When people think Hahnville and Destrehan, an intense rivalry comes to mind. And on the wrestling mat, that remained true when competitors from the two teams faced off on the mat this year.
But once a hand was raised, all of that subsided.
“We all wrestled as a family this year,” said Destrehan head wrestling coach Joshua Varnado.
For the first time, Hahnville’s wrestling room was effectively a community workshop between the Tigers and Wildcats. With Destrehan’s campus, and thus its wrestling facilities unusable following Hurricane Ida, the teams shared the mat at Hahnville.
And, as they say, iron sharpens iron.
“They strengthened our weaknesses, and we strengthened their weaknesses,” Varnado said. “You know, there’s a shared pride between the two teams. (Hahnville head coach) Dan Erwin is my mentor. He taught me what I know. So, that pride that’s already there between our two teams, I think this just made it that much more solidified, sharing that time together.”
Erwin echoed those thoughts.
“This was a tough season with the hurricane, but the practice with Destrehan was a really good thing,” Erwin said. “The bonding … they were cheering each other, except when they were wrestling one another.”
Several athletes from each team found success this season, despite the many hurdles brought on by Ida.
Hahnville’s Brennan Chiasson took fifth place at the LHSAA state wrestling meet in the 132 lb. weight class. That followed up on his third district championship victory in the class.
Fellow Tiger district champions were Gaige Boudreaux (126) and Jevon Gray (145). Boudreaux earned his fourth title, Gray his third district crown.
Destrehan, meanwhile, had two district champions in its ranks: Colton Owens (106) and Trey Nixon (160).
At the end of the season, the two schools held a dual meet – a day in which the rivalry was very much alive.
A unique element this year came as the two teams held their Senior Salute that day, honoring the seniors of both teams collectively.
“I thought that was a pretty great way to end the season,” said Varnado.
Both coaches noted the challenges that their athletes persevered through, not just this past season, but over the past two-plus years.
“You know, when these seniors were sophomores, we shut down the school year at the end. We couldn’t practice for seven months while we were in Phase 2,” Erwin said. “And there were teams who were practicing illegally. We didn’t, we abided by the guidelines, and we couldn’t have contact. Wrestling’s a contact sport, so these kids were behind the eight ball.
“This senior group has been through a lot, even before the hurricane this year. These guys worked their butts off. We wanted a better outcome than we had this season, but that work pays off in the end. In the long scheme of things, it’s more about the life lessons you learn through wrestling than the actual wrestling.”
Varnado said when the season began post-Ida, his team had five available wrestlers due to hurricane-related issues. As the season rolled along, that number blossomed to 30.
“Dealing with what we’ve dealt with, these guys have proven they want to win, they have the will. They want to get better. So, we just have to give them the space to do what they can do, and they’ll take advantage of. Given everything that’s happened, international pandemic … I don’t think there’s anything these guys will look at now and say ‘that obstacle will stop us from reaching our goals,’” Varnado said.
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