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.
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