Peru Wrestling program has been blessed to have Senior Jacob Eckerley on the wrestling team for four seasons.
Aaron Turner asked if he could do a piece on the career of Jacob Eckerley.
(Mother) Natasha Eckerley supported the idea and he just released the story.
Insight into how Autism and Jacob Eckerley has made Peru Wrestling a better program.
Brad and Natasha have been model parents in the program.
“Support the kids, trust the program and result has been SUCCESSFUL”
Great read
Word Count: 1,263
Pictures of Jacob attached
Wrestling with Austism
Peru senior finishes with milestone season
By Aaron Turner,
Special to the Tribune
A wrestling season, and career for that matter, came to a close in a foreign gym, unnoticed to most of the crowd gathered, excepting a few family and friends. As Jacob Eckerley’s hand was raised in victory for the final time as a Peru Tiger, a few clapped, a few more swelled with pride while a mother wiped away tears, cementing a part of the Peru wrestling legacy, even at the junior varsity level.
As a senior, some of his teammates admitted it would have been a challenge to endure a season on the junior varsity on Miami County’s most successful program. “It shows that he’s more dedicated to the team and his teammates than he is motivated by personal gain,” senior 152-pounder Braxton Simpson said. “He’s important not only to me, but the entire team because even though he may not be the biggest or the strongest or the fastest, he is the heart of our team.”
Wrestling is the perfect equalizer. It’s competition in its purest form – two opponents at the same weight for six minutes. Nothing more. Points come from wins, losses result in nothing for the team.
And even though the individual wins came in bunches this year for Eckerley, it’s been a long road to this point.
At age four, Jacob was diagnosed with Autism.
“At age two, we knew something was different with Jacob,” his mother, Natasha, said. “He would get upset with even a little bit of milk from his cereal on his hand. When we got the diagnosis at Riley, we had some idea of what to expect.
“So in seventh grade, when he decided he wanted to take up wrestling, we were really concerned because it’d be a change in the routine. Patterns and routines are very important to a child with Autism.”
In seventh grade, a gangly, quiet kid stepped foot in the Peru Wrestling Room.
Over the next few years, Jacob filled out and became just another teammate. Acceling in the classroom as well, Eckerley’s improved from a single win freshman campaign to a 25-6 record as a senior … in the brutal 160-pound weight class.
The pattern fit well into Eckerley’s routine.
“It’s no secret we base most of our wrestling off of six or seven core situations,” Assistant Coach Daric Fuller said. “And Jake has gotten to the point where he understands wrestling situations and how to apply what he’s learned on the mat. He’s just another kid in the wrestling room and on the mat. He fits in there.”
He is admired by his teammates, in fact. “Jacob is a great motivator,” Garrett Sparks said. “No matter how bad of a day you are having, seeing him with a smile on his face can turn your whole day around. Jacob is one of those guys that can get you excited about doing work or anything else that needs to be done. But most of all, Jacob is a great person.”
In the wrestling room, he’s just another 160-pounder with a desire to always get better.
“The guys I work with and wrestle with, they are better than me,” Eckerley said. “I knew that going heading into this year that I wouldn’t wrestle varsity. But I wanted to stick with it because I really like and respect my teammates and classmates.”
And the feeling is reflected back toward Jake.
“We were coming back from a Plymouth Invitational, and had a real intense meeting with the guys afterwards,” Fuller said. “There were a lot of heads hanging, looking for any sign of enthusiasm or pride from the kids.
“We asked the team if anyone had anything to say. After a while, Jake came up to the front of the bus.”
One of Jake’s nervous tendencies is a stutter when speaking aloud. But that didn’t stop him.
“Jake came up and said, ‘I’m willing to forfeit my undefeated career against Maconaquah if it’s for the good of the team,’” Fuller said. “That is the perfect example of Jacob Eckerley. It’s what he does. He’s the most polite kid I’ve ever coached, well mannered and a good worker.”
“Anything that can get my boys up and out the door by 5:45 a.m., that’s something special,” Natasha said, referring to Peru’s morning run schedule. “He and Lukas (Jake’s younger brother), both made an effort to get to as many as possible.
“I don’t know what it is about Peru wrestling, but they’ve done incredible things for Jake.
“He’s developed so much socially and competitively, it just shows how big God is,” Natasha said. “We try to categorize things and people, but we can’t even quantify how big God is and how much He’s shown us through Jacob.
“And he’s developed some leadership skills … those are what we’ve noticed the most.”
Teammate Wyatt Gray agreed. “Jacob is a leader on the team who is a man to look up to and try to be like.”
While his wrestling career may be over, Jacob is just about to embark on his next big step – college.
With aspirations of becoming a museum curator (he volunteers at the Peru Museum and is a well respected among the volunteers there), he has already been accepted into three local colleges.
And with a firm spiritual base, Jacob is ready to take the next step, as well.
“I really have grown both with wrestling and with my relationship with God,” Eckerley said. “I try to be a good example to my teammates, try to stay out of trouble and to encourage them to do so as well.
“I’ve learned a lot from wrestling, but my leadership has grown the most, and that’s because of God and all the great teachers and coaches … (former coach Jason) Brown, Coach Fuller and Coach (Andy) Hobbs.”
Jacob is the son of Brad and Natasha Eckerley, of Peru.
Brad is an admitted non-sports-guy, but confirmed there is something special about the Peru system.
“It’s amazing the family atmosphere that is involved with Peru wrestling,” the elder Eckerley said. “That’s one thing I really appreciate and admire about Coach Hobbs and Coach Fuller, is their ability to gather a group of young men and make them feel as one family.
“I know that all those boys involved with wrestling have my son’s back, and there’s a great peace of mind that comes with that.”
Jake is a member of the National Honor Society and has his colleges narrowed down to Grace College, Indiana Wesleyan, Taylor and Indiana University at Kokomo.
“I’m nervous about the next step in my life,” Eckerley said. “But it’s exciting, too. I think I’ve grown as a leader, and that should help me.
“I’m grateful for my time wrestling at Peru, and all the coaches and the underclassmen. I hope they keep working hard and the wins will come. It took me a long time to get to where I am. I hope they all stick with it.”
The varsity Tigers will return to action Saturday as Peru hosts the IHSAA wrestling regional. Eckerley serves as one of the official scorers, letting the mat official know when time has expired on the period.
“Jake will do well at whatever he tries,” Hobbs said. “A lot of the kids look up to him, and Jake’s the kind of kid we want to remember here at Peru. He is the perfect example of a champion’s heart. Our program is better after having him go through the system.”
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