Four (Or More) Time State Champions in College = Louisiana

 I tell you every time I ever do any research involving wrestling in the state of Louisiana, I am always pleasantly surprised at what I find. When researching dropped collegiate wrestling programs, I had known for years that Louisiana State had a program. I was shocked to find out that Louisiana-Lafayette as well as Louisiana Monroe also had programs. Then earlier this year I discover the Northwestern State even had a varsity program at one time.  As have been a few of the other states, information wasn't as easy to come by as I was hoping it would be for Louisiana four (or more) time state champions. I had to do some digging. Within that digging, I may have missed a thing or two.  Feel free to let me know if you see something that should be here that isn't. Out of what I did find, I hope you find interesting. We hear so little regarding wrestling in Louisiana & it's a shame because it has a much richer history than you'd guess. 


*NOTE - I've already ran into this a little bit as I've posted other Four (Or More) Time State Champions in College. It has been brought to my attention that not every four (or more) time state champion wins all of their titles in the same state. That is certainly true. It's very true for the Frost brothers Jacob & Evan who won three Louisiana High School State titles before coming up to Iowa & winning title #4 for West Des Moines Dowling Catholic.  I'm going to see what I can come up with, but for cases like these what I may end up doing is a Four (Or More) Time State Champions in College = Various States post.  For the record the Frost brothers will be competing at Iowa State this upcoming season. 

Jack Hecker 

Believe it or not but high school wrestling in Louisiana dates back all the way to the 1943-1944 season & they had their first state tournament in 1945. Jack Hecker a freshman from Holy Cross won his first of what would be four state titles.  Per college he decided to go the football route instead of wrestling. Playing two seasons for Pearl River Junior College, Hecker finished up at Southwest Louisiana. 

August Vegas 

Representing Holy Cross, August Vegas won Louisiana High School State titles from 63'-66'.  To my knowledge he did not wrestle in college. 

Nick Michael 

Winning four Louisiana High School State titles for Holy Cross from 09'-12', Nick Michael wrestled collegiately for Wartburg.  He was an NCAA Division III runner-up his senior season of 2016. 

Paul Klein 

Wrestling for Brother Martin, Paul Klein won four Louisiana High School State titles from 12'-15'.  Collegiately he wrestled for a short amount of time for Arizona State. 

Steve Shields 

Another representative of Brother Martin, Steve Shields won four Louisiana State High School championships from 14'-17'.  Collegiately he competed for The United State Merchant Marine. 

Jimmy Vidrine 

Winning Louisiana High School State titles from 60'-64', to my knowledge Basile's Jimmy Vidrine is the only five time champion in the history of Louisiana High School Wrestling. He did not wrestle in college. 

Carmen Cortez 

Winning his first Louisiana High School State title in 1994, Carmen Cortez would win three others from 97'-98' for Basile. Per what I could find I don't believe he wrestled in college. 

Tim LeBlanc

Tim LeBlanc won his four Louisiana High School State titles from 79'-82' for Brusly. I don't believe that he wrestled in college. 

Micah Easley

Winning four titles for Zachary from 01'-04'. from what I have found Micah Easley did not wrestle in college. 

Trevor Schermer

Alongside brother Austin, Trevor Schermer won four Louisiana High School State titles from 11'-14' for Brusly.  He wrestled collegiately for Iowa Lakes where he was an NJCAA qualifier. 

Austin Schermer 

Like brother Trevor, Austin Schermer's four Louisiana High School State titles were won from 11'-14' for Brusly. He too wrestled collegiately for Iowa Lakes. 

Austin Franklin 

Austin Franklin won four Louisiana High School State titles for Brusly from 14'-17'.  To my knowledge he did not wrestle in college. 

Brock Bonin 

Representing Teurlings Catholic, Brock Bonin won four Louisiana High School State titles from 13'-16'.  To my knowledge he did not wrestle in college. 

Cade Felps 

Representing Zachary, Cade Felps won four Louisiana State High School titles from 03'-06'. I don't believe that he wrestled in college. 

Chad Buras 

No your eyes are not deceiving you.  Chad Buras of Buras (I had to triple check this to make sure) won four Louisiana High School State titles for Buras from 87'-90'.  To my knowledge he did not wrestle in college. 

