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.)
Richmond Takes Latest Dramatic D3 Final
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 25, 2017
MOUNT PLEASANT – It took 14 matches and eight steps through the dual meet tiebreaker criteria Saturday to decide the latest edition of the wrestling rivalry between Richmond and Dundee.
But when Criteria H showed a 17-8 advantage for Richmond in total first points scored, it was Blue Devils coach Brandon Day who turned to his team with a triumphant fist in the air, sending the Richmond wrestlers and crowd into hysterics.
“I walked to the table and (Dundee coach Tim Roberts) told me, ‘You already won,’” Day said. “I told him, ‘We’ve got to quit doing this.’”
Richmond prevailed in the back-and-forth Division 3 title match, which ended tied at 28 following a 4-3 win from Richmond 130-pound sophomore Hayden Bastian. The title is Richmond’s eighth, and first since 2015 when it defeated Dundee in somehow less dramatic fashion with a pair of pins in the final two matches.
“It’s crazy, you don’t know what’s going to happen – it’s like the lottery,” said Richmond senior 112-pounder Roy Costello, who had one of those pins in 2015, and won a 3-2 decision on Saturday night. “It’s really suspenseful, your heart’s beating 100 mph, you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The two teams were deadlocked through the first seven criteria, which includes three varieties of penalty points assessed, total matches won, pinfalls, technical falls and major decisions. It was fitting for a rivalry that has dominated Division 3 since 2006, with the teams now having combined to win 10 of the last 12 titles -- Richmond with six and Dundee with four. Of those 10, seven were won against the other.
“Our programs are intertwined now because we’ve wrestled each other so many times in this situation,” Roberts said. “Today they were that much better than us. It’s pretty close, but they did that much better than us today, so they get to be champs this year. It’s close, but they won.”
The dual was tied three times over the final five matches -- 22-22, 25-25 and 28-28. The final tie was forced by Bastian, who recorded a takedown with less than 30 seconds remaining to send the match to the scorebooks.
“I was stressed -- I was so nervous that I wasn’t going to get a takedown,” said Bastian, who didn’t know if his win would give his team the title. “I’m fairly new to the sport. I started wrestling in seventh grade. I don’t really know much. My first match I didn’t really know what I was doing. I don’t know almost anything, I just go out there and wrestle my best.”
Bastian’s coach had plenty of confidence in him before sending him out onto the mat.
“Hayden Bastian is the best kid in the state nobody knows about,” Day said. “He made 130 for the first time here this weekend, and that was the difference.”
Added Costello: “Hayden performed awesome this whole weekend. Even though he’s not a state qualifier, he performed awesome.”
Dundee jumped out to a 22-9 lead in the match, getting pins from Sean Sterling at 160 pounds and Brandon Whitman at 189, a major decision at 145 from Tylor Orrison and decisions from Zachary Bellaire at 140 and Kyle Motylinski at 171.
Even with the lead, however, Roberts didn’t feel safe.
“We knew we needed more,” Roberts said. “We needed another win down there that we didn’t get. We knew we were kind of in trouble at 22-9. At 119 and 125, our guys did a nice job and came away with wins there, but we knew we were one win short when it was 22-9.”
Richmond stormed back to tie the dual with a major decision from Colton McKiernan at 215, a decision from Tyler Marino at 285 and a pin from Austin Kilburn at 103.
Kilburn’s pin ended a wild match against Dundee’s Caleb Fairchild, which saw both wrestlers taken to their backs in the opening period. Kilburn, a freshman, regained his composure and scored seven more points before getting the pin with 41 seconds left in the match.
Costello’s win put the Blue Devils up 25-22, but Daniel Jaworski (119) and Christian Killion (125) each won decisions for the Vikings to give them the 28-25 lead heading into the final match.
Richmond opened the dual with a pin from senior Owen Vannatter at 135 pounds, and after Dundee took a 7-6 lead with its wins from Bellaire and Orrison, Richmond sophomore Eric Barr pulled off an upset at 152 with a 3-2 win against Dundee’s Alex Motylinski.
“Eric Barr!” Day shouted. “Eric Barr knocked off No. 3 in the state. (Barr) didn’t make it out of our Regional. That was huge.”
The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
PHOTOS: (Top) Dundee (left) and Richmond faced off Saturday for the eighth time over the last decade of Division 3 Finals. (Middle) Dundee’s Sean Sterling works toward a pin during his match at 160. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)