Sights and sounds from opening night of 2021 IHSAA wrestlings state finals

INDIANAPOLIS – Roughly 20 minutes before Bray Emerine slapped his headgear and attacked at the sound of the whistle, his family settled into Section 104 of Bankers Life Fieldhouse and leaned forward in their chairs. They sat in a row of four, separated by a few rows from the next closest group.

This is the Floyd Central freshman Emerine’s first IHSAA state finals appearance, but he’s been around, his father, Brad, said. He started wrestling at 7-years-old, pulled in by friends and family and “fell in love.” He wrestled in his first national event at 9 and two years ago wrestled for a Team USA. He’s wrestled in India, Russia, Croatia, Budapest.

“He enjoys getting beat up,” Brad joked. “He doesn't mind it.”

So, as he prepared to step onto mat two at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Brad said he was reminded it was just another mat. The same mat he’s wrestled on his whole career.

There was a time earlier in the year when an event like this — with fans — remained uncertain. Protocols needed to be established, and the seasons needed to finish. Friday, the state finalists across 14 weight classes wrestled in front of a socially-distanced crowd.

A usually raucous atmosphere, was understandably less electric with Bankers Life's capacity limited to 2,000 due to COVID-19. Calls from a limited amount of spectators in the top deck carried all the way to the floor level. The PA announcer speaking before the start of the 7 p.m. slate of weight classes acknowledged the venue looks and sounds different, but come Saturday night a champion will still be crowned in each class, marking the end of a successful season.

“To be able to see them in state,” said James May, who came to see his brother, Hunter May, wrestle, “we're lucky as hell to be able to be doing that.”

Eastern (Greentown) Athletic Director Erik Hisner’s third trip to Indianapolis was to a much more quiet city. It’s Hisner’s third year as AD and each year Eastern has sent wrestlers to the state finals. Two his first year, another two the next and one, junior Brody Porter, who wrestled Friday in the 170-pound weight class.

Just to keep the season alive required protocols from both the IHSAA and the National Federation of High Schools as well as adherence from coaches and players to carry them out. Eastern coaches across all sports developed practice pods, so when they received close contacts and positive tests, they could keep programs active without needing to quarantine the entire team. 

This is Porter’s second-straight year at the state fina;s. Hisner said there are usually bigger plans from the school, but they still tried to push school spirit in a safe way: Announcements highlighting Porter’s trip and a police escort out of town. Usually there’s more people, families, community members that would make the trip, but it’s just a scattered few this year. Hisner said the pride and appreciation is just as great if not greater than previous years.

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Fans still roared when a match went to overtime in the 170-pound class. Coaches and fans still competed for the ear of the competitors. A wrestler still ripped hard at the velcro on his headgear and slammed it toward the ground after pinning their opponent in the 220-pound class.

“The environment is not going to be what it has been,” Hisner said. “But to have fans here, have somewhat of an environment in the previous years on a smaller scale will be beneficial to everybody.”

When it came time to wrestle, Emerine crouched near the inner circle of the ring in a yellow singlet and green shoes. He sprung up, took a squirt of water from a blue bottle and paced back and forth. When the whistle blew, he was aggressive, constantly jabbing with his left hand at his opponent, Landon Buchanan’s neck.

After hand-fighting and trading a point back-and-forth, Emerine went for a takedown, but Buchanan countered. Emerine fell to the ground, Buchanan earned two points, then two more and never lost the lead. Emerine slid into a sitting position from the bottom position in the third round, but the whistle blew the match over. Emerine leaned back, shook Buchanan’s hand and then walked off into the bellows of Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Obviously, Brad and Emerine’s family wanted a win. But Emerine is one of five wrestlers to make the state finasl for the second time in school history, and one half of the first freshman tandem to make it to the tournament. The Emerine’s have a room in the Hyatt across the street from the fieldhouse. And they’ll be back to watch the rest of the team Saturday.

“Win, lose or draw, we're here for our teammates,” Brad said. “Because even though this is an individual (tournament), it's still a team sport.”

Follow IndyStar reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.