How a tremendous work ethic has Ballard's Brody Sampson aiming for a state wrestling title

Brody Sampson was not worried about who he was wrestling during the Ballard boys wrestling team's Raccoon River Conference dual against Carlisle during senior night on Thursday.

Sampson has been ranked No. 1 at 190 pounds in Class 2A all season. He is coming off a state runner-up finish in 2A at 182, and he is taking things to another level this season.

His entire mantra since arriving at Ballard last season has been to outwork his opposition, so he is ready to take on all challengers.

“He never knows who he’s wrestling,” said Ballard coach Casey Christensen. “He doesn’t look ahead. He doesn’t look at rankings and we don’t talk about it. If I tell him we’ve got somebody tough tonight he’s like, 'OK,' and then goes out and wrestles.”

Sampson faced somebody tough on Thursday. Carlisle's Asa Hemsted entered the meet ranked No. 3 at 175 in 3A, and he moved up a class to face Sampson.

The two wrestlers went toe-to-toe in a hard-fought battle for three periods. In the end, Sampson managed to prevail by a 9-5 score to stay perfect on the season at 35-0.

He was not pleased with his performance. But he found a way to get the job done.

“His mentality is 'Nobody is tougher (than me)',” Christensen said. “He’s kind of that old-school I’m going to work harder than you, whether that’s at practice, on the mat or out in the field.”

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Being out in the field helped Sampson build up that toughness. He grew up doing a lot of farm work in the Maxwell area.

“I did a little bit of everything," Sampson said. "Bailing hay, tractor rides, putting in fences, herding cattle and shoveling manure.”

All of that helping out on farms gave Sampson a tremendous work ethic. In his first two years of high school, Sampson placed eighth and fifth at state in 1A wrestling at 182 for Collins-Maxwell.

But he knew he could accomplish more. In the summer before his junior year, he was wrestling with Christensen's sons, Gabe and Henry, and decided to make a move.

“He was talking about coming to Ballard," said Henry Christensen. "We said we were going to be doing some practices, come and join us. He said these are hard practices. He was gassed and out of shape. He said this is what I needed, so he came here and hasn’t looked back.”

Sampson went 51-3 at 182 for Ballard last season. He made it to the 2A state finals before falling to undefeated defending champion C.J. Walrath of Burlington Notre Dame.

That success has motivated him to do even better this season.

“It does give you confidence,” Sampson said. “But at the end of the day, you’ve got to remember it’s wrestling — you can’t take a day off.”

Sampson went up to wrestle at the freestyle nationals in Fargo, North Dakota over the summer. He was not happy with his performance, so he just kept pushing to get better.

When he entered his senior season of high school, Sampson was ready to go for a state championship.

“He was just tough last year,” Henry Christensen said. “This year he’s pushed it to the next level.”

Henry Christensen was also state runner-up last year. He placed second in 2A at 220.

More: Henry Christensen gives Ballard a potential state wrestling champion at 215

With Henry just one weight class above Sampson, they naturally became sparring partners in the Ballard wrestling room.

“It helps that he’s a little bit heavier, because it makes me stronger,” Sampson said. “I enjoy that aspect. We’re always bashing heads together, so that keeps the intensity of the room high.”

Sampson said he has improved in every area this season. He is better on his feet and stronger on both top and bottom on the mat.

“He’s really steady,” Casey Christensen said. “I don’t think he’s ever feeling he can’t wrestle with somebody.”

Now the most important part of the season is upon Sampson and the Bombers. The Raccoon River Conference meet is Saturday at Boone, and then Ballard hosts a 2A regional dual meet on Jan. 30.

State duals take place on Feb. 3 at the Xtream Arena in Coralville, and Ballard will wrestle at the 2A district meet in Story City on Feb. 10 to determine who goes on to state. The traditional state tournament takes place from Feb. 14-17 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Being a returning state finalist and undefeated with a No. 1 ranking, Sampson will have a big target on his back for the first time heading toward state. But as his coach said, that does not bother him one bit.

“The hard part of the season is done,” Sampson said. “It’s all fun from here.”

Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Undefeated Ballard wrestler Brody Sampson is aiming for a state title