For the first time ever, Caney Creek has an athlete state champion.

  Senior Joshua Thomas placed first at the two day UIL Boys State Tournament on Feb. 18-19 at the Berry Center in Cypress.

   “It was phenomenal but I didn’t feel satisfied for some reason,” Thomas said. “It is just something in me that just wants to do more and I am definitely gonna do more”

 All year he prepared for state, even before the season started, hitting the gym constantly and practicing in the wrestling room.

“I definitely trained twice as hard,” Thomas said. “I actually was sick at the state tournament but I still worked through because that’s all I have been working for my entire three years.”

Junior Jaden MacKinnon also placed at state coming in sixth. Mackinnon is proud and amazed by Thomas placing first.

“Even though we were excited that he did it, I can’t say I didn’t expect it,” Mackinnon said. “Ever since the CFISD invitational I think we all knew he would be our first state champion, especially since I train with him every day. I felt firsthand how good he really is”

In only six years of the wrestling program being open, both managed to make history. Wrestling Coach Jacob Ferguson states that it is nice to see a kid achieve something big. He hopes to see it more in the future and thinks it’s a wonderful achievement for the school to have.

“We had a lot of kids have a good season,”  Wrestling Coach Jacob Ferguson said. “Joshua had a good season, Jaden too, he took sixth in state. We have never had an underclassmen place in state before. Sophomore Jordan Nance and Emma Lacount took third in the region tournament, we had a lot coming back” 

The wrestling team has been competing against wrestlers in 6A schools making it challenging for them since Caney Creek is currently classified as 5A.

“We have wrestled nothing but the toughest competitions this year,”  MacKinnon said. “Us and like three other schools were 5A while the rest are all 6A at these tournaments”

Thomas tried to take the number one spot at any tournament this year. 

“This year I was aiming only for first,” Thomas said. “Last year, I got knocked out of it. So I’m looking to take all of it.”

Thomas began wrestling his sophomore year and since has improved over past wrestling records. Thomas got 47 wins his first year, which according to Thomas, “It’s the highest win a sophomore has had in Caney Creek’s history.” 

Thomas refers to Mackinnon as his partner. They have been sticking together ever since they started wrestling, Thomas’ sophomore year and Mackinnon’s freshman year. 

Mackinnon believes Thomas’ hard work has paid off and taught him to push himself to work harder.

“Me being a junior who started my freshman year going against these people that have wrestled since they were like 12 or even younger means I have to go grind and always be in the wrestling room” MacKinnon said. “Hard work and pushing myself, that’s how you get better than these kids”

    Thomas will compete at the 33rd annual High School Nationals Friday through Sunday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.

“I feel like nationals is going to be dope,” Thomas said. “It’s going to be cool because it’s the most elite individuals in there that play the sport. It’s just something else, the energy is definitely something else.”