Oswego senior Brayden Swanson stood alone in the circle.
He saw his mother, Alison, a teacher at West Aurora, on one side of the mat in her role as team photographer. His father, Jeremy, a club coach, was there as an assistant for the Panthers.
“Everybody loves to make this joke that I came out of the womb wearing a singlet,” Swanson said. “My parents love to tell the story of how I didn’t win a match my first year.
“Now, everybody knows me. I’m one of the top in the state, so it’s good I’m making progress.”
That progress continued Thursday night despite a short stint on the mat. Swanson’s forfeit victory at 144 pounds powered the visiting Panthers to a 62-14 victory at Oswego East.
Oswego (12-10) won 11 matches, five by fall and a technical fall. Junior Aiden Ortiz (126) and senior Ethan Essick (157) each won by pin. Junior Dillon Griffin (150) won by technical fall.
Senior Joshua Edwards (215) provided Oswego East’s highlight with a fall in the first period. Senior Braedan Grisham (138) and sophomore Garrett Patnoudes (175) added wins.
With the forfeit, Swanson earned his 118th career win, moving him into the top 5 in program history. It wasn’t a big surprise to Oswego coach Andrew Cook, who has known Swanson since he was introduced to the sport competitively at age 4.
“He’s continuously learning how to wrestle and he’s really honing the intricacies of the sport,” Cook said of Swanson. “He’s a very physical kid, and he just keeps going and going.
“He wants to keep scoring points. It’s fun to watch him do that. Any time you qualify for state like he did as an underclassman, it helps for your senior year. Any experience you get down on the state finals floor is immeasurable.”
Griffin said Swanson has a quality that separates him from the typical high school wrestler.
“His aura and how he gets into everybody’s head,” Griffin said. “He’s a state qualifier, and he has a presence and natural leadership about him.
“We went to different middle schools, so we were rivals before we got here. The work he puts in and what he means to the program is a big reason for the success of me, Aiden or Ethan.”
The family influence also touches every part of his style and approach.
His oldest brother Allen — who finished fourth in Class 3A at 160 in the 2017-2018 season — is third on Oswego’s list for career wins with 133.
His middle brother Austin, a year younger than Allen, also wrestled. He’s stationed at Fort Bragg with the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army.
Brayden, a returning state qualifier, also is a flying enthusiast who’s exploring a career in aviation. Ranked No. 6 at 144 in Class 3A by Illinois Matmen, he pushed his record to 26-4.
“Allen went to Campbell University and then NIU, and just seeing how he competed at the high school and college level, it really pushed me,” Brayden said.
“It made me want to mix my game with his, so I saw him hit a move and I wanted to be just like him. I’d work on it in practice and then hit the same move.”
Taking flight, as Swanson has several times in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, conjures a world beyond the immediate. His desire to be a pilot fits a personality that’s constantly looking to push himself.
“It wasn’t a big plane, but it also wasn’t small either and it really showed me how far I can take things when you put yourself into, either academically or wrestling,” he said.
“I try to stay on top of everything I do.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
