It’s difficult to imagine the Clinton wrestling program struggling to win district titles today.
But it wasn’t long ago that the Redskins didn’t have goals of advancing to a second straight Division 4 quarterfinal and making a run at a state title.
The Redskins are ranked No. 2 in Division 4, but until 2014, Clinton’s last district title came in 2005, and it had never won a regional championship.
“The program was down a little bit,” said Clinton coach Jeff Rolland. “But it was heading in the right direction. Kevin Beazley, who is the principal now (and athletic director) had put a youth program in place and a youth wrestling board and was starting to get more numbers into the program. It was a lot to look forward to.”
In Rolland’s first season as coach the Redskins achieved new heights and haven’t looked back since.
Clinton ended an eight-year district draught and claimed its first regional championship. The Redskins have since won two more district championships and won a second regional title last year.
While Rolland receives much of the credit, and rightfully so, he will be the first to acknowledge he hasn’t done it alone.
Right by his side is assistant coach, and former Division 2 Coach of the Year at Tecumseh, Casey Randolph.
“Casey is an unbelievable coach,” Rolland said. “He’s probably the best coach I’ve been around. We have different skill sets that complement each other. He is as much of the reason for the rebirth than any one person. He spends a lot of time in the youth program and a lot of the youth coaching is done by him, and he runs our room. His technical ability and passion for the sport is unmatched.”
While Randolph has his hands on the youth program, the roots of the program still go back to Beazley.
Beazley not only started the youth program and was at one time the head coach of the varsity team, he hired in both Rolland and Randolph.
“Jeff and I graduated together and were on some good teams at Clinton,” Beazley said. “He wrestled at Kent State, and I wrestled at Eastern Michigan, so he has a background in wrestling, and his own kids were in the program. It was a nice fit based on his knowledge and availability.
“(Randolph) fit right into the mold that we were having. We needed somebody with experience and to keep athletics running. God works in mysterious ways, and it happened that he was available and interested at the time (for the AD job), and the opening was there.”
Rolland and Randolph took over and introduced the Michigan Youth Wrestling Association (MYWA) program to the scene. MYWA is a national wrestling program that allows youth wrestlers to wrestle all year long and includes team and individual championships.
“That’s what really set them apart,” Beazley said. “That’s kind of what kicked them off of the ground. When they came in, they started that program and it set us apart.”
Randolph is the one who is working with the youth program first-hand and what he sees is an excitement for wrestling from the kids, coaches and parents.
“It’s consistent coaching from top to bottom, and we have fun with them,” Randolph said. “You put that fun with success, and they’ve completely bought in.”
It’s not just one great class who came through and had success. The Redskins have been led this year by a mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen, many of which have gone through the youth program.
In fact, Randolph’s son, Brayden, is ranked No. 3 at 160 pounds in Division 4 as a freshman and fellow freshman AJ Baxter is ranked No. 1 at 103 pounds. Both went through the youth program and both will now play pivotal roles for the Redskins for years to come.
“It’s an excitement with what we do,” Randolph said. “It’s personalities, technique and getting kids and people involved. We enjoy what we do.”