INDIANAPOLIS - In Friday's opening round of the high school wrestling state finals At Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Warsaw junior Justin Brooks (112 pounds) pinned Josh Ehr of South Adams in 4:41.
"Justin had those Friday-night jitters, but as the match went on he gained a little more confidence," said Warsaw coach Tony Boley.In a wary but focused effort, Brooks carefully maneuvered for the best angle and finally scored a takedown with 30 seconds remaining in the first period. With increasing confidence the Tiger junior nabbed another takedown just 20 seconds into the second period.
Brooks wrapped up the match less than a minute into the final stanza, advancing to today's second round of competition.
"I didn't want to go out there a make a costly mistake, so that is why I was a little cautious," said Brooks, who is still undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state in the 112-pound class. "The coach talked to me and we strategized, so Saturday I'm just going to go out there and attack." Now boasting a record of 36-0, the next match for Brooks will be against 36-4 Josh Kieffer of Roncalli.
Triton's Representatives
Triton's Blake Hoffer (145) and Chad Ulmer (189) were eliminated in opening-round losses.
Hoffer was overpowered 16-3 by Gavin McGinely of Indianapolis Cathedral. Meanwhile, Ulmer fell to undefeated Nick Hodges of Southmont, failing in a last-second takedown effort in a 6-3 loss.
Wrestling begins today at 9:30 a.m., with consolation finals at 5 p.m. and championship finals scheduled for 7:30 p.m. under the lights.
