Caro Champs Find Common Ground Again as Mental Health Providers
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
July 8, 2021
Phil Millerov and Phil Niklowicz wanted to do more than simply defeat opponents when wrestling at Caro High School.
They wanted to dominate – physically and mentally.
“We had this thing between us where we wanted to be done, and (opponents) didn’t want to come back on the mat with us,” Millerov said.
Twenty years later, both spend their days building people up. Millerov is a licensed professional counselor, while Niklowicz is a licensed therapist.
“I went out there looking to dominate and make sure it was known that I am the superior wrestler in all facets,” Niklowicz said. “I would try to run up as many points as fast as I can. I would teach the same thing when coaching, specifically with my nephew. You’re saying, ‘Listen, we want to break these people.’ Then the next day, in a therapy session, it’s like, ‘Let’s build up your self-esteem and set some goals to boost ourselves up.’”
The close friends and two faces of Caro’s surging wrestling program in the late 1990s now have very similar careers. Millerov – who finished second, third and first at 275 pounds in the 1998, 1999 and 2000 MHSAA Finals, respectively -- works in private practice at Transitions Counseling Service in Greenville, where he specializes in substance abuse disorders. He also has served as a Class 1 Fellow at the WK Kellogg Foundation.
Niklowicz – a two-time MHSAA Finals champion (1999 and 2000) and four-time placer – is working in private practice in Southfield, seeing mostly children. He also works in adult foster care with patients who have had traumatic brain injuries.
“He and I went and hiked Pictured Rocks at the beginning of May,” Millerov said. “And we joked about how nobody would have guessed that we’d be doing this now.”
That Millerov and Niklowicz are still close does not come as a surprise. Their friendship began when their wrestling careers did, as 6-year-olds in the Caro Growlers program. As they were becoming two of the state’s top wrestlers, they would share rides to tournaments, and their families grew close.
In high school, despite their size difference – Niklowicz wrestled at 135 his senior year – it wasn’t uncommon to see them warming up together.
“We were definitely easy going and liked to mess around a lot,” Niklowicz said. “We used to mess around before meets and throw each other. He would jump and I would throw him. People would look at us like, ‘Why is that little guy throwing that big guy?’”
While their teams never made it out of the Regional, Millerov and Niklowicz helped set the stage for a program that would become among the best in Division 3 throughout the 2000s, qualifying for five straight Quarterfinals from 2003-07 and winning the Division 3 Finals title in 2003.
Individually, they were among the most well-known and feared wrestlers in the state.
“Niklowicz and I were fortunate to have each other, because we pushed each other,” Millerov said. “We were in constant competition with each other and ourselves. Just to kind of push each other, it was a great thing.”
Niklowicz finished fifth as a freshman and third as a sophomore before winning back-to-back titles to close out his career. In 1999, he defeated Nick Oertel of Goodrich 9-2 in the 125-pound final, and the next year he defeated Oertel’s teammate, Ryan Tripp, 7-5 at 135. Tripp would go on to win an individual title the following year. Niklowicz would finish his career with 214 victories.
“I think probably both (Finals titles) were equal,” Niklowicz said. “I think there was probably a little more stress going into my senior year. My motivation always came from improving, then it was maintaining the state title. You don’t want to go the opposite direction.”
Millerov lost a tight 6-4 decision against Remus Chippewa Hills’ Bob Kozlowski in the MHSAA Finals as a sophomore, and had an epic 12-10 match against future NFL defensive lineman Jason Babin of Paw Paw in the 1999 semifinals before fighting back to take third. The next year, he won his title via first-period pin against Dan Kliphuis, a two-time runner-up from Grand Rapids West Catholic. Millerov finished with 196 career wins and set the state record for pins in a career (160), which was broken the next season by Nick Simmons of Williamston and is now held by Justin Zeerip of Hesperia. The 56 pins Millerov recorded his senior season remains second all-time to Simmons, who had two seasons with 57.
“I never really thought about (the pin record) to be quite honest,” Millerov said. “It was just kind of in the background. It didn’t matter; all I cared about was winning this match, and I wanted to do it in the most effective, efficient way I could.”
