Takedown Report

Will Newbern awarded the James Johnson Trophy as top wrestler in eastern North Carolina

State Champion Will Newbern of West Carteret High School was presented one of the 16th Annual James Johnson Award as the best scholastic wrestler in eastern North Carolina in 2017. The award is named in honor of three time national champion James Johnson. Will will continue his wrestling at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
Will capped off a remarkable senior year campaign by going undefeated with a 51-0 record. He also competed and won both the N.C. Freeestyle and Greco Roman style championships, making Will, a rare
“Triple Crown” winner, the only one in North Carolina this year. He is the only wrestler in history to win the West Carteret hosted Beach Brawl tournament, the New Bern hosted Swiss Bear, the Croatan hosted Beast of the East, and the Chapel Hill hosted and nationally ranked Tiger Holiday Tournaments. Will accomplished this herculean feat not once but twice in his career, truly setting him apart. Will ended his career with 149 wins, 2x conference and regional champ and as a 2x place winner at the state tournament, finishing 5th his junior year to go along with his first place efforts his senior year.
Previous award winners were Tanner Stamper-Smith (2016) of Havelock, Joe Mondragon (2015) of Ashley H.S., De’Andre Jones (2014) of New Bern, Alex Bray (2013) of Croatan, Jon Wiley (2012) of South Brunswick, Marquin Hill (2011) of Washington H.S., Branden Lietz (2010) of J.H. Rose, Mamour Camara (2009) of Louisburg, Anthony Rogers (2008) of Knightdale, Ngu Tran (2007) of C.B. Aycock, Victor Hojillo (2006) of West Carteret, Raymond Jordan (2004) of New Bern, Shaun Sheffield (2003) of Havelock, David Pelsang (2005), and Paris Dottery (2002) of White Oak.
The TakeDown Report promotes amateur wrestling in eastern North Carolina and sponsors the Award. “The award is to recognize the most successful wrestler in the area each year.” Fleming noted, “It encourages the young men from the teams in the eastern part of the state with an opportunity to realize the hard work, determination and discipline it takes to be a top notch wrestler,” he added. The TakeDown Report is in its’ 19th year of operations in North Carolina encouraging media coverage of the sport. Contact the TDR at martinkfleming@gmail.com.
James Johnson started wrestling in his junior year for D.H. Conley High School in Greenville with Milt Sherman as his coach. James was Coney’s 1st state champion in any sport in 1976. He was North Carolina’s 1st Eastern Junior National Champion in 1975 and North Carolina’s 1st Junior Nationals All-American with 3rd in 1976. He went on to start four years at the University of Kentucky. He is now a sports consultant and coach for the Phoenix-based Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. He also specializes in developing unique training for people of all fitness levels with a broad background in public speaking, sports training techniques, and health and fitness. He was inducted as an “Outstanding American” in the North Carolina State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2012 he was a coach for the U.S.A. Olympic Greco-Roman team in London.
Before developing James Johnson, Inc., James served as a Public Relations/ Community Speaker for Sunkist worldwide. He was on the USA National Wrestling team for 12 years, winning 3 National Championships, USA Athlete of the Year, AIM Christian Athlete of the Year, Olympic Team Alternate, and numerous accolades worldwide. He has been an Ambassador for the United States Olympic Committee, USA wrestling and The Sunkist Kids Wrestling organization for over 16 years. More at http://jjchamp3x.com/.

June 3, 2017 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized