Jenks Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Grant County Top 25 Athletes of 2010-11 Bratcher second Panther to be named ?C-T? Athlete of the Year by chuck landis clandis@chronicle-tribune.com The Eastbrook class of 2011 achieved so much in their athletic endeavors, but perhaps none achieved more than Jackson Bratcher. Grant County?s most accomplished wrestler and a standout for the Class 3A No. 1-state ranked football team, Bratcher is the Chronicle-Tribune?s Grant County Athlete of the Year for the 2010-11 school year. Bratcher is the second Eastbrook athlete to receive the honor, joining 2004 recipient Luke Jones. During his four-year wrestling career, Bratcher set the county record with 151 victories in 158 matches and was a two-time state finals medalist. After finishing third in 2010, he placed fourth this past winter. ?The ultimate goal is to win a state title,? Bratcher said. ?But at the end of my career, I?m happy with it. I accomplished a lot through my wrestling.? Bratcher will continue to wrestle this winter at Division I Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. He had also received offers to play football from the University of Indianapolis and Cumberland College (Ky.). ?I thought about (football) a little bit, but I decided wrestling is what I know best and I stuck with that,? he said. Eastbrook had seven selections on the 2010-11 C-T Top 25 athletes list, including three of the top five. Boone Searles, a football and baseball standout, came in at No. 3. Tanner Day, quarterback of the Panthers? football team and a three-sport athlete, was ranked No. 5. ?It was a strong class and, in football at least, they included some of the best players I?ve ever had,? Eastbrook coach Jeff Adamson said of the seniors. ?And they were a great group of guys to be around. Every day in practice was a blast.? Bratcher was a big part of the football team?s success as a three-year starter at nose tackle and a two-time C-T all-county defensive player. As a senior, he also split time at fullback on offense. ?We had played together since sixth grade and it was like a brotherhood,? Bratcher said. ?If one fell down, the other 10 would help him get up, and it?s still like that with each other.? Adamson said Bratcher was a disruptive force on the defensive line and a reason the Panthers allowed just 13 and 15 points a game the past two years. ?The things that helped make him a good wrestler also made him a good football player,? Adamson said. ?He had good leverage, balance and quickness. He was just relentless on the defensive line and made plays behind the line of scrimmage because of his all-out hustle.? From football, the ultimate team sport, Bratcher transitioned to wrestling, the ultimate individual sport. No one was running interference as Bratcher became one of the state?s best in his weight class. Bratcher set many goals for his wrestling and achieved nearly every one. He reached the state finals three straight years and was a two-time semistate champion. And he moved past Marion 2010 graduate Darryn Scott as the county?s all-time winningest wrestler. ?Before Darryn, it had been 36 years since anyone had touched that record,? Bratcher said. ?Early on, my dad (Scott) and I talked about how cool it would be to be remembered for having the most wins in Grant County.? Bratcher lost the first match of his senior season to Princeton?s Blake Stein in the state semifinals. Stein went on to win his third consecutive state title after a 5-4 victory over Bratcher. No Grant County wrestler had been as close to winning a state title since Eastbrook heavyweight Tony Roush, a runner-up in 1990 and 1991. ?It was a good match and close the entire time,? Bratcher said. ?I was happy with the performance.? The top five athletes, in addition to the Eastbrook trio, included Oak Hill?s Jake Althouse (No. 2) and Marion?s Laura Friday (No. 4), the top female. Both were three-sport standouts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HN Vikes Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Congrats Mr. Bratcher!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemOGuy Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Congrats Jackson Seems like yesturday you boys was bantams wrestling you have turned into a great young man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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