Lebanon wrestler David Brandt was named an OSAA Athlete of the Week for Jan. 5-11.
Brandt was 26-9 at the time he was named to the honor and had just won the 150-pound division at the Tigard Invitational.
A senior, he is a team captain for the Warriors, is a three-sport athlete (cross-country and track) and maintains a 4.00 GPA.
Wrestling Coach Michael Cox noted that the honor comes during a difficult season for Brandt, whose father died unexpectedly at age 47 during the fall.
“His dad wrestled at Cascade is kind of their thing,” he said of Brandt. “He has three siblings who all play basketball.”
Brandt is having an “excellent season,” Cox said, noting that his wrestler finished eighth out of 105 competitors at the Sierra Nevada Classic.
Cox said Brandt is very involved in his church and “is the nicest kid you’ll ever meet,” adding that the team voted him captain “and we have some pretty good kids.”
“He’s probably one of the hardest-working kids we have,” Cox said Monday. “He was begging me to have practice at 4 o’clock so he could go work at sheep farm he works on,” noting that Brandt has a financial goal of saving money for college.
“He’s an awesome kid. He’s having a pretty rough go right now.”