Visions of basketball glory were interrupted by reality when Alex Petro was a seventh-grader at Center Grove Middle School Central.
Petro, who was cut during tryouts, immediately turned his energies to wrestling, and he hasn’t once looked back.
After excelling on the mat in middle school, Petro earned a spot in the Trojans’ varsity lineup as a freshman and has gone 76-18 since. This season, the junior is 28-4 and ranked 12th in the state in the 113-pound weight class.
Petro occasionally competes at 120, but he is expected to be in the lighter class when Center Grove takes part in the Mooresville Sectional on Jan. 27.
“Being 12th just tells me I’m not where I need to be right now,” Petro said. “I’m never satisfied. I have to be better.”
Petro’s effort and dedication are never questioned by Center Grove coach Cale Hoover. The coach will be looking for leaders in his program after seniors Gleason Mappes and Jonah Hays graduate in the spring, and he hopes to depend on Petro, among others.
“Alex loves attention, so he is going to get attention every day. He requires a lot of energy to coach. It’s just who he is,” Hoover said. “He is continuing to mature. Alex has become a better student while he’s been in high school, and he really wants to be a leader.
“He’s trying to be more positive and understand that there is a way to do that. We’re starting to see that more and more.”
Being a bundle of perpetual motion, Petro is almost always the first on the mat before a match.
He shakes the opponent’s hand and goes right to work.
“It’s just me and the mentality I have,” Petro said. “I’ve always been going 100 miles an hour, but when it comes to wrestling, I like pushing practice (matches) to a pace I’m uncomfortable with. Then, when I have a match, I’ll be wrestling at a pace my opponent is uncomfortable with.”
Last season, Petro advanced to the state finals at 113 but lost to Warren Central senior Skylour Turner.
Hoover feels Petro has the talent and drive to make the awards podium (top eight) this February. Petro, meanwhile, has his sights set on a top-four placing at state as the ultimate springboard into his senior campaign.
“Alex wrestles hard and has tons of enthusiasm and energy,” Hoover said. “He is always going to do his best.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Petro file” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Alex Petro
Age: 17
Born: Indianapolis
Family: Parents Joe and Karen
Favorite TV show: “Rick and Morty”
Favorite food: Italian
Favorite movie: “Step Brothers”
Favorite athlete: David Taylor
Favorite team: Penn State University wrestling
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