Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action from Tuesday’s dual meet at Arcata High.
By Ray Hamill — The Del Norte Warriors stretched their unbeaten run in H-DN wrestling dual meets with a 49-30 win at Arcata on Tuesday night to clinch at least a share of another league title.
The Warriors will close out the regular season when they host Eureka next Wednesday and a win over the Loggers would make it six consecutive years without dropping a league dual meet and send them on to the North Coast Section dual meet championships the following Saturday.
Tuesday’s team win came against a previously unbeaten Tigers team, which came into the day 2-0 in league dual meets.
But the Del Note depth was too much to overcome for an Arcata program that is still building under second-year head coach Cass Bell.
“Anytime you get a victory in a match it’s a good thing,” Del Norte head coach Clinton Schaad said. “We had some losses, but overall I was really happy with how the guys performed.”
Both teams were somewhat shorthanded for various reasons and had to shuffle their lineups, moving several wrestlers up a weight.
But both also continue to build momentum with the league championships and NCS tournaments fast approaching.
“We did good,” Bell said. “I’m proud of our performances. Some of my kids had to wrestle up a weight, and some of it worked and some of it didn’t, but I’m super proud of my kids for the way they stepped up.”
Among the most impressive performances of the night, Kyla Berman had a big win for the Arcata girls and has taken to the sport quickly in her first year competing on the mats.
“She is doing so good,” Bell said of the senior, who is better known for her talents on the soccer field. “I wish I had her for another couple of years. She’s a trooper. She’s caught on so quickly.”
Del Norte’s James Gensaw also impressed in his victory over Arcata’s Isaiah Bell in what could have been the most entertaining match of the night at 132 pounds.
Heavyweight Nathaniel “Big Nate” Stiles, a freshman, also won for the home team, as did Dakota Sanders at 126, Joshua Hannan at 145, Jackson Strand at 152 and Gavin Smith at 160.
“I was super proud of my team,” Cass bell said. “To even hang with Del Norte, which had a full squad, was amazing.”
The Warriors also had several impressive performances and have been particularly strong this year at the lower and middle weights.
Freshman Wyatt Sharp won his match at 120 with a pin, as did Tescha Gensaw in her match.
“Everybody wrestled pretty well,” Clinton Schaad said.
Another freshman Chulhs Bates also continued to impress with a victory and is enjoying an outstanding debut season at the high school level.
Bates is one of two Del Norte wrestlers, along with teammate Curtis Bartley, who are ranked in the top-50 in state, with two others, Eric Stansbury and Colton Schaad, both listed as honorable mentions.
That’s the most wrestlers the traditional powerhouse program has ever had ranked at the same time.
The Warriors also have 12 wrestlers ranked in the North Coast Section, including eight in the top 12 in their respective brackets.
Other lower and middle weight Del Norte wrestlers enjoying a big winter on the mats include Alex Osborne Isaac Lopez and William Bommelyn.
In girls action, Adenne Schaad won by forfeit on her 18th birthday and was acknowledge by the crowd before the meet.
James Gensaw and RJ Loftin each only recently returned from injury and both grapplers have provided a big boost for the Warriors, with back-to-back dual meet victories for Gensaw and three straight for Loftin, with the latter also placing third and second at recent tournaments.
“Having those guys back in the lineup definitely helps, and it helps their teammates too,” the head coach said.
The emergence of Braydan Johnson at 182 has been a pleasant surprise for the team as well, and along with teammate Rey Martinez he gives the Warriors some good depth and competition in that weight division.
“Brandon is having a heck of a position battle for that varsity spot versus Rey Martinez,” Clinton Schaad said. “Brandon’s really come a long way. He works real hard at practice. They all do.
“Rey’s doing great too. It’s a very good problem to have when you have two guys that are both winning matches.”
A win over Eureka next week on Senior Night will guarantee a return to the NCS Dual Meet Championships for the Warriors, who have placed second there for the past three tournaments.
“We’ve yet to win one,” said Clinton Schaad, whose team has lost to Ukiah in the final all three times. “We’re hoping this year we can break that.”
Casa Grande and Windsor are also expected to compete for the section crown.
Most of the H-DN teams will travel for the two-day Ukiah tournament this weekend, with the action getting under way on Friday.
The Tigers will also celebrate their seniors — Hannan, Berman, Sanders and Paolo Bosques-Paulet — when they close out the H-DN dual meet season at home to Fortuna on Tuesday night.