They both continued their wrestling careers, but went their separate ways in college, with Millerov heading to Neosho County Community College in Kansas and Niklowicz to Virginia Tech.
Millerov had interest from several Division I schools coming out of high school, including some in the Big Ten, but he admits his grades weren’t good enough at the time. Neosho provided a chance to compete with some of the best in the country while at the junior college level, however, as the team took second at the National Junior College Athletic Association championships in 2002.
He transferred to Central Michigan after his sophomore year, joining his girlfriend – now his wife – who was already attending, and walking onto the wrestling team. While his relationship lasted, wrestling did not.
“I was distracted,” Millerov said. “My grandmother passed away in 2002 in that summer. I was trying to get that motivation back, and I just lost it. There has to be that edge with wrestling. When things didn’t work out, I struggled. Wrestling was my identity.”
Millerov was working to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a police officer. But the elder Phil Millerov, who died in 2012, talked his son out of it.
“Looking back on it, for me, it was obviously the right decision,” Millerov said.
The idea to go into counseling came after Millerov was married in 2006, as his wife had gotten into the program. He went back to school to earn his bachelor’s degree from CMU in 2007, and would go on to get his master’s from CMU, as well.
“I had taken a bunch of psychology courses just because I liked the field,” Millerov said. “I liked to be challenged. I liked puzzles, and with psychology, it’s like a new puzzle every hour. It just clicked. I flew through and graduated with like a 3.8. I was like, ‘Wow, I kind of feel smart.’ It was good to find something I was passionate about again.”
Millerov said he’s constantly learning and honing his craft, much like he did as a wrestler. A major difference now, however, is that he’s found more balance in his life.
“I think about working with athletes in addiction, I find a lot of similarities,” he said. “Wrestling was my life, it’s how I identified myself. I hear that same kind of talk around people struggling with addiction. One you’re considered successful for, the other you’re not. Most of my growth has been around finding balance. I find that my happiness and my clients’ as well, is when we found that balance instead of being good at just one thing. I want you to have passion, I want you to do things you love, but I also want you to be effective as a husband, a father, whatever other responsibilities you have.”
Niklowicz’s journey to becoming a therapist was more telegraphed, as both of his parents work in mental health, and he said it was always something he wanted to do, as well.
He attended Virginia Tech on a wrestling scholarship, but transferred to Eastern Michigan after one year. The Hokies had recruited him to wrestle at 133 pounds, but when the team’s 125-pounder was injured, Niklowicz was asked to cut down further. Like Millerov, he struggled when his wrestling career ended.
“I just had a really bad taste in my mouth after leaving Virginia Tech and trying to cut all this weight,” he said. “Some of it was I had lost the desire to work out, to wrestle. Fifteen years, roughly, of my life was dedicated to wrestling, and once you stop, what do I do with my winters? What do I do with seven months of the year? It was definitely a part of my identity; that’s why I got into coaching. I did MMA fighting for a little bit to have something competitive.”
Like Millerov, Niklowicz said finding balance was important.
“In the mental health field, specifically, there’s a lot of burnout for people,” he said. “Every day, you’re listening to people talking about their problems, but at the same time, they’re coming for a reason and they’re there for help, so you have to provide that help and have to motivate yourself to come to the office every day and give it your best. I try to instill the motivation that I used to other people.”
When Niklowicz looks at his time as an athlete compared to his work as a therapist, he said that work ethic is the main characteristic that has carried over.
“I think my practice mentality was the same as it was on the mat,” he said. “Even in the wrestling room, these are people I’m friends with, people I grew up with, and I still didn’t want anyone to score on me. Then you just look at your work ethic outside of wrestling, whether you’re studying for exams or motivating yourself to get up and go to class.”
While they are no longer living in the same town or living similar lives – Millerov is married with three kids, while Niklowicz is single – the connection between Caro’s dominant duo remains strong, both professionally and personally.
“I don’t think we ever thought we would be going down such a similar path, and I doubt that either one of us grew up thinking we would do the exact same thing,” Niklowicz said. “We met when we were 6 years old, and we’ve been best friends forever. I think it’s hilarious that we’ve taken such similar paths but with some glaring differences. It’s definitely interesting that we’re still really good friends after 30-some years, especially since we’ve moved on and gone our separate ways.”
