PCHS Bulletin – Paige Harlow
Date Published - March 13, 2026
The wrestling season concludes with four wrestlers qualifying for the state championship at the Silver Springs Arena in Kissimmee from March 5-7.
Senior Kaja Williams is the first two-time qualifier in program history. Last year, Williams qualified but did not place at the championship, which foreshadowed her prospects for this season. This year, Williams not only qualified, but placed 7th and had the huge accomplishment of breaking 100 career wins.
In an interview with Williams, she explains that the hardest part during her wrestling journey was persisting after placing 4th at regionals and districts as she didn’t think she would qualify for states.
Williams hopes that her success in this program will inspire more girls in the future and hopes to see them advance and place higher with even more career wins than Williams.
Williams is continuing her wrestling career on a scholarship, stating, “I am between Tiffin and Upper Iowa, I have one more visit to do and then I am going to commit.”
Williams has had a fantastic season with her work ethic, determination, and consistency, certainly paying off.
Additionally, the boys made school history by sending three to the state championship including Seniors Nikolai Krywko, Mar 'Keyon Maxwell and Junior Jack Creaser.
Maxwell qualifying as a first-year wrestler is an accomplishment in itself that happens very rarely. Coach Tyler Small states, “Keyon has made tremendous improvements since the beginning of the season, allowing him to close the gap against his close competitors and punch his ticket to the state tournament.”
Creaser had a late start to the season but started to trend on an upward path after the Moscowitz IBT in which he knocked off several opponents. Small explains, “With this momentum and the work that he put in during the off-season, he was able to make a run in the postseason to the state tournament getting out of the toughest weight class in our region.”
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Creaser could not participate in the state competition, but this accomplishment sets him up extremely well for next season.
Nikolai Krywko finished 3-2 and also took home an impressive 7th place. This is Krywko’s second year on varsity, and he leaves his wrestling career with a remarkable 84 career wins. Krywko explains how wrestling has shaped him as a person outside of the sport, “It has helped me with discipline and staying committed to things, and having a better outlook on things and realizing that you don’t really get what you want the first time so you need to keep trying and failing just allows a better perspective of what to do differently.” Krywko plans to attend MTC for firefighting as well as EMT.
Coach Small explained in a post and said of Williams and Krywko, “Both of these wrestlers have put in countless hours, blood, sweat, and tears and earned every ounce if their accomplishments.”
The road to states began with the Manatee County Championship meet on February 7. Krywko was the varsity champion, finishing the day 4-0 with 3 pins. Additionally, JV champions included wrestlers Jack Hooper, Kaiden Escher, James Kleiner, Alijah Ball, and Dominic Gomes.
The Bulls then battled Lakewood Ranch on February 11 for senior night. The meet was closely fought with Lakewood Ranch coming out on top due to qualifications, a tie breaker. Seniors also participated in a small ceremony to recognize their achievements on the mat.
The girls started their state series run with districts on February 13 which sent Williams and wrestler Zoelie Bui to advance to regionals. Regionals took place on February 22 where Williams punched her state ticket.
The boys started their state series run with districts and regionals on February 19 and 27 respectively. The boys earned the district runner up trophy with 12 out of 14 wrestlers advancing to regionals. Krywko took second, while Maxwell and Creaser each took third at regionals to punch their state tickets.
The accomplishments of this season speak to the level of dedication of the coaching staff and program itself.
Coach Small also runs the Pitbull Wrestling Club as an opportunity for all experiences and age levels 13+. Practices start at the end of March and run through July. Small said in a Facebook post that the biggest regret he hears from his seniors is that they wish they started sooner. So, this is an opportunity for current and upcoming wrestlers to hone in on their skills for next season.
Between this and open mats in the fall, wrestlers have the opportunity to stay active and prepare for their season.