On Saturday, January 26, Leesville Wrestling took on Cap 7’s best at the annual conference tournament. Though the event was held at Enloe, the Pride came in full force and quickly distinguished themselves as top contenders.
“The conference tournament, overall, went pretty well for us,” said Max Buico, a junior and co-captain of the wrestling team. “We took second to Cardinal Gibbons, and ended up with four individual champions.”
In addition to Buico, Leesville’s own Brandon Jones, Jake Polansky, and Tucker Jessup each took home conference titles. Most impressive of the four was Jessup—a sophomore and second year wrestler—pulling an upset victory over Cardinal Gibbons in his finals match.
“We’ve just been outworking everyone,” said Jones. “Nobody has been waking up to workout at five in the morning like us, and no one wants it more than we do.” Jones won his conference title over defending champ Kaleb Wright from Broughton—a match he was not expected to win. “I just had to dig deep and trust what me and my training partner drill in practice,” said Jones.
Despite the heartbreaking loss to Cardinal Gibbons and the shattering of their four year run as conference champs, Leesville’s wrestlers remain optimistic. Every member of Leesville’s starting lineup—the majority of whom are underclassmen or new wrestlers—placed in the top four in the conference tournament.
This is a year for growth; the Pride will be back next year better than ever to regain their title.
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