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PHOTOS: (Top) Caro’s Phil Millerov lifts teammate Phil Niklowicz as both celebrate Division 3 championships during the 2000 Individual Finals at Joe Louis Arena. (Middle) Niklowicz, left, and Millerov were high school warm-up partners despite wrestling at significantly different weights. (Below) Niklowicz and Millerov take a selfie during a hiking trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in May. (Photos courtesy of Niklowicz and Millerov.)
Individual Finals: From 16 to No. 1
March 3, 2012
AUBURN HILLS – A total of 56 individual wrestling champions were crowned Saturday at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
One was St. Johns senior Taylor Massa – and he earned his own story after finishing his career without a loss.
But there were plenty of others to tell. Following is one for each of the 13 other weight classes, starting with 189 pounds – the opening weight at this season’s Individual Finals – plus a mention of all 56 champions. Click for full results.
189
Among the many Jordan Thomas thanked after winning his third MHSAA title was the one opponent who beat him at the Palace during the last four seasons.
Thomas and St. Johns’ Massa led the opening march Saturday, around the mats where Massa dealt Thomas that loss, in the 145-pound Division 2 Final when both were freshmen.
From that day on, Thomas lost only once more. And he capped his championship career by knocking off the reigning Division 2 champ at his weight. In one of the first matches of the day – and arguably the best – Thomas edged Lowell senior Gabe Dean 5-1.
“This being my last match ever, there’s no redemption after this, so I knew I had to get this win,” said Thomas, who will wrestle next season at the University of Michigan.
He finished 45-0 this season and 217-3 for his career despite taking off a month this season after tearing a knee ligament. That continued to slow him Saturday, but he had been building for a strong finish since the day he fell to Massa 5-2 – a match he said paid off through the rest of his Greenville career.
“At high school it’s not about the win and loss, it’s about getting better,” Thomas said. “And I feel like that improved me as a person and a wrestler so much. I don’t regret it a bit.”
Dean, who also quarterbacked Lowell's Division 2 runner-up football team, finished 30-4.
- Division 1: Kevin Beazley did one better on his 2011 1-0 championship loss at 171 by downing Temperance Bedford junior Brandon Sunday 6-0. The Detroit Catholic Central senior finished 45-1.
- Division 3: In a battle of one-loss juniors, Morley Stanwood’s Steven Malloy handed a second to Oscoda’s Donavon Fouchey, 7-6, to finish 46-1.
- Division 4: New Lothrop senior Austin Severn pinned Dansville senior Lantz Miller in 1:49 to win a second straight championship and finish 51-2.
215
Prescott Line’s wrestling career came to an end Saturday. This fall, he’ll join the Southern Methodist University football team.
But the Oxford senior finished in the best possible way – with his second straight MHSAA individual championship. Line defeated Wayne Memorial’s Dimitrus Renfroe 5-1 in the Division 1 Final after also winning at that weight in 2011.
“Wrestling made me a better person. … (It develops) mental toughness, and it works on your one-on-one competition a lot,” Line said. “It’s a great sport.”
Line finished 49-0 this season and 184-23 over his four-year high school career.
- Division 2: Holly senior Shawn Scott finished a 52-0 season with a 3-1 win over St. Johns junior Payne Hayden.
- Division 3: Buchanan junior Gage Hutchison finished a 57-0 season by pinning Comstock Park senior Tyler Gruszka in 1:03.
- Division 4: St. Ignace junior Joe Ostman edged Springport senior Joe Ericson 4-3 to win the title and move to 44-0 this season. Ericson had just one loss entering the Final.
285
Fowlerville junior Adam Coon showed the result of moving up to 285 pounds this season after winning two MHSAA titles at 215. His Division 2 championship match ended with his tongue and lips spotted with blood.
But the result that mattered most remained the same – Coon won his third championship, 7-4 over Mason senior Adam Robinson, and will go into next season hoping to become the 17th wrestler in MHSAA history to win four Finals titles.
Coon faced Robinson four times this season on the way to finishing 50-0.
“Of course, at the state finals it’s going to be a little aggressive. So maybe there were head butts in there for both sides,” Coon said. “But you know what? That’s what wrestling is. It’s aggressive. … You’ve got to be able to take those.”
