Wilber teen returns to wrestling four months after surviving electrocution

WILBER, NE — Success on the mat is all about wanting it. 

Wrestling is a grueling sport, requiring self discipline and work ethic. And nobody wants it more than Zander Baker.

“It’s all you. It’s how much you want to train and want to get better," Zander said. "Basically, how much you train, it basically shows on the mat because you show how much you’ve learned.”

But back in late July, his hopes of ever wrestling again were in serious doubt.

He was electrocuted during a game of hide and seek gone wrong and required a life flight from his hometown of Wilber to a burn unit in Lincoln. He had third-degree burns in six places, couldn’t lift his right arm, or his left foot. His parents Brian and Kerry were just thankful he survived.

"50 milliamps can stop your heart and we’re talking hundreds and hundreds of amps at that high voltage," Brian said. "So, it’s a miracle."

When we talked in August, Zander still had skin graft surgeries ahead of him. Doctors took sections of skin from his head and back, placed them on his wounds, and used 200 staples to fortify the new skin.

“When I woke up from surgery, it was awful pain, it was horrible," Zander said. "It felt like somebody was taking a rigid knife and they were sawing part of my head. When I woke up, I had to be put on so much meds.”

His desire to return to the mat is what helped him endure it all and heal.

“I really wanted to back before wrestling even started, but I didn’t think that was going to happen. But I actually came and proved myself wrong.”

Zander competed in Wilber-Clatonia’s first wrestling meet on Thursday, going 4-1 including a forfeit. He pinned his first opponent in under a minute.

“Right before the match I had a lot of butterflies, I was really nervous to get out there," Zander said. "But once it happened, it felt just like wrestling practice to me.”

His incredible recovery even surprised his coach.

“I gave him words of encouragement but I didn’t think there was any way," Wilber-Clatonia coach James Bates said. "But after about a week or two and he kept saying ‘I’m coming back.’ I was like, ‘you know, I don’t doubt that kid.’ When he sets his mind to something, he can do a lot of great things.”

Wrestling not only inspired him to heal, but also gave him the foundation necessary to do it.

“He’s had to work hard before, he’s had to set goals before, you have to have determination. You get knocked down in wrestling and you have to get back up," Bates said. "That’s why wrestling is a great life lesson. It teaches you how to deal with adversity in life.”

Zander says he’s grateful for his parents and coaches for helping with everything from bandage changes, to preparing food and training with him.

He hopes they’ll be there when he accomplishes his next goal.

“I want to make it to state," Zander said. "At most, I want to maybe place at state - but that’s going to be hard this year. I’m still going to try my hardest.”

Zander still struggles to lift his foot and has nerve damage, but he hopes to have his burns fully healed in the next couple months.