Westbrook uses wrestling to flourish on field
By Michael Doti
on the field. He also said he likes the
MDJ Sports Writer
concept of helping make his teammates
better players.
New Walker head coach Gary Nelson
Westbrook said wrestling has helped
said he likes multisport athletes on his
him in two key aspects of football — staying
team because it teaches others the dedication
in shape and tackling. Even though
Nelson has only been with him for just
over three months, he said he’s seen how
gifted of a tackler Westbrook can be.
“He’s one of the best open field tacklers
I’ve probably seen just based on film, and
it’s definitely because of his takedown as
a wrestler,” Nelson said. “He naturally
does a good job with getting the ball
carrier on the ground, which definitely
carries over between the two sports.”
It didn’t take long for Westbrook to
discover his tackling abilities. He said
his favorite football memory came in the
very first game he played in as a freshman.
In a home game against Athens
Christian, Westbrook said the coaches
put him in towards the end of the game
and he made a solo open field tackle
which got his teammates and the crowd
on their feet cheering.
Westbrook said his father has been
the biggest help to him when it comes
to balancing the two sports for the last
11 years.
“When I was really little I’d play, and
whenever I laid down or something, he’d
say stuff like, ‘Stop being a wimp,’and,
‘get up and play,’ and I guess it toughened
me up a little bit, and made me
better,” Westbrook said.
He said his father usually goes to every
football game and wrestling match.
There are a few that require plane travel
where Westbrook said he couldn’t make
it though.
That includes the men’s 16U national
tournament that Westbrook is attending
in Fargo, North Dakota from July 16-23.
Westbrook said tournaments like these
help him stay in shape and improve his
tackling, but in the case of this one, he
said it will affect how much weight he’ll
need to gain for the start of next season.
Next season is Westbrook’s final season
at Walker. He said his main goal is
to try to win at all costs.
“(We want) to win as much as we can
because we’re the underdogs obviously,”
Westbrook said. “A lot of people think we
won’t win at all because we’re losing so
many people who can play, so we want
to prove them wrong.”
Come visit our showroom for a FREE Design Consultation!
BEST OF COBB
WINNER
2021
MAGAZINE
PRESENTED COBB LIFE BY KICKOFF 2021 171
that goes into being great.
Outside linebacker and rising senior
Austin Westbrook is no exception.
Westbrook said he played football and
wrestled since he was in first grade. At
Walker, he is a back-to-back defending
state champion wrestler. He won the
106-pound weight class in 2020, and
followed that with another state title
last winter at 120 pounds.
After three years, Westbrook said he
still loves playing both sports, and he is
currently undecided on which sport he
favors more.
“They both have their pros and cons,”
Westbrook said. “I like the team aspect
of football, but wrestling, you also have
the, ‘I did all this by myself,’ kind of get
more glory (moments) I guess, but the
team part is also really fun.
Westbrook said the best part about
being on a team is the chance to make
friends and hype them up while they’re
Carpet I Hardwood I Tile I Laminate I LVT / Waterproof
12 MONTHS 0% FINANCING AVAILABLE
Showroom Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 am - 5:00 pm: Saturday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
1310 Kennestone Circle, Marietta, GA 30066
Flemingcarpet.com (770) 420-3009 showroom@flemingcarpet.com
/Flemingcarpet.com
link