Danz tests his mettle against best
The Ponderosa High wrestler isn't shying from top opponents.
By Mark McDermott - Bee Correspondent
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, January 20, 2007

Justin Danz of Ponderosa High School, right, grapples with Kenny Silva of Deer Valley on Friday during the Tim Brown Memorial Invitational Wrestling Tournament at Memorial Auditorium. Danz won the match by a technical pin.
Sacramento Bee/Randy Pench

To be recognized on the grand stage of wrestling, Justin Danz knows he has to battle the best individuals in the country. That means competing at the Reno Tournament of Champions, Doc Buchanan and Five Counties tournaments against wrestlers such as Louis Bland of Central Catholic-Modesto, a two-time California state champion and No. 5 in the nation; Hunter Collins of Gilroy, No. 3 in the state and No. 6 in the nation; and Kirk Smith of Centennial-Boise, Idaho, No. 3 in the nation.

The Ponderosa High 174-pounder has done that, pinning Bland in the first period in the final at Five Counties last week, decisioning Collins in the final of the Doc Buchanan 9-4 on Jan. 2 and losing to Smith 5-3 in the quarterfinals at the Reno TOC on Dec. 22. In so doing, he has earned a No. 4 ranking nationally from USA Wrestling and a No. 2 California ranking from www.thecaliforniawrestler.com. And Friday at the Tim Brown Memorial Invitational Tournament at Memorial Auditorium, he was doing it again. Danz, 30-1 and headed to Hofstra next fall on a full-ride scholarship, reached the quarterfinals of the tournament formerly known as the Foothill Invitational.He beat Kenny Silva of Deer Valley-Antioch 15-0 and pinned Angelo Lonero of Bellarmine-San Jose and Zack Shaver of Bullard-Fresno. "Justin's wrestling at a different level right now," said Ponderosa co-head coach Soren Murphy. "He doesn't think about wins or losses, he just keeps looking to move forward."

In today's quarterfinals, Danz, who finished fourth in the state at 160 pounds in 2006, will face Phil Brandt of Bullard. Should he be victorious over Brandt and win his following match, and both Bland and Jason Welch of Las Lomas-Walnut Creek win in their quarterfinal matches, the final would pit a gem between Danz and either Bland or Welch. "I try not to look at the brackets," Danz said. "I don't look ahead to see if a Bland or Welch is in it. I don't want to get embarrassed and get beat by someone I shouldn't looking ahead."

Welch is the No. 1-ranked 160-pounder in the nation. The North Coast Section representative moved up a weight class in hopes of facing his pal Danz.
"Jason and I are good buddies," Danz said. "We both decided along time ago that he'd bump up a weight class for this tournament."
The tournament began with seven state No. 1-rated performers in Alex Rodriguez (138 pounds) of Clovis East, Calvin Miller (148) of Natomas, Kyle Bergstedt (192) of Paradise, Ryan Flores (215) of Buchanan-Fresno, Nikko Triggas (119) of Campolindo-Moraga, Welch and Bland. It also featured five state champions. Triggas, Welch, Bland and Flores won state titles last year, and Trevor Machado-Ching of Oakdale and Bland in 2005.
By day's end Friday, all state No. 1s, all state champs and all No. 1 seeds won and only one No. 2 seed lost. Chris Navarrete (155) of Shasta was upset by Nick Rohrer of Oak Ridge.

Matches begin today at 9 a.m. with finals at 5:30 p.m.