By Jayden Mies
Freelance reporter
Special to the Tribune
Pratt wrestling coaches honored
Pratt High School brought home two state champions from the recent 2025 State Wrestling Tournament in Salina. Taye Wilson won the title at 175 lbs. in 4a boys competition, while Wendy Candia won gold in the girls 130 lbs. division. To top off the exciting weekend, head coaches from both the Pratt girls and boys divisions were named Outstanding Coaches of the Year in Sportsmanship by the Kansas Wrestling Officials Association. Kendall Miller is the coach of the Greenback girls team, and Anthony Brown is the coach of the Greenback boys’ wrestling team
The 4A State Tournament in Salina on Friday, February 28 – Saturday, March 1 was truly a year for Pratt athletes, coachs, fans, and supporters to remember. This year, the girls sent seven wrestlers, while the boys sent three.
On the girls’ side, Taylor Creadick started things off for the Lady Greenbacks in the 115 lbs. division. She ended up losing her first round matchup but then bounced back and won her next two. Unfortunately, Creadick’s season was ended with a loss in the third round of consolation. However, she scored 6 points for Pratt. Next was Gabriella Cervantes, who unfortunately lost her only two matches against tough opponents in 120 lbs.
Gracelyn Hembree had a very impressive performance in the state tournament. She wrestled in 125 lbs. and began the tournament by pinning her first opponent and then winning her second match in a narrow 2-0 victory. Her next match was against a wrestler from Wellsville, and Hembree lost in a heartbreaking 0-1 final score. This sent her to the consolation bracket, where she fought all the way back, pinning her last two opponents, to claim third place in her weight class. In total, she scored 20 team points.
Wendy Candia, who had an undefeated senior record, was able to finish it off by winning the 130 lbs. She was able to breeze through her first three matches, pinning each of her opponents in under two minutes. She was then in the championship match, which she was able to win by a final decision of 7-3. Candia was the lone state champion of the Lady Greenbacks, and she tallied 28 team points.
Brylee Richardson wrestled hard in 140 lbs., but her season was ended after she posted a 1-2 record. Her one win was a pin, and she scored 3 points for the team. Pratt’s last placer was Miranda Webb, who competed in the 145 lbs. class. She won her first match but then lost her second by a 1-4 decision. Webb stayed determined, however, as she was able to win the next four matches to claim third place in her division. These included three pins, as well as a win by an 11-8 decision. Webb scored 22 points for Pratt.
Lastly, Jade Baker fought hard in 155 lbs., as she posted a 2-2 record that included a win by fall and a win by tech fall. She scored 6.5 team points.
With these performances, Pratt ended up placing 3rd as a team, only losing to Tonganoxie and Fort Scott. Being one of the smallest schools in 4A, this was a tremendous accomplishment for a relatively young squad, and they will only look to go up from here.
On the boys’ side, all three wrestlers ended up placing in their respective weight classes.
First was Blake Winsor, who wrestled in 157 lbs. He started the tournament off by collecting two wins in his first two matches. These were both pins as well. His next match was against a tough opponent from Tonganoxie, and Winsor lost by a heartbreaking 1-4 decision.
This put him on the consolation side of the bracket, but he was still determined to place as high as possible.
Winsor was able to do just that, as he took down his last two opponents in tight decisions. His first win was 5-3, and his third place match win was by a final decision of 4-2. He scored 18 team points.
Next was Taye Wilson, who was attempting to end his high school career with a three-peat in state titles. He had a perfect record in his senior season up to the state tournament, and he had yet to meet a serious challenge.
Wilson began by winning his first match by a major decision of 15-2, which advanced him to the quarterfinals. In this match, he collected a 2-minute pin and was able to carry that momentum through the semifinal match, which he won by a tech fall of 22-3. This meant that he would be wrestling again in the state championship match for 175 lbs.
Wilson was able to cap off a legendary career at PHS with this last win. He beat his opponent by a major decision of 13-2, crowning him as the 175 lbs. individual state champion with a final senior season record of 48-0. He scored 27.5 team points.
Pratt’s last wrestler was Raul Perez. He wrestled in the 190 lbs. class, where he had a great performance. Perez unfortunately lost his first match to a wrestler from Chanute, but he was able to bounce back and win three straight matches after. One of these was a pin, one by tech fall, and the last by an exciting sudden victory. He unfortunately lost his next two, but he ended up placing sixth in the division. Perez scored 9.5 team points for Pratt.
These three wrestlers tallied up a combined 55 points for Pratt, which was enough to place the 11th out of 51 teams.
