Troy wrestling places 2nd at IeSa State Finals

The Troy Wrestling Team finished 2nd in its class at the recent IESA Wrestling State Tournament Finals, finishing only 11 points behind the returning state champions - a feat Coach Rudy Meza called, “a huge accomplishment.”

“I speak for myself and the rest of the coaching staff when I say that we are extremely proud of all our wrestlers,” Meza said. “Every one of them gave us all they had. They wrestled with heart, determination and grit.”

Meza said after many long practices, hard drilling and tough competition, it all paid off.

“Qualifying 10 wrestlers for state is a big deal,” he added. “Not many teams can do that, and having all 10 of them wrestling on day two is even harder. Each wrestler played a huge part in Troy winning second. We couldn’t ask for a better and more hard-working team. Each wrestler had a mindset to become a champion. If you wrestle with heart no one can compete with you.”

Meza added that the team will be strong next year, as well, with more than half of its state qualifiers returning.

Troy Athletics and Activities Director Meagan DeGroot said that in addition to the team members being high caliber athletes, they excelled in the classroom.

“The Troy wrestling coaches and athletes amaze me everyday with their ongoing dedication to this sport,” DeGroot said. “They set the bar high and succeeded. I am excited to watch what great things are to come for our Troy Wrestling Team, and I expect to see our 8th graders excel at the next level in high school.”

The Troy state qualifiers who attend William B. Orenic Intermediate School in the 5th grade are Calihan Weber, who took 2nd place at 70 pounds, and Austin Latarewicz, who was a state qualifier at 90 pounds.

Attending Troy Middle School in the 7th grade are Jacob Tyderek, who took 2nd place at 215 pounds; Logan Hudson, who was a state qualifier at 85 pounds; Regan Pas- tori, who was a state qualifier at 105 pounds; and Colton Coughlen, who was a state qualifier at 155 pounds.

Troy Middle School 8th graders who competed at state were Coehn

Weber, who took 1st place at 105 pounds; Casey Koerner, who took 2nd place at 75 pounds; Joseph Pedrosa, who took 4th place at 119 pounds and Michael Murphy, who was a state qualifier at 100 pounds.