O-R Athlete of the Week: Gage Bradley, Burgettstown
Name: Gage Bradley
Grade: Senior
School: Burgettstown
Sport: Wrestling
Bradley’s week: For Bradley, winning the 121-pound title at the Class 2A South Sectional was as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Well, 3, 2, 1 might be more accurate, because that was the order of the seeds of the wrestlers he took down as the No. 6 seed to be a surprise winner Saturday at Burgettstown.
Bradley pinned Chartiers-Houston’s Kaden Stamm in the first round, took a 9-7 decision against Bentworth’s Brock McClure in the semifinals and beat Beth-Center’s Alex Medlen by a 5-4 decision in the championship match.
“A lot of it was a mindset of seeds don’t matter,” Bradley said. “Going in, I didn’t really see seeds as something that’s in my way. I wrestle every match the same and every person with the same mentality. I think that helped me a lot.”
Bradley lost to Medlen via a 4-2 decision at the Chartiers-Houston Tournament but reversed the result Saturday to win his first section title.
“I think that first match gave me a good look at him and that was a big factor,” Bradley said. “I knew how he wanted to wrestle. I went in with a lot of confidence and I felt my third period conditioning was key. I’m not saying (Medlen) got tired, but I’m saying I didn’t get tired.”
Momentum for WPIALs: Bradley qualified for the WPIAL Championships for the second year in a row. He enters the tournament as the No. 5 seed in Class 2A. The tournament is Friday and Saturday at Chartiers Valley.
“I’m just going to wrestle one match at a time and give it my best shot,” Bradley said.
Being a senior has motivated Bradley to leave it all on the mat. He knows his high school wrestling career is close to coming to an end and wants to extend his season as long as possible.
“That plays a big role for me,” Bradley said. “The hard practices in the middle of the season can really get into your head, but then the end of the season comes around and you realize that this is it. I want to keep my season alive.”
Serving his country: Once Bradley graduates from Burgettstown he’s enlisting in the Air National Guard. He’ll go to basic training in Texas before heading to Slippery Rock University in the fall to study Safety Management.
“My dad is in the Air Force and I kind of wanted to follow in his footsteps,” Bradley said. “I also won’t have to pay to go to Slippery Rock, because the Air Force will cover the cost. That was a big part of my decision.
“I’ll be working on fuel cells on tanker airplanes. Once I complete basic training, I’ll have to go to drill weekends, which are one weekend a month, so I can attend college during that time.”
Outdoorsman: When it comes to hobbies, Bradley narrowed it down to one specific area. If it’s outdoors, he probably enjoys it, especially if that activity is in the summer.
“I’m a big summer guy,” Bradley said. “I ride dirt bikes. I have a Jet Ski. I go boating a lot and camping with my parents. When I’m not wrestling, I love being outdoors.”
Complied by Jerin Steele