SPORTS

H

e’s been a national 
champion with his 
club soccer team and 
a state champion with his high 
school soccer team.
Now 17-year-old Troy 
Athens High School senior 
Ryan Gruca is looking for a 
place to play college soccer. 
He’s not worried about having 
to earn a spot in that team’s 
starting lineup.
“It’s OK if I don’t play right 
away in college. I’ve been on 
the bench a lot during my soc-
cer career and worked my way 
into the starting lineup. I love 
a challenge,” he said.
“Of course, if I’m at a col-
lege for three years and I’m 
still not starting, that’s a dif-
ferent story. I may have to go 
elsewhere,” he added with a 
laugh.
Athens boys soccer coach 
Todd Heugh said Gruca could 
make an immediate impact in 
a Division II, Division III or 
NAIA program in college.
“Ryan hasn’t reached his full 
potential as a soccer player,” 
Heugh said.
Gruca is looking for what he 
considers his best fit for soccer 
and academics in college. He 
plans to pursue athletic train-
ing for a career.
“I’d like to make a college 
decision in the next month, in 
time for the national signing 
day in late February,” he said.
Gruca is a 5-foot-9, 

170-pounder who can play 
anywhere on the soccer field 
... defense, midfield or for-
ward. But he’ll most likely play 
forward in college.
“I played mostly forward in 
high school, and I feel that’s 
my best position,” he said. “I 
also have the most fun playing 
there.”
Gruca certainly had fun in 
the summer of 2018, when 
he helped his U15 Waza 
Football Club nationals team 
win a U.S. Youth Soccer 
national championship in 
Texas.
His fun was tempered a 
bit by the weather in the 
Lonestar State.
“It was very, very, very hot 
down there,” Gruca said. “I 
did a lot of sweating. I never 
want to play in that kind of 
weather again.”
Gruca also had fun in the 
fall of 2019.
He scored two of Athens’ 
three goals in the second 
and final overtime period in 
the Red Hawks’ 4-1 win over 
Traverse City West in the 
Division 1 state champion-
ship game.
It was Athens’ first state 
title since 1997, when the 
Red Hawks ended a 16-year 
stretch during which they 
won five state champion-
ships.
Gruca’s goal with 7:20 left 
in the second OT put the 

Troy Athens senior Ryan Gruca sets 
his sights on college, the next stop 
on his soccer journey. 

Two-Time 
Champion

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

26 | JANUARY 13 • 2022 

Troy Athens 
soccer star Ryan 
Gruca is all smiles 
after scoring a 
goal vs. Grand 
Blanc this past 
fall.

ATHENS BOOSTERS

