Making his mark

BASILE -- To say that Basile standout wrestler Gavin Christ had a great season in 2017-18 would be like saying that Louisiana summers are hotter than hell.
Both are pronounced understatements.
The senior grappler continues to write his name in the Bearcat wrestling history book, hauling in accolade after accolade after his junior campaign.
Christ not only took the Division III individual state title in the 138 lb. weight class, his third title in as many years, but he also was recently named Wrestler of the Year in Louisiana, regardless of division or class by Wrestler Insider Magazine (WIN), a national publication.
Leading up to the state meet, Christ annihilated opponents in his path, racking up an overall record of 62-0. Out of those wins, he recorded 35 falls and eight technical falls.
Christ finished first in 12 tournaments he competed in and was named the Outstanding Wrestler in four of those events, including the Trey Culotta Invitational, the Parkway Lone Survivor Tournament, the Ken Cole Memorial and at the Division III State Championship Tournament.
Oh and by the way, Christ also competed at the LHSAA State Track and Field meet in the pole vault, placing fifth, all while maintaining a 3.2 grade point average and taking dual enrollment classes at LSU-E.
One would think that a young man who has racked up as much hardware as Christ has over this past year, he would ooze arrogance and complacency. However, to meet Christ is to meet one of the humblest, hardest working athletes to ever don the Bearcat tights.
“Being named as Wrestler of the Year is a huge honor for me,” stated Christ. “Medals sit there and collect dust, but honors like this stay in your head forever. It is a humbling experience for me. Now when some younger wrestler sees me at my next match, they can say ‘Hey I saw that dude.’”
“I’m kind of scared now,” he said jokingly.
The biggest thing about Christ’s third state title is that he actually wrestled up in weight class, grappling with competitors that outweighed him by several pounds. When asked what was different about this year as compared to the last two championship seasons, Christ pointed to his workout schedule as the main ingredient to taking down opponents that were bigger and stronger than himself.
“I definitely put in more time training this year than I have in the past,” said Christ. “From mid-July all the way until the beginning of wrestling season, I was practicing five days a week. I would go to Rayne and train with a good friend of mine who is a two time state champion, and he would come here. I guess that would be the biggest difference. I just continued to improve, especially from the last couple of years.”
In the three years he has been on the varsity squad, Christ has racked up an overall record of 133-3. Another state title in 2019 would place him in an elite class in Basile wrestling. But, if Christ does not win another title his senior year, he knows that in his mind, his overall career would not be damaged.
“If I did not win a fourth state title, I definitely would not consider my career a bust,” commented Christ. “Things happen. If I would, knock on wood, get stuck and fall short, I still believe this last three years were the best years of my life. One bad match should not make the man. If I would go out there and lose, I could not change it, so it is no use to cry about it.”
And even if Christ would happen to falter his last year, his reputation would not suffer in the least bit, as colleges are chomping at the bit to have the diligent perfectionist on the mat.
“I just want to go to a place that is going to provide the best education for me,” said Christ. “I want to major in business, and I would love to be at a college in a bigger city, so that I can start my own business in college. Wherever offers me the best opportunity is where I want to be.”
To keep himself on track for his associates degree in Pre-Profession, Christ will spend his senior year on the campus of LSU-E taking more dual enrollment classes. When asked if he will feel left out of the loop on a social level not being on his high school campus, Christ gave a very mature answer.
“That is one of the big sacrifices that I will have to make,” stated Christ. “As a wrestler, you can’t go party every night because you are always in training. I am used to having to give up certain things to become a better person and a better athlete. If you want to win big championships, you have to do big things and that involves sacrifices.”
For now, Christ has a full summer planned. The prolific wrestler will be juggling a full time job with several wrestling camps and competitions.
“I have a week long camp in Tennessee this coming week and then I will be going to (Louisiana) Boy’s State,” said Christ. “From there I will visit Bloomsburg University. Then I will be wrestling in North Dakota for Team USA in a National Tournament. Right now I am working for Frey Construction in Eunice.”
When his career at Basile is all said and done, Christ hopes to leave a legacy behind for those younger wrestlers who hope and dream to become a great champion one day. However, that legacy is not what you would think it is.
“I just want my legacy to be someone who was an all-around good person,” commented Christ. “You can have millions of dollars, but once you die all you are going to have is the memories. So, I mean having everyone remember you as a really good person and someone that helped out the younger kids is probably the best legacy that a person can leave.”