KNIGHTSTOWN — A few years ago, the Eastern Hancock Royals and Knightstown Panthers discussed the possibility of competing in the first-ever wrestling match inside the historic Hoosier Gym in Knightstown.
It didn’t take long to make it happen. A year later, in 2017, the discussion became reality and the teams wrestled at the gym. They did so again in 2018. Tuesday night, the rivals clashed inside the famous arena, on a solitary wrestling mat placed in the middle of the tiny gymnasium, for the third straight year.
It’s becoming an annual tradition.
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After Tuesday night’s dual, a 52-21 Knightstown victory, the Panthers have won all three matches at the gym and six straight against the Royals.
That’s a trend Eastern Hancock is working hard to reverse. Last year’s match started off on the wrong foot and snowballed from there, as the Panthers built a 48-0 lead before the Royals rallied in the final few matches to get on the board in a 54-16 loss.
In search of a fast start, the Royals turned to junior Garrett Friesen, who normally wrestles at 162 pounds, to kick things off in the 170-pound match against Knightstown’s Mason Muncy.
“I felt confident I could go out there and win,” Friesen said. “My coach just kept telling me we’ve got to start off good, so I’m glad I could do that for the team.”
The first two periods were a stalemate, and Friesen and Muncy headed to the final period still where they started, scoreless at 0-0.
Friesen got the job done in the final frame, pulling out a decision win to get the Royals the first three points of the night.
“It was tough,” Friesen said. “I was wrestling up a weight class, so it was a little heavier, but I just kept working on it, kept doing what my coaches told me this week, and I eventually got the points where I needed to win.”
It was the fast start the Royals hoped for. The momentum wouldn’t last long, though. Two quick pins for the Panthers put the Royals down 12-3 before one of Eastern Hancock’s captains and leaders, senior Alexander Burton, stepped up to the mat.
Burton wasn’t lost in the location or the atmosphere of the historic gym. He’s been here before, competing all three times the Royals have wrestled there.
“I like to think of it pretty much the same as any other gym. You’ve still gotta wrestle the same,” he said.
He made quick work of Knightstown’s Skylar Medlin in the 220-pound bout, getting a pin just past the minute mark of the match.
It wasn’t quick enough for his tastes.
“I could’ve done it faster,” he said. “I probably should’ve done it faster.”
Burton’s win narrowed the gap to 12-9. The senior, who is working to get into West Point, takes it upon himself to try to lead his team. The Royals are young, with seven freshman on the roster.
As a captain and one of three seniors on the team, he’s relied on to set the tone.
“He’s got a motor that don’t stop,” Eastern Hancock coach Keith Oliver said. “Every day he’s working hard, he’s telling these kids, ‘Hey, we’ve got to work harder. This is why we’re not very good right now.’ He’s a leader. He’s a great kid. He’s one of those kids that you’re going to miss when he’s gone, because he’s just that important to the program.”
The Panthers scored the next 34 points after Burton’s win. One of Eastern Hancock’s freshmen, Sam Kesler, would get the Royals their next points in what proved to be one of the night’s best matches.
Kesler fell behind to Knightstown’s Landon Carmichael quickly in the 145-pound match, trailing 5-0 after one period and 7-2 after two.
Down 11-5 with just 31 seconds left on the clock, Kesler managed to roll over Carmichael and get the pin, eliciting a big roar from the crowd for his comeback win.
“Extremely proud of him,” Oliver said. “He’s a freshman, so all year long it’s been a battle for him. That’s a kid right there that loves the sport of wrestling, he works hard, he’s gonna get better, he’s gonna get stronger. Absolutely a huge win for him tonight. You can see when he won, he was excited, he was pumped. For a kid like that, that this sport means so much to him, you can build a future on a kid like that. It’s huge.”
Like most of the season has been thus far, it was an up-and-down night for the Royals. With the loss, they fall to 10-8 on the year in duals.
They were hoping for their first win in six tries against the Panthers, but they know progress was made as they build toward sectionals. Despite the loss, it was a special night at a special place for the Royals wrestlers.
“It’s definitely special. You’re coming to a place that’s always been known for basketball, and you’re putting wrestling mats on the floor,” Friesen said. “The fact it’s Knightstown, too, kind of helps with that. You’re just wrestling in a special place with a rival team that you’re friends with, but then when you get on the mat you’re wrestling hard to try to beat ‘em.”
“It got loud. It gets exciting,” Oliver added. “When you’re talking a couple hundred people in a small gymnasium like this, you could really feel the intensity. It’s fun. I think the kids enjoy it, and I think we need to continue it for a long time.”