Nieuwenhuis Follows Sister's 4th Title Few Mats Away with 1st Finals Triumph
By
Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com
March 7, 2026
DETROIT – Plainwell sophomore Dylan Nieuwenhuis couldn’t help but be a little distracted during his Division 2 113-pound championship match during Saturday’s MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals at Ford Field.
Just two mats down, his sister Madison Nieuwenhuis was competing for her fourth-straight title at the same time.
Madison quickly took care of business, then raced over to cheer on her younger brother, who won his first championship with a 4-1 win over teammate Tyler Cooper.
“I was listening the whole time. I got a little bit more excited when I heard that she had won during my match,” Dylan Nieuwenhuis said. “Just having her in my corner, knowing she’s been there and won four titles, just helped me out huge throughout the year.”
Nieuwenhuis (41-1) and his fellow Plainwell sophomore, Cooper (33-9), are training partners and know each other well. That was clear when the match was tied 1-1 after three periods.
“We know everything each other does, so it was just a matter of who's going to have the bigger gas tank,” Nieuwenhuis said, who scored a takedown in overtime to clinch the title.
106
Champion: Thomas Leahy, St. Clair Shores Lakeshore, Jr. (54-1)
Decision, 13-6, over Chase Jacobs, Stevensville Lakeshore, Fr. (42-7)
Tied 6-6 in the third period, Leahy put together a takedown and also scored near-fall points to pull away.
“I just knew I had to stay composed all match and not get ahead of myself, to stay in good position all match. I knew I could pull it out if I did that,” Leahy said. “It’s an amazing feeling.”
Leahy had a 6-2 edge early in the match, but Jacobs scored a takedown late in the first period and then got an escape to start the third to make it 6-6 before Leahy turned it on.
120
Champion: Jarrett Smith, Lowell, Sr. (49-2)
Technical Fall (4:18), 22-5, over Tim Hanna, North Branch, Soph. (44-3)
Smith claimed his third Finals championship in as many years after winning at 113 pounds in 2025 and 106 pounds in 2024.
He controlled this match with a ferocious pace, securing six takedowns on Hanna to score the technical fall in the third period.
“My goal wasn’t really just focused on winning a state title. I just wanted to come in and dominate,” Smith said. “I wanted to remain aggressive and get after it from the start.”
126
Champion: Cristian Haslem, St. Clair, Sr. (53-1)
Decision, 5-2, over Lucas Christopher, Fenton, Soph. (57-3)
Haslem won his second-consecutive championship, finding a way to edge Christopher after winning the 120-pound title a year ago.
“It helped me realize that I was meant to be here, and it wasn’t a mistake,” Haslem said of relying on his title experience last year. “I knew people were coming for me all year and that I had to work even harder to win again.”
A takedown in the second period put Haslem in the driver’s seat, and he added an insurance point in the third on an escape.
132
Champion: Devan Garcia, Battle Creek Harper Creek, Jr. (50-2)
Decision, 4-3, over Rasler Warner, Richland Gull Lake, Sr. (18-1)
Garcia won a Finals championship in 2024, but finished runner-up in 2025. That motivated him throughout this year and in Saturday’s final to find a way past Gull Lake’s Warner.
“I wanted this bad. I had to wait a whole year for it, but it feels great,” Garcia said of getting back to the top. “I had to train my butt off every day and focus on the small things.”
Garcia landed a takedown in the third period with one minute on the clock to break a 1-1 tie. Warner got an escape, then a stall point, but couldn’t find that tying score.
138
Champion: Quinten Cassiday, Cedar Springs, Jr. (56-0)
Decision, 5-1, over Izaak Kukulski, Bay City John Glenn, Sr. (42-6)
Cassiday finished off an unbeaten junior season to earn his first individual championship.
After finishing runner-up last year at 126 pounds, he got a first-round takedown to control the match with Kukulski.
“I just needed to work on my push and pulls, get to my shots, get to my attacks, and ultimately find the points,” Cassiday said. “Finishing runner-up ate at me every single day since I lost last March. I have been working so hard for this moment.”
144
Champion: Luke Egan, Cedar Springs, Sr. (46-0)
Decision, 1-0, over Logan Dawson, Lowell, Sr. (48-8)
A third-round escape was the lone point scored in the 144-pound final, which earned Egan his first championship after finishing runner-up at 138 a year ago.
Egan rode Dawson for two minutes during the second period to keep the match scoreless, then got the championship-winning escape in the third.
“I really had to dig deep in there,” Egan said. “It was just about hard wrestling until the final whistle.”
150
Champion: Bryce Morrison, Hamilton, Sr. (53-0)
Technical Fall (3:09), 15-0, over Tyler Densmore, Charlotte, Soph. (48-2)
Morrison completed an unbeaten senior season with a dominant performance, posting seven points in the first period and eight in the second.
He had come close to a title before, finishing fifth in 2024 and third last year, but was motivated to get the job done in 2026.
