Submitted photos – From left to right, Curtis Bartley, Braydan Johnson, Colton Schaad, Alex Osborne and James Gensaw Jr.

By Ray Hamill — The Del Norte Warriors have been setting a very high standard on the wrestling mats in recent years, and now they’re setting a very high standard off them too.

After a hugely successful run during their high school days, five Del Norte seniors are now taking their talents to the college level as they get set for an exciting new chapter in their careers and lives.

The five include Colton Schaad, Curtis Bartley, Braydan Johnson, James Gensaw Jr. and Alex “Ozzy” Osborne.

Gensaw and Johnson will remain close to home, committing to wrestle for Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwoods, respectively, while Bartley will compete for North Idaho College, one of the most successful JC programs in the nation.

Osborne also will compete at the JC level, joining Lassen College, while Schaad will head to North Dakota to compete for the University of Jamestown in North Dakota, which is moving up to the Division-II level.

It’s the most wrestlers Del Norte has sent on to the college mats in one year in more than two decades.

“In all the years I’ve been coaching here, this is the most we’ve sent on,” Del Norte head coach Clinton Schaad said. “We feel like what we’re doing is working.”

It certainly is.

In addition to the five college bound grapplers, the team’s three other seniors — Ben Weiland, Aaron Burger and Brandon Starcher — all also have big plans for their futures.

Weiland plans on becoming a fire fighter after high school, while Starcher is getting ready to join the Air Force, and Burger plans to join the Marines and eventually become a fire fighter.

All of them have left an indelible mark on the high school program, leading the Warriors to tremendous success in their time at the school, including back-to-back North Coast Section Dual Meet championships and four straight league titles.

The Warriors also placed third out of all wrestling programs in the NCS this past winter.

Bartley was the first to commit to a college program, deciding his future back in November.

“Their wrestling program is top notch. All of their sports programs are top notch,” he told Humboldt Sports before his senior season. “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 capped a very successful high school career with a second consecutive NCS title and trip to the state championships this year.

“We always knew Curtis would wrestle in college. That’s his passion,” Clinton Schaad said. “He’s going to go as far as he can.

“I know he’s excited about it and we’re excited for him. He’ll do great. It’s a really good program.”

Colton Schaad also has qualified for the prestigious state meet in back-to-back years and was an NCS champion in his junior year.

He committed to Jamestown after visiting multiple schools in North Dakota and receiving several scholarship offers.

“We’re excited for him and super happy and proud of him,” his father and head coach said.

Submitted photo – Colton Schaad and his family at his recent letter signing ceremony.

Submitted photo

The senior fell in love with North Dakota when he visited the state after qualifying for the US Marine Corps national tournament in 2023.

According to Clinton Schaad, Colton really hit it off with Jamestown head coach Gresh Jones, as the Jimmies get set to make the jump from NAIA to Division-II in 2026.

This coming season, Colton Schaad and his new teammates will red-shirt while competing as a club team in preparation for the big move.

Colton Schaad, who has a 4.0 GPA, is also a two-time recipient of the prestigious Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete Award and was named co-Defensive MVP of the Big 4 in football last fall.

Johnson, meanwhile, will join an up-and-coming CR team that began competing again in 2023 after a four-decade hiatus.

“I was wanting to (wrestle in college), I just didn’t know where,” said Johnson, who chose CR in part because of the school’s electrician program. “They’ve got a really good electrician program. It ended up working in my favor.”

The two-sport standout, who also played football for the Warriors, had a rough start to his senior season on the mats, but turned it around late and placed a very impressive eighth at the NCS meet.

And CR coach Brandon Benvenuti is excited about bringing him own board.

Submitted photo – Braydan Johnson at his recent letter signing ceremony.

“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.”

Johnson’s Del Norte coaches believes he can continue to succeed at the next level.

“He has the ability and I’m really glad he decided to give it a shot,” Clinton Schaad said. “His North Coast Section run was phenomenal. He hit that tournament and wrestled fantastic.”

Johnson says his coaches at Del Norte, and in particular Clinton Schaad, is what he’ll remember the most from his time with the Warriors.

“I loved the coach,” he said. “He was always there for me and motivated me.

“Clinton has been my coach my while life (in football and wrestling) since I was little.”

Osborne, meanwhile, is also excited about his future as he gets set to go to Lassen.

“At one of the tournaments I was at, one of my coaches introduced me to their coach (Lonnie Nalls) and it kind of went from there,” he said. “I like their coach’s philosophy, and they have a great weight room and the campus is really nice.”

Like his fellow Del Norte seniors, Osborne enjoyed tremendous success during his time with the Warriors.

Submitted photo

A four-time league finalists and two-time league champion, Osborne also placed sixth in the NCS as a junior and second this year, barely missing out on qualifying for the state championships.

“I’m glad he’s going on to Lassen,” Clinton Schaad said. “He has the athleticism and he had a great senior season … He’s really on his game right now.”

Osborne, who wants to major in kinesiology, plans on wrestling for a four-year program after his time at Lassen. 

He also says that his coaches at Del Norte have been a huge influence for him.

“I had a lot of fun at Del Norte, a lot of memorable experiences,” he said. “What I’ll probably miss the most is the coaches, and just the general atmosphere.

“It was really nice going through all four years and seeing the team grow. From my freshman year to my senior year, we had a lot of improvement and success.”

Gensaw, meanwhile, will join a Cal Poly Humboldt program that has a lot of tradition and also was just recently brought back for the first time since the early 1990s.

Another kinesiology major, Gensaw also competed in basketball and football before high school, but he says wrestling has long been his favorite sport ever since he first began competing as a four-year-old.

“It’s always been (my favorite),” he said. “I like the intensity of a one-on-one sport. Whoever’s better is better, and whoever doesn’t show up doesn’t show up.”

The senior standout also paid tribute to his coaches and the impact they have had on his career.

“My coaches made me a better wrestler,” he said. “I’ll remember my teammates and my coaches and how they run practices. It was pretty intense, which I like.

“I would like to thank my coaches and my dad (James) for making this happen.”

That respect is mutual.

“He’s a great kid. All these guys are,” Clinton Schaad said. “And he’s excited to go down there and excited to get to the next level.

“He’ll be a nice solid workhorse for them.”

Gensaw placed second in league as a senior and was third in league and seventh in the NCS as a junior.