Phil Downing has toned it down, one takedown at a time.
“When I was younger, I was in a bad neighborhood and I got in a lot of fights,” Downing said. “I joined wrestling because I had some anger issues. I could go out there and wrestle and take out all my anger, I guess you could say, but not in a bad way.”
That was then, and three individual state wrestling titles later, the Broomfield senior is primed to become Colorado’s 17th four-time champion. Wrestling at 160 pounds, he enters the state tournament starting Thursday at the Pepsi Center at 40-3 this season, with no in-state losses. He was defeated twice in Ohio and once in Utah.
“Phil is a very unique young man who has a tremendous amount of talent on the wrestling mat,” said first-year Broomfield coach Pat DeCamillis, a former Pomona coach and a three-time state champion at Arvada. “He also has a lot of heart and other intangibles. He’s afraid to lose. He obviously wants to win every match, but he’s really afraid to lose, and that’s a special trait that keeps him hungry.”
Downing led Broomfield to last year’s Class 4A state title, and both he and the Eagles are ranked No. 1. Senior Zach Stodden (182 pounds) also won a 2013 state title at 170 and is top ranked, and junior Darek Huff (126) and seniors Jarod Albo (152) and Austyn Harris (heavyweight) each placed at state.
“(The Eagles) have the biggest firepower of any team in the state,” said Tim Yount, who does the On The Mat rankings. “They not only win big matches but do so with bonus points in mind. They have the ability to have five finalists which no one else in 4A can match.”
Downing has been focused all season on preparing for this week, hoping to peak at the right time in his push to four-peat.
“I’ve been training for my fourth title, and I know I’m going to get it,” Downing said.
Downing is the youngest of five siblings, including brother Jeremy Berg, a MMA fighter in Tulsa, Okla. Downing grew up near 84th Avenue and Federal Boulevard in Westminster. He said he wasn’t a good wrestler until the fifth grade.
“Once I got older and stronger, I had it in me,” he said.
DeCamillis, who won his individual titles in 1988, 1989 and 1990, took over at Broomfield three years after parting ways at Pomona. He inherited a great wrestling team but was more focused on sustaining a great program.
“It was more about the school itself and the program itself, and program history — the good stuff, the wrestlers that had been around it for a long time,” DeCamillis said. “I obviously knew they had some good current kids, but I didn’t just get in there to win a championship.”
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or
Best of the best
A look at Colorado’s four-time wrestling champions:
Bob Thompson, Montrose — 1956, 165 pounds; 1957, 165; 1958, 175; 1959, 175
Dale Stryker, Montrose/Grand Junction — 1960, 127; 1961, 120; 1962, 127; 1963, 127
Kevin Barth, Holly — 1977, 105; 1978, 105; 1979, 112; 1980, 112
Brent Van Hee, Fowler — 1983, 105; 1984, 112; 1985, 119; 1986, 126
Dusty Fix, Wray — 1985, 98; 1986, 112; 1987, 112; 1988, 119
Joel Gillmore, Arvada West — 1991, 103; 1992, 103; 1993, 112; 1994, 112
Jon Archuleta, Alamosa — 1992, 103; 1993, 103; 1994, 112; 1995, 119
Jared Haberman, La Junta — 1996, 103; 1997, 112; 1998, 112; 1999, 119
Chris Nissen, Standley Lake — 2000, 112; 2001, 119; 2002, 140; 2003, 145
Kyle Sand, Arvada West — 2001, 160; 2002, 171; 2003, 189; 2004, 189
Chad Romero, Fort Morgan — 2001, 112; 2002, 119; 2003, 130; 2004, 130
Mikael Smith, Nucla — 2002, 112; 2003, 119; 2004, 130; 2005, 140
Torben Walters, Crowley County — 2002, 171; 2003, 189; 2004, 189; 2005, 189
Kevin LeValley, Limon — 2004, 119; 2005, 130; 2006, 140; 2007, 145
Tyler Graff, Loveland — 2005, 103; 2006, 119; 2007, 130; 2008, 130
Jake Snider, Ponderosa — 2007, 145; 2008, 140; 2009, 140; 2010, 145
Source: Colorado High School Activities Association
State wrestling tournament
Classes 2A through 5A compete this weekend at Pepsi Center:
THURSDAY
Preliminary round
2A/3A : 3 p.m.
4A/5A: 7:15 p.m.
FRIDAY
Quarterfinals
2A/3A: 10 a.m.
4A/5A: 12:45 p.m.
Semifinals
All classes: 7:15 p.m.
SATURDAY
Championships
After the Parade of Champions at 6:30 p.m.