Brad Macha 

Brad Macha won four Louisiana High School State titles for Redemptorist from 92'-95'.  To my knowledge he did not wrestle in college. 

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As for current times? 

I know Alex Youkabitis of St Louis is at Oklahoma State 

Gavin Christ of Basile spent some time at Campbell and is now at Life 

Alex Menier of Basile & Glen Price of Archbishop Shaw? Not sure

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Now I don't know if the information I have above is 100% correct or not. Perhaps those among the "did not wrestle in college" crowd, did in fact wrestle in college & I wasn't able to find any information on it. However if accurate, six seems like way to high of a number.  It makes sense though. At any given time Louisiana has never had much for collegiate wrestling opportunities to begin with.  To my knowledge when Louisiana State dropped after the 84'-85' season, it was the last time there was varsity collegiate wrestling in the state. I don't know if Louisiana makes a strong case for why it should have NCAA Division I wrestling, but even just looking at their four (or more) time state champions, I think there is plenty to work with when arguing that the state should at least be represented at some level. Among the 12 DI schools Louisiana also has 1 DIII school, 7 NAIA schools & 6 NJCAA schools. It might be pulling teeth to get wrestling at the DIII school, but I'd like to think within time we could see it at the NAIA level. 

Four (Or More) Time State Champions in College = Kentucky

 Kentucky is one of those states where 7th & 8th graders can enter high school state competition. I know in the minds of some it's not fair that some only have 4/4 opportunities to win four titles while others have 6 opportunities to win four titles. I get that. I also know old timers argue that some states have allowed freshmen post season eligibility a lot longer than other states. That also makes a huge difference. I'm not oblivious to these factors. However the series does concentrate on four or not time state champions & I'm going to stick with that. 

Secondly, like Kansas, information on Kentucky was rather cryptic, at least from what I could find. I am very confident I ever all of the four timers  up to 2012.  12'-22' though I'm not 100% sure. I could be missing some. 

James Earl Hardin 

With the first Kentucky High School State tournament being held in 1964, it didn't take the Bluegrass state long to crown its first four time state champion. James Earl Hardin who competed for the Kentucky School For the Blind won his fourth title in 1967.  

Robbie Clarkston 

The late Robbie Clarkston won four Kentucky High School State championships for Connor from 78'-81'.  He competed collegiately for Southern Illinios-Edwardsville. 

Joe Carr Jr 

Representing Woodford County, Joe Carr Jr won four Kentucky High School State titles. One in 93' & then the other three from 95'-97'. In college he competed for West Virginia where he had over 100 career wins earning EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) titles in his sophomore & senior seasons. 

Isaac Knable 

 A four time Kentucky High School State champ from 99'-02' for St. Xavier, Isaac Knable wrestled collegiately for Indiana. He was an NCAA qualifier his sophomore season. 

Harrison Courtney 

Another representative of Woodford County, Harrison Courtney won four Kentucky High School State titles from 06'-09'.  While in college he competed for both Campbellesville as well as Lindsey Wilson. 

John Fahy 

John Fahy was a four time Kentucky High School State champion for Trinity from 09'-12'. Collegiately he spent his first two seasons at Illinois before transferring to Southern Illinois Edwardsville. There he was a Southern Conference champion his junior season of 2016. 

Brock Ervin 

Brock Ervin won his four Kentucky High School State titles for Union County from 10'-13'.  He wrestled collegiately for Illinois but unfortunately knee injuries cut his career short. 

Austin Myers

Representing Campbell County, Austin Myers won four Kentucky State High School titles from 12'-15'. Collegiately he redshirted at West Virginia then transferring to Missouri. An NCAA qualifier his freshman season of 2017, he placed 3rd in the Mid-American Conference. 

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Cole Thomas of Ryle will be competing for Chattanooga next season. 

Four (Or More) Time State Champions in College = Kansas

 While their have been some challenges in finding information per four (or more) time state champions from other states thus far, Kansas has posed the most challenging.  I believe I did find all of the four time state champs from Kansas but considering it was pulling teeth at some points to get information, I may have missed some. If so, my apologies.  This is what I was able to find.  

