I used to become quite achey after a squat session.
I did squat once a week then, I now squat squat twice a week and dead-lift once a week, on the off days I walk a lot and quickly.
I would not advise stretching before a workout.
One thing I like about DOMS is if you perform an exercise that you have not done or not done for a while you can actually feel what muscles are doing the work.