How Brody Sampson has benefitted from joining the Ballard wrestling program

Brody Sampson achieved plenty of success during his two seasons wrestling at Collins-Maxwell.

Sampson, a junior, placed in Class 1A at the state wrestling tournament as a freshman and sophomore wrestling at 182 pounds. He took eighth as a freshman and fifth last year.

But his options as a Spartan were limited.

Collins-Maxwell is a program with small numbers. That made it difficult for Sampson to challenge himself at practice. He also struggled to find quality opposition during the season, with so many forfeits at tournaments and duals.

Because of those and other factors, Sampson decided to transfer to Ballard before the start of his junior year.

“The opportunities are endless,” Sampson said of joining the Ballard program. “There are a lot less forfeits and (there are) guys that are going to make you compete and get better.”

Sampson is thriving in his new environment. He entered the week ranked third at 182 in 2A and moved his season record to 38-2 following a pair of victories in a home double-dual meet with Adel-Desoto-Minburn and Van Meter Thursday.

“The season’s been going really well,” Sampson said. “My practice partners have been pushing me and keeping me going.”

More:Strong upper weight classes has Ballard wrestling program looking to make some noise in Class 2A

His Bomber teammates and coaches love having him.

“I think him coming here has been good for a lot of people, including himself,” said Ballard coach Casey Christensen. “Brody has a real intensity on the mat and in the room, yet he’s a little bit of a jokester. Those two things are good for the entire team.”

Sampson fits in perfectly with Christensen's sons — Gabe and Henry. Gabe, a senior, is ranked seventh at 195 and Hery, a sophomore, is fourth at 220.

“That’s a deadly combo to have three of us in a row,” Gabe Christensen said. “He’s a different look than other guys. He’s really good at defense, has nice double-leg takedowns and is farm-strong. The look that he brings helps everyone.”

Sampson relishes getting to face elite competition every day in the Ballard wrestling room when he spars against the Christensen brothers.

“We keep pushing each other,” Sampson said. “They’ve been wrestling for a longtime too. They’ve got a lot more technique to them and we just learn moves off of each other and go back and forth.”

He said it's done wonders for his technique, stamina and confidence.

“I have a lot more endurance than I did last year,” Sampson. “I’ve started getting confidence in my double-legs. My riding has also gotten a lot better and I’ve gotten better on bottom too.”

Sampson believes he can compete with anybody. That was evident during the Jack Mendenhall Invitational earlier this month.

More:How Kyler Hall and Jackson Winkey won championships for Ames at the Jack Mendenhall Invitational

Sampson faced off against Gabe Arnold of Iowa City High. Arnold, ranked No. 1 at 182 in 3A, is an Iowa verbal commit and freestyle national champion who transferred to Iowa City from Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania.

Sampson went toe-to-toe with Arnold for over two periods. It took three late takedowns for Arnold to gain separation before eventually handing Sampson a 14-7 defeat.

“Gabe Arnold is a pretty good wrestler,” Sampson said. “I held my own against him. That’s a confidence booster, that’s for sure.”

Sampson also benefits from the team competition.

Collins-Maxwell had to forfeit so many weight classes the last two years that the Spartans were rarely in contention to win a dual. Ballard can hold its own against a lot of teams in 2A.

“When he steps on the mat he’s wrestling for the team,” Casey Christensen said. “He’s coming out and he knows (other teams) have guys that have to wrestle him."

Sampson helped Ballard to two dominant wins Thursday. He defeated ADM's Karver Sutton by major decision, 11-2, then won a 3-1 decision over eighth-ranked Jackson Boese of Van Meter.

Ballard rolled in both duals, topping ADM 55-10 and Van Meter 63-8.

With the Raccoon River Conference meet coming up this weekend, Sampson will make a run at a conference title and then get ready for regional duals on Jan. 31 and potentially state duals a week from Saturday. Districts follow on Feb. 11 in Huxley, where Sampson hopes to qualify for state once again.

“You don’t want to make any bold predictions, but I think he can wrestle with anybody,” Casey Christensen said. “I think he’s tough and when he’s in the right mindset, he’s pretty hard to beat.”

Sampson has big goals for the end of the season and beyond.

“I want to place higher at state than I did last year,” Sampson said. “The championship is always the end goal. I just want to keep working. If I don’t get it this year I’m definitely getting it next year, that’s for sure.”

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Brody Sampson has taken his wrestling skills to a new level at Ballard