Seneca’s Brant Laughlin carries dual state titles and a relentless hunger into his final prep football season

Seneca High School senior Brant Laughlin is the rare athlete who has already stood atop the podium in two sports. A two-time Missouri state wrestling champion and a key contributor in the secondary on the Indians’ 2025 Class 3 football state championship team—the program’s first title since 1995. Laughlin is preparing for his senior football season while committed to Division I SIU-Edwardsville wrestling.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of excitement,” Laughlin said of the upcoming campaign. “Coming off a state title, you know, our goal is obviously to win another one. So, it pumps us up. But we know we have a target on our back. But we just got to hunt.”

That “hunt” mindset fits. It is also the motto of the SIUE program he will join after high school. Laughlin took a visit, felt immediately at home with the coaching staff, and knew it was the place that could help him chase bigger goals, including a national championship.

SIUE wrestling is a rising mid-major Division I program with a strong foundation and clear recent momentum. Historically a three-time NCAA Division II national champion (1984–86), the Cougars have made major strides in the 2025-26 season, posting an 11-2 dual record (their best in decades), capturing the first-ever MAC West Division title, and achieving a program-best third-place finish at the MAC Championships with a school-record eight placewinners. Three wrestlers advanced to the NCAA Championships.

For Laughlin, last year’s football title run remains special, even if he refuses to relish it. It was, afterall, his first year as a starter.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “But I can’t live in the past… just move on, and now I’m ready for this year.”

What sticks with him is the brotherhood. “We were always hanging out, doing stuff together. We were always lifting each other up. We faced a lot of adversity last year, and we did such a good job just bouncing back when times were tough.”

That experience is shaping him as a leader. He looked up to the seniors ahead of him and now aims higher. “I feel like I’ve done a good job, but I want to do a great job.” Success taught the Indians what it takes to reach the peak, yet Class 3 is deeper this year. “The peak of the mountain is going to be a lot higher than it was last year,” he said. The formula remains the same: daily commitment, hard work, and shared leadership from the senior and junior classes.

Under head coach Cody Hilburn—now in his sixth year with a 58-10 record, five district titles, four conference titles, three straight trips to the state title game and a state title a year ago—the program’s culture has transformed.

“When he got here, I knew it was going to change,” Laughlin said. “We’ve won a district title every year, and we’ve made a run every year. He changed it so fast. We’re selling out the crowd every night. We’re getting new jumbotrons. We’ve got a new field. It’s crazy how quickly it changed.”

The winning culture has spread. Seneca’s wrestling team finished second at state last season with three individual champions and four finalists. Laughlin credits multi-sport athletes for the school’s broad success.

“When you have multiple sports that are successful, you just don’t see that, like, very many places anymore,” Laughlin said. “We’ve got a lot of multi-sport guys, and that’s why we’re so successful.”

The culture starts young. Peewee and junior-high players now mirror the high-school habits, including summer morning weights.

“Everything’s just changed. People are showing up. They’re committed to it,” he said

Wrestling has been Laughlin’s foundation since age 6—12 years and counting. It is his No. 1 sport. “I love wrestling… Coach Hilburn knows it,” Laughlin said.

The individual nature differs from football’s pure team focus, yet both demand technical precision, toughness, and brotherhood. The sports complement each other: “It gives me the brotherhood, of course, integrity, knowing I have to do the right thing when no one’s looking, not staying out late, not going to parties, stuff like that.”

Winning titles in both sports in the same year is uncommon. Laughlin stays grounded. “It means a lot… being in the same year, too… But it’s whatever at the same time.” The success only fuels him. “I’m always hungry, and I never won’t be hungry. I feel like that’s my best trait… always working, always doing something, probably too much at times. But I like to be hungry.”

His goals for the senior year are clear: another football state title, individual and team wrestling titles, and leaving a mark as a good person and leader.

And to the younger athletes debating specialization, his advice is simple: “Do it. Be a multi-sport athlete. It’s fun. You get more athleticism… You’re giving your body time to recover… just do it.”

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