- Division 1: Rochester Hills Stoney Creek senior Nick Gajdzik became his school’s first champion and capped a 46-0 season with a 2-1 win over Temperance Bedford senior Logan Rimmer – who had only one loss heading into the Final.
- Division 3: Lakewood senior Garrett Hyatt finished his high school career by pinning Dundee junior Josh Marogen in the title match in 1:48. Hyatt was 46-3 this winter.
- Division 4: Hesperia senior Brett Martin capped a 53-0 season by outlasting Whittemore-Prescott freshman Ryan Prescott in a 4-3 decision.
103
Carson City-Crystal junior Kenneth Dittenber is getting used to finishing his season with a win. He’s ended the last two with an MHSAA Division 4 title at 103 pounds.
But Saturday’s clincher had a different spin. In 2011, Dittenber won his Final 5-4. This time, he pinned Shelby junior Austin Felt 56 seconds into the second period. It was a much better reward for a season filled with higher expectations.
“I just practiced a lot harder. I knew I was going to have a target on my back as a state champ last year,” Dittenber said. “I just wanted to wrestle everybody like I should."
- Division 1: Davison freshman Lincoln Olson capped a 46-0 season with a 16-5 major decision over Grand Haven freshman Camden Bertucci.
- Division 2: Goodrich senior Isaac Jewell closed his career with an 8-1 championship win over Hamilton junior Collin Welcher. Jewell finished 45-5 this winter.
- Division 3: Ida freshman Dakota Ball improved to 46-4 with a 2-0 win over Caro junior Shane Herrman.
112
Temperance Bedford junior Mitch Rogaliner had one opponent on his most wanted list this weekend. And he got his wish, drawing Holt’s Shayne Wireman in a Division 1 Semifinal.
Wireman had beaten Rogaliner 2-1 in last season’s 103-pound Final. But Rogaliner got him back Friday with a third-period pin before earning a 9-5 decision over Canton sophomore Ben Griffin in Saturday’s Final.
Rogaliner said he knew if he could beat Wireman, the championship should be his as well – and he used lessons learned last season to finish the run.
“You can’t let the nerves get to you. You can’t just go out there scared,” Rogaliner said. “You just have to lay it all out on the mat, and hope that your all can win it for you.”
Rogaliner finished 46-2 this winter.
- Division 2: St. Johns sophomore Zac Hall won his second MHSAA title, this time with an 8-1 win over Lapeer West junior Dean Somers. Hall finished 43-1 this season.
- Division 3: Remus Chippewa Hills junior Zack Cooper also won his second MHSAA title, improving to 60-2 this season with a 7-2 win over Allendale junior Luke Jensen.
- Division 4: Decatur senior Luke Bell improved to 54-10 this season and won the 200th match of his career in pinning Erie Mason freshman Logan Griffin in 2:38.
119
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern senior Tim Lambert had picked up a reputation as the best wrestler in Michigan never to win an MHSAA title.
He doesn’t have to hear that one anymore.
Lambert – who crushed the 200-career win milestone earlier this season – finished with one more, getting a takedown just before the buzzer to beat St. Johns freshman Logan Massa 5-3 in overtime. The Division 2 championship is the first for a Forest Hills Eastern wrestler, and capped a 58-0 finish for Lambert this season.
“There was definitely a lot of pressure. But I just came out to win, whether it was by two points or 10,” he said. “Logan’s a very tough wrestler. He’s going to have a great career. I knew it was going to be a grind until the end, no matter what. And that’s what it was.”
- Division 1: Davison sophomore Justin Oliver won his second MHSAA title and finished 44-2 this season with a 3-1 win over Hartland sophomore Austin Eicher.
- Division 3: Richmond senior Stephen Ireland edged Lake Fenton senior Todd Melick 10-7 to finish 24-3 this winter.
- Division 4: After losing in a championship match last season, Hudson sophomore Cole Weaver earned his first MHSAA title with a 6-0 win over Hesperia sophomore Zack Yates. Weaver was 51-0 this season.
125
Comstock Park senior Nick Ross admitted Saturday he came into this season overconfident after winning last season’s Division 3 championship at 119 pounds.
