INDIANAPOLIS — The nerves were already flooding in when the unexpected occurred.
Before the start of the 82nd Annual IHSAA Wrestling State Finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday night, Greenfield-Central’s Dylan Dorman suffered a wardrobe malfunction.
His headgear broke, and he needed a replacement, immediately, in order to compete in his first-career state finals.
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Fortunately, for Dorman, the enemy of the Cougars’ enemy is their friend when you make it to downtown Indianapolis.
“New Pal let me borrow one of theirs. The New Pal coaches said they never lost with it,” Dorman said. “I think it was a joke, but it does fit pretty well, and I don’t want to buy another pair for $45. I might have to give them back.”
After winning his opening-round match at 138 pounds, Dorman will wait at least one more day to return the Dragons’ black Cliff Keens.
The senior rallied from an early 2-0 first-period deficit to win by decision 12-5 over Chesterton’s 15th-ranked Ethan Kaiser (34-6) during Friday’s elimination round and will compete today in the state medal rounds.
“Maybe I’ll have to pay them for these,” Dorman joked about the headgear. “I might sign them before I give them back.”
A first-time state qualifier, Dorman (38-6), who is ranked 14th in the state by IndianaMat, will vie for one of eight state medals in his weight class along with New Palestine’s Christian White at 120 and Greenfield-Central’s Cooper Noehre at 160.
New Palestine’s Richard Clevenger (34-9), a first-time state qualifier, lost his first-round match at 195 by decision 9-4 to 17th-ranked Kyler Funk (42-2) of Mississinewa.
Dorman, who unlike White or Noehre, had never competed at state, missing out the past two years with losses at semistate and regional, respectively.
As a first-timer, the immensity of the moment took some adjustment, along with his new headgear, which he equipped with his old chin cup for comfort.
“I tried to find my dad (Darryck) for a solid three minutes when I first got out there. I kind of knew where they were, and after that I just really looked around. I don’t know why people choose the nosebleed seats on purpose,” Dorman joked. “But, yeah, people are everywhere.”
Once Dorman locked in, his offense was equally as abundant.
A takedown in the second period tied his match and a takedown followed by a two-point nearfall put him in control 6-3 before the third period.
Three takedowns in the third put the match out of reach as Dorman dominated the final two minutes after nearly getting put on his back in the first period.
“I was just trying not to get turned in the first. I knew if he couldn’t turn me, I could win. He’s a great wrestler on top, and if I took his main way of scoring away, I could come back,” Dorman said.
“I felt it that first takedown. I got my second wind, and it carried me the rest of the match. I get hyped off takedowns, so after the first takedown, I get better after every one.”
Dorman will face top-ranked Blake Boarman (36-3) of Evansville Mater Dei in the morning quarterfinals. An upset win puts him in line for fourth or better.
“He gets nervous. He gets himself worked up. You could tell he was nervous before this one, but we also knew (Kaiser) comes out like a gangbanger, and we knew after that first 30 seconds, he stops,” Greenfield-Central head coach Josh Holden said. “He slows down, and if we pressured him for six minutes, the takedowns get easier. We were patient and pressured.
“We worked exactly what we talked about all week perfectly.”
Noehre (34-2), who is ranked fourth in the state, took care of business after battling the flu earlier their week. Held out of practice since Monday, the Cougars’ senior resumed activity on Thursday.
Against eighth-ranked Peyton Asbury (36-7) of Brownsburg, Noehre scored three takedowns and didn’t allow a single offensive point to win by decision 7-4.
“That match went exactly how me, coach Holden and my CIA coaches wanted it to go. Me scoring in the first,” Noehre said. “I got the only takedowns of the match, and it really sealed it.
“That was the plan. Don’t let him score. Set the tone early, I’m going to be who I am. Nobody can beat me. If I wrestle my match, I’m going all the way.”
Noehre was state runner-up at 152 last year, and the future Purdue Boilermaker will need to get past seventh-ranked Noah Hollendonner (38-4) of Crown Point in the quarterfinals to continue his quest.
White (35-4), a two-time state qualifier, made up for last year’s heartbreak by scoring an easy 4-1 decision over Bloomington South’s Delaney Ruhlman (36-4). White lost on Friday night as a sophomore.
“The goal is to win the last match of the season. If I do that, then that means I’m on the podium. That’s what my goal was,” White said. “I was more nervous for my ticket round last week (at semistate). I knew he hadn’t been here. I was here last year. I was relaxed.”
White scored the first points of the match, a first-period takedown, which was a reversal of fortune from last year and fueled his confidence.
“The preparation this week was key. We knew that kid had a game plan for him. (Christian) had that experience last year, and obviously, it didn’t go the way he wanted it. It was the same mat as last year, but a different outcome,” New Palestine head coach Alex Johns said. “Giving up the first takedown last year, that was great to get it this time. Odds are, if you get the first takedown, you’re most likely to win that match.”
Clevenger faced the opposite, falling behind quickly before falling in the opening round. Despite the setback, Clevenger will support White on Saturday when he wrestles third-ranked Giovanni Diaz (40-1) of Wheeler in the 120 quarterfinals that begin at 9:30 a.m.
“I’m just focused on the fact that I got better all year. That’s what’s important to me,” Clevenger said. “I have to figure out another way to score other than using an under hook, though. It doesn’t work on everybody. You have to find a way to score on the better guys. That’s what I need to get better at.”
