Wrestling Under the Stars

Posted November 4, 2015 / Last updated November 4, 2015

A Dual Meet Between Jesuit and St. Paul’s Takes Place Thursday Night at John Ryan Stadium

John Ryan Stadium will be the backdrop Thursday for Jesuit’s first outdoor dual wrestling meet.

The Blue Jays’ varsity wrestling team opens the 2015-16 season Thursday evening, Nov. 5, against St. Paul’s with a rare dual meet that will unfold under the stars and in the open air of Jesuit’s John Ryan Stadium.

Spectators will gather under the stadium’s grandstand and enjoy a near perfect perspective of the action taking place below on Alumni Field. The wrestling mats will cover what is normally baseball’s home plate area.

First match unfolds at 6 p.m. Students from Jesuit and St. Paul’s will be admitted for $3 with their school IDs. Admission is $5 for adults and students from other schools, and $3 for children (ages 6-11). Several junior varsity wrestling events get underway at 5 p.m.

The dual meet for the varsity squad will be televised on a delayed basis by WHNO-TV (Channel 20 or 1020 on Cox Cable) on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 3 p.m. Additionally, this event will be streamed live on SportsNola.com.

Jesuit head wrestling coach Sheridan Moran

Credit Jesuit’s Sheridan Moran, who is in his first year as head coach of the widely-acclaimed Blue Jays’ wrestling program, with the idea of staging an outdoor event for grapplers, something that many colleges and universities already do.

“I thought it would be a neat way to promote our wrestling program and get everybody in the Jesuit community excited about the new season,” said Coach Moran, who also teaches biology to freshmen. “To experience a wrestling event outdoors should attract more of our students and promote school spirit. I also think that meets held outside might evoke feelings of nostalgia, particularly among our alumni wrestling corps. What we’re doing is fairly similar to the staging of outdoor boxing matches a long time ago.”

For the past four consecutive years (2012-2015), Jesuit wrestling teams have been runners-up at the LHSAA state tournament. Jesuit wrestling teams have captured 23 state championships. The first was back in 1951 and the most recent state title was in 2009. Jesuit’s wrestling program has produced 145 individual state champions, who won 171 individual state championships. Three of those individual titles were won in the 2014-15 season.