After this weekend, the prep wrestling career of Dean Brooks officially comes to a close. According to his current college plans, he’ll essentially be leaving the sport behind.
In the meantime, the senior has managed to leave an indelible mark on the Weeki Wachee record book. Last Saturday, he became the program’s first-ever regional champion, finishing first at 285 pounds in the Class 1A, Region II Tournament.
“It says I was the first and it shows that Weeki Wachee is starting to build more and more, and I can say I was part of the start of it,” Brooks said. “Every year the program keeps getting better and tougher. It helps to see the team succeed.”
On Friday and Saturday at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Brooks will compete at the FHSAA Finals. Brooks, who placed sixth at states as a junior, is one of five Hornets who qualified for the state meet. That’s the most in a season for the fifth-year program, and followed up its first district team title two weeks ago.
A four-year wrestler, Brooks has been a force for Weeki Wachee since transferring from Nature Coast as a junior. In 2014-15, he went 47-16, finishing as a district runner-up and fourth in regionals.
This season he has gone 51-10 with 28 pins, according to Hernandosport.com, and earned a personal district crown. “I think I’ve wrestled pretty good,” Brooks said. “I’ve improved from the mistakes I did. I’ve worked on takedowns and I’ve gotten good at getting up, escaping.”
“He’s extremely smart. That’s always a good thing to have,” Weeki Wachee head coach Joe Felice said. “He has a lot of match awareness, which always helps. He’s got really good feet for a heavyweight and he’s well-conditioned.”
He figures to need all those elements working in harmony to achieve his final goal of reaching the state final. On the plus side, he wouldn’t face a potential matchup with reigning state champion Dante Jiovenetta of Tavernier-Coral Shores until the championship round.
“I think he’s got the capability of being a state finalist. If he wrestled his best he could definitely be a finalist,” Felice said.
“I’m expecting states to be a fight,” Brooks said. “I just have to work my best and make it to the finals and face Jiovenetta.”
Adding another emotional layer to states is the finality it could effectively bring to Brooks’ entire wrestling career. He’s looking to pursue a meteorology degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. That school has no wrestling program, and he currently does not intend to wrestle in college.
Though he said he may compete in the Florida All Class Wrestling Scholarship event after the season, his days on the mats seem to be nearing an end. The gravity of the situation hasn’t completely hit him yet.
“After this I can start thinking about college,” Brooks said. “I’ll just see what life brings, what comes next after this.”
But he still has a few more days to savor wrestling with the Hornets. He’s hoping to add a couple more first-time accomplishments for his team.
“Make it to the state finals and become the first-ever two-time state placer,” Brooks said of his goals, “and try to be the first state champion.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.