Newton wrestling is headed back to the Class AAAAA State Duals. After a four-year hioatus, the Rams punched their ticked to the team dual meet at Macon thanks to a spirited runner-up finish in the Area 2-AAAAA Duals Saturday.

“The success was due to the entire team effort,” first-year head coach Paul Nelson said. “Everyone stepped up their performance at different times.”

Newton went 4-1 in the area tournament. They defeated Langston Hughes handedly, 69-9 to get things going then kept it up with a 72-10 win over Westlake. Another dominant performance, this time in the form of a 69-6 win over East Coweta, propelled the Rams into the semis. After a hard-fought, 37-34 loss to Stephenson, Newton rebounded with a convincing 52-21 win over Newnan to secure the area’s second state dual berth.  During the final match against Newnan, Newton heavyweight, Javan Gant sparked the Rams by fighting off his back for a minute and a half and coming back from a 5-0 deficit to pin his opponent.

Going undefeated during the tournament were Skyler Crawford, Jose Rivera, Nnamdi Onekwuluje, Dale Warren, Jeremy Fuller, and AJ Palomino.

The Rams travel to Macon Thursday for the opening of the team duals. Wrestling begins at 8:30.