The Broughton wrestling team is having their best season in nearly a decade. Led by senior captain and Cap-6 wrestler of the year, Adam Newson, Broughton is on the verge of going to the State Duels tournament for the first time in eight years.

Although he was named the best wrestler in the conference, Newson remains modest and humble.

“It’s an honor to be named wrestler of the year but there are other people who may be more deserving than me.” said Newson. Newson has been dominant this season, pinning his opponents routinely and without trouble.

The team’s two coaches, Perry Newson and Jerry Daniels, have had very different experiences in the world of wrestling.

Perry Newson is the father of Adam Newson and Daniel Newson, both wrestlers on the Broughton team. He’s been involved in wrestling for over 50 years.

Daniels has been inducted into the Appalachian State wrestling hall of fame and has been nominated for the North Carolina wrestling hall of fame. He served as the NC State wrestling coach for over ten years and as a NCAA Division 1 official.

Even after all these years, Daniels can still get on the mat and wrestle.

“He can probably beat most of the kids on the team” said coach Coach Newson. “He won the State Games at age 68, wrestling people a lot younger than himself”.

The Caps came away from the Cap-6 tournament on January 29, winning four of the championship matches. Senior captain Adam Newson pinned Chris Dove of Wake Forest-Rolesville in 3:57 in the 215-pound weight class. Broughton wrestlers Brian Anderson, Daniel Lee and David Logan, also came away with wins.

Now Broughton is concentrating on the upcoming State Duels tournament, held on Feb. 5. These will be the most important matches of the season. To prepare for the tournament, the team is going to a rigorous practice schedule that includes running for physical endurance.

“We need to be physically focused as well as mentally focused for this event. We are running more so we will be more mobile and agile.” said Newson, senior.

“We got pretty close last year so getting to the tournament this time is going to be really big.”