FISHERS, Ind. — A group of high school wrestlers are stepping up to support a teammate after he was seriously hurt on the mat.
Hamilton Southeastern High School sophomore Harrison Rich severely injured his spine during a wrestling match in December.
He spent almost two months at Riley Hospital for Children before moving to a rehab facility in Chicago.
Rich’s teammates and the wrestling community are rallying around him as he faces the difficult challenge of healing from such a serious injury.
“It takes a special person to wrestle, and Harrison’s a special kid,” said HSE head wrestling coach Nick Brobst.
No matter his opponent on the mat, Rich's coaches and teammates could always count on Rich to fight with all his heart. Now, he is confronting his toughest opponent yet, a severe spinal cord injury.
“This young man’s just got an athlete and a wrestler’s mentality and I’d like to think the heart of a Royal, that’s he’s going to attack this rehab. There’s no doubt in my mind that he, whatever they’re going to put in front of him, he’s going to try and do,” said athletic director Jim Self.
“He works hard to do everything, so I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to be attacking this with all the vigor that he can,” Brobst added.
Rich's teammates and the wrestling community are trying to help in his fight.
This week, they collected money at the season’s final wrestling match. There’s also a GoFundMe account to help Harrison’s family with expenses as they travel back and forth to Chicago for Rich's rehab.
“I think we raised $3,000 just running through the stands trying to collect money real quick,” said teammate Ryan Hartig
“That’s really the only tangible thing we can do for him, I think,” added teammate Ryan Cast.
“In a difficult situation, I watched a bunch of young men rally for one of their own,” added Self.
And that’s what Rich’s teammates and coaches will continue to do, long past the end of the wrestling season.
“He is the best human on the team. He’s just a wonderful kid and he’s going to have a tough battle, but he’s the right type of mentality to fight through it and use his story for positive use in the future,” Brobst said.
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