By Ken Trahan, Crescent City Sports
With the recent promotion of Eric DesOrmeaux to the position of Chief of School, Holy Cross will have new leadership for its storied wrestling program this fall.
Dylan Azinger has been named as the new head wrestling coach of the Tigers while Landon Williams will be the Director of Wrestling Operations.
Both Azinger and Williams wrestled at Division III national power Wartburg College and are from the wrestling-crazed, wrestling-rich state of Iowa. Both Azinger and Williams have been working with DesOrmeaux and the program since 2015 at Holy Cross.
“It’s a lot of work I put into my career to fulfill my dream of being a head coach,” Azinger said. “It is a great opportunity to continue a great tradition and to build the best program in the state and region and to become a national power. It starts with our youth program, getting kids engaged early, teaching them and growing it. I’ve wanted to be a head coach and this is a great place to have the chance. I didn’t know it would be in Louisiana and this is great.”
Azinger has been in love with the sport from a young age.
“My dad and uncle were both All-Americans at Ilinois and Central Iowa respectively and I have been around it all of my life and love it,” Azinger said. “We really want to take it to the next level. We have a great administration in place to foster success. There is much to be done and much responsibility in being a head coach. I feel I am ready for the challenge.”
DesOrmeaux is thrilled with his promotion and honored to have worked with a great program at his alma mater.
“I am grateful for the opportunity,” DesOrmeaux said. “I came in and we had 11 participants. It definitely gave me an opportunity to start a great program over again. I told the headmaster that I would bring a state title back to the school I remember Mr. Charlie DiGange walking into a board meeting and saying that we will bring a state title home but we have to build a facility for the boys. They did and we did. I have had the opportunity to coach some great kids. We had goals reached and now we reload annually.”
DesOrmeaux is confident that he is leaving the program in great hands.
“I was fortunate enough to bring Dylan and Landon into the program,” DesOrmeaux said. “They knew wrestling. I’ve had three years. There is no doubt they will do a great job. There is no doubt that they know more wrestling than I do coming out of Iowa. They know how to become a Holy Cross coach. They are not alumni but neither was Brother Melchior (Polowy). I hired two people to replace me. Dylan will focus on the varsity while Landon will look over the entire program.”
A 1995 graduate of Holy Cross, DesOrmeaux guided the Tigers to four state championships including in 2009 and 2013 (Division II) 2011 (Division III) and 2017 (Division I).
Holy Cross has won 28 state wrestling championships, the most in Louisiana history. Polowy guided Holy Cross to 22 of its state championships while Ed Kavanaugh coached the Tigers to a pair of state titles.