Finals Contender Anderson, State-Ranked Kent City Carrying High Expectations Into February
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
January 29, 2026
KENT CITY – The summer before his freshman year, Kent City’s Sammy Anderson admittedly was unsure of his potential as a wrestler.
That all changed, however, when the season began and a talented group of seniors altered the course of Anderson’s future on the mat.
“We went to a CMU camp in July and to be honest, I was not very confident in myself,” Anderson said. “From there, I didn’t know how my first high school season was going to go, but there were a ton of great seniors that really pushed me and motivated me to be the best I could be at this sport.
“Those seniors gave me a lot of confidence, and I just kept working hard throughout the season and I made it to state and found out that I could be good if I kept working hard at it.”
Kent City wrestling coach Chad Kik remembers those seniors showing Anderson the ropes and helping guide him through his first season.
“When he hit the high school scene he was in a good situation to learn,” Kik said. “We had a good handful of upperclassmen he got to work out with during those first two years in the room.
“He’s taken on their approach to wrestling, as well as learning lessons as far as work ethic and how to be a leader from them.”
Fast forward to Anderson’s senior year, as he has blossomed into one of the top wrestlers at 126 pounds in Division 3.
Earlier this month, Anderson reached a career milestone while competing at the Fruitport Legends Tournament.
Anderson went 5-0 on the day, winning his final match 10-6 against an opponent who had beaten him at Regionals last year, to earn a career milestone with his 150th win.
He became the 14th wrestler in school history to accomplish the feat and attributes his success to that group of seniors.
“It’s a pretty nice milestone to hit, and a bunch of the seniors from my freshman year really pushed me to be really good in the sport,” Anderson said. “I wanted to be like them, and wanted to get to 150 and maybe even surpass them.”
Anderson owns a 165-36 overall record, including 35-4 this winter as he eyes a return to the Individual Finals.
“He has a great demeanor for wrestling,” Kik said. “He never gets too high after a win, or too low after a loss. He keeps things in perspective. He’s very good at going back and analyzing the things he needs to work on or what went wrong. He’s able to move forward rather quickly, and he’s fun to watch.
“He’s constantly in motion, constantly on the attack and he wears down a lot of opponents, because he just comes at you.”
After his early success, Anderson failed to qualify for the Finals as a sophomore with a one-point loss in the blood round at Regionals.
While disappointing, he used that tough loss to refocus.
“I was trying to make state again and, unfortunately, took that loss, which happens,” Anderson said. “It just drove me and motivated me a lot more for my junior year, and I wanted to do well that year.
“Coach always preaches to keep moving forward and don't look back. Every tough match has a purpose, and take it as an opportunity to grow yourself, learn from it and do better next time.”
Anderson rebounded with a terrific campaign last winter and garnered fifth place at 120 pounds to achieve all-state status.
“He had that setback his sophomore year, but he came back strong and was focused on getting back to state,” Kik said. “He had an incredible state meet, and it’s been fun to watch him grow.
“This year he has a chance to be District and Regional champ and set himself up for a top-four seeding to hopefully make a run.”
Anderson has been the catalyst for a squad that is currently ranked No. 10 in Division 3.
The Eagles won the Kent City Kickoff Classic to open the season and claimed the top honor at last week’s Hopkins Invitational.
They also took third at the 20-team Kent County Classic, finishing behind only Rockford and Byron Center.
“I think we had high expectations coming into the season,” Kik said. “We returned quite a few from last year with some new additions that have been helping our team as well.
“We set goals of conference champs, District champs and then contending for a Regional championship. Those are our goals every year, and we thought coming in we had a good chance to put ourselves in position to try and achieve those goals.”
Kent City achieved one of them Wednesday night by clinching the Central States Athletic Association title with victories over Reed City and Central Montcalm to finish the league dual schedule with an unbeaten record.
The Eagles have four wrestlers with more than 30 wins so far, including Anderson, Dylan Russo (106), Sam Kik (113) and Adam Hunter (138).
Jayden Loomis-Sandison (144), Travis Pike (132), Hunter Gustinis (150), Victor Vasquez (157) and Jackson Carr (165) all have won 23 or more matches.
“At the beginning of the season there were some pretty high expectations,” Anderson said. “This is one of the best teams we've had in a minute, I think, and I think we can go far this season.
