Submitted photos – Del Norte senior Braydan Johnson is one of several local wrestlers to commit their futures to College of the Redwoods this spring.
By Ray Hamill — As the College of the Redwoods women’s wrestling team gears up for this weekend’s state championships, head coach Brandon Benvenuti has been busy on the recruiting trail this spring for both the men’s and women’s teams.
The CR coach is hoping to have rosters of between 15 and 20 wrestlers on board for both teams next year as he continues to build the new programs that have been competing for the past two years.
Benvenuti recently added to the 2026 women’s roster after securing commitments from a pair of H-DNL standouts, Hoopa’s Audrina Mace and Arcata’s Ash Osceola.
Since then, four H-DNL standout boys grapplers have committed their immediate future to the local community college, a group that includes Fortuna’s Elias Golder and Landon Leon, Eureka’s Knolin Callender and Del Norte’s Braydan Johnson.
And Benvenuti expects all of the newcomers to help the team moving forward.
“I do believe all four of these guys can come in right away and start for us, and hopefully qualify for the state meet,” he said.
All six of the new boys and girls will benefit from years of wrestling in a competitive H-DNL that continues to churn out collegiate level wrestlers.
Mace and Osceola, according to the coach, have the mental aptitude and work ethic needed to succeed at the next level.
“I really like their energy and their passion for the sport,” he said. “Both of their (high school) coaches said they are extremely hard working and committed, and I feel that will be a great fit for our program.”
Callender was one of the first boys to commit to CR this spring.
The Eureka senior enjoyed a stellar career on the high school mats and capped that with a second-place finish at this year’s H-DNL championships in the heavyweight division.
Eureka’s Knolin Callender (center)
Fortuna’s Elias Golder, left, and Landon Leon
“Knolin is a big powerful heavyweight,” Benvenuti said. “He was just shy of winning the HDN league title and I think he’s one of the better heavyweights in the area, So we’re really excited to have Knolin as part of our program.
“He’s a great athlete. He’s powerful and athletic.”
Johnson, meanwhile, comes from a Del Norte program that is known for producing quality college wrestlers every year.
The Warriors have dominated the rest of the H-DNL for much of the past decade and are sending multiple seniors on to college programs this year after winning a seventh consecutive league championship and a second straight North Coast Section Dual Meet championship.
And the CR coach believes the best is yet to come from the Del Norte senior.
“Braydan is a very exciting wrestler,” Benvenuti said. “He had an up-and-down season, but he really turned it on at the end.”
Johnson placed third at this year’s league championships and eighth at 192 pounds in the NCS meet.
“Braydan’s got an extremely good work ethic and he’s stayed committed,” the CR coach added. “To be a North Coast Section placer is pretty impressive.
“I think it’s just all starting to come together for him.”
Fortuna’s Golder and Leon, meanwhile, will continue to be teammates at the next level.
And Benvenuti is also expecting both of them to have big careers on the college mats after they both placed third in this year’s league championships and qualified for the NCS meet.
“A lot of tough wrestlers come out of Fortuna,” he said. “So we’re really excited to have them be a part of our program.”
Golder competed at 120 for the Huskies, while Leon wrestled at 144.
“They can come in and make a big impact right away,” the CR coach added.
The CR program has also quickly established a connection with the Ukiah High team over the past couple of years and is adding three more Wildcats to the roster for the fall of 2025.
Taven Paschel, Raven Costa and Caleb Aguilera have all committed their immediate futures to the team.
“Just like with the Fortuna boys, we’re really excited to have the Ukiah boys,” Benvenuti said. “We’ve had a really good run with Ukiah boys. Ukiah is a really good program.”
Two CR women will compete this weekend at the state championships, with Nevaeh Jones and Abigail Garcia both qualifying.
The championships will take place at East LA College and begin on Friday.