Kansas started their state tournament in 1930 but didn't crown their first four time state champion until 1975. I imagine as with other states Kansas probably didn't allow freshmen to compete on the varsity for quite some time, hence why it took 45 seasons before we saw our first four timer. 

Doug Duell 

Kansas' first four time state champion was Doug Duell of Goodland who won his titles from 72'-75'. Collegiately he competed for Oklahoma State where he placed 3rd at the BIG 12 tournament as a true freshmen in 1976. 

Roy Oeser

Roy Oeser who was also a standout football player, won his four Kansas State High School titles for Kapaun Mt Carmel from 74'-77'.  For football and/or wrestling I wasn't able to find any information via collegiate records. 

Matt Treaster

Winning four Kansas State Wrestling titles for Beloit from 81'-84', Matt Treaster wrestled collegiately for Navy. An All American for the Midshipmen in 1987 as a junior with a 5th place finish, he was also a two time EIWA place-winner.  Runner-up in 1986 as a sophomore, he claimed 3rd in 1987. 

Todd Layton 

Competing for Independence, Todd Layton won four Kansas State Wrestling Titles from 84'-87'. He went on to wrestle for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. I believe he may have been their last team captain before they discontinued wrestling or at least one of them. 

Todd Drake 

Winning four Kansas State High School Titles for Andover from 85'-88', Todd Drake went on to have an outstanding career at Central Oklahoma. After back to back NCAA Division II finishes of 3rd in 1991 & 1992, Drake capped off his final season as a Bronco with a NCAA DII title in 1993. 

Justin Ware 

Justin Ware won four Kansas State wrestling titles for Arkansas City from 89'-92'.  Collegiately he competed for Nebraska where he was a BIG 12 runner-up in 1994. 

Devin Bahm 

Devin Bahm was a four time Kansas State Champion for Arkansas City from 93'-96'. I don't believe he wrestled in college. 

Billy Gabel 

Billy Gabel who won four Kansas State High School titles for St Francis from 93'-96', competed collegiately for Nebraska. 

Bo Maynes 

Bo Maynes won four Kansas High School State titles for Salina South from 95'-98'.  Collegiately he competed for Oklahoma where he won the BIG 12 title in 2003 as a senior. 

Zach Roberson 

A four time Kansas state champion for Blue Valley Northwest from 96'-99', Zach Roberson had an outstanding collegiate career for the Iowa State Cyclones. A three time All American, he was 7th in 2002 as a sophomore & 4th in 2003 as a junior before capping off his career as the NCAA champion in 2004. Ironically enough finishing 3rd three years straight before earning runner-up status as a senior in the BIG 12, he is an NCAA champion that never won a conference title. 

Jeremy Long 

Representing Santa Fe Trail, Jeremy Long won Kansas High School State titles form 97'-00'. I don't believe he wrestled in college. 

Dusty Spaulding 

Dusty Spaulding was a four time Kansas State High School champion for Emporia from 97'-00'. A college career plagued by clavicle as well as knee injuries, he competed for Nebraska. 

Travis Stites

Travis Stites was a four time Kansas State champion for McPherson. I don't believe he competed collegiately. 

Dustin May 

Winning four Kansas State High School titles for Derby from 98'-01', Dustin May was an NJCAA runner-up for Labette. 

Doug Hoover 

A four time Kansas High School State champion for Kapaun Mt Carmel from 99'-02', Doug Hoover wrestled in college for Nebraska. 

Mat Gilliland 

Mat Gilliland won his four Kansas State High School titles for Hoxie from 01'-04'.  Competing for Colby CC after making All Conference in 2005, he was 3rd at the 2006 NJCAA tournament. 

Jake Kriegbaum

A four time Kansas High School State champion for Abilene from 01'-04', Jake Kreigbaum was a three time NCAA qualifier for the Air Force Falcons. Back to back West Regional runner-up finishes in his freshman & sophomore seasons, he had a bit of a setback in his junior season when he finished 4th. He bounced back in a huge way claiming the West Regional title his senior season. 