“This was just about the work I have put in all season,” Morrison said. “I couldn’t have done it without my coaches. They pushed me every single day. It is just such a good feeling to have all that work pay off.”
157
Champion: Johnathan Ford, Bay City John Glenn, Jr. (37-0)
Decision, 4-2, over Lane Blanchard, Otsego, Sr. (52-2)
Ford repeated as the 157-pound champion in Division 2, while also completing an unbeaten season.
He scored all his points in the second period, as it started with an escape and was followed by a takedown. Blanchard managed two points in the third, and was fighting for a takedown as the clock expired.
“It was life or death there. That was 10 seconds of my life that I wasn’t going to give up on,” Ford said of holding on for the win. “Nobody was going to get me down in those 10 seconds.”
165
Champion: Zane Willobee, Gaylord, Sr. (44-1)
Decision 4-3, over D’Marion Erlenbeck, Clio, Sr. (52-3)
This was a rare rematch of a championship match from 2024, when Willobee bested Erlenbeck, 11-5, in the 157-pound final.
This time around, Willobee escaped with a 4-3 nod, riding a first-round takedown to the win.
“It feels great to get back on top and go out on top,” Willobee said. “I made a mistake last year, and this year I really put in the work and relied on my family and community and didn’t put so much pressure on myself.”
These two met last week in a Regional Semifinal as well with Erlenbeck scoring the win. The two shared a moment on the mat after the match to honor their extensive head-to-head history.
“Me and D’Marion go way back. We’ve shared this moment many times, and we both recognize that it’s not always about wins and losses, it’s about praising our Lord and Savior,” Willobee said.
175
Champion: Louis Smith, Three Rivers, Sr. (61-0)
Decision, 6-5, over Seth Harvey, Lowell, Sr. (37-8)
A Regional Final rematch after Smith had won the first time by pinfall was much more difficult on Saturday.
After taking a 5-0 lead on Harvey, the Lowell senior fought back and nearly completed the comeback before coming up a point short.
It was the first title for Smith, who completed an unbeaten season with 61 victories.
“I’ve worked so hard all year; this is my whole life. Wrestling is my whole life, and I just knew I wanted it more,” Smith said. “I’ve wanted this since birth. It was just my time.”
190
Champion: Brad Meyers, Portland, Sr. (52-0)
Decision, 5-4, over Martin Knight, North Branch, Sr. (46-1)
A battle of unbeatens went back and force, but a takedown by Meyers during the final minute propelled him to his first championship.
“I wanted to stay aggressive, get my shots, and play smart,” Meyers said. “It means the world to me to get this title. I have been working on this for six years. To get it in my senior year is amazing.”
Meyers got an escape in the second period to lead 1-0 entering the third. Knight tied things up with his own in the third before Meyers got the key takedown. Knight scored a reversal to make it 4-3, but Meyers escaped to push his lead to two. A stall point was given to Knight late, but it wouldn’t be enough.
215
Champion: Landon Guilford, Portland, Jr. (46-2)
Decision, 8-6, over Jonathan Golec, Goodrich, Sr. (43-2)
A back-and-forth match concluded just in time for Guilford, as Golec was originally scored a takedown as time expired, but the referees ruled afterwards that it happened after the third round had ended, giving Guilford his first championship.
Golec held a 5-3 lead in the second period, but Guilford used a pair of escapes to tie things up at 5-5 in the third. He then got his second takedown of the match with 1:28 left, only to see Golec escape moments later. Guilford then fought off the Goodrich senior for the final 75 seconds.
“I was just trying to do whatever I could to avoid getting taken down,” Guilford said. “Obviously, it was close, but I left it all on the mat. I haven’t really processed what it means to win, but I’m grateful for the moment.”
285
Champion: Layne O’Neil, Fowlerville, Sr. (50-2)
Decision, 3-2, over Hartland Bregg, Marshall, Soph. (46-3)
Tied 1-1 entering the third period, O’Neil managed an escape that put the match in his favor. Bregg got an escape to make it 3-2, but couldn’t get O’Neil on the ground.
“I knew I had to dig deep,” O’Neil said of finishing out the match. “I just told myself to finish the job. It’s amazing (to be a state champion).”
O’Neil finished third last year but ended his senior season with a championship.
PHOTOS (Top) Plainwell's Dylan Nieuwenhuis, left, wrestles teammate Tyler Cooper for a Division 2 championship Saturday. (Middle) Hamilton’s Bryce Morrison, top, works toward a win at 150 pounds. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Coaching Cousins Build on Macomb Roots
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
January 18, 2018
MACOMB – Success must begin somewhere.
And for the Macomb Dakota wrestling program, its beginnings can be traced to a church in Mount Clemens nearly 25 years ago.
Ed Skowneski, a longtime educator in Macomb County who was a football star at Wayne State University during the 1970s, got with a few buddies and formed a youth wrestling program named the Bad Boys Wrestling Club.
