Haselius Holds Himself to Higher Standards on Mat, Classroom

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(January 15, 2023 8:00 AM) Northwest High School wrestler Adam Haselius is going to test a theory proposed by Frank Sinatra in the song “New York, New York.”

In the song, Sinatra sang “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.”
Haselius signed to wrestle for Columbia University, an Ivy League school in the city of New York.

“I have held myself to a higher standard on the mat and in the classroom,” Haselius said. “Once you develop that, it just becomes natural.”

But Haselius has made it a point of not only “making it” – but going above and beyond in athletics and academics.

He won a Division 2 state individual title last year in wrestling, is a 4.0 student in the classroom, and was an all-state linebacker this past fall after not having played football since eighth grade.

The senior thought long and hard about playing football for the Mounties. 

“I love Coach (Stafford) Newsome and I knew this was my last opportunity to play a sport like football,” Haselius said. “Some senior friends and I were all in and wanted to make an impact.”

Northwest had earned nine wins total in the previous eight years in football. The Mounties finished the season at 5-4, just missing the Michigan High School Athletic Association playoffs. 

The change on and off the football field was evident, according to Haselius.

“I believe it takes a family to change an atmosphere,” Haselius said. “If nobody buys in, there will not be any significant change.

“Coach Newsome mentored us as football players and young men.”

Haselius had to give up a little bit of wrestling this summer in order to make the football workouts. 

“It is hard to mix both sports (wrestling and football),” Haselius said. “I was glad to get away from wrestling a little bit.

“But I knew I would be wrestling for another four or five years.”

Haselius said he visited Harvard, Brown, and the Air Force Academy because of the academic opportunities. He has been accepted into the College of Science and Engineering at Columbia and hopes to earn a degree in biomedical engineering. 

“New York will give me an opportunity to do big and important things in a city like that,” Haselius said. “I don’t want to shy away from competition. 

“I will always accept and embrace that competition … and come out on top.”

Which is where Haselius hopes the Mounties’ team ends up this season. Fueled by a very good senior class and a number of upperclassmen, Haselius believe Northwest can make it to the state team finals. 

“We are flying under the radar now,” the senior said of the 2023-2023 Northwest wrestling squad. “We are working toward becoming that team at the end of the season. 

“We have a special group of seniors.”