CLINTON — Clinton senior Bryce Randolph overcame a serious injury en route to a career milestone on the squared circle.

Over Memorial Day weekend, he broke his femur while riding a dirt bike on his family’s 40-acre farm. The University of Michigan Mott’s Children’s Hospital admitted him, and he underwent a four-hour operation as doctors and medical staff surgically placed a 9mm titanium rod and screws in his injured leg.

“I don’t compete in a spring sport, but the injury still had a major impact on the last month of my school year,” said Randolph, who ended up missing the remaining days of school while recovering at home.

 As he looked toward his final year of high school and the last months of competition in football and wrestling, Randolph faced an uncertain future.

“I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get back to full strength or whether I’d be ready for football or wrestling,” he said. “It took a lot of patience and commitment to stay focused on the recovery process.”

His father, Clinton varsity wrestling coach Casey Randolph, said his heart ached for Bryce throughout the injury and rehabilitation period as he struggled to run as he did before the accident.

“He is also looking better and better after breaking his femur on Memorial Day,” Casey Randolph added. “He is bracing his knee, but he has had some great wins this year already.”

But it was the first one on Dec. 3 that set the tone for the 2025-2026 season.

Bryce only needed a minute and 24 seconds for his 150th win. He dominated Tecumseh’s Cruz Torres in a 175-pound match with the first-period pin for the milestone.

“The way he has worked, overcome, and dealt with adversity has been amazing,” his father said. “He found a way to overcome and still achieve many things. He is tough and resilient.”

The pin was a huge accomplishment for Bryce.

“After everything I went through with the injury, it felt like proof that all the work, patience, and setbacks were worth it,” he said.

“As his father, it fills me with gratitude and pride to watch him achieve goals and milestones such as winning 150 matches in high school,” Casey Randolph said of Bryce, who is 52-2 this season. “It puts him in an elite club that is very difficult to achieve.”

Not only is it an elite club at the high school level, but also in the Randolph family.

Casey Randolph graduated from Hudson High School in 1993. He posted an undefeated 48-0 record during his senior season and compiled a 144-18 record in four years. His oldest son, Brayden, was a four-time MHSAA all-state wrestler, including a state championship in 2021, his senior year. His daughter Taylor, who suffered a season-ending injury during her senior campaign in 2022, was a three-time all-state wrestler and won a state title in 2021 during her junior year of high school. Youngest son Braxton is a sophomore and wrestles at 157 pounds.

“I have a lot of pride in him and all my children for what they have accomplished and continue to accomplish as athletes and as people,” Casey Randolph said.

“My dad and my siblings have had a big influence on my progress as a wrestler,” said Bryce, who grew up around the sport and watched his siblings set the standard. “They’ve always pushed me, supported me, and shown me what it takes to be successful in wrestling.”

But before wrestling this winter, Bryce worked toward returning to the football field for Clinton. A 1,000-yard rusher and an all-state linebacker as a junior in 2024, he switched positions and rejoined the Redwolves midway through the season.

“He switched to tight end to help the team on offense because he couldn’t do the same things as a running back that he always had,” his father said.

“I struggled physically with coming back,” Bryce said of the process. “Even when I felt mentally ready, my body still needed more time to heal, and my muscles were slow to respond after being out for so long.” 

But the determination and hard work paid off for Bryce, as he again earned all-league honors in the Lenawee County Athletic Association and became a two-time All-Lenawee County Defensive Player of the Year, an honor his father and brother Brayden earned once. He was also a Division 7 all-region and all-state linebacker as voted by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association, the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press, and the Michigan Sports Writers Association.

“His calm demeanor and positive mindset have set him apart,” Casey Randolph said of Bryce, who also maintains a 3.90 grade point average. “He never lets himself get too high or too low before or after competing, and that is rare at the high school level.

“He does a tremendous job of preparing for his matches in the same way, no matter if it is a dual or the state championship.”

He now stands at a career mark of 191-18.

Bryce said that his dad “knows how to challenge me and hold me accountable, but he also knows how to motivate me and keep me focused. He’s helped shape me into the wrestler I am today, and I’m grateful for everything he’s done for me on and off the mat.”

The accident changed Bryce Randolph, and as his senior campaign winds down, he embraced the challenge and emerged a stronger person.

“Mentally, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through,” he said. “I had to accept the possibility of missing my senior year and fully commit to the recovery process, even with all the doubt and uncertainty surrounding my season.

“Letting go of that fear and trusting the work was a challenge, but it taught me a lot about patience and resilience.”