This program would eventually produce six MHSAA champions and approximately 20 others who reached the Individual Finals. It also helped inspire two of those wrestlers to become coaches at the high school level.
Eddie Skowneski, Ed's son, leads the Macomb Dakota program ranked No. 3 in Division 1 this week by Michigan Grappler. Nephew Anthony Biondo assists top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central.
Before the Bad Boys – which would eventually evolve into Team All Sport – there were pockets in the county where the sport thrived, such as Fraser High where Al Kastl had built a strong program. But for the most part, Macomb County was a step or two behind nearby counties such as Genesee, Lapeer, Oakland and Wayne, where the sport had well-established programs like Clarkston, Davison, Detroit Catholic Central, Hazel Park, Lake Orion, Montrose, New Lothrop and others.
Skowneski teamed with people like Bob Palazzolo, Rick Julien – an assistant under Kastl at Fraser who later became Fraser’s head coach – and later, Vince Biondo, Skowneski’s roommate in college, to organize a competitive youth program.
“We had some good kids back then,” Skowneski said. “We had six state champions come out of there. We practiced twice a week at the church, but it was more like a hall or reception room. After one year we moved to Fraser, Mark Twain Elementary (School), where I was a principal. That made it easier, for travel and everything. We had our own mats in the school, and it started to grow.”
A team from Macomb County has yet to reach an MHSAA Division 1 Final, but they’re getting close. Last season Dakota reached a Division 1 Semifinal for the first time, and it was just the third time a Macomb County team had advanced that far in the top division/classification.
Two other county schools fared well last season, too, in other divisions. Warren Woods Tower lost in the Division 2 Final to Lowell, and Richmond won the Division 3 title.
Skowneski’s motivation to become a coach came from his son, Eddie, and, later, his nephew Anthony Biondo, Vince Biondo’s son. Eddie Skowneski got his start with the Bad Boys at age 9 with his cousin who is two years younger. The two became best friends and would become two of the county’s top wrestlers during the early to mid-2000s at Clinton Township Chippewa Valley.
Each would reach the Individual Finals three times. In 2003, Skowneski won the 140-pound title over fellow county wrestler Justin Petrone of Roseville, 1-0. Biondo was a three-time champion placing first at 103 in 2003, first at 112 the next season and first at 145 in 2006.
Skowneski would earn a scholarship to Michigan State University, where he was a three-year starter. Biondo went to University of Michigan and was a three-time NCAA Tournament qualifier. His best season came as a senior when he went 2-2 at the NCAAs and earned his 100th career win.
“Those Bad Boys days, those were some great times,” Anthony Biondo said. “It was a great group of kids. I just remember being in that church with Uncle Ed. I really wasn’t into wrestling when I started. I was into hockey and football. I started going there one day a week, and it just grew. My first year wrestling (at Chippewa Valley), I won the state title. It was just that one-on-one thing that I liked. My dad was a huge goal-setting type of guy, and I just kept at it.”
Their wrestling careers didn’t stop after graduation. Skowneski became an assistant coach at Fraser for one season then went to Warren DeLaSalle for two as an assistant before becoming the head coach at Dakota in 2012. Biondo is in his seventh season as an assistant coach at Detroit Catholic Central, the top-ranked team and reigning champion in Division 1.
Eddie Skowneski, 31, said he’s had a number of mentors throughout his wrestling career who have contributed to him becoming the coach he is today. His father is one, but he also said his high school coach John Jeffire at Chippewa Valley, St. Clair Shores Lakeview football coach Pat Threet and his college coaches all have had their influence.
When Ed Skowneski retired as school principal at Mark Twain in 2015, his son quickly found him a part-time job as his assistant at Dakota to keep him active.
“He’s always been a great coach,” Eddie said. “Coaching with my dad, it never really stopped. With him, it’s the little things. He always said, if you have good technique, you can beat someone who is more physical than you are. With my dad, he goes to each person and shows them the proper technique. With me, sure I want them to work and train hard. But I want my wrestlers to do it the right way.”
Ed Skowneski got out of coaching when his son went to high school. He said he had taken his son as far as he could and that it was better to have Eddie continue his progression with someone else as his coach.
Now that Ed’s back in it, coaching with his son no less, he couldn’t be happier.
“When he first got the job at Dakota, I thought of helping him but I just didn’t have the time,” Ed Skowneski said. “I’m enjoying it now. I’m not the head coach. He has the issues. I just work with the kids. It’s fantastic. It’s rewarding. We have a great group of kids and good parents.
“I look forward to the tournaments, which sometimes keeps me up at night. It’s nice that my son and I can do this together.”
Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: Longtime coach Ed Skowneski stands with son Eddie (left) and nephew Anthony Biondo after a youth event when they were children. (Middle) Father and son hold up Eddie’s bracket sheet after he won the Division 1 championship at 145 pounds in 2006; to the right, they pose together during Biondo’s wedding. (Below) Ed Skowneski and Biondo, also before the latter’s wedding. (Photos provided by the Skowneski family.)