By Dave Campbell
The Associated Press

Larry Early III is redshirting his first year at Minnesota. He still has a whole lot to wrestle for.

Since he met Greco Roman Bouzakis, Early has rarely lacked motivation.

"He's gotten me extremely grateful for my life," Early said of his improbable 5-year-old pal who has a rare, inoperable form of cancer. "I'm just trying to use my athletic ability and my image, basically, to support him and use it for good. I know he loves it."

The friendship was struck through social media last year, when Early was a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School in Illinois, just west of Chicago.

For a business class fundraising competition, Early's group needed an idea. The day before the project began, Early favorited a post in his Instagram feed that had been circulating to help Greco's cause. So the decision was made, and the students collected close to $3,000 over three weeks after Early sent the Bouzakis family a message to inform it of the effort.

"There was an instant connection," said Greco's mother, Toni Bouzakis.

Initial communication with Greco was made primarily through Skype sessions. At his final competition as a high school wrestler — the junior nationals in Fargo, North Dakota — Early dedicated his performance to Greco. He became the 152-pound freestyle champion with the Bouzakis family watching at home in Tampa, Florida, via webcast.

"I really dominated everybody. That was all for him," Early said. "Honestly, if I didn't meet him or anything, I wouldn't say I wouldn't have won, but I would say that I would've wrestled more hesitantly."

The trophy, naturally, went straight to Greco. It's at the Bouzakis house with other memorabilia from the family's success on the mat.

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