Senior wrestler finds new ways to push himself

Winning a state wrestling championship took away one of Sam Bryant’s key motivations.

But just because he accomplished that goal last year, the senior isn’t slowing down.

“Winning was even more of a motivation,” said Bryant. “Now that I’ve proved that I’m able to do that, I just want to keep winning, keep getting as good as I can get.”

The 18-year-old capped off last year’s 35-5 season with the 152-pound NCISAA state championship to help SouthLake to a state runner-up finish.

After competing at prep nationals, where he failed to advance beyond the early rounds, he went back to work, focusing on his strength and speed while pushing himself by wrestling against the best competition he could find at offseason tournaments and college camps.

“He’s going to give you everything he’s got,” said SouthLake Christian wrestling coach John Nerness. “He loves challenges. He does not shy away from wrestling tough competition. He looks forward to it.”

Nerness, a former collegiate wrestler at Iowa State, has been impressed by Bryant’s dedication in the last couple of years.

“His work ethic is as high as I’ve ever seen it,” he said. “When he’s down in the wrestling room, he’s very focused. When he drills, he goes hard, he’s focused, and he’s constantly critical on his own style.”

That offseason work allowed Bryant to improve offensively – perfecting his stand-ups as well as his takedown technique – and defensively.

Although he likes to wrestle on bottom, Bryant is constantly on the attack, looking to set up his offense and to wear out his opponents.

“I try to push the pace as hard as I can until the guy breaks,” said Bryant, the top-ranked private school 160-pounder according to retrorankings.com. “I know I can’t get on top of a guy and I don’t have that special move that I immediately pin them with, so I usually wear guys down.”

That logic has paid off for Bryant, as he started the year 23-0. During that span, he defeated Charlotte Latin’s Matt Bredder, one of his main competitors for an NCISAA state title, as well as East Lincoln’s Jeremy Tarleton, who’s ranked No. 2 in 2A, and Pinecrest’s Rider Excell, who’s ranked third in 4A.

To keep that success going, Bryant said that he needs to work on his technique on top and on getting stronger. But he doesn’t mind putting in the extra work.

“I love the training more than the actual match,” Bryant said. “It’s just more fun for me.”

That dedication has been contagious for the Eagles, who aim to challenge for a state title after finishing second to Charlotte Latin by only seven points last year.

“We didn’t feel like that was our peak,” said Bryant. “We were so close to that state title as a team, so we wanted to keep going, keep the pace high.”

SouthLake returns two other state champions, sophomore 145-pounder Hamilton Hewitt and junior 126-pounder Chris Green, but the Eagles have been slowed by injuries. Hewitt, who’s recovering from a sports hernia, has only wrestled nine matches early this year.

The team, which started the season 19-10 overall, also lacks depth in the heavier classes.

Bryant said that many of his teammates have shown tremendous potential, including eighth-grader 106-pounder Dylan Boone (22-5) and senior 182-pounder Gant Allen (25-3).

Senior Brian Jones, who placed third at states in the 182-pound class, is having a strong year, going 23-1 at 195 to start the season.

Bryant said he’s been impressed by the hard work that the younger wrestlers, including sophomores Adam Edwards and Kyle Summer, are putting in.

“If everybody performs the way I know we can, I think it’ll turn out well,” said Bryant. “We have a lot of guys with a lot of potential. Last year, not everybody wrestled to the highest they could. If that happens this year, we could take the state title.”

Nerness said that Bryant sets a good example for the team. Bryant often pulls younger wrestlers aside to tell them his story – how he saw little success early in his career but was able to use that as motivation to turn it around through hard work.

“He’s trying to spread that success to other kids,” said Nerness. “That’s leaving a legacy, and I admire him for that.”

Bryant also hopes to leave behind another state title. If he places at states, Bryant hopes that his return to the national prep tournament, which will be held on Feb. 22-23 at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, will go better his second time around.

Nerness hopes that Bryant’s work will be rewarded by winning some matches, and maybe even placing at the competitive tournament. He also hopes Bryant earns a shot to wrestle in college.

“He just started to reach his potential,” said Nerness. “He’s a late-bloomer. ... His work ethic has always been there, but it’s finally starting to pay off.”