Newton boys wrestling head coach RJ Brown is excited about having four state qualifying wrestlers back next season. Abel Aldama, Nick Milburn, Kent Montgomery, and Lane Rozendaal all made the State Wrestling Tournament from the district meet in Carlisle.

“Three of them are sophomores and one junior. So it’s awesome to have them get state tournament experience, be able to lead for us next year, and be the example for us of what it takes to get there.”

Rozendaal is the junior while Aldama, Milburn, and Montgomery are the sophomores. Brown believes all four of these wrestlers made big improvements at the tournament in Des Moines as well.

“It seemed like last year we were just happy to be there. This year we were there to win matches and get on the podium. It was a nice mental shift, and I think the expectation moving forward is podium for those guys now. I think they are going to work hard to make sure they can do that.”

Overall as a program, Brown believes good strides were made in development. He noted it seems his best wrestlers are starting to feel they can compete with some top level competition, and the junior varsity is progressing very well.