Daily Pilot High School Male Athlete of the Week: The return of the Baron, Ayres

A top-flight athlete has just suffered a significant knee injury and is running out of time to chase championships.

For all the progress that they have made in rising to the top of their game, this is a major step backwards.

How are they to respond to this unplanned detour?

Well, if that person was Kobe Bryant, they drained two clutch free throws to tie a game against the Golden State Warriors, and then the recovery process could begin.

The legendary Lakers star had surgery on his Achilles tendon, but a couple of highly publicized ventures overseas contributed to his rejuvenation over his last five seasons.

Those were the trips to Germany that were made to undergo platelet-rich plasma therapy on his right knee.

Bryant’s trips to Europe rank among the most well-known incidents of athletes leaving the United States to receive cutting-edge medical treatment.

That example has been followed by many, and it is now being employed at the high school level.

On Sept. 11, Fountain Valley High’s Karson Ayres suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while wrestling in the Super 32 Qualifiers.

Ayres, a reigning CIF Southern Section Southern Division champion in the 138-pound weight class, was about to have his senior year taken away from him.

If there were any other options, Ayres was open to them. One presented itself when the family chiropractor, Tommy Knox, suggested a LARS (Ligament Augmentation and Reconstruction System) procedure.

On Oct. 1, he put his faith in the medical innovation.

“I went to Austria…for the surgery because they don’t do it in the U.S.,” Ayres said. “The normal ACL surgery would take nine months to recover from, and this one takes 12 weeks.”

“In Austria with the LARS procedure, they have a polyester mesh material that they put in there instead. Your ACL ends up being stronger than it was before. Like three times stronger.”

Edison football player David Atencio also got the procedure done in Austria in July, and the junior receiver was able to return for the start of Sunset League play. He wound up being a major contributor in the Chargers’ CIF-SS Division 3 championship-winning season, as he had at least 100 receiving yards in five of his 10 games played.

The procedure worked for Ayres, too, and he was ready to give it a go this past week in the Asics SoCal Challenge at Next Level Sports Complex in Garden Grove.

Being a technical wrestler, he was able to reach the final despite missing out on valuable training time to stay on top of his conditioning.

He won four matches with a pin, a major, and two decisions while competing in the 145-pound division. The senior lost a decision to Jack Ramalia of Granite Bay in the final, 4-0.

Ramalia was a quality opponent, as he was named the MVP of the lower weight classes at the tournament.

“He looks good,” Barons coach Brad Woodbury said of Ayres following the injury. “It’s amazing. He’s working hard. He might be a little winded and out of shape just because he hasn’t competed, but he’s doing good.”

Ayres’ performance at the Asics tournament is just the kind of effort that Woodbury has come to expect from his standout athlete.

As a three-time Sunset League champion, Ayres is continuing a tradition of strong wrestling at Fountain Valley. In his sophomore year, the Barons won the CIF Southern Division title. The next year, he won an individual sectional title in the 138-pound weight class, adding his name to a list of 43 wrestlers who have won a CIF championship as a Baron.

The Barons began their defense of five consecutive Sunset League championships with a resounding victory of 70-9 over Huntington Beach on Wednesday. Continuing the streak means a great deal to Ayres.

“That’s definitely important for us,” he said. “It’s kind of like a legacy for our time period.”

“If we can win it this year, then after this year, there’s no chance of us not winning it because I believe that Fountain Valley is definitely on the rise still.”

A big-time matchup awaits Ayres in his next league meet. The Barons will square off with Newport Harbor. Ayres could end up facing Xander Moreno, who boasts a 100% takedown rate this season.

Ayres said that he read the story that featured Moreno as the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, and it caught his attention.

“Moreno, I haven’t seen yet, but I’m excited to wrestle him,” Ayres said of the Clovis North transfer. “I plan on being his first takedown.”

Marina’s John McCoy is also a formidable opponent at his weight. He was a semifinalist in the 145’s of the Asics SoCal Challenge, earning two decisions and a pin along the way.

Ayres has placed at CIF in each of his three previous seasons. Work remains for the highly successful senior after he just missed out on qualifying last year.

“I haven’t made any state trips,” he said. “I actually got 10th in Masters last year, and the top nine qualify, so that was kind of a heartbreaker for me.”

Usually, it takes time to trust the body following a major injury, but Ayres says that he is competing free of that skepticism and fear. His confidence in the LARS operation has allowed him to focus on his goals for the season.

After facing Newport Harbor on Tuesday, Ayres will receive more quality matches in the Five Counties Tournament, which will be held Jan. 13-14.

“Five Counties is a good measuring stick to see where I’m at,” he said. “It will show me what I need to work on and how I need to prepare for league finals, CIF Finals, Masters, and state.”

“Some of the top competitors in the state will be there.”

Ayres’ wrestling roots come from his family. His father, Dean, wrestled at Edison and continued his career at Cerritos College.

Karson Ayres

Born: April 14, 1999

Hometown: Huntington Beach

Height: 5-foot-9

Weight: 145 pounds

Sport: Wrestling

Year: Senior

Coach: Brad Woodbury

Favorite food: Macaroni and cheese

Favorite movie: “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Favorite athletic moment: Ayres is most proud of winning the CIF Southern Division individual title in the 138-pound weight class during his junior campaign.

Week in review: The senior advanced to the finals of the 145-pound division in the Asics SoCal Challenge last week. He had one major, two decisions, and one pin for his four wins.