Wrestling: Lockport’s Brayden Thompson named Co-Wrestler of the Year

LOCKPORT – In college sports, Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame are the kings in football, while Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas are among the elite basketball programs.

In wrestling, one school stands out. Oklahoma State.

It stands to reason that if the Cowboys are interested in a wrestler, he must be elite.

That is the case for Lockport’s Brayden Thompson. The junior 170-pounder recently committed to Oklahoma State after finishing the 2021-22 season undefeated (45-0) and winning a Class 3A individual state championship. That mark helped him earn the Herald-News’ Co-Wrestler of the Year honor, alongside Joliet Catholic Academy’s Dillan Johnson.

“That is 100% my dream school,” Thompson said. “I have gone to their camps in Stillwater since I was 9, 10 years old, so they knew my name and that I was interested. When they offered, I accepted right away.”

Josh Oster recently stepped down as Lockport’s wrestling coach, but with athletes such as Thompson returning, he knows the program is in good hands.

“Brayden is very aware of what he needs to do,” Oster said. “It’s not uncommon to see him doing extra work on his own. I have been very fortunate to coach a lot of champions, and they all have that self-discipline that Brayden has.

“He is also a leader in the practice room. When we let the kids run the warmups, he is one of the ones that steps up to lead them. Or he will grab a kid and say that he saw something in his last match or give advice. It’s definitely not uncommon to see him working with teammates in order to make them better.”

Thompson possesses an extreme belief in himself and his abilities, but it doesn’t come across as cockiness or arrogance. He just knows that he is better than the person he is wrestling.

“Even when we went to the Powerade Tournament in Pennsylvania [five of the top seven ranked wrestlers in the country in Thompson’s weight class were participating], I still felt like I had a good shot to win. It doesn’t matter who’s in the bracket or who I might meet up with, I have confidence in myself that I will win. I just have to get ready and get my mind right.”

Thompson has been wrestling since he was 6 years old.

“I loved it from the beginning,” he said. “We aren’t really a wrestling family, but it was something I wanted to try, and I stuck with it.

“I like to work hard. They say that talent doesn’t beat hard work. Wrestling shows who is working the hardest. That’s why I work hard. I don’t want the other guys to be working when I am not.”

That hard work and belief in himself have helped him keep a promise he made a couple of years ago to anyone who would listen.

“I lost in the state quarterfinals my freshman year,” he said. “That was tough. I had hoped to be a four-time state champion. So I made a promise to myself and everyone around me that that would be the last match I lose in high school. So far, I haven’t broken it.”

Thompson sees his strength as a wrestler as being on the mat.

“I am pretty good at mat wrestling,” he said. “That’s where I excel the most. I have confidence that I can wear the other guy down by not letting him up, and that sets me up for a win later when he’s tired.

“It kind of depends on how the match is going. I go in with a game plan, but if something else presents itself, I will do that. I might feel good about a low single-leg takedown during warmups, but if he’s guarding against that and leaves something else open, I am going to take the opening.”

Oster feels that Thompson has what it takes to compete at Oklahoma State’s level.

“He has a great profile for a high-level Division I wrestler,” he said. “So much of it is luck and staying healthy, but with how Brayden wrestles and with his work ethic, I believe he can succeed at that level.”

Thompson finished this season with a 49-0 record after his wins in the dual team state tournament, where Lockport finished third. Finishing first next year is another goal of his.

“I was on a crazy-good Montini team my freshman year, and we won the title,” Thompson said. “Winning state kind of comes with the territory at Montini. I hope we can get back next year and bring home a state title. I know I will grab anyone during practice and work with them to make them better for the team and for themselves. I like to give the benefit of what I know to my friends.”