Kaplan, North Vermilion attending the state wrestling tournament

The North Vermilion Patriots and Kaplan Pirates wrestling teams have a total of 17 wrestlers who are seeded at this weekend’s All-State Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Wrestling State at the CenturyLink in Bossier City.
North Vermilion has 10 wrestlers who are seeded in 14 weight classes. Kaplan has seven.
With so many wrestlers seeded in the top 8 seed, there is a chance the Patriots can bring home a team-state wrestling title.
NVHS wrestling coach Mike Stelly is not putting any pressure on his squad.
“I am telling my wrestlers to do the best they can do, and wherever the chips fall, they fall,” said Stelly.
The tournament gets underway today and concludes on Saturday.
Kaplan head wrestling coach Stephen Lotief said, “This season has been a successful year for us. I am hoping to top the year by having a great finish at the state tournament.”
A great team finish would be in the top 7, he added. He is predicting to have five out of the seven seeded wrestlers finish in the top six at state.
The Patriots have come close to winning state by finishing in the top four the last couple of years.
Two North Vermilion wrestlers earned No. 1 seeds in the Division III state tournament.
One of those is a defending wrestling champ.
NV’s Brennan Landry is the No. 1 seed in the 145-pound weight class. Last year, Landry brought home the state title in the 138-pound weight class.
He moved up in weight class and he has done well in 2016 by winning a handful of tournaments.
If Landry wants to win his second title in a different weight class, he is going to have to probably beat De La Salle’s Conrad Wyre, who finished second in the 145-pound weight class last year. He is seeded No. 2.
Gavin Becker is No. 1 seed in the 113-pound weight class. Last year he took second in the same weight class.
North Vermilion’s Alex Beraud is the No. 2 seed in the 126-pound weight class. Beraud finished second at state last year in the 120-pound class.
Adam Gaspard of Kaplan is seeded No. 3 in the 126-pound weight class.
Kaplan’s highest seed is No. 2 Trae Case. Above Case at No. 1 is Richard Hunter from Brusly. The two know each other well. Case lost to Hunter in the finals of the 152-pound weight class in 2015.
Cooper Derouen of NV is seeded No. 6 in the 160-pound weight class.
NV’s Jourdon Theall is the No. 4 seed in the 106-pound weight class.
NV’s Hogan Melebeck is the No. 5 seed in the 120-pound weight class.
Jude Hebert of Kaplan is the No. 5 seed in the 170-pound weight class.
Julius Johnson of Kaplan finished second last year in the 182-pound weight class. This year he is seeded No. 3 in the same weight class.
Rhett Maturin of NVHS finished fifth last year in the 126-pound weight class. He is seeded No. 4 in the 132-pound weight class.
Austin Stelly of Kaplan is seeded No. 8 in the 195-pound weight class.
Dylon Case of Kaplan is the No. 6 seeded in the 145-pound weight class.
In the 138-pound weight class, Tyrone Broussard of Kaplan is No. 6 and Garrett Becker of NV is No. 7.
Kenneth Vidallier of NV is the No. 6 seed in the 152-pound weight class.
Not seeded but wrestling for Kaplan are Aaron Hebert (220-weight class), Corban Abshire (285-pound weight class) and Ashton Gaspard (152-pound weight class).
Not seeded for NV are Tyler Broussard (182-pound weight class) , Eli Dubois (215 pound weight class) and Trenton Connor (170-pound weight class).