When Brandon McBride takes to the mat in search of a Utah individual state title, the odds are good that he'll win. In fact, the odds are always good that McBride will win, with the senior in the midst of an undefeated senior season that could make the state crown seem like an afterthought.
Regardless of how such a run might appear, McBride is well aware that winning another state title would cement his rather unique legacy. That's because McBride, the star of the Orem (Utah) Olympus High wrestling team, is pushing for something that may never have been accomplished before: He's trying to win four consecutive state titles -- one for each year of his high school eligibility -- in three different states.
As reported by the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune, McBride first began wrestling long before his high school years, training with his father from the time he was 5. By the time McBride was a freshman in Idaho, he was ready to dominate. During his first campaign, McBride went 41-0 en route to an Idaho state title. A year later, the budding wrestler won a state crown in Illinois after his father moved the family, and the senior matched that feat in 2010-11, when he won a state title in Utah.
Now McBride is trying to defend a state crown for the first time, all after avenging the lone loss he's had in the Beehive State since moving to Utah before his senior year of high school.
"I just wanted to excel wherever I was," McBride told the News. "I knew I was capable.
"No mental mistakes. Just keep my eye on my goal."
Given his track record, it seems McBride is a safe bet to advance deep into the Utah state tournament, and likely finish with another state crown. After all, McBride has kept his eye on that goal three times before, which is no small feat in three different states.
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