By Stephen Peters
Sports Writer

For junior Alex Monaco, it all came down to this.

With the sound of nerve-racking cheers around him and a rush of adrenaline inside him, Monaco joined 27 other wrestlers in the Parade of Champions at the Greensboro Coliseum March 2 as the finals of the NCHSAA 2A individual tournament were about to begin.

When it was all said and done, Monaco had claimed his first state wrestling title, winning a thrilling final battle against Angel Najar, a sophomore from North Pitt High School.

“It feels pretty good to be the 132 weight class state champion,” Monaco said.

Coming off a third-place finish in 2012 and a regional championship the week before, Monaco was the favorite to win it all.

“I had a confident mindset, not cocky, going into states,” Monaco said. “I told myself as long as I wrestled like I knew I could, I would win.”

That confidence helped him cruise through the first three rounds.

Monaco rolled through his first match with apparent ease as he pinned his opponent, Gage Love, a sophomore from East Davidson High School, in 1:14. After his quick start, Alex stayed hot and won his second match 7-1 against Cody Dobbins, a junior from Bunker Hill High School.

To help him wind down after a match and get ready for his next opponent, Monaco turned to his iPod and Mother Nature.

“Throughout the tournament I would listen to music and get some fresh air between matches,” Monaco said.

In the semifinals, Monaco continued dominating his opponents as he defeated Cody Hall a junior from East Rutherford High School, by a score of 6-2. The final match, however, was a different story as he faced Najar for the second time in a week.

“The final match was really close. I wrestled Angel Najar once before at regionals and beat him 10-3,” Monaco said. “This time, he took me into overtime, and I beat him 8-3 in overtime.”

And just like that, Monaco was a state champion, finishing the season with a record of 38-3.

“I reached my goal,” Monaco said. “Now it is time for me to make harder goals to reach.”

While winning a state title in wrestling has been Monaco’s goal in high school, the road to his title began almost by accident.

“I started wrestling in eighth grade because I wanted to play another sport, and I just fell in love with it,” Monaco said.

That love of the sport has helped him become one of the best wrestlers in the state of North Carolina.

“I’ve won a lot tournaments, had good seasons, qualified all my years throughout high school for state, placed twice, but I’ve never been a state champ,” Monaco said, “until now.”

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