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Practice partners shine: Gryp, Spratt finish 3rd and 4th at State
Gryp gets 1st-period fall in 3rd-place match
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
CORALVILLE — Williamsburg’s Keston Spratt said it best. “Practice partners, they succeed together.”
Spratt and teammate Cecelia Gryp finished fourth and third in their respective weight classes in Class 1A on day two of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Girls State Wrestling Tournament Friday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
Just a weight class apart (125 pounds and 130), the two have spent a lot of time together on the mats this season in practice.
“She’s pushed me a lot, and ever since I’ve been her partner I feel I’ve done a lot better,“ Gryp said. ”We’ve both have helped each other out a lot.“
Their improvement on the mat was evident by the season as a whole, but also in how they finished.
Spratt improved on her sixth-place finish from last season at 120, and Gryp earned her first state medal.
Spratt started Friday in the semifinals against top-seed Grace Storjohann of APGC. Storjohann got a fall in the final seconds of the first period, but Spratt still had plenty to wrestle for in the consolations.
“Even to be able to wrestle in the semifinals was such a blessing and to have a chance to be in the finals,” Spratt said after the defeat. “It was awesome coming into today knowing I can improve from last year.”
Spratt did exactly that, winning by a dominant 18-1 tech in the consolation semifinals to advance to the third-place match.
Osage’s Lauren Adams defeated Spratt in the third-place match, placing Spratt fourth, which is where she was seeded coming in.
Gryp started the day off in the third round consolations with a first-period fall.
A 9-2 decision over Spirit Lake’s Reece Logan in the consolation semifinals sent Gryp into the third place match.
Gryp’s opponent was familiar to her -- Osage’s Ayden Keefe. Gryp won by 4-3 decision in the first round.
They almost met twice in the regular season, splitting the matches.
The match lasted only 48 seconds, but it was active from start to finish.
Both nearly scored take downs in a scramble before Gryp finally got the take down and put Keefe on her backside for the pin.
“I just had to work hard and not care about how tired I am,” Gryp said. “She was about to get me, so I had the use all the strength I had to get her to turn.
“Knowing all the Williamsburg fans were there really helped me on.”
Her emotion after the match showed how much the win meant to Gryp.
AREA RESULTS
Class 1A
125: Keston Spratt (Williamsburg)
Semifinal — Grace Storjohann (APGC) pinned Keston Spratt, 1:58; Consolation semifinal— Keston Spratt (Williamsburg) tech fall Madi McCall (Missouri Valley). 18-1; Third place match— Lauren Adams (Osage) pinned Keston Spratt, 2:48
130: Cecelia Gryp (Williamsburg)
Third round consolation— Cecelia Gryp pinned Sadie Smith (Kuemper Catholic), 1:26; Consolation semifinal — Cecelia Gryp dec. Reece Logan (Spirit Lake). 9-2; Third place match— Cecelia Gryp pinned Ayden Keefe (Osage), :48
