Thumbnail: Pictured (from left to right) Curtis Bartley, Braydan Johnson, Colton Schaad, Alex Osborne, James Gensaw Jr.

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Written and submitted by John Pritchett.

A fifth member of the powerhouse Del Norte High wrestling program has signed a college letter of intent to continue his grappling career.

Colton Schaad announced this week he will wrestle at the University of Jamestown, a NCAA Division II school located in North Dakota. This follows a standout career at Del Norte High, where he won a North Coast Section championship as a junior and finished third this past season.

Along with his wrestling prowess, Schaad has never had anything other than an “A” on his report card at Del Norte High, and was twice named an All American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association for leadership, character and academics.

Other Warriors heading toward a collegiate career include:

• Curtis Bartley, a two-time NCS champion, will be going to North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene. NIC is one of the premier junior college wrestling programs in the nation. Del Norte High wrestling coach Clinton Schaad called Bartley a “work horse” and one of the hardest working people in the entire state of California.
• Braydan Johnson, who finished third at the Humboldt-Del Norte League championships and eighth at the NCS tournament, will be going to College of the Redwoods in Eureka. Corsairs Coach Brandon Benvenuti believes Johnson is just starting to tap into his potential. Johnson earned the nickname “Fearless” from Coach Schaad. “No matter who he is competing against he always has a chance of success because he doesn’t care who you are or what your accomplishments are.”
• Alex Osborne will be taking his talents to Lassen Community College in Susanville. Osborne won the Humboldt-Del Norte League championship in his weight class, then finished second at the NCS event. “He refuses to quit no matter what the situation,” Coach Schaad said. “He has won more matches by simply refusing to give up than anyone I have ever coached.”
• James Gensaw Jr., will be in Arcata, wrestling for the recently revived Cal Poly Humboldt program. Gensaw finished second at the Humboldt-Del Norte League event after a standout Warrior career. “He is one of those special wrestlers that will always learn from a loss,” Coach Schaad said. “James has the unique ability to be able to sit down and study a match and truly analyze how things transpired and make in-season adjustments to better himself.”

As a team, Del Norte has won seven consecutive HDN titles, back-to-back North Coast Section dual-meet championships, and finished third at the NCS championships this season.

Coach Schaad praised the group for their talents, dedication, and most of all, their leadership.

“As a 23-year-wrestling coach at DNHS, having this type of core leadership is a dream come true,” Schaad said. “They all bring their own unique abilities, but those abilities blend together seamlessly. What these five bring to the table as a solidified leadership unit is a once-in-a-coaching career experience.”