A pair of Warsaw Community High School wrestlers will compete in the state finals today, but they're experiencing the atmosphere from two very different angles.
Beginning at 6 p.m. in Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Warsaw seniors Justin Brooks and Adam Keener will take to the mats.Brooks is at state after winning the Merrillville Semistate 119-pound division, and Keener qualified for state by placing fourth at 152.
This will be the fourth time Brooks has reached the state level, while Keener will also be making his fourth trip down, but only his first as a participant.
"Justin knows what to expect," Warsaw head coach Justin Smith said. "It shouldn't be much of a shock for him to wrestle at Conseco. It's a big stage, but he's used to it. For Adam, he's been down before, but not as a competitor. We really want to get to Indianapolis early, get in the doors and work on getting acclimated with the surroundings."
The guys' gameplan was to leave Warsaw around 10 a.m. this morning and eventually arriving at Conseco at 3 p.m., allowing the guys plenty of time to get ready for their first-round matches, which begin at 6 p.m.
The winners of the first-round matches move on to Saturday, where places first through eighth are decided, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Following the morning matches, consolation bouts begin at 5 p.m. with the finals getting under way at 7 p.m.
But before anyone is thinking about the finals, the guys must first deal with their first-round opponents.
"Each match is for the state title," Brooks said. "Everyone down there is just as good as you."
At 119, Brooks' 38-0 record puts him as one of the favorites, as he gets his state-championship quest started with Fort Wayne Snider's Marquis Williams (30-6) in the opening round.
"You just have to go out there and pound away," Brook said about each match at state. "You can't hold anything back. I held back each year, and each time it's tough. You go through a whole year of saying, 'Why didn't I do this or why didn't I do that?'"
Seeded No. 1 last year, and carrying an undefeated 35-0 mark at 112 pounds, Brooks got through his first two opponents until Anderson Highland's Camden Eppert scored a 6-5 decision in the semifinals, eventually leaving Brooks to settle for fourth place.
According to the IHSAA Web site, Brooks carries a 156-10 high school record into this weekend's finals.
On top of last season's fourth-place finish, Brooks also placed fourth at 112 as a sophomore and fifth as a 103-pound freshman.
"Justin has worked a lot with getting stronger and putting on muscle, and not just putting on weight," Smith said about Brooks moving up from 112 to 119. "Physically, he's a very strong 119er. His favorite practice partner is Paul Manbu, our 135-pounder, because he can pick him up. When he gets a hold of you, you're going down."
For Keener, whose ride has come to halt at the Merrillville Semistate each of the previous three years, his state finals' experience may differ a bit from Brooks'.
"I feel good about being down there," Keener said. "I've visited before, but now I actually get to go down to the mats."
In his opening match, Keener (34-6) will square off with Yorktown's 42-0 wrestler, Kyle Mosier.
"His road will be a little tougher (than Brooks'), but we have a strategy," Smith said about Keener. "He can wrestle with anyone in the state if he stays on his feet - anyone in the state. If he sticks to the strategy, he will be successful."
"My mindset is to go down there and give it my all," Keener said. "I just have to wrestle the full six minutes, and more than that if I have to."
On top of staying on his feet, Keener will also need to keep his feet under him as he prepares to wrestle on the big stage.
"I can't even describe it to him," Brooks said of talking to Keener about what to expect at Conseco. "It's just a big bundle of nerves. The space is open, and I'm used to having people matside."
And while there may not be as many people matside as he'd like, he does have a classmate making the trip with him, which is a benefit.
"We want to have fun, but not lose our focus," Keener said. "Our focus is to have two state champions from Warsaw."
Also competing tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse is Whitko junior Daniel Rothgeb, who will put his 30-8 record on the line in the 125-pound class.
