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| Battle to the end
Auburn Hills Avondale wrestling falls in quarterfinal By Christian Davis Auburn Hills Avondale wrestling coach Ray Went calls it the “benefit of experience.” “I believe this — the process is equal or more important than the product,” he said. “I don’t need kids to be a state champion to see how they’ve grown or improved.” Instead, the veteran coach needs hard work and perseverance, something he said the Yellow Jackets showed this season. Avondale finished 28-10 overall after losing to Greenville High 50-9 in a Division 2 quarterfinal Feb. 26 in Battle Creek. “We had wrestled them in December, so I knew something about what the competition was. We had at that time won three matches against them … so I was both optimistic and realistic of what we could do the second time,” said Went. “They were much stronger this time than the first time. Our boys, I thought, wrestled very well. But in a number of matches, we were just overmatched.” Greenville lost in the semifinals by a point to the eventual state champion St. Johns High. In that match, Greenville scored two pins. Against Avondale, Greenville didn’t register a single fall, tallying its points by technical fall or decision. The Yellow Jackets earned two victories, Joe Kury (189 pounds) by decision and Victor Vettese (125) by pin. Last season, Went said the squad was “crushed” in its district opener against Oxford High. The coach said he’s proud of the way the team responded and finished as one of the top eight squads in D-2. “I think about where we were last year at this time, and I’m really encouraged by the improvements they’ve made and the heart they’ve shown,” he said. Went said he rarely had a full lineup until the regional, and it was that tournament — the Yellow Jackets beat Warren Woods Tower and Hazel Park High — that the squad put it all together. “Somehow or another, with not having our very best lineup we won 29 dual meets. I was encouraged by that, and likewise in our league we were 4-3 against the toughest schools in Oakland County,” he said, as the Yellow Jackets competed in the Oakland Activities Association Red Division. Avondale says goodbye to a group of seniors who proved that hustle and hard work go a long way. “I really think our seniors were a good example of that,” he said. “It wasn’t like they blew them away with technique, but they just plain and simple outworked them, and some kids that were better than them got tired and were beat.” You can reach Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1062.
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