But that overconfidence dissolved with two losses and a fourth-place finish in Comstock Park’s first tournament – and was replaced by more intense practice and extra workouts.
Ross never lost again. He capped a 49-2 season Saturday with an 8-4 win over Ida senior Dan Sorter.
“It was a great wake up call. I wanted to real quick,” Ross said of rebounding from the early losses.
“The second (MHSAA title) is definitely tougher. You’ve got a big old ‘X’ on your head. Everyone is after you.”
- Division 1: After losing by a point in last season’s Final, Howell senior Alex Calandrino beat Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central senior Mitch Hrnyak 8-4 and finished the season 42-1.
- Division 2: St. Johns junior Jacob Schmitt, a runner-up last season, beat Holly junior Mason Cleaver 11-1 to finish 46-2.
- Division 4: Watervliet sophomore Brock Thumm outlasted Marlette senior Matt Mata, handing Mata his first loss with a 10-9 decision that improved Thumm to 47-5.
130
Detroit Catholic Central junior Ken Bade knew what was necessary to win big at this season’s Finals.
Last season he earned the title at 125 in part by surviving two one-point decisions. But this time, he advanced with two technical falls and a pin before downing Oxford sophomore Mike Willits 6-1 in the Final.
“I said it earlier in the tournament: It’s all confidence and not cockiness. And you just need to work as hard as you possibly can,” said Bade, who finished 50-1. “This week was the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life.
“There was only one goal in mind and that was a state championship, and I got it done.”
- Division 2: Holly junior Anthony Gonzales scored at least 10 points for the third straight match, this time outlasting Allegan sophomore Kyle Simaz in a 10-9 decision. Gonzales finished 48-3.
- Division 3: Otsego senior Alberto Lopez won his second straight nail-biter, following an overtime Semifinal victory with a 3-2 title-clincher over Fremont senior Theron Blake. Lopez finished 51-2.
- Division 4: New Lothrop junior Jacob Perrin moved to 52-3 with a 5-3 win over Niles Brandywine junior Chanc Ravish.
135
Traverse City St. Francis senior Isaiah Schaub and White Pigeon senior John Tullos both entered Saturday’s Division 4 Final with one loss apiece.
But Schaub also already had one MHSAA championship. He added a second with an 11-4 decision capped by a final three points just before the third-round buzzer.
“I kept on attacking,” Schaub said. “It’s not like I haven’t. I just kept on attacking like Coach told me to.”
Schaub finished 51-1. He also won at 130 pounds in 2011.
- Division 1: Canton sophomore Alec Pantaleo defeated Detroit Catholic Central sophomore Malik Amine 9-6 to finish the season 53-3.
- Division 2: St. Johns junior Brant Schafer, the runner-up at 125 last season, handed Muskegon Reeths-Puffer senior Cody Stenberg his first loss, 10-8 in overtime. Schafer finished 37-1.
- Division 3: Richmond freshman Devin Skatzka opened his high school Finals career by edging Leslie sophomore Zehlin Storr 5-4 to finish 44-8.
140
St. Johns junior Ben Whitford already had won two Illinois individual championships, and helped St. Johns to an MHSAA team title last weekend.
He finished his first season back in Michigan by beating the same opponent he faced in the team Final – Lowell senior and reigning individual champion Gabe Morse.
Whitford handed Morse just his second loss of this season, 11-4. A week ago, Whitford beat Morse 11-9.
“In the first match, I kept getting out of position. That’s how he was able to score,” Whitford said. “This time, (I stayed) in a good position, had to stay on his head, get him tired, keep working him.”
Whitford finished 37-0. Morse finished 40-2.
- Division 1: Portage Central senior Angelo Latora capped his career with a 3-1 win over Jenison senior Trent Samuels. Latora finished the season 53-1.
- Division 3: Richmond senior Garett Edwards handed Fremont junior Johnny Wiggers his first loss, 6-5 in overtime. Edwards finished 48-6.
- Division 4: New Lothrop junior Clayton Simons added his second-straight MHSAA title and moved to 33-5 for the season with a 7-2 win over Reading senior Nick Rubley.
