Our Staff

Our staff consists of volunteer coaches who are all background checked and certified by USA Wrestling. We recognize that the lessons our wrestlers learn off the mat are just as important as what they learn on the mat. Germantown Wrestling proudly salutes Program Head Coach Craig Staton, 2017 Montgomery County Principal of the Year! We also would like to recognize our 2017-18 Coach of the the Year-Greg Elliott.

Established in 2011

Germantown Wrestling is an instructional program dedicated to teaching wrestling fundamentals to young men and women ages 5 to 14 to enhance their preparation for other sports or High School wrestling. Beginning wrestlers wrestle for Germantown in the Damascus Sports Association Wrestling League (DSAWL) which is an instructional youth wrestling league comprised of teams from Montgomery and Frederick Counties.  More experienced or advanced wrestlers wrestle for Germantown in the Maryland Junior Wrestling League (MJWL)

Our Goal

Our goal as a coaching staff is to provide each wrestler with the necessary fundamentals and skills to succeed in the sport of wrestling through various individual and team strategies.  We emphasize family, team, academics, community, and sportsmanship both on and off the mat!

Our Team

Dave Blankenship
Executive Director/Founder, Germantown Wrestling

• Veteran, US Army
• 25 year resident of Germantown, DC native
• 4 Children ages 20 to 27 including 2 former Northwest HS wrestlers and 2 active duty military and 1 veteran
• 22nd year of coaching Youth Sports
• Began volunteering as a Youth Football Coach in 2001 with Germantown Sports Association 
• Not a big fan of cold weather, despises it! 
• This is little league sports, enjoy it, have fun!
• Favorite thing about wrestling...."Wrestling is like a metaphor for life, you can be losing 14 to 0 with 10 seconds left, fighting off your back the whole match, and there is still a chance to win, if you don't quit!"

Craig Staton
Head Coach, Germantown Wrestling

• 6th Year as Program Head Coach
• 2016-2017 MCPS Principal of the Year
• 2 Children ages 22 and 30 (Youngest son, Kellen, 4 time state qualifier, multiple time county and region champ at Seneca Valley HS  1 grandson, age 10  
• Graduate, Bucknell University
• Formerly from Paterson NJ, 20 plus year resident of Germantown
• 22 year career began working as Counselor with at Risk Youth and Teacher, last 13 years as an administrator with MCPS
• 17 years coaching youth sports
• Favorite Wrestling Quote...."just one more day dad, just one more wake up until wrestling practice starts!"  ...Anonymous Germantown Wrestler every year

Greg Elliott
Head  Coach-Intramural

• 2018 Coach of The Year
• 4 year varsity wrestler Calvert Hall 86-89
• 2 time MD Private school state runner up, placed 4th and 6th Natl’s
• Inducted into the UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame
• Inducted into the Carroll County Sports Hall of Fame
• Division I NCAA All Region Baseball
• 1 son, 8, and current Germantown Wrestler 

Charlie Gaba (above left)
Coach, Travel

• 4th year with Germantown Wrestling
• Graduate, Clemson University
• Former Youth and High School Wrestler
• 4 children ages 5 to 12, All current Germantown Wrestlers
• favorite quote .....“BYOG Bring Your Own Guts” .....Dabo Swinney. ​

Jose Calderon
Intramural Commissioner 

• 9th year with Germantown Wrestling
• 2013-14 Germantown Wrestling Coach of the Year Inaugural Award
• Coach of the Year Award named in his honor as the Calderon Award for the effort and dedication he has given to this program 
• Father of 4 including a US Army Veteran ages 23 to 27, 2 former Northwest HS wrestlers and current semi-pro football player
• Total car enthusiast....just ask him!    
• Favorite thing about wrestling....Having a young wrestler name a Hamster after him was such a great honor! 

justin Pearl
​Coach, Intramural

• 2019 CALDERON AWARD WINNER AS COACH OF THE YEAR
  Coach, Intramural
• 4TH year with Germantown Wrestling
• ​Active Duty, US Coast Guard 
• Veteran, US Navy
• 2 Children ages 8 and 11 (active with Germantown Wrestling)
• Favorite thing about wrestling.... "the self confidence it gives kids to believe they can do anything, and though it's an individual sport you still have to work as a team, so you have to be selfless​​."