Wrestling: Avon's Riley Atkins, coach Mark Jayne are perfect pair

Avon senior Riley Atkins and first-year coach Mark Jayne might be exactly what the other needed this season. Atkins, a two-time Division I district qualifier, was one of two seniors — Mason Fitch the other — to be voted in as team captains this year and has been one of Jayne's go-to guys with his production on the mat and his leadership off. "He is that laid back, chill kind of guy … and he's a fun guy to talk to," Jayne said. "He's down to earth and he's very coachable. He'll listen to what you say and then he'll go out there and adjust in the match. He's a great guy to have, especially it being my first year at Avon. Having a guy like that on the team, who's a solid force and a good senior, is a big plus." The benefits have been a two-way street. Jayne has helped elevate Atkins throughout the season and has the 144-pounder believing he's ready for the next level. The switch to a new coach — Jeremy Johnson served as Avon's head coach during Atkins' first three seasons — sometimes can actually be an obstacle for an upperclassman due to a lack of chemistry and familiarity. "It's actually been awesome to get a new perspective on things," Atkins said. "So there are some things that Coach Johnson was really great at that kind of helped me expand my toolbox, and then there are things that Coach Jayne is able to help me with that I maybe wasn't getting before. Just being able to get these new opportunities and to see new moves, new angles and kind of have a new set of eyes on me is always good. "Plus, I can roll around with (Jayne) a little bit. Johnson was a little bit bigger, it made it a little tougher, but it's always nice having (hands-on instruction) like that." Atkins' father and uncles wrestled at Olmsted Falls and he began his biddy career at an early age, but said he didn't really get serious about the sport until middle school. He qualified to the OAC state tournament in the eighth grade and the fire inside grew. "That was kind of my turning point where I realized that I wanted to make the most out of my high school career," Atkins said. "Going down to that eighth-grade state tournament gave me a taste of it … a little bit of a taste of what that looked like. It made me excited for what might be coming up in those next few high school seasons." While Atkins didn't wrestle in the postseason as a freshman, he advanced through the Midview sectional bracket the past two years to compete at the Perrysburg district tournament. This season he's 24-6 and is coming off a runner-up finish at the Battle for the Belt tournament at Berkshire High in Burton last weekend. "He's just a well-rounded wrestler," Jayne said. "He's got the experience, he's a little lanky and uses that to his advantage. He's got good takedowns and he's real good on top, and that's a game changer in wrestling. We have confidence in putting him down in the referee's position to get that escape … and he's got a few different ways of scoring on his feet. "He works hard in practice, so he's always trying to get better and that's all that we can ask. Making sure you get better, get your teammates better around you and give that full effort … and that's what he gives." Atkins gives kudos to his coaches and his opponents for the gains he's made during his senior year, but he says nothing helps more than the time spent in the Eagles' wrestling room. "It's definitely a meat grinder in there with the competition," he said. "All the guys throughout the lineup … we're all competitors. We're buddies off the mat, but when we step in the room and we're going live, everybody's scrapping and everybody's giving 110 percent trying to make each other better. I think that's what helps us grow as wrestlers, having teammates and practice partners that want to push us, and everybody in the room has that mentality of wanting to improve. That's a really good culture and environment to be in." Atkins also feels blessed that he was named one of the team captains by his peers. "We're spending our entire winters together — I'm spending more time with some of these guys then I am with my own family members," he said. "So the bonds and connections that we're able to build throughout the season I think are more special than those you can build in any other sport. So the fact that these guys view me as a leader and look up to me as someone to set the example is really humbling and I'm very honored to be put in that position." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on Twitter.