Josh Baldridge 

Winning four Kansas High School State titles for Hayesville Campus from 02'-05', Josh Baldridge began his collegiate career at Labette. 4th in the NJCAA in 2006, he was the NJCAA runner-up in 2007. He then transferred to Northern Iowa where he won a West Regional title in 2008 as a junior. 

Clay Madden 

Winning four Kansas State High School titles for Norton from 03'-06', I believe that Clay Madden may have competed in the NCWA for Kansas State but I have yet to verify. 

Tristen DeShazer 

Representing Wichita West, Tristen DeShazer won four Kansas State High School titles from 03'-06'.  Collegiately he competed for Northern Illinois where he qualified for the NCAA championships as a sophomore, placing 3rd at the MAC's twice in his sophomore & senior seasons. 

Trison Graham 

A four time Kansas State High School Champion for Arkansas City from 05'-08', Trison Graham competed collegiately for Central Oklahoma. During his sophomore season he was 2nd in the regional, earning NCAA Division II All American status with a 7th place finish. Injured throughout most of his junior season, he bounced back as a senior winning a conference title, finishing 4th at Regionals & qualifying for his second NCAA DII appearance. 

Romero Cotton 

Representing Hutchinson Romero Cotton won four Kansas High School State titles from 05'-08'.  An unconventional route in college, Romero first went to college to play football.  He then switched to wrestling first spending some time at Nebraska. He transferred to Nebraska-Kearney where he was the NCAA Division II runner-up in 2013, winning DII titles in 2014, 2015 & 2016. 

Boaz Beard 

Boaz Beard won four Kansas High School State titles for Goddard from 06'-09'.  Collegiately he competed for the Cyclones of Iowa State. A two time BIG 12 runner-up in his sophomore & junior seasons, he was unfortunately sidelined as a senior with a shoulder injury. 

Tyler Caldwell 

Representing Goddard, Tyler Caldwell won four Kansas High School State titles from 06'-09'. He began his career at Oklahoma where in his freshman season he took 3rd place honors at the BIG 12 & 5th place All American honors at the NCAA championships.  He followed it up as a sophomore taking runner-up honors at both the BIG 12's & the NCAA's, along with a 4th place finish at CKLV.  Redshirting in 2012, he came back in 2013 now competing for Oklahoma State.  Winning back to back BIG 12 titles, he would finish 3rd in the NCAA as a junior, taking another NCAA runner-up finish in 2014 as a senior. Along with the accomplishments he was also 3rd and 2nd in the Southern Scuffle his final two seasons as well. 5-2-3-2, one of the best of all time not to win an NCAA title. 

Colt Rogers 

Colt Rogers won four Kansas State wrestling titles from 08'-11' for Smith Center.  Collegiately he wrestled for Bethany where he was a three time NAIA qualifier. 

Ryne Cokeley 

Ryne Cokeley won four Kansas High School State titles for Saint James from 08'-11'.  He began his collegiate career at Neosho where he earned NJCAA All American honors of 7th place in 2012. He then transferred to Iowa Central where he won a Region title in 2013.  He finished off his career at Fort Hayes State where he placed 4th in the Region qualifying for the NCAA Division II tournament his senior season. 

Zac Gentzler 

Representing Andover Central, Zach Gentzler won four Kansas State High School titles form 10'-13'.  Collegiately he wrestled his first three seasons for Oklahoma State, where as a junior in 2017 he had a 4th place finish at RENO.  Transferring to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville for his final season, he was 3rd at the Southern Conference championships. 

Brogan Humphrey 

Brogan Humphrey won four Kansas State High School titles for Fredonia from 11'-14'.  He started off his collegiate career at Neosho eventually transferring to Fort Hays State. 

Tagen Lambotte 

Tagen Lambotte won four Kansas High School State championships for Rossville from 11'-14'. He wrestled collegiately at Iowa, but had his career cut short due to injuries. 



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Quentin Saunders of Goddard will be competing for Northern Colorado this upcoming season. 

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I think it is painfully obvious that Kansas could use Division I wrestling. Kansas, Wichita State & Kansas State all used to have programs. Matter of fact Kansas State had a pretty respectable program at one time. Could again. Keep in mind these are just the four timers. Add in others like Shawn Bunch, it emphasizes the point even more.