No regrets for Betts

If someone were to ask what Fredonia wrestler Kenny Betts has accomplished in his six years as a varsity wrestler, they had not better be in a rush, for it is nearly impossible to rattle them off in under a minute.

Betts is a two-time state champion, two-time state runner-up, western New York’s all-time record holder for pins in a season, as well as second and third place with 39 and 38 respectively. He is New York State’s all-time wins record holder with 269 and is only the second Section 6 wrestler to become a five-time sectional champion. He is near the top in the nation with 186 career pins.

Betts proved he was the real deal early and often.

As an eighth grader, Betts placed first in the Section 6 Class AA tournament and went on to take first place at the state qualifying meet. That year he finished second at states.

As a sophomore, Betts finished the season with a 48-6 record and won his first state title, taking first place at sectionals, the state qualifier and states.

In his junior year, Betts took first at sectionals and first at the state qualifier before losing in the championship match.

This year he went 57-3 on his way to another state title and ending his high school career the way champions should.

Now Betts has one other piece of business to take care of as he is looking to become an All-American in April when he competes in Virginia at a national tournament. If Betts’ resume alone doesn’t qualify him for All-American status, he will need to finish in the top eight at the tournament.

“I want him to be an All-American,” Fredonia coach Alex Conti said. “I think he has a real shot to become an All-American. When you are a four-time state finalist in New York, that weighs pretty well. For him to have a state record, they are going to stand up and take a look at him.”

It was obvious to Conti that Betts was something special when Betts was at a young age.

“I saw it when he was a fourth-grader playing football with his older brother on a hard floor. The brother was 160 pounds and Kenny was 85. Kenny tackled his brother and thought nothing of it,” Conti laughed reflecting on the memory. “Right then and there, I knew this guy was special. He is just a goer. He was just one of those guys where he just stepped on the mat and went. The only times he had real problems was when he started thinking he had to a wrestler instead of a brawler.”

And though a state title was the icing in the cake, it was just an added bonus as to what the season was about for Betts.

“We had other goals in mind,” Conti said. “He had to start working on specific things to bridge the gap between high school and college and not worry about the state meet. We wanted to on some other things that would prepare him because we knew he was college bound. As it worked out, we were fortunate enough to accomplish bridging those gaps and he found himself at the top of the podium.”

Often at state meets, when a wrestler wins a championship match, the wrestler is overjoyed and jumps in the coach’s arms. When Betts won Sunday in Albany, it was a business as-usual approach as walked over to hug Conti and his other coach, his father Greg Betts.

“Coach Betts is a very proud father,” Conti said. “Kenny is a terrific son. They aren’t showy people. Kenny trains hard to accomplish something and when he accomplishes it, he is proud in the moment. If he doesn’t, he is disappointed, but never, ever in his 306 matches I can honestly say, I have never seen him be a poor sport. Kenny and his dad aren’t showy people who beat their chests and proclaim to the world that they are the best or throw a temper tantrum if things don’t go right. That’s as high a praise as you can give a family or person. When I saw Greg’s face, it was worth all the time and sleepless nights we have endured for the past 14 years here at Fredonia.”

One of Betts’ most impressive achievements is being only the second wrestler from Section 6 to be a five-time sectional champion.

Conti compared it to a college basketball team.

“Try and do anything five times in a row with any sort of competition in front of you,” he continued. “I don’t care what it is. Great times have a hard time winning five championships in a row. How many college basketball programs have won five championships in a row and played in the NCAA Final 4 four out of five years. It’s truly a testament to Kenny.”

Some may try and argue that Fredonia wrestles a weak schedule and that helped Betts’ career stats.

Don’t tell Conti that.

“If anybody says we wrestled a weak schedule, I would put it against Anybody’s in New York State,” Conti dared. “In two different years we saw Spencerport (the best team the state has ever seen) four times. In three other years we saw them at least twice. I believe that’s part of the reason we had success at the state meet. When we go to these tournaments and get hammered on by impressive wrestlers, it prepares us for the end of the year.”

A stat that puts that notion to rest during Betts’ six years as a varsity wrestler, is he only won via forfeit eight times.

Conti also noted when his team wrestled at the Spencerport tournament earlier this year, there were 15 state champs and 48 place finishers competing.

Now the historic high school comes to a close, a new chapter begins for Betts as he looks ahead to his college career. Betts has talked with the University at Buffalo, and will be meeting with Edinboro and Clarion in the coming weeks.

Though the past month has not been an audition for college coaches, Betts showed a lot at the sectional meet, state qualifier and state finals.

“We knew our preparation,” Conti said about going into the state finals weekend. “He had to trust his training, go in confident, and go in relaxed. We didn’t say it’s time to show these coaches. That’s what we tried to do throughout the year. The last three weeks, as he opened up more and more on his feet and wrestled extremely smart matches, I think it showed a lot of growth in his wrestling and I believe coaches identify that and appreciate that.”

If the last month has been any indication of what to expect from Betts, the college that gets him will get a steal.