LAFAYETTE, La. — For Saint Thomas More wrestling, a second-place finish at last year’s Division II state tournament could have been viewed as a breakthrough.
It marked the program’s best finish in school history and included a pair of individual state champions. By most measures, it was a successful season.
But for STM, it wasn’t enough.
One year after finishing as state runner-up, the Cougars returned with a different mindset one focused not on what they had accomplished, but on what they believed was still out of reach. That approach paid off as STM captured the 2025 LHSAA Division II wrestling state championship, the first team title in program history.
Senior Enzo Lopez was one of several wrestlers who carried last season’s disappointment into the offseason. Lopez finished second at state a year ago, a result he said he accepted but never forgot.
“I went in thinking I could win, but I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Lopez said. “I wasn’t mad about second place, but there was always something greater to get, and that was the gold medal.”
Junior Jonas Repstock entered the season with a different perspective. Repstock won an individual state championship last year, but said past success did not change expectations.
“I’ve always been told the next day, the score is 0-0,” Repstock said. “You still have to do everything the right way. At the end of the day, you’ve got to keep working.”
The Cougars also relied on younger contributors. Sophomore Walker Peugh entered the season battling two injuries and did not return to the mat until about a month before the state tournament.
“I was really out of shape in the beginning,” Peugh said. “I just wrestled as hard as I could and did what I could in that one month.”
As the season progressed, STM found its rhythm. Wrestlers bought into head coach Kerry Boumans’ message of daily improvement, and the team’s depth and discipline showed at the state tournament. In the finals, the Cougars delivered a decisive performance, capped by a technical fall that sealed the team championship.
For Lopez, the title carried deeper meaning.
“Coming into this team my freshman year, I didn’t even know if I wanted to wrestle,” Lopez said. “Now my name’s going to be on the wall permanently. That feels great.”
For STM wrestling, last season showed what was possible. This season proved it was achievable.
The climb is complete. The job is finished for now.
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