Holt football looks for turnaround under new head coach

August 8, 2023

WVUA 23 Sports,

By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Juliet Brown

After not winning a game last season and ending the year with only 16 players, new Holt head football coach Brian Newton had a tall task ahead of him.

He and his staff went to work this offseason to rebuild a program that’s won a total of nine games in the past five seasons. The first-year head coach estimates he will have 45 players once school starts which is more than double what the team ended with last year.

“We’ve seen a lot of excitement about being a part of our program since we got here,” Newton said. “The kids are buying in and they’re working hard. I think we’re gonna see some positive outcomes from what they’ve done.”

High School practice No. 2: Holt. New coach Brian Newton & the team look to establish culture winning culture. Newton has already seen boost in numbers going into 2023 @garyharris_wvua @WVUA23Sports @wvua23 pic.twitter.com/jlLQAVxQTA

— Stu McCann (@stu_mccann) August 7, 2023

Instilling toughness and changing the culture around the team has been a main focus for Newton since being hired in February. After having lackluster seasons for so many years, the Holt football program needs rejuvenated. Newton’s philosophy resonated with players as it seen the most players stick with the program in years.

“There’s been a lot of good positive communication amongst our players about the change and players really buying in to what we’re trying to do,” Newton said. “And I think that really shows every day with our numbers. The number of kids showing up every day has been great. I know last year they said the most they had out of summer workouts was 10 players, and we’ve had almost triple that every workout this summer, so it’s been a good change so far.”

The Ironmen open their season at home against Brookwood on Friday, Aug. 25.