Whiteland’s Brooks looks forward to state finals debut

Whiteland junior Eli Brooks wasn’t granted a single favor entering today’s first round at the state wrestling finals.

Given the obstacles he’s already overcome in his career, don’t expect Brooks to be intimidated by the way the 132-pound weight class has been bracketed as he makes his state debut inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Awaiting Brooks in the opening round is Cathedral senior Zeke Seltzer, a two-time state champion widely regarded as one of the nation’s best in his weight class.

“I’m going to go in there, wrestle my match and see if I can catch him,” said Brooks, who has cleared both academic and physical obstacles to put together a 9-6 record including his fourth-place performance at last week’s Evansville Mater Dei semistate.

“I am going to have to bring my A game and see if I can beat him.”

As a freshman, Brooks won county and advanced to the ticket round of semistate as a 106-pounder, constructing the ground floor of what appeared to be a promising varsity career.

Unfortunately, he suffered a concussion late in the 2020-21 regular season, sidelining him for the postseason, and he was academically ineligible the first half of this season.

Brooks returned to the Warrior lineup to compete in the holiday duals at North Montgomery in December, but he fractured his right ankle in his fourth match back.

“I would say it’s about 90% healed,” Brooks said. “But my adrenaline is going during a match, so I don’t really think about it.”

So far this postseason, Brooks, who is one of two Whiteland wrestlers qualified for state along with classmate and practice partner Joey Buttler (126 pounds), finished second at sectional and fourth at regional.

Brooks’ return to semistate began with a pin against Columbus East sophomore Nathan Anderson and continued in the quarterfinals with a 6-3 defeat of Bloomington South’s Ethan Roudebush.

The experience of being a state finalist can only benefit him moving forward.

“Eli is one of those wrestlers capable of anything, especially if he’s 100% healthy,” Whiteland coach Anthony Meister said. “The state hasn’t gotten to see a whole lot of him, but I see him every day in practice and see what he’s capable of. Come (tonight), I think anything’s possible.

“He’s had some good luck, and he’s had some bad luck. A lot of ups and downs like a roller coaster ride. But he keeps pushing through, and no matter how this season ends up, we’ve still got one more.”