Find out what made North DeSoto wrestling something special this week

The North DeSoto wrestling program might have set a regional record for the sport this week with three senior wrestlers from the school signing to compete at the collegiate level. The group, headlined by LHSAA state champion Jacob Kershaw , signed individual papers in a ceremony early this week at the school. Kershaw is headed to Central Oklahoma, while William Erdelac will compete for Ferrum University in Virginia and Connor Locke chose Ouachita Baptist.

Griffins coach Dustin Burton said he isn’t aware of another program in the state that has had three wrestlers from one class receive an NCAA option. “Each of these athletes has helped elevate our program and represents the hard work and culture we’ve built here at North DeSoto,” Burton said. “Having three athletes from the same senior class move on to NCAA wrestling is a tremendous accomplishment for our program.

” All three were named to the 2026 Shreveport Times All-Region Wrestling Team. BETTER COACH: Find out how North DeSoto's Jake Kershaw makes Dustin Burton a better coach LHSAA CHAMPS: Several Shreveport area wrestlers capture LHSAA state championships ALL-REGION: Check out the 2026 Times boys, girls All-Region wrestling teams Kerhaw, a 138-pound wrestler, won the LHSAA state title in February in the Brookshire Grocery Arena at the LHSAA state finals while finishing with a 168-23 career record. Central Oklahoma offers one of the country’s premier Division II wrestling programs under legendary coach David James Steidley.

He lands a kid who was a four-time LHSAA state finalist and an Adidas National Champion who posted a 92% bonus rate this season with 17 technical falls. Kershaw has victories over state champions from nine different states. “We believe Jacob is stepping into a program that perfectly fits his work ethic and competitive mindset, and we expect him to continue finding success at the collegiate level,” Burton said.