The medal placed around the neck of Anthony Walker nearly 10 months ago hangs in the Greenwood senior’s bedroom.
It was to eventually be neighbored by another medal as Walker, the eighth-place finisher at the state wrestling finals at 152 pounds, couldn’t wait to follow it with an even more impressive showing this winter in the 160 class.
However, Walker underwent surgery in November to repair a torn labrum sustained during a preseason tournament in Fort Wayne, and he is likely out for the season. If so, he concludes his Woodmen career with a record of 79-42, one sectional title, three trips to the Mooresville Regional and last year’s trip to state.
The setback, disappointing as it is, is a relative speed bump for Walker, who at age 6 was declared legally blind in his left eye after being diagnosed with a myelinated retina. It’s a condition that obscures underlying retinal vessels and affects only 0.57 percent of the population.
Regardless of won-loss records or past histories, Walker has been at a disadvantage ever since he stepped onto the mat.
“Anthony has to be at 20 feet away from someone to even see a shadow. He couldn’t even see the E at the top of an eye chart with his right eye covered,” said Walker’s mom, Yvonne. “The only surgery he’s had on his eye is to make sure it stays focused.
“What it shows is the work ethic that the kid has. Anthony is at a disadvantage when he wrestles, but it’s interesting to listen to him talk about opponents and what their tendencies are. He watches videos on them and does a lot of that on his own.”
The procedure on Walker’s left eye, strabismus surgery, was performed when he was in middle school and corrected the misalignment of his eyes. The prescription glasses Walker wears the majority of the time — including at school, where he maintains a 3.1 grade-point average — helps correct his amblyopia (lazy eye).
When Walker wrestles, his continuous movements can cause his left eye to shift, albeit for a short amount of time. A best-case scenario would be for Walker to wrestle wearing his glasses, though they would likely break.
In middle school, Walker actually wore swim goggles during each match as a means to protect his left eye. Once in high school, he elected to go without.
Walker will likely get the opportunity to wrestle at the next level. So far, he’s received offers from Manchester University, Wabash College, Marian University and the University of Indianapolis, with other schools showing interest as well. He would like to major in engineering or special education, though that could change in the months ahead.
For the time being, Walker tries his best to forget about medals and the walk to the awards podium at state by helping Woodmen coaches during practices and meets.
“(The injury) happened my sophomore year,” Walker said. “The pain wasn’t too bad and I just kind of dealt with it my sophomore and junior years. Then my senior year came and it got a whole lot worse. It’s pretty disappointing, because I definitely wanted to go for the state title this year.
“But things happen. I can still wrestle in college if I’m able to. I have a good amount of offers, and all of them still stand.”
The chances of Walker ever wearing a Greenwood singlet again appear slim. Even so, Woodmen coach Jay Yates has thoroughly enjoyed these past seven years.
“I’ve known Anthony since he was in sixth grade, so I’ve seen him develop all through middle school and then to go from a kid who had maybe a .500 record as a freshman to being, really, the team leader,” Yates said. “It’s been great to see that.
“He’s already at a disadvantage at the beginning of every match that he’s ever been in. For him to overcome that and wrestle more with feel and touch, it’s just awesome to see a high school kid do that.”
