BY BUTCH HARMON
Greenville senior Alec Ward may have come up short in his bid to win an individual state championship at the Division 2 wrestling finals, but it took one of the best wrestlers in the history of Michigan high school wrestling to knock him out.
Ward made it to the championship match at 140 pounds before falling 12-2 to four-time state champion Zac Hall of St. Johns.
“I was just happy being in the finals,” Ward said. “I just went out there and tried everything I could.”
While Ward was unable to snag a state title, he did accomplish something that few high school wrestlers have done, as he placed at state for the third time. After placing fifth as a sophomore, Ward took seventh last year and was determined to finish higher this year.
“I was pretty upset last year,” he said. “I finished seventh after placing fifth as a sophomore. I worked real hard all summer to improve and finish higher. I was happy to get here.”
Ward hopes to wrestle in college and is still deciding where to continue his wrestling career and his academic studies.