Ben Whitehead
MARLOW — After suffering a concussion over the weekend at the Oklahoma Open in Norman, Ryan Brooks says he is cleared to go as he prepares for a long trip to Ohio.
The junior from Marlow High School will participate in the Walsh Ironman Tournament which begins next Friday, December 11 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
A year ago, Brooks traveled to Reno, Nev. for a similar tournament. He placed third in the 112 weight class, but said he could have done better.
The Walsh Ironman features many of the nation’s top high school wrestlers, including several national champions, and is a much tougher tournament. It has been recognized nationally by several publications and draws a very large crowd.
It is expected that 60 to 70 college coaches will attend the event. The number of wrestlers and fans that attend the Walsh Ironman have caused the event to be reorganized. The tournament is now held in two separate gyms at Walsh Jesuit High School.
Brooks realizes this tournament will be tougher than any in which he’s wrestled.
“I would like to place in the top eight,” Brooks said. “There’s going to be five of the top wrestlers in my weight class there and a lot of guys with championships, so it will be a battle.”
Some national rankings have Brooks ranked just outside the top 10 for his weight class. He would like to use the Walsh Ironman as a chance to improve his ranking and showcase his skills.
“I’m ranked in some and not ranked in others, so I want to see where I stand in a tough tournament,” said Brooks of his ranking. “You have to beat the best to be the best ... That’s why I’m going.”
Brooks said he doesn’t recall much about his concussion other than he hit his head on the mat and blacked out. The next thing he remembers is his dad saying he was too out of it to continue.
Brooks, his family and Marlow coach Keith Kizarr will leave early Thursday morning to fly to Ohio. Several other Oklahoma high school wrestlers are also making the trip, one of which is a former teammate of Brooks.
Christian Bailey will represent Davis High School at the Walsh Ironman. Brooks said he looks forward to meeting back up with Bailey, who is a former Outlaw wrestler, and hopes that both perform well.
The thought of wrestling older, more experienced wrestlers hasn’t crossed Brooks’ mind.
As a freshman, Brooks wrestled at the state finals and competed against numerous upperclassmen. That experience has helped Brooks to not worry about his opponent on the wrestling mat and to just focus on his abilities.
“I wrestled in the Reno tournament and at state my freshman year,” Brooks said. “I just always want to get better and see where I rank. It doesn’t really matter if it’s a senior or not. I just want to show that I can compete.”
-Ben Whitehead is a sports writer for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 255-5354, Ext. 165, or via E-mail at ben.whitehead@duncanbanner.com.
