By By Matthew Nascone
Ethan Brooks plays to the whistle every play, and that dedication to the sport of football nailed down a spot on the AISA West All-Star squad.
Brooks, a senior at Escambia Academy, and his head coach, Heath Gibson, headed for the game Nov. 27 and returned Dec. 3. Brooks made it through the grueling two-a-day practices Nov. 27-28 and had three tackles in the game Nov. 30.
"It was a great experience for me," Brooks said. "It was a lot of fun and I had a blast. I wasn't expecting the two-a-days, but the game was real fun."
The West squad lost 14-8, but Gibson said it was not due to lack of effort from Brooks.
"He did as well as anyone else has in the past representing Escambia Academy," Gibson said. "He did a great job in the game and he was one of the hardest workers in practice."
Gibson said the best moment watching Brooks came on the first play in practice.
"He was by far the smallest linebacker there, but when I saw him lay someone out on the first hit in practice, I knew his head was in the right place. You know, some guys would go up there and be shellshocked at the size of everyone else there, but Ethan was not fazed at all."
Brooks plans on attending Faulkner State Community College after graduation from the Academy.
Gibson said it was great to have Escambia Academy represented at the game.
"It felt good to have one of my players and myself at the game to represent our school," he said.