AUBURN HILLS — The Canton wrestling fans were chanting his name — Abro, Abro, Abro — and the senior did not disappoint.
Anthony Abro is the second state champion in Canton High School history. Abro finishes the season 60-0 after beating Detroit Catholic Central’s Miles Trealout 3-1 in the Division 1 title match Saturday at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
“There’s no better feeling,” Abro said. “I prepared for it and I did it.”
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The match was tied 1-1 late in the third period when Abro secured a takedown to gain a 3-1 advantage with just eight seconds left in the period.
“After the takedown, I just had to ride him out,” Abro said. “There were only eight seconds left. It felt great.”
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What makes Abro’s feat against Trealout even more special is Abro finishes his career 11-0 against his Detroit Catholic foe, including victories in this season’s district and regional tournaments.
“It came down to who wanted it more,” Abro said. “We just kept spinning. ... We’ve faced each other 11 times so I know everything he’s got and he knows everything I got. We just went after each other. He’s a good kid.
“We just kept trying to set up our offenses and score on our attacks. It was a great match.”
Abro joins Corey Phillips, who went undefeated, 56-0, to win a state title at 140 pounds in 2007.
“It feels amazing,” Abro said. “Joining Corey Phillips feels great.”
Phillips and Abro have one more thing in common. Phillips wrestles for Eastern Michigan University, and that’s where Abro plans to wrestle in college.
“Go Eagles!” Abro said.
For Canton coach Mike Pantaleo, Abro’s success comes as no surprise.
“He was focused since Day 1,” Pantaleo said. “After he finished fourth last year, he knew what he had to do to get to the top of the podium. He didn’t miss a beat, not a day, not a second or a minute.
“Everything he’s done showed out there today. It’s hard to beat the same kid 11 times in a row. It came down to the mental aspect and he was more determined. He won it in his head.”
After his victory, Abro let out a loud roar in the direction of his Canton fan base and then hugged his coaches.
When being interviewed immediately following the match, Abro was made aware the win over Trealout was the 200th of his career.“I didn’t even think about 200 wins,” Abro said.
“The ultimate goal was a state championship.”
