About Our Wrestling Coaches

 

Coach Bert Newton is in his third year at Mountain Brook as head Coach for the Spartans’ wrestling team. Coach Newton was a two time state champion as a high
school student at Homewood High School. After collegiate wrestling at Anderson College in South Carolina, Coach Newton earned his BS degree in education from the University of Montevallo. Coach Newton comes to Mountain brook from Spain Park High School where he coached football and wrestling. He brings many years of experience as both a coach and a wrestler to our team. Coach Newton is married to
JoAnna, and has a baby girl named Reese.
 
   

Coach Steve Knutson began his wrestling career as a seventh grader in the fall of 1989. After middle school, Knutson became a starter for the Buccaneer varsity team at Berry High, and was a three time starter, 5th in 1992, 2nd in 1994 and 4th in 1995). By the time Knutson graduated from high school, he held the school record for the most victories. Coach Knutson was the inaugural coach at Berry middle School. Under Coach Knutson's leadership, the Berry Bucs were the 1997 Jefferson county Champions. Moving up to coach the freshman team at Hoover High, Coach Knutson had the Bucs finishing as the Jefferson county Runner-ups. For the 2000 season, Coach Knutson was named head Assistant for the varsity team where he remained through the 2005 season. While at Hoover, Coach Knutson's Bucs finished 5th in 2000, 4th in 2001 and 2004, runner-ups in 2002, and were the 6A Champions in both 2003 and 2005. At Mountain Brook we have finished 13th in 2006 and 2007, and 9th in 2008.  Coach Knutson has coached 16 state champions, 16 runner-ups, 11 third place finishers, 6 fourth place finishers, one All American and two All American Honorable Mentions. In 2002, Wrestling USA Magazine named Knutson as the National Assistant Coach of the year. Coach Knutson holds a BS degree in kinesiology.

   

Coach Justin Luck was a three year lettermen at Hoover High School. Due to his dedication to the team and the sport of wrestling he was a two time recipient of the "Justin Tucker Award".  Luck also was awarded the Skull and Crossbones Award for toughness.  Justin was an integral member of two 6A State Championship teams (2003 and 2005).  A 6A State Tournament Qualifier and an NHSCA National Tournament Qualifier (Junior year). As a coach Justin started very young.  Luck would
spend two nights a week helping with the youth league team, even after his own practice had ended.  Justin took his three years of youth league experience and applied that last year as an assistant at Bumpus Middle School.  Justin is an outstanding young man with a firm grasp of the techniques and philosophy of the coaching staff.  He will be a very valuable asset to the program.

 
   

 

Coach John Milton John Milton is a 2002 graduate from Oak Mountain High School. He began wrestling as a 9th grader at Pelham High School and then wrestled for the varsity team at Oak Mountain High School his sophomore through senior year,  In 2002 John placed 3rd at 160lbs in the 5A state tournament. John attended the University of North Alabama where he received his B.S. in Social Science Education. While in college, he coached football and wrestling at Deshler High School for four years. After college, John began his graduate degree at Troy University where he served as a graduate assistant to the Troy University football team. After two years in Troy working with the Troy University football team for a year and working at a local high school for another year, John returns home to Birmingham to begin his first year at Mountain Brook. John teaches 9th grade World History at the Junior High School and also coaches football.

 

   

Coach Jeff Harris graduated from Homewood high School and attended UAB where he earned a BS degree in physical education. For the past three years, Coach Harris has been teaching physical education at Mountain brook Junior High. He coaches the running backs in the varsity football program in addition to assisting Coach Newton in wrestling. Prior to coaching at Mountain Brook, Coach Harris taught and coached in the Hoover School System for ten years. During his tenure in Hoover, Coach Harris served as head football coach, head wrestling coach, and athletic director at Berry Middle School. He also served as the Metro South league president from 1998 to 2001. In ten years, Coach Harris’ football teams won three Metro South Championships and three second place finishes. As head wrestling coach at berry, his teams won two Jefferson County Championships, one second place finish and one third place finish. Coach Harris spent four years as Coach Newton’s freshman wrestling coach at Spain park High School. Kristie, Coach Harris’ wife, also teaches at Mountain Brook Junior high, and they have one six year old daughter, Maci.
   

Coach Sean Moran grew up in Olean, N.Y. He began college at Muskingum College in central Ohio, where he played football and baseball. This is his ninth year in Mountain Brook. Coach Moran coached varsity softball for three years and JV soccer for two seasons.  Sean began coaching football at the Junior High for two years, and then went to the ninth grade for three years. Coach Moran coached the junior high wrestling team for seven years where the program has expanded from 20 wrestlers to an average of 55 wrestlers over the last 5 seasons.  During his time at the Junior High, Mountain Brook has had two third place finishes, two fourth place finishes and a fifth place finish in the county championships in the last five years.  Presently, Sean Moran coaches running backs on the varsity, junior high wrestling and high school baseball. Coach Moran’s wife is Kelli Moran and he has two daughters, Kacie is 11 and Jordan is 9.

   

Coach Tad Brisendine is in his seventh year of teaching physical education at Cherokee Bend Elementary. Coach Brisendine has been an assistant wrestling coach for three years at Mountain Brook Junior High. Coach Brisendine has both his BS and MA in physical education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Coach Brisendine spent 4 years in US Navy stationed abored the USS Rueben James (FFG-57) out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Coach Brisendine has completed 2 deployments to the Persian Gulf. Coach Brisendine is 2-time Ironman Triathlon and 12-time marathon
finisher. Coach Brisendine is recipient of the Runner's World Magazine's "Golden Shoe Award" which recognizes individuals who have contributed and Influenced the running community.
 
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