ALTAMONT — Iola High School sophomore Kale Pratt will compete for a state title Friday after qualifying at Saturday’s Region B Class 4 Wrestling Tournament.
Pratt (24-10) qualified for this weekend’s KSHSAA State Wrestling Tournament in Salina in the 157-pound weight class, climbing his way up the tournament bracket until falling in the championship bout to top-seed Cason Wyrick (37-2) of Labette County.
“It feels good making state for the first time. It feels amazing,” Pratt said.
Pratt began the day with a third-period pin of Coffeyville senior De’Ontay Galindo (13-7). He then advanced to the title match after an 8-1 decision over 31-13 Frontenac junior Scott Sloan.
“[Pratt] felt a lot of pressure coming in. He’s worked really hard to get here,” Iola coach John Taylor said. “His journey began long before he got here, and, of course, there’s expectations for him. He lived up to those expectations. I know how hard he works, so to see him achieve his goal was a great moment.”
In the title match, an apparent slip allowed Wyrick to capitalize and pin Pratt in the first period. Despite the early-round loss, Pratt hopes to get another shot at Wyrick this weekend.
“It will be a better match the next time I see him,” Pratt said. “I have a lot to prepare for. I’m definitely going to work on the conditioning aspect. I’m excited for the future of this program, and everybody in it. Hopefully, there will be more (state qualifiers) to come.”
Boren’s bid comes up short
The Mustangs almost had another wrestler make it to the big dance, but 126-pounder Ruger Boren’s run through the tournament bracket hit some speed bumps. Boren opened the tournament by falling to junior Cal Saporito (18-13) of Columbus, then regained his composure by pinning freshman Bryce Ortiz (1-9) of Osawatomie in the first period.
Boren picked up another pin in the first period at the expense of Parsons sophomore Jakerre Green. With only the top four qualifying for state, Boren needed just one more win to punch his ticket. He came up short in the consolation semifinals when 36-8 Frontenac sophomore Kruz Pickle pinned him in the first period.
“I feel good about the day. We have a very, very young team and they performed very well,” Taylor said. “The guys stepped up and performed to the best of their abilities, and that’s all that matters. We’re trying to build for next year, and they took a big step today.”
Despite having significantly fewer competitors than many other regional teams, Iola finished the day 13th overall. That figure comes with much of the team still alive heading into the consolation quarterfinals. Although getting multiple wrestlers at the cusp of qualifying, the Mustangs fell short, but Coach Taylor was impressed by what he saw Saturday.
“It encourages the program a lot. It builds on it,” Taylor said. “A lot of younger kids look up to Kale. When they see him doing this, it makes them want to do it, too. It’s a big step for our program.”
Other results: at 120, junior Trapper Boren (13-22) fell to senior Korbyn Newberry (33-7) via first-period pin, then fell to Parsons sophomore Mario Zacarias (20-11) via 4-0 decision.
At 138, sophomore Evan LaCrone (23-16) opened the tournament with an 11-7 victory over Labette County freshman Zack Caulkins (24-25), then fell to Paola junior Brock Johnson (41-0), then Burlington junior Ryan Hoyt (13-15) via 17-5 major decision.
At 144, freshman Kevon Loving opened by falling via first-period pin to Frontenac junior Cash Wilderman (30-6), then rebounded with a 12-5 decision over junior Tristan McGlothin (12-18), then fell to Coffeyville junior Bryson Fulk (30-15) via 10-0 major decision.
