After Amputation, Wesaw's Return to Wrestling Provides Purpose, Self-Confidence
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
March 13, 2026
DOWAGIAC – Weski Wesaw found a purpose three years ago once he began competing for the Dowagiac wrestling team.
Wesaw, a senior and the Chieftains' varsity starter at 150 pounds this winter, overcame a traumatic and life-altering event in junior high school to become a Regional qualifier on the mats.
During the summer before seventh grade, Wesaw was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive primary bone cancer most common in children, teens and older adults.
"I found out I had bone cancer in my knee. The doctors told me I had two options,” Wesaw said. “They gave me the option to keep my leg ... or I could choose amputation.
“My aunt chose to keep her leg when she had cancer, and it spread throughout her body and she passed away due to it.”
Wesaw's desire to be active and participate in sports were two more big reasons he chose amputation.
"I had dreams and goals so I leaned towards amputation because they told me it was the only way I could compete in sports, was with its removal or a prosthetic," Wesaw said.
Wesaw went through rehabilitation but struggled for a long period with a bit of depression while adjusting to his new normal.
"I had always been an athlete. I played everything as a kid – lacrosse, football, baseball and wrestling,” Wesaw said. “Being a kid, then not being able to do things you once did, that's very difficult. Your friend group changes a bit too."
During his sophomore year, Wesaw and one of the school's athletic directors approached Dowagiac's varsity wrestling coach Colin Burandt with the idea of Wesaw trying wrestling again.
Burandt was aware of Wesaw at an early age when he participated in Dowagiac's Youth Wrestling Club.
"After everything happened to Weski, he was kind've reclusive a little bit. He felt kind've out of place as a freshman, but he came into his sophomore year with more drive and approached me about joining the team,” Burandt said. “We just got after it, and it's been awesome seeing how he has developed a new purpose through the sport."
Wesaw admits that wrestling has changed his outlook on everything.
"Wrestling has had a big impact on my life. I wanted a purpose to come to school,” Wesaw said. “I had competed in MyWay when I was a kid with two legs, and I knew how to wrestle. Going back into it with just one leg was similar to learning to ride a bike again."
One of the biggest adjustments Wesaw had to make was learning how to shoot using his own style.
"Instead of using your knee to shoot, I had to figure out my own way to be able to move and slide through perfectly,” Wesaw said “When I'm on the mat, I just do what my mind tells me to do. I can adapt and match my opponent's energy. It's been a long process that has taken all the way up to my senior year to get the hang of things. Now I've gotten to the point where I can leave everything out on the mat.”
Wesaw finished with a win-loss record of 23-18 this season. He earned third place at the Division 3 Individual District Tournament at Dowagiac. The top four place finishers in each of the 14 weight classes advanced to the Belding Regional, where he was eliminated in the second round.
"Having the home crowd cheering for me in Districts was huge. I was really nervous,” Wesaw said. “Before every match I just told myself that I got this, and I left everything out there on the mat. My goal was to get to the state meet, and I fell just a bit short of that goal. I gave it my all, and the determination to reach my goal is what really drove me."
Wesaw also played a key factor as Dowagiac won its ninth-straight Team District title before losing in Team Regionals.
"I get butterflies just thinking about the big meets. We've been successful because everyone on this team brought something different to the table," Wesaw said.
"Self-confidence is a very important thing in wrestling. I have become much more confident in myself thanks to the great support I've received from my friends, family and the community. I just have to give a lot of thanks to them along with my coaches who have accepted me for who I am and made me into the person I am today," Wesaw said. "I approach everything I do with 100-percent effort so I have no regrets. I want to look back and know I have made a big impact on this program."
Wesaw was one of Dowagiac's most versatile grapplers and comes from a wrestling family.
"My dad was a wrestler and my uncle wrestled and later became a boxer. Even my little sister is on our wrestling team," Wesaw said. "My uncle (Eric Ortiz) has really helped me with my moves and helping me to think straight and remain calmer in my matches.”
Wesaw plans to continue wrestling in college and plans to pursue a double major in business and engineering.
One of his biggest inspirations is Anthony Robles.
Robles is an American wrestler who attended and competed for Arizona State, where he won a national championship in the 125-pound division in 2011 despite being born with just one leg. His story helped spawn the movie “Unstoppable.”
"Coaching someone like (Wesaw) is really no different than coaching anyone else,” Burandt said. “My approach is that every kid on our team is different. With Weski, his style is tailored to what he can do on top and offensive moves. With him there aren't necessarily challenges, but he just has to do what fits him best like working for a lot of reversals in a match.
“He's developed a pretty good shot from when he first began. Our strategy is for him to be aggressive in that first period. He's quick, very resilient, battles through the latter periods and is stronger than many of his opponents. Confidence in his ability, game planning and executing that plan and being a team player are some of his other assets.
"Weski is a great teammate, and everyone loves him. The other kids see his hard work and resiliency. They just view him as another guy on the team, and he's no different than anyone else. His mindset is great. He never makes excuses, and he just goes after it and figures things out on the way."
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Dowagiac’s Weski Wesaw, in orange, works toward a pin during a tournament this season. (Middle) Wesaw, top position, works on a move against a practice partner during the week of Individual Regionals. (Below) Wesaw, far left, stands on the podium after earning a second-place finish at the Greater Berrien County Invitational. (Match and podium photos courtesy of Dowagiac’s athletic department. Practice photo by Scott Hassinger.)
