Dante LatoraLatora was driving the 800-mile trip from western Michigan to Virginia Beach when his car veered off the road, hit a sign, then a tree at about midnight Wednesday, according to Virginia State Police.
Bob Ferraro, the CEO of the NHSCA, issued the following statement:
"The news of Dante's death has broken out hearts. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and close friends. We will be honoring Dante at this year's national wrestling championships with a moment of silence."
Before school Friday, hundreds of Portage Central students came together in the cafeteria, to sing and say a prayer. Many chose to wear blue and yellow in his honor.
"You know it was really beautiful to see such a natural outpouring of love for Dante," said youth pastor Jeff Fernandez of The Bridge Church, one of a half-dozen area pastors who reached out to the school to offer support. The pastors joined grief counselors at the school, helping dozens of students through the difficult week.
Dante Vincenzo Latora was born August 9, 1999 in Middletown, Ohio, the son of Anthony (Tony) and Kim (Justus) Latora. His here described the student-athlete as "an exceptionally gifted student, excelling academically and on the national wrestling level. He was a kid that had a zest for life, which shown through in his artistry and his friends. Anyone who knows wrestling knows the legacy he represented so well and to the highest level."
Dante is survived by his parents, Kim and Tony of Portage and his older brothers Angelo of Ann Arbor and Dominic of Portage. (His father and brother Angelo both wrestled at the University of Michigan.) He also leaves behind his maternal grandparents, Diane and Jim Schelb, of Galesburg, Mich.; his paternal grandparents Carl and Dian Latora of Mattawan and Margaret Latora of Portage and numerous other relatives.
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