Wiping their sweat off their brows, and shooting to advance to the final match in a very special 20th year at Jesuit for Coach Ryan Menard, the Jesuit Wrestling team fought hard in the back half of the season into the postseason to achieve success.
Cougar Classic
On January 16 the Rangers traveled to the Colony where three Rangers managed to place. Two sophomores Kingston Stephens ’26 earned the best performance at second and Luke Bloodworth ’26 earned a fourth place finish, being narrowly defeated with a last-minute pin in his third-place match. Oliver Collins ’24 placed third, coming back from a fall in the first round to go undefeated for the rest of the day.
Berkner Senior Night
For their next match, the team faced Berkner on senior night, when the Rangers went on to have a stunning 72-0 victory over the Rams. Celebrating Seniors Pablo Lopez, Oliver Collins, Spencer Broussard, and Nicholas Westerheid all had their hands raised at the end of the night with all of the Ranger’s wins being by fall.
The Frank Hollaran Ranger Classic
Packed full of schools, the home tournament for Jesuit has always been a tough one, with 24 teams in attendance. However, through the halls of Jesuit, between the gyms and the frigid gap between the main building and the Terry center, the Rangers came together to finish at 15th place with two placers: Kingston Stephens and Oliver Collins. Both wrestlers again placed, with Stephens at third and Collins at fourth.
The Bishop Lynch Duel
While the rivalry between Jesuit and Bishop Lynch may not be played in most sports, it still takes place on the mat every year. Coming off a long winning streak against the Rangers in their previous matchups, the Friars went into the duel with a very talented lineup that had made numerous victories in TAPPS. After winning the coin flip, the Rangers sent 215-pound Parker Sherman ’26 up a weight class into the 285-pound division, surrendering the 215 weight class to potentially win at 285.
The Rangers did just that, putting the duel score at 6-6. After 106-pound Kingston Stephens won his match by technical fall, the lead increased to 11-6.
After a strong start for the Rangers, the Friars went on a 5-match winning streak, putting up 22 points, with Dash Llana ’26 and Alex Shomin ’26 holding their opponents to 1 match point decision wins, keeping the Friars at only four team points. The score now sat at 26-11 for the Friars.
144-pound Pablo Lopez ’24 would break this streak with a strong 12-4 major decision win, creating an opportunity for the Rangers to come back and energize the team. 157-pound Oliver Collins ’26 would begin that process with a quick one-minute pin against the Friars. If the Rangers wanted to win they would have to win out their last three matches.
Jake Daboub ’25 would step up to the mat and deliver another blow to the Friars with a fall in the third period. The Rangers again decreased the margins by five, narrowing the score to only 32 Bishop Lynch to 27 Jesuit.
The fate of the duel now rested on Trevor Leap ’26 and Luke Bloodworth ’24. Leap would lay the hammer down on his opponent, winning in a first-period fall. The Rangers would hold their lead at 32-31. It came down to the last match, where Bloodworth put forward one of his best matches against a talented Bishop Lynch wrestler, winning in a 4-2 decision.
The final score was 35-31 for the Jesuit Rangers.
UIL 5-6A District Tournament
The district tournament is the gateway to the postseason, and the team took that opportunity and ran with it in Rockwall-Heath. To advance to the Regional Tournament in Allen, a wrestler needs to place fourth in their bracket, and six Jesuit Wrestlers managed to do so. Kingston Stephens ’26 had one of the best matches of the night to win first place in the tournament, beating a Heath wrestler in a 5-1 decision. Both Luke Bloodworth ’26 and Oliver Collins ’24 placed third with dramatic wins in the quarterfinals to solidify their spots. Pablo Lopez ’24, Alex Shomin ’24, and Spencer Broussard ’24 all placed fourth to advance onto Allen.
“It felt unreal, like it was straight out of a movie.” -Kingston Stevens ’26 on winning districts
UIL 2-6A Regional Tournament
Of the six Ranger wrestlers to make it to the Regional Tournament, Kingston placed fifth, leading him to be an alternate option at the State Tournament. Although no Rangers wrestled at state, the team overall had an incredible performance, especially by the senior and sophomore classes.
Stay tuned to The Roundup for the 2024-25 wrestling season’s news and events!
