CNR WINTER SPORTS SPOTLIGHT: Rush City/Braham wrestling

Top athletes: Seniors Landon Umbreit, 138; Kaden Gorman, 160. Juniors Isaak Coolidge, 145; Jesse Eklund, 170.

Outlook: The Rush City/Braham wrestling program has seen tremendous growth over the last two years. In 2020-21, the program only had 18 wrestlers; last season that number grew to 24. Entering this season, the number of athletes coming out for wrestling has grown all the way to 38.

Morgan believes the larger pool of talent can help the team reach its goals.

“We are a very young team, but we have a good group that works hard, has a good attitude and is willing to learn,” he said. “Our goal as always is to win a conference championship.”

While the conference is wide open, the team will have to deal with a very talented Mora team in its section.

“Our returning section champion Mora returns almost the entire team from last year and will be favored to win,” Morgan said.

The team also has several wrestlers that will have legitimate opportunities to find individual success at a high level.

“Landon Umbreit and Isaak Coolidge have the best chance of making it to state just based on last season’s results,” Morgan said. “I would expect several others to be in the mix at the end of the season.”

While the team has set its goal high for this year, Morgan understands the importance of developing the younger inexperienced talent.

“We are very young, so the development of our young athletes is of the utmost importance,” he said. “We have an awful lot of first- and second-year wrestlers.”