145
Midland Bullock Creek senior Scott Flowers admitted it would’ve been nice to face a different opponent in Saturday’s Final than Hemlock senior Justin Tomasek.
They both came from the Tri-Valley Conference Central, and the championship match was their fourth against each other this season. Flowers won this time 4-0 to even their record against each other to 2-2.
“If I don’t know (what an opponent) is going to do, I can wrestle my own style instead of changing my style to fit his style,” Flowers said. “(But) it also helped too.”
Flowers, who posted a third place in 2011, finished 51-7. Tomasek finished 45-4.
- Division 1: Flint Carman-Ainsworth senior Jake Weissend closed out a 58-0 season with a 1-0 decision over Portage Central sophomore Dominic Latora.
- Division 2: Allegan senior Taylor Simaz capped his career and a 57-1 season with his second MHSAA title. He beat Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern senior Gabe Stepanovich 15-5 after also claiming the 125-pound championship in 2010.
- Division 4: Addison junior Jared Bruner edged Springport freshman Jacob Cooper 4-2 to finish 36-5.
152
Saturday’s Division 1 152-pound Final was one of the most anticipated of the entire Individual Wrestling Finals. And not because Brighton junior Aaron Calderon was on the card.
Detroit Catholic Central senior Alec Mooradian was seeking to become only the 16th wrestler in MHSAA history to win four individual championships. Instead, Calderon won his first – and became part of history for what he didn’t allow to happen.
Mooradian scored first before Calderon hung on and spun out of a late potential takedown to win 3-2.
“I wasn’t too worried because he had everything to lose and I had everything to gain. That kinda helped take all the pressure off,” Calderon said. “I just thought, he was just another kid my age. I can be just as strong. I can be just as fast. I can be just as good.”
Calderon finished this season 56-2. Mooradian ended 44-3.
- Division 2: Lowell senior Andrew Morse won his second MHSAA championship and closed out a 34-0 season with a 4-2 win over St. Johns senior Travis Curley.
- Division 3: Lakeview senior Jordan Betham improved to 56-2 this season with a 14-6 win over Dundee junior Todd Olson.
- Division 4: Hudson senior Joel Varney finished his high school career with his second straight MHSAA title thanks to a pin in 2:20 of Sand Creek junior Nick Garza. Varney finished 47-2.
160
The only disappointment on Hudson senior Devan Marry’s MHSAA championship resume came last season, when he lost in the 160-pound Final after previously winning titles at 152 and 135.
On Saturday, he made sure to pick that one up too.
Marry also has been a big part of four MHSAA team championships. So make that seven total for the future Eastern Michigan wrestler, who claimed his last with a 10-4 decision over Sand Creek senior Sam Mehan – who beat Marry 7-5 in last season’s 160 Final.
“It’s that much more special to go out on a last hurrah,” Marry said. “I’m just happy to have such good classmates and all the classes below me coming together. Not only did it show last weekend, but it showed here how hard we work and how it finally pays off at the end.”
Marry finished 47-2. Mehan finished 52-2.
- Division 1: Davison sophomore Jordan Cooks defeated Grand Blanc senior Christian O’Guinn to finish the winter 34-2.
- Division 2: St. Johns senior Jordan Wohlfert closed his career with a second straight MHSAA title, this time thanks to a 16-5 win over Allegan senior Andrew Kelley. Wohlfert finished 47-1.
- Division 3: Napoleon senior Lelund Weatherspoon capped his senior season with his second straight MHSAA title, defeating Grant senior Ryan Connell to improve to 49-1. Weatherspoon won 152 in Division 4 last season.
171
Click for a separate piece on St. Johns’ Taylor Massa and his perfect high school career.
- Division 1: Detroit Catholic Central sophomore Drew Garcia outlasted Utica Eisenhower junior Charlie Myers in a 5-2 decision that pushed Garcia’s final record to 43-3.
- Division 3: Comstock Park senior Dillon Francisco improved to 52-1 in handing a major decision to Houghton Lake junior Dalton Bailey, 11-0.
- Division 4: St. Ignace junior Galloway Thurston won an 8-2 decision over Shelby senior Mason Courtright to finish this season 52-2.
PHOTO of Greenville's Jordan Thomas. See more photos from the Finals and all season at High School Sports Scene.