“I’ve been trying to be a leader and push the guys in the room that don’t have as much experience, and I think we can make a run in the postseason if we stay healthy and things can go our way.”
The Eagles will meet Grant in Team Districts next month with Newaygo and Fremont on the other side of the bracket.
“If we continue to grind and wrestle the way we have,” Chad Kik said, “then I think we have a chance to do well in the postseason.”
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Kent City’s Sammy Anderson works to break his opponent’s grasp during a match this season. (Middle) The Eagles take a team photo after winning their Kent City Kickoff Classic. (Photos courtesy of the Kent City wrestling program.)
D3 Preview: Spoilers Look to Advance
February 21, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Dundee and Richmond have met in seven of the last nine Division 3 Wrestling Finals, and it’s hardly a shock they are the top-seeded teams heading into this weekend at Kalamazoo’s Wings Event Center.
But there are potential spoilers waiting. Remus Chippewa Hills is only three seasons removed from a title match appearance, and Whitehall brings 10 Individual Finals qualifiers and a pair of coaches with championship experience as it looks to make a move toward the top.
Below is a look at all eight teams competing in Division 3, listed by seed. Quarterfinal matches begin at 4:30 p.m. Friday, with Semifinals at noon Saturday and the championship match that afternoon at 3:45 p.m. All matches this weekend will be viewable live on a subscription basis on MHSAA.tv. For Friday’s schedule and results throughout, check the MHSAA Wrestling page.
#1 Richmond
Record/rank: 24-2, No. 2
League finish: First in Blue Water Area Conference
Co-coaches: Brandon Day, 15th season (452-95); Preston Treend, third season (70-9)
Championship history: Eight MHSAA championships (most recent 2017), six runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Hunter Keller (22-4) soph., 112 Daniel McNichol (27-8) sr., 112 JD Gross (24-10) jr., 125 Austin Kilburn (22-6) jr., 130 Hunter Seguin (23-14) sr., 140 Hayden Bastian (26-5) sr., 145 Ethan Wyatt (16-11) sr., 171 Wesley Peters (30-11) fr., 215 Luke Davis (37-5) jr., 285 Dan McKiernan (29-14) soph.
Outlook: After winning the Division 3 Final in 2017 by tie-breaker criteria over Dundee, Richmond fell in the 2018 Final to Dundee 40-15. Among those back for possibly more are returning Finals placers McNichol, Bastian and junior Josh Barton. McNichol and Bastian are two of just four senior starters, but 13 starters and 14 Blue Devils total have at least 20 wins this winter. They once again eliminated No. 5 Algonac on the way to Kalamazoo.
#2 Dundee
Record/rank: 15-5, No. 1
League finish: First in Lenawee County Athletic Association
Coach: Tim Roberts, 20th season (512-74-1)
Championship history: Ten MHSAA championships (most recent 2018), seven runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Casey Swiderski (39-2) fr., 112. Austin Fietz (32-9) soph., 135 Jonathon White (32-9) sr., 135 Tyler Swiderski (22-10) soph., 140 Christian Killion (38-5) jr., 145. Grant Ott (32-11) sr., 154. Stoney Buell (38-8) soph., 171 Jaxon Guinn (16-6) jr.
Outlook: Dundee is wrestling for its fifth Division 3 championship over the last seven seasons, with a roster that impressively has just three seniors and five juniors – and five upperclassmen expected to start. But Buell is a reigning individual champion and Killion and Tyler Swiderski were Finals runners-up a year ago, while Fietz, White, Guinn and senior Cal McAvoy also were placers.
#3 Whitehall
Record/rank: 28-2, No. 3
League finish: First in West Michigan Conference
Co-coaches: Justin and Collin Zeerip, first seasons (28-2)
Championship history: Class C runner-up 1984.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Aidan Weiler (33-9) fr., 125 Max Brown (38-4) fr., 135 Jacob Haynes (14-12) soph., 140 Marco Moore (21-18) soph., 145 Kyler Honore (30-12) jr., 152 Ira Jenkins (34-6) fr., 160 Trenton Blanchard (34-6) sr., 189 Kayleb Venema (40-2) jr., 215 Allen Powers (37-4) sr., 215 Jarrean Sargeant (34-10) jr.
