GARNETT — Kale Pratt was well aware of his opponent’s strategy Saturday as he wrestled for the 157-pound division championship at the Anderson County Invitational.
Scott Sloan of Frontenac, unable to get control of the Iola sophomore, instead rushed his opponent repeatedly.
As they collided, the momentum would push Pratt out of bounds, giving Sloan a penalty point each time.
“It was kind of a good strategy,” Iola wrestling coach John Taylor said afterward. “The referee kept falling for it.”
That made for a tense final minute as Pratt — courtesy of takedowns in each of the first two periods — still led 7-6.
As the seconds wound down, Sloan charged ahead, again and again.
But this time, Pratt was able to stay centered well within bounds, keeping his one-point victory as time expired.
The victory is another watershed moment for Iola High’s young wrestling squad, giving Pratt his first career tournament victory, and the team’s first tournament title of the young season.
“This is a big win for him to get first place in a 19-team tournament,” Taylor said. “Frontenac’s a very good team over there. The kid he beat was one match away from making it to state last year. This will help Kale not only mentally, but also with seeding when we see these guys again at regionals.”
An exhausted Pratt agreed.
“I was able to score in the beginning, but I got kind of worn out,” he said. “The last half of the match was just being defensive. It was tough. Everyone was tired. I was just trying to win a match.”
PRATT’S late drama was hardly the only highlight.
Mustang sophomore Evan LaCrone went 4-1 to secure third place in the 138-pound bracket, while freshman Kevon Loving took fourth at 144 pounds and junior Trapper Boren — the squad’s only upperclassman — finished fifth at 113 pounds. Sophomore Ruger Boren took sixth at 120.
“Evan stepped up and won some big matches all day long,” Taylor said. “He didn’t have a bad match in the semis, but in every other match he was aggressive and got some pins.
“For Kevo, it was really his first time out at a varsity tournament,” Taylor continued. “The two kids he lost to were state qualifiers last year. For him to get fourth out of 19 is great. This is a learning experience for him. Now he knows where he needs to be at the end of the year. As a freshman, that’s something you don’t really know until you get in there.”
