Last year’s Newton wrestling team had two things working against it: a lack of experience and lower-than-usual numbers. It had just one senior on a roster that started with 28 wrestlers and finished with 24. For most of the season, the team was able to fill only 12 of the 14 weight classes, and six of their varsity wrestlers were sophomores or freshmen.

This season, the Cardinals have strength in both those areas they lacked a year ago. They return 11 of those 12 varsity wrestlers, and now 10 of them are upperclassmen.

“We took a lot of lumps last year with only having one senior on the team the past two years,” Newton coach Bill Reed said. “This group of juniors and seniors have had to mature in a hurry.”