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By Ray Hamill — One of the best wrestlers in the H-DNL and the North Coast Section is getting set to join one of the top JUCO programs in the nation after graduation.
Del Norte senior Curtis Bartley announced recently that he will wrestle for North Idaho College after being offered a full scholarship, and he says he’s looking forward to the opportunity and the next chapter in his life and career.
Bartley, who qualified for the state championships last year, has been on Cardinals head coach Derrick Booth’s radar for a few years and the decision to join the team was an easy one.
“They reached out to me during my freshman year,”Bartley said. “They told me I’d help out their program and I could win a national championship with them.”
Anyone who has watched the Warriors standout on the mats wouldn’t argue that assessment.
Bartley has enjoyed tremendous success at Del Norte and is a three-time North Coast Section qualifier in his three years competing at the high school level.
He placed fifth at sections in his weight division as a freshman and fourth the following year, before clinching a section championship and a place in the state championships as a junior.
And this year he will expects to match that accomplishment and make some noise at the state tournament.
For Bartley, committing to the Cardinals, who are the No. 2 ranked JC program in the nation, was an easy choice after visiting the campus a few months back.
Especially considering how many grapplers they send on to the top levels of college competition every year.
“Their wrestling program is top notch. All of their sports programs are top notch,” he said. “And they’ve had a lot of D-1 commits come out of there.
“It’s a big program and they take care of you.”
Bartley also likes the area.
The school is in Coeur d’Alene and the Campus is located on the side of Lake Coeur d’Alene.
“It’s actually amazing,” he said. “And that’s one of the reasons I want to go there. It’s a really nice town right on the lake.”
As you would expect from a defending section champ, several other colleges expressed interest in Bartley, including Eastern Oregon, Southern Oregon, Colorado State Pueblo and the Coast Guard Academy, among many others.
But Bartley believes competing for the Cardinals will give him the best shot at ultimately going on to wrestle at Oregon State, a school he says he would like to eventually compete for.
Bartley is on familiar terms with Oregon State coach Chris Pendleton, having attended some of his camps.
“We’ve talked quite a bit,” he said.
Before he heads off to Idaho, however, the Warriors senior still has some unfinished business to take care of at Del Norte and he is looking forward to seeing what he and his teammates can achieve this winter.
“I’m looking to go undefeated,” said Bartley, who is ranked in the top 10 in state in his weight class heading into the new season. “I’m looking to win H-DN, win sections and go far in state, if not win it.”
As a junior, the impressive Warriors grappler lost just four matches all season, two of them coming at the prestigious state championships, which is one of the toughest high school tournaments in the nation.
And he believes he will benefit from that experience.
“It was fun,” he said of the state tournament. “I was nervous, but this year I think I’ll be ready.”
The two-spot standout, who also plays football for the Warriors, says what he will remember the most from his time at Del Norte High are his teammates and coaches and the experiences they have shared together.
“Mainly the coaches and my teammates,” he said. “They really helped my wrestling.”
Bartley says the biggest influences on his career have been Del Norte head coach Clinton Schaad, Institute of Combat coach Cass Bell, his youth wrestling coach Ryan Baxter and his parents Curtis and Skyla Bartley, as well as his teammates.
He added that competing for the Warriors is something he will never forget.
“It’s like a big family to me,” he said of the program. “Everyone who joins Del Norte wrestling is basically like family.”
Many of those teammates, including Colton Schaad, Alex Osbourne, James Gensaw and Chulhs Bates, all made the trip with Bartley this past summer to the national tournament in Fargo as part of the California national team, and Bartley says it was one of the highlights of his career so far.
“It’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world,” he said. “And it showed me where I stood with everyone. It showed me spots where I need to get better and improve.”
Bartley, who says he is undecided on a major, will follow in a family tradition when he attends North Idaho.
His uncle Dylan and cousin Dino both wrestled for the Cardinals and were All-Americans for the school.
