INDIANAPOLIS — After a difficult start to the regular season filled with several highs and lows, Eastern Hancock wrestling coach Nick Holliday pulled senior Avery Wills aside to talk.
Wills was struggling at the time, looking for direction at a crucial point in his life — both on and off the mat.
Holliday had an idea for the soon-to-be high school graduate, and he gave him a homework assignment. As a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Holliday lent Wills a book the organization requests that all of their representatives read.
It’s called, “One Word That Will Change Your Life,” and it only took Wills about 25 minutes to read.
The lesson taken from the short paperback, however, set in motion what would become a months-long journey towards a state-qualifying appearance at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday night during the 2020-21 IHSAA wrestling state finals.
“Avery was kind of up and down this year, so I told him, ‘Hey, why don’t you read this and find out how you want to define the rest of your senior year, your career, wrestling and the rest of your life,’” Holliday said. “I told him, ‘Let’s start right here. Go pick a word.’”
His word was “perseverance.”
“That’s what he chose, and he really showed that the rest of the season,” Holliday said.
Wills personified the word and put it on display during the state finals’ opening round at 152 pounds. The unranked, underdog challenged Chesterton’s four-time state qualifier, Brock Ellis, before succumbing to a pinfall at 3 minutes, 26 seconds.
Ellis (31-4) was projected to win the match as a two-time state-place winner in 2019 at 152 (fourth place) and last year at 145 (fifth place).
Wills knew the challenge ahead, too, but through the first two minutes of their match during the state finals’ evening first-round session, he stood his ground against Ellis.
“There was a lot of excitement. I was honestly overwhelmed by everything, all the people, wrestling here,” Wills said. “As soon as I stepped on the mat, my heart was racing. Everything just ran through my body at the same time.”
Despite the adrenaline pumping, his muscle memory remained.
Ellis scored a takedown at the 1:28 mark to establish a 2-0 lead, but a slick reversal by Wills 30 seconds later tied up the match 2-2.
The Chesterton senior went up 4-2 with eight seconds left in the first period, but Wills didn’t surrender without a fight.
In the fleeting final seconds, Wills appeared to reverse Ellis and rolled his opponent onto his back, but the officials didn’t award any points as the buzzer sounded.
“With Avery, it’s just persevering. We told him to weather that first storm. We knew it was coming, and he put himself in a great position at the end of that first period,” Holliday said.
“We actually thought he should have had a reversal at the end, plus some back points there, but the referee thought otherwise. We respect that decision, but he put himself in a great spot to continue wrestling in the second and third period.”
Wills and Holliday deferred after winning the toss to start the second period and Ellis chose neutral. Ellis executed a hard, slamming takedown 19 seconds into the period as Wills scrambled to defend and escape.
“I was doing my best. I don’t know, I just kind of fell off because I was kind of worried that if I lost the match it was going to be my last match, which it was,” Wills said.
With 34 seconds remaining in the period and down 9-2, Wills’ career came to a close as Ellis pinned him.
Wills collected himself, shook hands and walked off the mat with his stare fixated forward.
“Being the first state qualifier in 19 years at Eastern Hancock is a privilege,” Wills remarked following the match moments before his emotions forced him to pause. “It’s just been great wrestling at Eastern Hancock.”
The fifth state qualifier in Royals’ program history, Wills finished his career with 98 wins and 42 losses overall, a two-time sectional runner-up at Warren Central this postseason, third at the Southport Regional and fourth at the New Castle Semistate.
His final season record was 30-12, but Wills’ path to state began four years ago as a freshman when he qualified for his first regional at 145 with a fourth-place ribbon.
An injury-riddled sophomore postseason forced him to settle for sixth at 152 before he qualified for his first of two consecutive semistate tournaments as a junior.
In 2019-20, he was second at sectional and fourth at regional at 152.
With his mother, April, and step-father, Randy Steiner, figuratively in his corner throughout, Wills aimed to equal his older sibling, Jordyn, a two-time semistate qualifier and former collegiate wrestler at Trine University.
He ultimately bested his brother at the high-school level, joining former Royals head wrestling coach Keith Oliver as a state qualifier.
Oliver, who coached Wills early in his career (2013-19) qualified for state in 2001-02, the last Royals’ wrestler to achieve the feat.
Prior to Oliver, Kent Colclazier (1983-84) reached state two times, Joe Havlin (1982) once and David Dunbar (1982) was the first 39 years ago.
“We talked about enjoying the moment. We don’t get to do this very often, and you don’t get second chances to come back. You don’t get to hit the rewind button or anything, so we talked about staying loose and enjoying the moment,” Holliday said.
“No matter what. Win or lose, we’re proud of him. We’re just proud of his heart, his effort and determination. He represented our school well today.”
And, he’s set a new standard at Eastern Hancock with a youthful roster ahead for 2021-22 and two younger siblings working their ways up the program’s ladder at the grade-school and junior high level.
“I was trying to do my best because there’s a lot of freshmen on our team this year, and hopefully, they have something to learn from it,” Wills said. “The team. I couldn’t have done it without the team.”