Hall, Stevens Teaming Up to Continue Dundee Championship Tradition
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
November 22, 2022
DUNDEE – How do you replace a legendary coach?
For the Dundee Vikings wrestling program, it takes two.
Nate Hall and Garrett Stevens opened practice last week as the new co-coaches of the ultra-successful Dundee wrestling program, taking the reins from Tim Roberts, one of the winningest coaches in state wrestling history.
“From day one, we’ve done a really good job of pushing each other and staying focused,” Stevens said. “The kids have been getting after it. Things are going well.”
Dundee’s wrestling program is a rich one. Roberts stepped down with a state-record 10 MHSAA Finals titles over his 23 seasons as head coach. In all 23 of those years, Dundee won District championships, and in 22 of those 23 years the Vikings won Regional titles. Roberts not only accumulated 10 Finals championship trophies, but he also won more than 500 dual matches.
Hall and Stevens have coached together for several years on the Dundee staff. Now they are dividing up duties and looking to start the next era of Vikings wrestling.
“We know what we are up against,” Hall said. “We have a strong tradition to keep on. We understand two people going at it is probably the better route.”
The move is not without precedent. In the conference that Dundee competes in – the Lenawee County Athletic Association – Clinton had co-coaches lead the Redwolves to the Division 4 championship two seasons ago. Division 3 powerhouse Richmond has utilized co-coaches in the sport as well.
“We sort of applied together,” Stevens said. “We thought we could do this.”
Dundee Athletic Director Ross Crow said he was hesitant at first to consider the co-coach idea, but after meeting with both realized it could work.
span>“After sitting down with them and having a lengthy discussion, I realized they have an extremely organized and articulated plan as to how they are carrying the torch moving forward,” Crow said. “Whenever I have a question, I either text or e-mail both of them on a group thread. They both chime in and more often than not, the answer is exactly the same for both of them. It's a really good fit, as they are close friends and have no egos.”
Stevens is a 2007 Dundee graduate. He wrestled for Roberts. His dad was a Dundee wrestler as well, graduating in the 1970s. Stevens brings his connection to the Dundee wrestling community to the table as well as years of coaching experience.
Hall is from nearby Blissfield, where he was an all-state wrestler. He wrestled for Grand Valley State’s club program and was a coach there as well. He returned to southeast Michigan to coach with his father – Adrian Madison head coach Scott Hall – and joined the Dundee staff when he became a physical education teacher at the middle school about five years ago.
As co-head coach, Nate Hall handles a lot of the organizational duties, especially anything involving the school district, since he works there. Stevens brings a technical side of the sport with him.
The duo believe they can make it work because of the chemistry between them.
“I was always more of a technical wrestler,” Stevens said. “I think Tim (Roberts) felt I could help connect with the kids and teach them how to do a few things differently.
“After I graduated from high school, I got away from wrestling for a while, but in 2011, Tim reached out to me and asked if I wanted to get back involved and it seemed like a no-brainer. I missed it. I liked being around him and there were some things I could bring to the table. I was chomping at the bit once the opportunity opened for me.”
Stevens said Roberts was wonderful to learn from because he was such a great person and sought out input from his staff.
“Tim’s approach to coaching was unique,” Stevens said. “He’s very open-minded and understands there is so much more to learn. You constantly want your kids and program to grow. Every year I coached with him, he changed something every year. He was constantly modifying, tweaking, and seeking out help and advice from others.”
Hall likes how things have started.
“It’s going very well so far,” Hall said. “Tim didn’t leave the well dry. He’s got an established program and an established wrestling community that has been supportive of both Garrett and I so far.
“We’ve got a tremendous senior class – three state champions and another kid that was third in the state last year. Their leadership is really going to be a huge aspect of our success this year.”
The Vikings also have 14 freshmen.
“We’ve hit the ground running,” Hall said. “We provide a lot of opportunities in the offseason for kids to get into the wrestling room and stay active. Most of our guys are active throughout. The freshmen are a real promising group that we can keep the ball rolling,” Hall said.
The veterans in the wrestling room include Kaden Chinavare, a Central Michigan University signee who won an Individual Finals title as a sophomore; Aiden Davis, a two-time Finals champ headed to Bucknell; and Braeden Davis, a Penn State University recruit looking for a fourth consecutive Finals title in 2023.
“The biggest thing with this group, I would say, is their willingness to push each other in the right manner,” Hall said. “We’ve got a lot of successful individuals, and they are already going out of their way to make sure each person around them is getting the most out of their reps they can get.
“The team chemistry is already a big part of it.”
Both coaches admit there is pressure to maintain a program that is not just known at the state level, but nationally.
“If you’re not feeling that pressure, maybe you’re not taking it as seriously as it needs to be taken,” Hall said. “We are here to help kids accomplish their goals, and pressure is a part of that – especially at the elite level a lot of our wrestlers want to compete at.”
Despite the turnover in coaching, Dundee’s goals remain high.
Dundee opens with the Grappler Gold, will go to Davison, then compete at a big invitational in Ohio. They Vikings will compete at Detroit Catholic Central and the Hudson Super 16 in late January.
“We always want to aim high,” Stevens said.
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Nate Hall, left, and Garrett Stevens walk together during the opening march at an MHSAA Team Finals; retired coach Tim Roberts is behind them, waving. (Middle) Stevens, top, and Hall stand with their retired coach and mentor at various events. (Below) Stevens and son Brady, and Hall and daughter Kimberly, celebrate the 2020 championship. (Top and below photos by Kathy Killion.)