Avondale claims D2 district title with win over OLSM

PONTIAC >> The Auburn Hills Avondale wrestling team knew a district title was within reach heading to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep on Thursday night and the Yellow Jackets weren’t going to let it get away.

Trailing Orchard Lake St. Mary’s early in the finals, the Jackets picked up key pinfalls over the second half of the match to claim a 45-30 win and the Division 2 district championship.

“Strong finish, that’s been our goal all season long. I told our boys that if we don’t finish strong, we finish wrong,” Avondale coach Ray Went said. “It’s a great experience for these guys. They have never had a chance to compete in regionals so this will be a great memory for them.”

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE D2 DISTRICT AT ND PREP

Giving up 12 points in voids kept the Jackets down early in the final, but Avondale won four of the last five bouts that took place, all by pinfall.

The Jackets got the eventual winning fall at 130 pounds when sophomore Garett Weeks scored in the pin in the first round to put Avondale up 39-27.

“That was his first varsity match,” Went said of Weeks. “He had been injured all season, so it was great to see him be able to come out and perform the way he did.”

Adam Rocca (112), Sebastian Jackson (119), Gavin Stewart (140), Zach Bommarito (171), Chris Sawyers (215) and Shane Gubariu (285) also scored pinfall victories for Avondale while Dolan Vincent picked up a 9-6 win at 145 pounds.

“I shared a proverb with them that says, ‘If you want to run fast, you run alone. If you want to run farther, you run together,’” Went said. “Staying together is what wins you championships. You don’t win by doing everything for yourself. You win by doing it for others.”

Nick Chudler (189) and Joseph Bungart (103) earned pins for Orchard Lake St. Mary’s while Zarruh Suponkulov (152) had a 14-4 victory and Americo Milani (135) had a 7-3 win.

The Eaglets advanced to the finals thanks to a 42-39 win over the host Fighting Irish. The match came down to the final weight class, with Milani scoring a pinfall at 135 pounds to keep Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in the hunt.

“We wrestled a lot better in the finals than we did in the semis,” OLSM coach Nick Fenzel said. “Avondale is a good team and we have 15 first-year kids on this roster and they fought hard. We have improved a lot as a team this season. Our kids can keep their heads held high.”

Avondale defeated Pontiac in the semifinals, 54-15. The Phoenix wrestled well, as their three wrestlers of Allen Croskey, Martine Jacobo and Michael King all picked up victories.