For the first time since 1977, Newton Falls High School will once again be represented on the mats, as the Athletic Department is reviving the varsity wresting program for the 2026-27 school year.
“It is a very big deal,” Athletic Director Chad Rankin told The Weekly Villager. “I think it is important that we continue to offer extracurricular activities for our kids here in town and I think it is important to offer things that other schools are offering.”
Varsity wrestling is one of four new sports that Newton Falls Athletics is offering, as just last school year the Tigers introduced an E-Sports team and also fielded a girls’ flag football team in the spring. Entering the 2026-27 school year, Newton Falls will not only offer varsity wrestling but also a varsity bowling squad.
“It has been a dream to just provide opportunities for other students who come through school here,” Rankin noted. “These are four sports that we found, and I could find in a very cost-effective manner that provides these opportunities for these kids and hopefully it will provide some college opportunities for a few of them so that has been the goal.”
Former James A. Garfield middle school wrestling Coach Mike Finney has been hired as the Newton Falls’ head wrestling coach, and the Tigers will compete in the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference, including the annual MVAC tournament at the end of the regular season.
According to Rankin, the expectation is that Newton Falls will be classified as a Division III school for the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division postseason. All varsity duals and tournaments will take place on the road, as the Tigers will not host any duals or tournaments in the inaugural season.
Rankin said that over the last several years, students from the Newton Falls area have enrolled in other schools in Trumbull County because the Tigers did not provide the same extracurricular opportunities as those schools.
“That is a gut punch,” acknowledged Rankin. “Obviously everybody knows the situation going on with school funding. The big thing for this was finding a very cost-effective way to establish a team that is not going to cost the school district a bunch of money.”
Rankin said that he also had received a strong message from the community for the Athletic Department to reinstate the wrestling program.
He added that he was aware of students who specifically enrolled in other school districts specifically for the opportunity to wrestle at the varsity level.
Rankin said that he spoke with Superintendent Andreas Johansson and found a cost-effective way to add more sports to the Athletic Department, helping the school stay current with the most popular extracurricular activities in Trumbull County.
He credited outside school districts for assisting Newton Falls, as Massillon Jackson high school donated six wrestling mats for the Tigers to use for practice in the winter season.
Although the wrestling season has yet to begin, Rankin said that there is optimism that once the varsity program finds its footing, local students will return to the school district and enrollment numbers will improve.
“Once they see that the program is consistent, something that they can build and revitalize, we should get kids back,” he said. “Twenty percent returnees would be my hope for starters.”
The Tigers’ wrestling team will be in the hands of Finney, who has worked as an assistant football coach at Garfield and has over 20-plus years of experience coaching high school sports.
Rankin cited that Finney’s extensive coaching experience especially in wrestling, plus being a resident of Newton Falls was a driving factor in hiring him.
“My major concern when I started doing this was that I have never been around wrestling,” he said. “I have watched it but don’t know the ins and outs of it and when I said we are going to do this, I said we need to hire a coach that has a plethora of experience to help guide me on some things.”
Rankin said that Finney will assume his responsibilities after the July 4th holiday, and in addition to building the varsity program, he also will attempt to build the roots of a youth wrestling program.
He conceded that it is unlikely that the Tigers will have enough wrestlers to field a full squad but does have confidence that at the very least Newton Falls’ first wrestling squad will consist of at least 10 students.
