CHAMPAIGN — West Aurora senior Dominic Serio dug deep down into his body.
The moment he dreamed about since he was a kid learning about wrestling was in his grasp.
“Honestly, I felt like I did a great job of not letting the pressure get to me,” Serio said afterward at the State Farm Center. “I just wanted to wrestle hard. The experience was very cool.
“It was something I’ve always wanted to do.”
In the end, Serio’s dream ended with a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Mount Carmel’s Liam Kelly in the Class 3A 157-pound state championship match at the State Farm Center.
Last week, Serio (36-5) defeated Kelly in the sectional. He held a 3-1 lead Saturday after earning a takedown in the second period.
The Ohio recruit was the aggressor against Kelly, repeatedly shooting and getting a single leg, only for Kelly to thwart him. Kelly secured the winning margin on a two-point near fall in the third.
“I was just trying to get out, and he grabbed my arm and turned me,” Serio said. “Congratulations to him. He was able to wrestle his match. Stuff happens.
“The only way you can go in life is forward.”
Serio ended his spectacular high school career with a 132-23 record. He improved upon last year’s fourth-place state finish at 150.
The amazing part is his senior season almost never happened. Serio suffered a serious shoulder injury last August at the elite Fargo Championships. Doctors recommended immediate surgery.
There was a hitch, however. His recovery time meant being out this winter.
“There was no way I was going to miss my senior season,” he said. “Nobody is ever 100%. I was probably at 60%. It hurt really badly, and I just had to do continuous rehab throughout the week.
“The better I felt, the more I got back into wrestling.”
Serio capped his last run at state with two technical falls and a fall in the semifinal, becoming the first state finalist for the Blackhawks since Dzhabrail Khurshidov in 2020.
The pain, joy and exuberance wasn’t his alone. His father, Rob, is an assistant coach, positioned just feet away from all of his matches. His younger brother Dayne, a junior, finished sixth at 165.
Dominic even secured a family honor over his father, who finished third at 145 in the Class AA state meet in 1994.
“We upheld the family name,” said Dayne, who had a team-best 48 wins and just five defeats. “Our dad really pushes us to be really good, and Dominic pushes me really hard.
“This was a huge milestone for both of us to get on the podium this year. Him almost winning state just makes me want to go harder. I have my eyes set on it next year.”
West Aurora coach Andrew Plata pointed out that Dominic Serio illustrates the connection between desire and performance.
“He fought adversity throughout his whole high school career,” Plata said. “It says a lot about him, as a person and as a wrestler.
“He showed if you really want something, it’s possible. He also showed you could be an awesome person and have fun.”
The specter of the injury was a constant presence. In late January, he aggravated it at a tournament in Geneva. He missed the conference meet as part of his rehabilitation.
Serio, who won his third regional title and first sectional championship, was going to move mountains to make one final appearance at state.
“Injuries teach me to keep going,” he said. “Whatever is going my way or against me, I can deal with it. Losing the state title is really terrible, but I’m going to move forward and get better.
“There’s no point in regretting anything because I’ve done the best that I can.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.