| A walk among friends
Troy Athens wrestlers finish All-State; Avondale grappler falls in final
By Christian Davis
C & G Sports Writer
AUBURN HILLS — It was only appropriate Troy Athens seniors Jeremy Stoian and George Abro were able to walk together during the Grand March on the floor of The Palace of Auburn Hills March 6.
The wrestlers had trained together for four years, and this was their victory lap at the end of their prep careers.
“I was thinking that all of these years of training came down to this moment,” said Stoian, who finished fifth in Division 1 at 130 pounds. “I got what I deserved, what I trained hard for. It was just awesome looking up at all the lights, all the people clapping and standing up. It was a good feeling, especially walking with my teammate, George Abro.”
Abro finished sixth at 145 pounds.
“It was pretty cool, because ever since I was a freshman, I’ve came here and watched,” he said. “To actually be able to be in it is something else. I got to see my family cheering me on. It was a cool experience.”
Stoian finished 42-5 overall; Abro was 47-9. Both grapplers said they pushed each other to their best.
“We always talked about making it together, going as far as we can together,” Stoian said.
“We beat up each other at practice, now we’re here together having fun,” Abro added. “It’s been a cool experience with him the last four years. There have only been a few of us that stuck through it for four years, so I enjoyed it with him.”
The next step
Auburn Hills Avondale’s Victor Vettese made his third straight trip to The Palace and made it all the way to the final match at 130 pounds before falling to three-time state champion senior Tyler Keselring of Greenville High in a 3-1 decision.
“Everything happens for a reason. I guess for the better of it, God had me lose this match,” said Vettese, who won state championships his sophomore and freshman seasons at 112 pounds and 103, respectively.
The grappler finishes the year 41-3 overall, and expects to be battling for another title as a senior.
“I’m going to be thinking about it all the way until next year,” he said. “I want to be on top of the podium next year, so that’s going to be my motivation to get back to first place again.”
In the final, Keselring scored on a takedown with just 30 seconds remaining in the first period and with an escape in the third. Vettese scored an early escape in the second and nearly took Keselring down as time expired in the third, which would have tied the match.
Avondale coach Ray Went believes Vettese will be back next year even stronger, and that he should still be proud of what he accomplished.
“We can look at second place and think he hasn’t improved, but I think he has,” the coach said. “I’ve seen him mature in so many other ways.”
You can reach Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1062.
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