Knoles becomes third PCS state champion

There’s an old lesson in life—something so easily within your grasp can just as easily be taken away.

That was a cruel lesson senior wrestler Brandon Knoles experienced when he got upset in the semifinals of the D4 district wrestling meet Feb. 6.

What Knoles did after that upset was to come back and pin his opponent in the heartbreak round in just 1:14 to ensure himself a trip to Omaha last week.

Then, in the consolation finals, he won a 3-1 decision to finish third in the district. 

His third-place finish at districts kept him under the radar a bit at the state tournament. 

He quickly and quietly disposed of his first opponent, needing just 1:54 to claim his first of two pins in the tournament. 

Some may have considered his 3-1 decision over the top-rated wrestler in the quarterfinals an upset. He didn’t though.

In the semifinals, he won a hard-fought 6-4 decision to vault himself into the championship match Thursday afternoon. 

It was a match where  Knoles knew he belonged. It wasn’t cockiness—it was a belief and confidence in himself that he envisioned all season long; all career long.

He could see himself as a state champion.

So less than a week after he found himself devastated by an upset loss, Knoles took the mat for a shot at gold. 

The fact that he’d already beaten his opponent early this season only bolstered his confidence. 

After gaining a 3-0 lead late in the second period, his opponent, Luke Howitt of Maxwell, gave Knoles the opening he was looking for. 

In a matter of seconds, Knoles took advantage, putting Howitt on his back as the referee slapped the mat at the 3:58 mark in the match. 

Knoles’ long envisioned goal had come true—a state championship.

“It’s something I’ve wanted since freshman year, but sometimes things don’t always happen the way you want them to.”

Long road to gold

When Knoles was a freshman, he won a sum total of 11 matches, wrestling at 160. He didn’t qualify for the state tournament in his sophomore year either after moving up to 220.

It wasn’t until his junior year that he finally made it to the big show in Omaha—one win against two losses. No medal last year. 

This week, Knoles looked back on that upset loss at districts. 

“I was just upset. Hadn’t been beat very much this season, and I hate losing so much,” he recalled. 

As it turned out, it proved to be a good lesson for him, plus it kept some of the attention off him going into the state meet. 

“I actually think losing districts set me up better at state. It gave me a chance to knock off some of the top guys right off the bat,” he said. Plus, as he made his way through the bracket, he said it made him “a lot less nervous for my finals match.”
The semifinal loss at districts set Knoles’ emotions on fire. After leaving the mat, he threw down his head gear in frustration and disgust. 

Head Coach Tanner Collins pulled him in tight. Collins said the first thing he told him is that’s not the way his wrestlers act. 

“After he gathered himself a little bit, I just grabbed him and he was still crying. I said nothing changes,” Collins recalled.

He told Knoles he could still get to Omaha and once he got there, he still had to beat everybody there to win anyway. “Everything you want is still right in front of you,” he reassured Knoles. 

Before the heartbreak round that day, the dad of one of Knoles’ teammates gave him an important pep talk, much like the words Collins had shared earlier. 

Motivation and Attitude

So what motivates Knoles?

“It’s probably the entire community, including coach and my parents—just wanting to show everybody that it’s able to be done,” Knoles said. 

Knoles wants to serve as an example to his classmates and to the young kids coming up. 

“I see a lot of kids in our high school and everything, thinking they just can’t do it,” Knoles said,

They think it’s going to be impossible; that they’re not good enough. “But we are good enough. It’s just our mentality isn’t good enough or our attitude,” he said. 

That’s the message that Knoles took to students in the elementary school Tuesday. 

After a celebratory walk-thru, Knoles visited with the older elementary students about hard work and dedication.

He referred to it not just to the athletic arena but also to the classroom. 

He lives that mantra as well. 

Following the football season, Knoles said he was in pretty good shape, but not in good enough shape for wrestling. 

He didn’t exactly come out of football at wrestling weight. That meant having the dedication and discipline to cut weight to get down to 220. 

Collins said Knoles is one of his hardest workers, both in the wrestling room and the weight room.

Knoles knew he needed to get in better shape. Second semester, he said junior Triston Hite convinced him to join him at Image Total Fitness to lift weights. 

Every weekday since, the two have met at ITF at 4:30 a.m. to lift. Collins said Knoles backed off some before districts and state, to avoid any freak injury that would cause him to lose his dream. 

Envisioning that dream is part of achieving the success. 

Since the beginning of the year, Knoles said he could see himself on the medal stand, wearing gold. 

That dedication also shows in the classroom. Knoles already has an academic scholarship to Mid-Plains College.

 After he decides what he wants to do, he plans to further his education at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. 

Is college football or wrestling in his sights? Only, if he gets an offer that would pay for his schooling, Knoles said. 

Members of Knoles’ family were able to see him achieve gold last week in Omaha. 

His parents include Scott and Chasity Knoles of Grant and his mother, Tasha Doncheske of Big Springs. 

They were joined by several aunts, uncles and siblings.