Pillars of strength: Relentless work ethic, bulldogged attitude help Palmyra wrestler recovery quickly from injury

PALMYRA, Mo. — Brayden Pillars wanted to come back sooner. It’s just how he’s wired.

Palmyra wrestling coach Dalton Huffman has seen enough of Pillars’ doggedness to attest.

“He loves this sport more than what I think is probably healthy for him, to be honest with you,” Huffman said.

Pillars, a senior wrestling at 165 pounds for the Panthers, broke his right kneecap and shinbone in June while training for the upcoming season.

“My foot came past my hip, and it just shattered my knee cap and fractured my tibia,” Pillars said.

Pillars underwent surgery to repair his lower leg on July 1, and by the next week, he felt good enough to test it out.

“I ran a mile a week or two after surgery, and the doctor yelled at me, told me to slow it down and let it heal,” Pillars said. “My body felt good, so I thought I could keep going.”

As it turned out, it took another month for Pillars to get back to full strength, but Huffman was not surprised at how quickly Pillars wanted to get back to his training.

“If he broke his neck tomorrow, he’d fight back to be back by state probably,” Huffman said. “He won’t give up. He’s relentless.

“Something happened to his back a couple days ago, and he didn’t even take a practice off. He cupped it, came back and wrestled live the whole day. You’re not going to find a kid who works harder than him. He deserves everything that comes his way.”

This wasn’t even the first time Pillars had broken that same kneecap. He did so in October 2023, a month before his junior season.

“The first one we think was just over time, wear and tear on the knee,” Pillars said.

Pillars wrestled a handful of events at 157 pounds after returning for the Wentzville Liberty Invitational on Dec. 9 of that year, but he qualified for the Class 1 state tournament at 165. Pillars lost to Maryville senior Brendan Barton in the state quarterfinals, sending him to the blood round where he beat Tipton freshman Paxton Pile then lost in the wrestleback semifinals before dominating McCluer-South Berkeley’s Tre’Vyon Chatman in a 19-1 technical fall victory in the fifth-place match.

Lafayette County’s Braxton Ernst, who Pillars had defeated 7-5 in the Class 1 District 3 tournament a week earlier, went on to win the state title.

“That whole week eats at me,” Pillars said. “It’s been eating at me this whole year.”

As if Pillars needs any extra motivation.

“Brayden is not going to walk into a room and get outworked,” Huffman said. “It doesn’t matter what happens to him. He’s not content with just winning. He wants to dominate, and I expect nothing less.”

Pillars has done nothing short of that this season. He has compiled a 27-2 record and won each of his three pool matches in the Quincy Invitational on Friday, two by pin and another by technical fall. In his third and final match of the day, Pillars pinned Camp Point Central’s Mason Collins in 34 seconds.

“The last one was quick and easy,” Pillars said. “I wrestled him early in the season. I didn’t want to say I had it in the bag, but I knew if I went out there and did my thing, I could get it. Today was a warmup for tomorrow, which will be the big test.”

Pillars has unshakeable confidence in himself to reach the championship match at this tournament for the second straight season, but this time to also stand atop the podium. Pillars got pinned by Roxana’s Braden Johnson in last year’s title match at 157 pounds.

“I like my odds,” Pillars said.

Over the course of a match, Pillars feels confident enough in his ability on his feet to concede escape points to his opponent just so he can take them down again and earn three points himself, if not pin them, as was the case on Friday.

“I definitely feel most confident on my feet, that nobody can take me down,” said Pillars, who will wrestle at Cornell College (Iowa) next season. “I’ve given up maybe four or five takedowns this year, so I feel really confident on my feet. If I can give up the one point, all I need is six more takedowns and the match is over.”

Huffman likes Pillars’ chances in any position on the mat, but his confidence in Pillars all but matches that which Pillars has in himself, so he doesn’t question Pillars’ strategy.

“He’s great on top, he’s great on bottom. I don’t see many people holding him down or getting up if he wants to be there,” Huffman said. “With the point differential now, a takedown isn’t two anymore. It’s three. As good as he is on his feet, I don’t see why he would waste energy on top if he doesn’t have to.

“I never think Brayden is going to get beat. I’m not being arrogant or cocky. I’m just super confident because I see him work every day. I don’t see a kid that’s standing in his way that he can’t beat.”

Pillars doesn’t either.

“The only person who can beat me is myself,” Pillars said.

Not even a second broken kneecap can slow him down.

“I’m wearing two knee braces and a really thick knee pad,” Pillars said.

In Huffman’s eyes, Pillars has only gotten better.

“I know he’s a senior, but this kind of feels like the start of everything,” Huffman said. “He’s healthy, everything’s coming together, he’s going to college next year. I think we’re just seeing the start of his peak right now.”

That’s bad news for the rest of the state.

“I know if I wrestle the way I can, nobody in the state can beat me,” Pillars said. “I have that level of confidence in myself.”