Petrov, Micic hope to push each other to state titles

CEDAR LAKE | So far, the highlight of Paul Petrov's prep wrestling career isn't his runner-up showing at the 2009 Indiana state finals.

Rather, it was when his Hanover Central Wildcats won the Harvest Classic at Lake Central last year.

"It just showed that a small school like us can go up against anyone," Petrov said.

This year's Harvest Classic didn't pan out as well for Hanover as the Indians won their tournament with a resurgent Griffith taking second.

"But there's always the Lake County Tournament," Petrov said. "We haven't won that one, yet."

For the 120-pound senior and son of head coach Nick Petrov, team accomplishments resonate more than individual glory. But a little in-house rivalry never hurt anybody.

At the most recent Harvest Classic, Petrov issued a challenge to Wildcat sophomore 106-pounder Stevan Micic of who would record more falls. Micic won by one, though Petrov did have an eight-second stoppage.

Petrov and Micic are both returning state qualifiers for Hanover Central, which picked up a third state qualifier in 145-pounder Charlie Mavros, who transferred from Lowell.

After his runner-up showing in 2009 at 103 pounds, Petrov placed fourth at 112 pounds last year. Micic took third as a freshman 103-pounder, even through he wrestling up a weight.

During the summer at the USAW Freestyle Nationals in Fargo, N.D., Micic took first in his "natural" weight -- 98 pounds.

At Wildcat practices, Micic wrestles up a weight with Petrov as a sparring partner.

"We push each other a lot in practice," Micic said. "I've learned a lot from wrestling with him."

So what is needed for either to take that small but big step to a state crown?

"When I took second, I felt it was right at my finger-tips," Petrov said. "You just got to keep working hard and make the little adjustments, like changing the position of my elbows when I'm in the down position."

Hanover Central has had a tradition of wrestling prowess. Its former three-time state champions, Andrew Howe, was an NCAA champion for Wisconsin and is training for a spot on the 2012 USA Olympic team.

The Wildcats tend to get dwarfed by nearby neighbor Crown Point, which is among the top-ranked teams in the state.

"But having those guys so close can only help us get better," Micic said. "We often go against them in local tournaments during the year.

"There are a lot of good wrestlers in the north part of the state."