the mountaintop.
But Saturday night, the senior walked out of the arena with his head held high and an LHSAA championship medal around his neck. Favored to win during most of his four years as a Griffin, the affable Kershaw finally put a title bout together that was formidable. He won 15-0 over St. Thomas More’s James Treadway at 138 pounds after winning three previous matches on the weekend by fall.
“It just feels amazing to come out in front of this great crowd and finally get a state title. In those years I didn’t win, I still did everything right,” Kershaw said. “Going into that match, I wanted to hurt him. That’s what was going through my mind. I was just being a warrior out there – being a leader for this team.”
Kershaw (61-3) was joined by two of his teammates, Sy Stoute (113 pounds) and Hayden Bell (215), along with two Evangel wrestlers, Jeremia Yearby (116) and Joseph Gilreath (157), to give Northwest Louisiana five state champions. North DeSoto’s Sage Stoute, Jayden Locke, Connor Loche and Andrew Arinder, along with Evangel’s Logan Bennett and Benton’s Audriana Wade finished as state runners-up. Wade was the only area female that made it to a title tilt.
North DeSoto, the 2024 Division II state team champion, came close to winning another team title but was edged 289-282.5 by St. Thomas More. Bell (27-4) was the last Griffin to take center stage, and he made quick work of Slade Morin of Prairieville taking him by fall at 1:41 in the first for Bell’s second title.
“It’s a great feeling to win state again, especially since we lost during the football season,” said Bell, a first team Times All-Area Football Team linebacker. “I knew I was the better technical wrestler, but he had more weight on me. So, I had to use more technique and take advantage of his mistakes.”
Stoute (48-8), a freshman, made a big impression as a first-time state champion by dominating John Thiele of Rummel 15-2.
“I want to be a four-timer so I’m gonna keep grinding,” Stoute said. “He has good cardio, but I've got good cardio too. I wanted to get ahead at first in case anything bad happened.”
Gilreath and Yearby continue to be dominant in Division III with Gilreath winning a third state title and Yearby (31-1) pulling in his second.
“I think this one was easier, even though the score doesn’t say so,” Yearby said. “This was my last time, so I had to leave it all out there one match at a time.
Gilreath said he isn’t certain about what his next step in the sport will be.
“This is probably it for me in wrestling,” he said. “I want to go to college and become a commercial pilot. There won’t be time for wrestling if I do that.”
Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: North DeSoto, Evangel lead way in LHSAA wrestling state titles
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But Saturday night, the senior walked out of the arena with his head held high and an LHSAA championship medal around his neck. Favored to win during most of his four years as a Griffin, the affable Kershaw finally put a title bout together that was formidable. He won 15-0 over St. Thomas More’s James Treadway at 138 pounds after winning three previous matches on the weekend by fall.
“It just feels amazing to come out in front of this great crowd and finally get a state title. In those years I didn’t win, I still did everything right,” Kershaw said. “Going into that match, I wanted to hurt him. That’s what was going through my mind. I was just being a warrior out there – being a leader for this team.”
Kershaw (61-3) was joined by two of his teammates, Sy Stoute (113 pounds) and Hayden Bell (215), along with two Evangel wrestlers, Jeremia Yearby (116) and Joseph Gilreath (157), to give Northwest Louisiana five state champions. North DeSoto’s Sage Stoute, Jayden Locke, Connor Loche and Andrew Arinder, along with Evangel’s Logan Bennett and Benton’s Audriana Wade finished as state runners-up. Wade was the only area female that made it to a title tilt.
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North DeSoto, the 2024 Division II state team champion, came close to winning another team title but was edged 289-282.5 by St. Thomas More. Bell (27-4) was the last Griffin to take center stage, and he made quick work of Slade Morin of Prairieville taking him by fall at 1:41 in the first for Bell’s second title.
“It’s a great feeling to win state again, especially since we lost during the football season,” said Bell, a first team Times All-Area Football Team linebacker. “I knew I was the better technical wrestler, but he had more weight on me. So, I had to use more technique and take advantage of his mistakes.”
Stoute (48-8), a freshman, made a big impression as a first-time state champion by dominating John Thiele of Rummel 15-2.
“I want to be a four-timer so I’m gonna keep grinding,” Stoute said. “He has good cardio, but I've got good cardio too. I wanted to get ahead at first in case anything bad happened.”
Gilreath and Yearby continue to be dominant in Division III with Gilreath winning a third state title and Yearby (31-1) pulling in his second.
“I think this one was easier, even though the score doesn’t say so,” Yearby said. “This was my last time, so I had to leave it all out there one match at a time.
Gilreath said he isn’t certain about what his next step in the sport will be.
“This is probably it for me in wrestling,” he said. “I want to go to college and become a commercial pilot. There won’t be time for wrestling if I do that.”
Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: North DeSoto, Evangel lead way in LHSAA wrestling state titles
Continue reading...
