Canton freshmen Ben Griffin and Alec Pantaleo come from wrestling families.  Ben’s father and two uncles are wrestlers.  Alec’s father, uncles, and cousin are wrestlers.  One uncle, Larry Pantaleo, is a referee in the Detroit Metropolitan area and another uncle, Joe Pantaleo, is an assistant wrestling coach at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.

  Ben and Alec were urged by their fathers to give wrestling a try when they were in second grade.  So they joined the community recreation league.  “We were not the best wrestlers in the league” stated Alec.  “We were actually pretty bad” added Ben.  But they stuck with it.  When Casey Randolph became Canton head coach, he convinced dads Ben Griffin Sr. and Mike Pantaleo to form the Canton Wrestling Club.

  Ben and Alec prospered, and after winning MYWAY state titles they were recruited to join Team Michigan.  With all the national tournament success they have enjoyed, they have each set the lofty goals of winning an individual state championship this year, and of topping the school’s freshman win record set by Donnie Watkins.  Additionally, they want to branch out into freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling after the high school season ends and compete successfully at the Fargo national tournament this summer.

  Both freshmen have been training at Eastern Michigan University with David Bolyard and could see themselves following Canton wrestlers Corey Phillips, Brent Winekoff, and Anthony Abro to EMU.  In any case, both want to wrestle for a Division 1 program.  Ben is undecided at this time about his career path.  Alec is considering Officer Candidate School and a career in the Marine Corps.