Cougars’ Brooks carrying momentum into state meet

“Whenever I meet other runners at meets, 90% of them don’t know what or where Grayson County is, so it’s pretty cool to put on that jersey and do my best to put Grayson County on the map,” said Brooks, who will continue his career at Centre College. “More than anything, I’ve enjoyed most being a team captain over the last three years by pushing my cross country and track teammates to be their best while keeping it enjoyable for them. I’ve done my best to lead by example and show what it takes to find success in running.

“You can’t simply go run, and push yourself when you are motivated,” he added. “It takes lacing up the shoes and pushing yourself when you are feeling lethargic and unmotivated to reach your potential, and that’s what I’ve tried to engrave in them — bringing their all to practice on a consistent basis.”

Brooks, 18, made sure his high school will continue with a dominating 2nd Region meet performance where he finished second in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:24.68, just .60 behind winner Jared Fairbanks of Central Hardin.

He then won the 3,200-meter run in 9.34.36.

“In the 1,600, the first race of the night, I knew that top 2 qualified automatically for state and I knew the caliber of the field was steep with a Bellarmine and WKU commit, so I decided that I was going to make sure the race went out fast so it didn’t come down to a sprint finish at the wire,” he said. “I had been racing alone all year and struggled to break the 4:30 barrier, so I was really racing to prove to myself what I was capable of. It’s crazy how big a difference having competition can make. I ran a gutsy race by taking the lead and pushing the pace early on, and it paid off with a big 5-second PR (personal record) and auto bid to the state meet.”

He said his legs were feeling “a bit weak” after the 1,600, so he ran a tactical race in the 3,200. He opened the first mile in 4:52 to stay near the field, and then, with 2.5 laps to go, he turned it on.

“… I picked up the pace closing the second mile 10 seconds faster than the first and getting a big confidence boosting win over another talented field,” he said.

His performance at region also showcased the strides he’s made over the last few years in managing a race.

He said his “ability to change paces during a race” has made him a more dangerous runner.

“Like I did in the 3,200, I’ve learned to race relaxed,” he said. “… I no longer go out and go pedal to the metal the entire race, but I’m able to read the runners around me and work off of them, even if that means the pace picks up and slows down throughout the race. I’m not even going to say that I have developed a lot more sprint speed as I’ve had in years past, but I’ve just begun taking my easy runs easier and pushing my workouts harder, which has allowed me to come back to faster paces much more often and hold fast paces for longer periods of time.”

Grayson County High School track and field coach Matt Hayes said Brooks provides “a tremendous amount of stability with this being his sixth year in the program. He provided character and was an example to the other athletes of what dedication and focus can allow someone to accomplish.”

This will be the third time Brooks has competed in the state meet. He was part of 4 x 800-meter relay teams as a freshman and sophomore and also ran the 1,600 as a sophomore.

“Then this year I decided to focus on myself at region to give myself a better chance of qualifying in multiple events, and it worked out that I qualified in both the 1,600 and 3,200,” he said. “The 3,200 was actually my 15th regional race between cross country and track, and I finally got my first region title.”

Brooks, who started in the Cougar cross country program as a second-grader and in track as a sixth-grader, will be busy at Centre College where he will run cross country as well as indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring.

“Then I will have the summer to work hard and get ready for the next season,” he said.