By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Some of the best wrestlers in California are making a name for themselves on the football field this fall, proving you don't have to wrestle year-round to be a champion.
Louis Bland of Central Catholic and Jason Welch of Las Lomas rank as two of the best wrestlers in state history, yet they are making significant contributions to their football teams. Bland is on the verge of becoming the all-time leading scorer in Sac-Joaquin Section history while Welch has become a force on the defensive line for the Knights.
Bland and Welch faced off in a memorable battle last year at the Tim Brown Memorial Classic in Sacramento. Bland, a two-time state champion heading into the match, and Welch, a defending state champ following his sophomore year, were each ranked No. 1 in the state in their respective weight classes, but Welch moved up a weight class to face Bland and handed the powerful Raider an astounding 21-9 loss.
Welch went on to win his second straight state championship and established himself as the nation's No. 1 wrestling recruit, according to the wrestling website Intermat. Welch recently signed to wrestle at Northwestern next year, a school that finished fourth at the 2007 NCAA championships.
Bland, meanwhile, missed out on an opportunity to become the second four-time champion in state history when he lost to Justin Danz of Ponderosa in the 171-pound state finals. He could still become a three-time state champion and he is heavily favored to win a state title in 2008. Bland has yet to choose a college to attend next year.
Welch has done the dirty work on the defensive line in helping lead the Knights to a 2-0 record. Welch has several sacks already on the season and has become a force on the line due to his quickness and tenacity.
Bland, meanwhile, has racked up 408 yards in two games on 48 carries while scoring five touchdowns. However his Raider team is in the unfamiliar position of being winless after two weeks of the season. The winners of 61 straight games during the 21st century, the Raiders are 0-1-1 so far this year with a loss to St. Mary's and a tie with Cardinal Newman.
With 80 career touchdowns, Bland is just 19 touchdowns away from the Sac-Joaquin Section record for career touchdowns, held by Onterrio Smith of Grant (according to Cal-Hi Sports). Bland rushed for 1,800 yards last year, was the league MVP and was also named the player of the year on the all-area team selected by the Modesto Bee.
Bland and Welch are not the only grapplers finding success on the gridiron. Others include Brett Sanchez of Clovis, Rudi Burtschi of Oakdale, Hunter Collins of Gilroy, Tito Pica of De La Salle, Dominic Galas of Central Catholic, and Nick Pappas of Sonoma Valley.
Sanchez started at quarterback for Clovis the first two weeks of the season and completed 22 of 37 passes for 316 yards. He passed sparingly in his latest outing, but did rush for 74 yards on 17 carries. Sanchez placed 7th at 189 pounds last year for Clovis, which is favored to win the state championship this year at the CIF meet.
Sanchez could be favored to win the 189-pound weight class this year, but he'll have to get past Rudi Burtschi of Oakdale to do it. Burtschi placed second last year and lately has been tearing up the field as a linebacker. As a junior, Burtschi was an all-area first team pick by the Modesto Bee.
Bland could face Collins in the finals of the 171-pound weight class. The two are familiar foes, having faced off for the 171-pound championship as sophomores in 2005 (Burtschi finished fifth in that weight class that year). Bland won that battle and also beat Collins in the 171-pound semifinals last year, 7-5, before falling in the championship match to Danz.
Collins took third last year and he currently plays linebacker for Gilroy.
One of the wrestlers Collins beat out for third place last year was Pica, a linebacker-running back at De La Salle. In two games for the Spartans this year, Pica has gained 110 yards on 15 carries. Pica finished fifth at the state meet last year after winning a North Coast Section title.
One of the wrestlers Pica edged out for the NCS crown was Pappas. The senior linebacker is the second-leading tackler for the Dragons with 19 in two games.
Bland's teammate, Dominic Galas, figures to be a factor in the heavyweight battle this year. He lost in the first round to finalist Jonathen Zamora of Clovis before winning four straight matches and finishing one match short of placing in the top eight. Galas is a highly-regarded offensive lineman for the Raiders and is getting some looks from several Division 1 schools, according to Rivals.com.