Brown shows heart of a champion

Red Bank Regional’s Lamar Brown wasn’t happy with just making it to Atlantic City.

So he proved he belonged there with an unlikely run to a fourth-place finish at 189 pounds.

The Region VI champ didn’t get off to the start he hoped for on Friday, losing his pre-quarterfinal-round bout to Kittatinny’s Zack Weinrich, 3-0. But he responded with a furious effort on Saturday, winning four straight matches to earn a spot in Sunday’s third-place consolation bout.

His run started with a 3-2 win over Bogota’s Ricky Keenan in the first round of wrestlebacks. He then beat Lenape Valley’s Colin Nagy, 6-2, in the second round of wrestlebacks, before beating Randolph’s Ryan Davidson, 6-5.

In the consolation semifinals, Brown beat Buena’s Matt Wilcox, 3-2, earning him another shot at Weinrich on Sunday. Unfortunately, Weinrich got the better of Brown once again, winning a 3-1 decision and earning third place.

However, Brown had made his point. The Red Bank senior proved to be more than just another also-ran in Atlantic City. He may not have been crowned a champion, but he certainly competed like one.