Burrell wrestling program mourns loss of Shawn, Edward DesLauriers

By: Michael Love
Sunday, January 16, 2022 | 6:19 PM

Dakota DesLauriers was on hand Friday at Burrell High School to watch the current crop of Bucs wrestlers take on Kiski Area in the annual nonsection matchup of neighboring rivals.

As he watched the match unfold, he paused several times to think about his own contributions to those series of matches and the overall tradition of Burrell wrestling.

That tradition was fueled and kept alive, in large part, because the energy and dedication of Dakota’s father, Shawn, and his grandfather, Edward.

“I started messing around with wrestling when I was really young, and I would go up to the wrestling practices with my dad and run around,” said Dakota, who followed in his uncle Joel’s footsteps when in 2013, he won a PIAA state championship.

“My mom was talking about having me at the matches and me trying to run out on the mat. We were watching (Burrell coach Josh Shields’) little one running around (Friday), and it brought me back to those times and all the great times in wrestling I shared with my dad, my uncles and the rest of my family.”

Edward DesLauriers, well known by his ‘Frenchy’ nickname, and Shawn DesLauriers passed away Dec. 16 and Jan. 5, respectively.

Edward succumbed to a bone infection. He was 70. Shawn died of complications from covid. He was 53.

Edward DesLauriers wrestled at and graduated from Valley High School and helped establish a strong Burrell wrestling foundation a number of years later by starting what is known as Burrell Youth Wrestling.

He started the annual Burrell Super Trophy Tournament that now bears his name.

The youth program produced many talented Bucs competitors and helped spur Shawn’s development in the sport.

Shawn DesLauriers graduated from Burrell in 1986 but not before he crafted a standout high school career that included a pair of trips to states.

His focus soon turned to coaching, and he worked at his alma mater as an assistant under Tom Henderson before becoming Burrell’s head coach in 1995.

Shawn’s three-year head-coaching stint was full of accomplishments, the most notable being Burrell’s first WPIAL team title in 1997.

Brothers also shared a bond as Shawn helped coach Joel, who is 10 years younger, to the program’s first individual state championship.

“I remember hearing a ton of great stories about that season,” Dakota said.

One of Dakota’s other uncles, Ryan, also wrestled in the Burrell program.

“Watching my uncle and all of his teammates wrestle and my dad coach, I thought they were superheroes,” Dakota said.

“They were larger than life. My dad got me excited to follow the path of the older Burrell wrestlers I saw, and through his passion for Burrell and the sport in general, I wanted to achieve my own successes.”

Former Burrell standout Chris Como, a soon-to-be-inducted Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Famer, coached under Shawn DesLauriers and took the reins of the varsity program in 1999. He found his own success with 141 wins and four WPIAL team titles.

“Shawn was a great friend and colleague to me, and he had a lot of passion for the sport. It was that same passion his dad (Frenchy) had through all his contributions to the program,” Como said.

“It showed in the approach to how they built up the program and where the program stands today. I am really feeling the pain, as is everyone connected to the program. But their spirit for Burrell wrestling will live on in every wrestler who will take to the mat.”

As Burrell’s success continued into the 2000s — the Bucs, under Como, captured the program’s second WPIAL title in 2004 — Shawn DesLauriers continued to serve Burrell wrestling at the youth levels and worked his way up to the middle school.

The Bucs soon started what has become a record 15-year WPIAL team title streak in 2007. Shields, a Burrell grad and PIAA finalist in 2006, joined the streak as coach in the 2012-13 season.

Shields said he always will remember the lessons he learned from the members of the DesLauriers family, including Shawn.

“Shawn was fiercely loyal to Burrell wrestling,” Shields said.

“He would sacrifice anything for his wrestlers. His work, his family and wrestling were three of his main priorities in his life. He didn’t have many free hours in the day. You couldn’t help but feed off his passion and energy. That’s what his wrestlers, including Dakota, felt. That is something that I someday hope to pass on to my son.

“I always remember the tough love he had for those who wrestled for him. He was hard-nosed, and he wanted you to accomplish above and beyond your potential. If you accomplished your goals, he was the first person there to give you a big hug and tell you, ‘Good job.’ If you were down or struggling, he was right there for you, as well. He always knew that talent would get you only so far, but it was toughness that got you over the top. That’s what we try to instill in each one of our kids. That is what the DesLauriers family passed down to us.”

As Shawn continued to coach, he followed Dakota’s rise through the Burrell wrestling ranks.

“When I went into middle school, he became the middle school coach for a couple of years,” Dakota said.

“For a good while, when I was in high school, he was still the middle school coach, and he would help groom a lot of the guys who would help keep going what I feel has become a dynasty. He always said, ‘I Bleed Blue.’ That was his famous quote, and it was so true.”

Shawn was in Hershey, front and center, on March 9, 2013, as Dakota brought home the Class AA 182-pound state title after earning seventh-, third-, and runner-up medals in his first three attempts.

It was Dakota’s final high school match before moving on to Division I Mercyhurst.

“It was a pretty amazing feeling to share that moment with my dad, other family members and others from Burrell,” Dakota said.

“I remember running up into the stands and hugging him. It was something that I feel both he and I were hoping and pushing for. It was such an emotional feeling for both of us. He was always helping me stay motivated and showing me what I needed to do to excel. He knew what it took. He had been there and had experienced it all with my uncle Joel. It took a lot of focus and discipline and determination, and he was a big help in that, along with coach Shields, coach Como and Isaac Greeley.”

Moments of silence for Edward and Shawn DesLauriers were observed at not only Friday’s match with Kiski Area but also at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association tournament a week earlier.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell