Ryan Darch is perfect on the mat this season, and he hopes to keep it that way.
Darch has compiled a 30-0 record this season, including 10 pins and four technical fall victories, as he heads into Friday and Saturday's Monroe County League tournament.
He is the top ranked wrestler at 160 pounds in the small school division of Section 5 by armdrag.com.
Darch's love of wrestling started at a young age, thanks to his father Ken.
Ken had been a star wrestler in high school and college and started teaching Ryan and placing him in tournaments - at the age of five.
Ryan had continued to wrestle but finally started taking it serious after his freshman season when he lost early on in sectionals. Darch realized his season was over and hated it. So he dedicated himself to learning the sport and lifting weights.
He became a student of the game, as his father puts it.
Ryan's hard work paid off as he had a solid sophomore season, advancing all the way to the Section 5 SuperSectionals, where he lost to John-Martin Cannon of Brockport, getting pinned in 2:25.
That was the last match that Ryan - now a junior - lost.
Batavia (17-5) has the Monroe County League tournament this weekend, then a match at Greece Olympia and the Ken-Ton Invitational tournament left before sectionals.
Darch is a top seed as is Troy Ireland. Josh Mase and Nick Lazarony are second seeds while Anthony D'Aurizio is a fourth seed in a very tough 189 pound weight class.
The Blue Devils will be wrestling in Class BBBB on Feb. 13 and 14. After that is SuperSectionals and then the state tournament.
Check out this interview with Ryan and Ken Darch:
