Clarence’s Burns wins 100th match, looks for more

When Ryan Burns first stepped on the mat as an eighth-grader, wrestling at the varsity level for the Clarence High School wrestling team, the last thing he was thinking about was 100 wins.

But two years later, he’s already got it.

“I never thought when I wrestling varsity as an eighth-grader, I could come along this fast,” he said. “Every single year, I just keep working harder and trying to get better.”

He’s done just that. Burns hit the 100-win mark in a recent dual meet victory over rival Lancaster and pushed it up to 103 with a second-place finish at the Section VI Class AA Championships last weekend at Lockport.

And that magical 100th victory came at the perfect time.

He beat his friend, Tommy Michel of Lancaster, 9-3 in the 106-pound match at the recent Border Brawl dual meet, leading the Red Devils to their third straight victory in the series.

“That was great wrestling against my buddy,” Burns said. “You learn a lot in matches like that.”

As the season heads into crunch time, Burns figures to be one of the Red Devils with a legitimate shot at accomplishing big things.

The Section VI Tournament is Sunday at the University at Buffalo’s Alumni Arena where a trip to states will be on the line.

And Burns still has two more seasons after this one to do more damage — meaning more success is likely on the horizon.

“He’s been wrestling hard and he deserves it,” Clarence coach Jason Chase said. “And he’s still got a long ways to go.”

In his sophomore season, Burns has shown he can battle with the best lightweight wrestlers around.

He was first at ECIC Championships and was undefeated at the Vesper Duals, helping Clarence win that event for the fifth straight season. He was also 2-1 at the Union-Endicott Duals and second at Teike/Bernabi Spencerport Invitational Tournament.

And in the big picture, he’s helped the Red Devils to an extremely successful team season.

Clarence remains the top ranked team in Western New York and is ready to be a factor at the sectional and state tournaments.

“We work hard; every single day we come ready to work,” Burns said. “Success comes with that.”