Outlook: Under the Hesperia champion Zeerip brothers, Whitehall is making its fourth straight Quarterfinal appearance and move up a seed this season after reaching the Semifinals a year ago. With just two seniors on the roster, and five freshman starters, this is another team with an exciting future to go with the present. Blanchard, Venema and Powers were Finals placers a year ago.
#4 Remus Chippewa Hills
Record/rank: 27-1, No. 4
League finish: First in Central State Activities Association Gold
Coach: Kevin Edwards, first season (27-1)
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2016.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Taylor Gibson (35-11) jr., 112 Daylin Wittig (30-6) soph., 119 Gavin Miller (22-15) soph., 125 Carson Hayes (35-9) soph., 135 Bray Haynes (36-9) sr., 140 Mason Hayes (40-0) sr., 160 Trenten Wiggins (31-7) soph., 171 Gabriel Petoskey (36-11) jr., 189 Chayton Wiggins (45-1) jr., 215 Carl Whipple (27-7) soph., 285 Colby Roosa (35-1) soph.
Outlook: Chippewa Hills will wrestle in its eighth straight Quarterfinal hoping to advance to a fifth straight Semifinal. Edwards took over this season for longtime coach Nate Ethridge after serving as an assistant during Ethridge’s 18 running the program. Haynes was a Finals placer last season and is one of four repeat qualifiers. There are only three senior starters, but 12 of 14 in the expected lineup have won at least 25 matches this winter.
#5 Montrose
Record/rank: 27-5, No. 6
League finish: Second in Mid-Michigan Activities Conference
Coach: Steve Barnette, seventh season (140-76)
Championship history: Nine MHSAA championships (most recent 2005), five runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Jake Elasivich (42-7) soph., 145 Robert Skinner (26-11) soph., 171 Jack Kalakay (34-7) jr., 285 Griffin Barnette (45-4) jr.
Outlook: Montrose is returning to the Quarterfinals for the first time since the last championship season of 2005, and defeated No. 7 Birch Run to help get here. The Rams finished second in their league to another contender, Division 4 power New Lothrop. Watch for them moving forward – they have one senior starter but 10 underclassmen in this weekend’s lineup. Elasivich and Griffin Barnette were Finals placers last season.
#6 Alma
Record/rank: 33-6, No. 8
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference Central
Coach: Randy Miniard, eighth season (188-92)
Championship history: Has not appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Dametrius Castillo (32-4) soph., 125 Solomon Rosales (25-11) soph., 130 Josiah Baltierra (27-18) fr., 135 Jarrett Ferman (32-3) jr., 152 Justin VanBlaricum (28-9) jr.
Outlook: The Panthers are making their second straight Quarterfinal trip coming off a third consecutive league title, and also moved up a seed from a year ago. Alma got past No. 10 Lake Odessa Lakewood to clinch what was also its second Regional title ever. Castillo also achieved some individual history for the program with its first Finals championship last season since 1993. There is only one senior on the roster and 10 underclassmen in the lineup for this weekend.
#7 Dowagiac
Record/rank: 24-9, unranked
League finish: Third in Wolverine Conference
Coach: Colin Burandt, fourth season (76-35)
Championship history: Two runner-up finishes (most recent 1998).
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Dylan Elmore (45-5) sr.; 285 Wyatt Bailey (33-11) soph.
Outlook: Dowagiac returned to the Quarterfinals last season for the first time since 2004 and now has made two straight. The experience should continue to pay off as the team will graduate only three seniors with only two expected to start this weekend. Six wrestlers have at least 30 wins this winter.
#8 Shepherd
Record/rank: 12-1, No. 9
League finish: Second in Tri-Valley Conference Central
Coach: BJ Cline, fourth season (57-19)
Championship history: Four runner-up finishes (most recent 2001).
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Kye Andrews (37-8) jr., 119 Lance Clark (26-6) soph., 145 Trevor Robinson (40-2) sr., 285 Kevin Smith (36-8) sr.
Outlook: Shepherd is returning to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2002, with three senior starters who all have at least 30 wins and also nine underclassmen among expected starters. Robinson was the Finals runner-up at 135 last season, and he also was a runner-up in 2016.
PHOTO: Remus Chippewa Hills, here at its league tournament, is one of the few to break into a Division 3 Final over the last decade. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)