St. Thomas High School claims team crown at 2026 TAPPS Wrestling Championships
St. Thomas High School captured the team championship at the 2026 TAPPS Wrestling Championships on Saturday in League City, behind multiple individual titles and a wrestler of the meet honoree. Bay Area Christian School finished as the team runner-up, while Bishop Lynch High School placed third at the event held at 4800 W. Main St. in League City, Texas.
St. Thomas set the tone in the lower and middle weight classes, turning a string of championship bouts into the foundation of its team title. The Eagles claimed individual gold at 120, 126, 132, 157 and 165 pounds, establishing a consistent presence at the top of the podium through much of the lineup. That balance across several adjacent weight classes gave St. Thomas steady scoring in the team race and ultimately pushed it clear of Bay Area Christian and Bishop Lynch.
At 120 pounds, Pierce Ritchey of St. Thomas not only won his bracket but was also named one of the wrestlers of the meet, underscoring his dominance throughout the tournament. Ritchey’s performance at a pivotal lower weight helped St. Thomas build early separation in the standings, and his title was followed quickly by teammates. At 126, B. Rakhmatov added another championship for St. Thomas, and at 132, J. Vaughn extended the Eagles’ run, giving the program three straight individual champions in the heart of the lineup.
St. Thomas continued to capitalize in the upper middle weights, where 157-pound champion G. Hay and 165-pound champion J. Rank secured additional gold medals. Those results kept pressure on the rest of the field and limited opportunities for challengers to close the gap in the team race. While detailed bout scores and methods of victory were not provided, the concentration of champions in that stretch of the lineup proved decisive in the final team standings.
Bay Area Christian School solidified the runner-up position with a strong presence across multiple brackets. Bay Area Christian was consistently in the mix in championship and placement matches, doing enough collectively to finish second overall. Bishop Lynch High School, which finished third, was highlighted by a pair of individual champions. At 113 pounds, K. Preskitt claimed the title for Bishop Lynch, and at 138 pounds, teammate M. Davilia added another championship, giving the Friars two golds and keeping them in podium contention in the team standings.
First Baptist Christian Academy (FBCA) produced a champion at 106 pounds, K. Vanowen opened the tournament’s roll of champions by taking the first individual crown of the meet. First Baptist Academy (Dallas) added titles at 144 and 150 pounds, with K. Nugent winning at 144 and C. Cox capturing the 150-pound bracket.
In the upper weights, All Saints Episcopal School (ASES) made its mark with back-to-back champions and one of the meet’s top individual performers. At 175 pounds, B. Bedford won the title to start ASES’s late surge. At 190 pounds, TC Willis followed with a championship of his own and was named co-wrestler of the meet alongside Ritchey of St. Thomas, highlighting his impact and dominance in the heavier classes. At 215 pounds, A. Johnston of RCA closed the list of reported champions, adding another school to the group represented at the top of the podium and underscoring the overall depth and balance across programs at this year’s TAPPS championships.
With champions spread across a wide range of schools but clustered team success in key weight ranges, the 2026 TAPPS Wrestling Championships showcased both parity and program depth. St. Thomas’ ability to stack titles in the middle of the lineup proved decisive in claiming the team crown, while Bay Area Christian and Bishop Lynch secured podium finishes through steady scoring and standout individual efforts. With wrestlers of the meet honors going to Ritchey and Willis, the tournament closed with clear individual headliners and a team champion that maximized its opportunities across the brackets.
