No Guts No Glory

In a balanced attack the Blue Devils earned 5 medals with just as many wrestlers in the the No Guts No Glory wrestling tournament at Hiram Johnson High on Wednesday. Coach Ty Brown was pleased with his team's performance, noting several wrestlers earned their first medals of the season.

Philip Toy paced the Devils taking 3rd place with 4 wins and 1 loss. His victories came easy--3 pins and 1 major decision, while his one loss, 8-5, was a tough match with multiple lead changes.

Andy Schmidl and Blair Kittle took 4th place in their respective weight classes, 135 and 189 lbs. Both grapplers had 3 wins and 2 losses on the day. Kittle had pins against opponents from Antelope and Lindhurst, plus a forfeit. His only losses came against wrestlers from Ukiah and Natomas. Schmidl's most memorable match came against Austin Huynh from River City. Down 4-0 at the end of the 2nd period, nothing seemed to work for the Blue Devil. However, in the final period, Schmidl scored two pairs of near fall points, with an arm bar and cradle tilt, to win 6-4.

Scott Derby broke into the medal rounds in the 145 lbs division. With a 1st round BYE and victory over Landon Walters of Elk Grove, the Blue Devil suffered a narrow loss, 11-10, against an opponent from Rio Linda. A victory would have propelled the junior into the championship match! Derby finished in 6th place. Coach Brown, emphasizing the "process", commented that while Derby had a good tournament, he, like many others on the team, hasn't reach his full potential yet.

Navid Fani, wrestling up a weight class at 152 lbs, took 8th place. His most memorable match came against an opponent from Laguna Creek. With multiple lead changes throughout the match, at the end of regulation the score was tied, 11-11. In overtime, Fani scored the first takedown and won the match.

Coach Brown, who never measures success based on a win loss record, was pleased with his team's effort. It's about getting better and developing, said Brown.

Up next, the Blue Devils start league competition. With a young and inexperience team, dual meets will be challenging. To be competitive, the Blue Devils need their varsity wrestlers to step up and the JV team to fill in the open weight classes. With the league realignment, the Devils start dual meet competition on the road against unfamilar teams--Monterey Trail (Jan 5) and Grant (Jan 12).

Lou Bronzan Tournament -- Brentwood

Sharpening their skills in pre-league tournaments, six Blue Devils competed in the Lou Bronzan Wrestling Invitational in Brentwood. With over 50 teams participating, the 2-day event (one of toughest tournaments on the schedule) presented both successes and challenges to the young team.

Leading DHS was senior Philip Toy at 113 lbs. who placed 4th. After defeating RJ Dilag of Sacred Heart and Chris Lopez of Pioneer, Toy advanced to the semi-finals, where the Blue Devil lost to Vincent Luis of Rancho Cotate. Deep in the medal rounds, Toy split his next two matches--first pinning Johnny Zamarini of Liberty High, then losing by decision to Tommy Yozzo of Amador Valley. Coach Brown described Toy as having a record DHS season--consistently placing high in every tournament.

Brown also praised Scott Derby at 141 lbs as a star in the making. After losing his first match, Derby earned two pins in a row against Richardo Camarena of Andrew Hill High and Saul Zelaya of San Leandro. Then, leading decisively in his next match, the junior seemed destined to advance to the 2nd day. But, one mistake, doomed the Blue Devil as he lost by pin. Building off a 2nd place finish at Whitney High last week, Brown likes Derby's relentless energy and new found confidence.

Brown also highlighted Blair Kittle and Andy Schmidl. Kittle, a first year senior wrestler, yearns for knowledge, says Brown. Schmidl, a sophomore, is turning the corner. Will Glaeser and Navid Fani also represented DHS and, according to Brown, are developing ahead of schedule. With a young team, Brown plans to send his inexperienced varsity wrestlers to range of tournaments from JV to tough 2-day varsity meets like this one.

Up next, the Devils travel to Johnson High on Dec 29 for the No Guts No Glory tournament.

Green and Gold Tournament

After a strong Central Valley showing last week, the DHS wrestling team headed west to the Green and Gold Varsity tournament at San Marin High. With 30 teams participating, the tournament represented the fiercest competition to date. Philip Toy (112 lbs) placed 2nd to lead the team. Andy Schmidl, Scott Derby, and Blair Kittle also represented DHS.

After a first round bye, Toy won his next two matches by pins and advanced to the championship match where he faced his opponent from Los Altos. Entering the final period, the score was tied 6-6, but in the end the Blue Devil lost the championship bout by one point, 8-7.

Also performing well for the Blue Devils was junior Scott Derby, at 145lbs, who had 2 wins and 2 losses on the day, narrowly missing the medal rounds.

2010-2011 Season Starts at Ceres Invitational

The DHS Blue Devils opened their wrestling season at the Ceres Invitational sending 5 grapplers to the Central Valley tournament. Head Coach Ty Brown was pleased with the results as 3 wrestlers earned medals: Toy won the championship, Kittle took 3rd, and Schmidl took 6th place. Derby and Fani also represented DHS.

Philip Toy, a senior, won the 112lb championship with 4 straight victories. After pinning his first two opponents each in the first round, Toy defeated Zach Conley of Livermore and earned a ticket to the title bout. In the championship match, Toy defeated Daniel Guzman of Western Ranch by a score of 4-1. Toy, who qualified for Master’s last year, controlled the tournament from the onset never falling behind in any match. Brown, who has coached Toy for 4 years, described his veteran lightweight as one who “takes care of business” on the mat--taking points when his opponent offers them and then wrestling smart.

Senior Blair Kittle (189lbs) took 3rd place with 3 wins and 1 loss. After a first round BYE, Kittle, a stand out football player, won his first match against Richard Sotelo from Hughson. Coach Brown, also with football experience, connected with this new wrestling barking “linebacker stance” during the bout. Kittle’s only loss, came against Jesse Stoy of Sunnyside High. In his final two matches, Kittle, a bench press extraordinaire, overpowered his opponents and won both by pins.

Sophomore Andy Schmidl (135lbs) took 6th place. Starting strong, Schmidl won his first two matches, then faced Aarom Dizon from Escalon. Up 6-1 in the 2nd round, it appeared as if Schmidl was going to the championship. But one slip, doomed his quest and his opponent turned him to his back.

Next, the Varsity travels west to the San Marin Green and Gold Tournament.