BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A sophomore from Union County High School recently placed first in the wrestling championships.

Jordyn Raney, a sophomore at Union County High School, arrived at the championships in Turkey. And despite being as good as he is, he was not sure if he could keep up with the others.

“I looked at my dad and said ‘I just hope I’m good enough to compete with these guys,’” Jordyn said.

However, throughout the tournament, Jordyn kept consistently winning and climbing to the top. 

“After my first match, I got that tech fall,” Jordyn said. “Second match, got a 30-second tech fall. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m good enough to handle these, let’s just see how I do next.’” 

When he got to the semifinals, however, Jordyn’s path to victory was almost put to a stop. He was down 5-1 against his opponent. Despite being the underdog, he was able to remain positive and optimistic. 

“The coach was telling me, one point at a time,” Jordyn said. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re right. One point at time. Just get one take down, one turn, and I’ll be winning.’”

Through that optimism, Jordyn was able to successfully take down his opponent in the semifinals.

Jordyn then got to the finals and was confident he could win. 

In a landslide victory, Jordyn beat his opponent 12-2. He then celebrated his burst of excitement and enthusiasm with a backflip. 

Jordyn also has a twin brother, Jayden Raney, who also wrestles. 

Jayden has also won several reputable titles, including winning several Fargo championships, which is one of the toughest wrestling tournaments to compete in, let alone win.

The Raney brothers follow a strict protocol to strengthen their skills. During the weekdays, they get up at 4:00 a.m., have wrestling practice before school at 5:00 a.m. until school starts, attend school, and then go back into the wrestling room after school to continue practicing. But that is what it takes to get to the level that these two are at. 

According to their coaches, having hard workers like these two makes the coaching side of wrestling even more fun.

“It’s exciting to be able to coach kids that are this driven. To go and do unbelievable things in a community that’s this small, 550 kids, and you got a world champ, and a four-time Fargo champ,” co-head coach Brooks Black said. 

Interestingly enough, the brothers differentiate themselves from other world-class athlete with their positive, humble attitude.

“You will never see them like ‘Oh, I’m the best wrestler ever!’” co-head coach Jarvis Elam said. “No showboating, no anything. Besides the success and how they are, that impresses me more than anything.” 

“There’s gonna be ups and downs, you’re going to lose some, you’re going to win some,” Jayden said. “But as long as you love the sport, you stay with it, eventually you can become the champ.”

“Sooner or later, the work will pay off. If you love the sport, keep going at it,” Jordyn said.

The Raney brothers will continue their wrestling careers, and maybe in years’ time, we just might see these two on the Olympic podium one day.