High school wrestling preview 2023: Avon resident Adam Butler reaches elite status at St. Edward

There are many reasons athletes fall in love with wrestling, whether it be finding success on the mat, the one-on-one competitive nature of the sport of the deep bonds created with teammates. One of the things that usually turns people away from wrestling is the relentless effort it takes — in the weight room, on the track and in the practice room — to become better at the sport. St. Edward junior Adam Butler, an Avon resident, said that's his favorite part. "I started going to West Shore (youth wrestling club) and was practicing with the Ed's guys and I just kind of fell in love with the grind," Butler said. "I think the most rewarding thing is just all the effort and time you put in weight cutting and dieting, then seeing it pay off on the mat … there's plenty of challenges to overcome." Butler began wrestling in Avon and moved onto the St. Edward feeder program while he was still young. He already had a connection with Eagles coach John Heffernan before he even put on a singlet. "I went to high school with his dad, so I've know Adam for a long time," Heffernan said. "When he came to Ed's, I was impressed with his strength and his ability and right away he took off and was a state finalist as a freshman. I saw him grow up in the West Shore room and a bunch of other places as a kid … so it's kind of what I expected, really." Butler finished as the 106-pound state runner-up in Division I as a freshman, then jumped up two weight classes to 120 and placed fifth as a sophomore. He's bumping up two more weight this year and will be the Eagles' 132-pounder for his junior season. While some wrestlers can stay within a weight class or two their entire high school careers, an elite wrestler with a constantly growing body has to face big challenges when it comes to weight management. "There are so many different philosophies when it comes to cutting weight," Butler said. "Some guys say you have to cut everything you can and other are like you don't have to do anything. I think it's about getting any advantage that you can and it comes down to what the biggest part of this sport is … discipline. You just have to have that discipline to cut weight and do it the right way." Heffernan said one of the biggest obstacles for a wrestler who is constantly moving up the weight class ladder is learning to battle against guys that are bigger and stronger, at least until the wrestler gets acclimated within the weight class. But the coach said there's also a big advantage for elite wrestlers like Butler, who started at the lowest high school weight. "As a little guy, he learned how to wrestle with little guy skills," Heffernan said. "A lot of successful college guys started out as little guys and then got bigger but kept wrestling like little guys, which helped a lot. Now Adam just has to adjust to the stronger kids. When he was at 106, he was always stronger than everybody else and now kids are almost as strong as him, so he's got use that skill level more and he's getting better at that." While getting his body ready for matches is an ongoing process, Butler has cleared some of the mental worry for the second half of his career by committing to Virginia during the offseason. With no recruitment process pulling at his focus, he is free to concentrate on steady improvement and accomplishing his goals the next two years. "It kind of eases the mind a bit, just not having to worry about where I'm going," Butler said. "Now I can go out there and compete to the best of my ability with some confidence behind me. It gives me the freedom to go out and wrestle freely." The other added bonus? With St. Edward competing in some of the top tournaments in the nation over the course of the year, Butler can now get acquainted with wrestlers who are also headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference. "It's always fun to look at the guys who I may face in college or guys that are going to be my teammates," he said. "At this weekend's (Walsh Jesuit Ironman) tournament I got to see guys that will be in the ACC, so that was good." Butler considers himself a well-rounded wrestler — good on his feet, in the top position and on bottom — and knows top position will become more important in college as wrestlers are rewarded for riding time. "Top is always a position I've been naturally good at," he said. "One of the my key focus areas this summer was turning for points and not just riding from the top position, not just riding for control but trying to score and be the aggressor. "But I think one of the key components for me is just being a hard-nosed wrestler. I'm going to be in your face, I'm going to be a lot to handle and I'll bring a lot of intensity. That's how I know I'm going to win — I'm willing to put my face through your face and get the takedown. I'm willing to sweat, I'm willing to go through it all to win. I'm not afraid of a challenge, I'm not afraid of anybody." The unending desire to work hard is impressive and the fact that Butler actually enjoys the painful process of becoming elite is something that puts a smile on Heffernan's face. "That's the one thing I love about Adam — he's a leader," the coach said. "He never misses a workout. He's always asking for more during the offseason. Can we do this or that? Can we set up a time? He wants to be the hardest worker in the room and that's a great thing as a coach." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.