High school wrestling: Wellington's Jeremiah McKee hoping to finally get a state at Schott

If Wellington senior Jeremiah McKee accomplishes his goals in the first two rounds of the postseason this year, you may not find a hungrier three-time state qualifier in the nation. McKee earned his first trip to the Division III state tournament as a sophomore, yet like everyone else scheduled to wrestle at the Schottenstein Center, he came away disappointed when the event was postponed and ultimately canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. "It was pretty rough," McKee said. "We were in school still getting ready to leave actually and the AD (athletic director John Bowman) pulled me out (of class) and told me they had canceled it. It was crushing. Like, the first year, you want to go down there and make a big impression on everybody and it felt like they kind of took it right from under you." McKee earned his second state berth last year, but as the pandemic raged on the OHSAA decided to split the state tournament into three sites — one for each division — and McKee and the Division III state qualifiers battled at Marion Harding High School. "I still haven't gotten a chance to go to Columbus and wrestle because of COVID," McKee said. "It's one of the things I was really looking forward to this year, getting to go to Columbus and wrestle in the big arena. That's a big switch up compared to some small high school gym, so if I can make it this year it would be a really cool feeling to finally get down there." McKee is well on his way. He's compiled a 34-2 record and is ranked No. 9 in the state at his weight, according to borofanohio.net. The dominating senior season performance is the culmination of identifying areas of opportunity after each season and turning them into strengths during the offseason, according to Wellington coach Bill Watters. "His mat game was a little weak as a freshman and he corrected that by his sophomore year," Watters said. "Last year it was about finding the appropriate weight class and there was a strength issue, and in the offseason he addressed that. He's managed his weight extremely well and has just tore it up in the weight room. "So strength was a concern at the end of last season … it's not much of a concern this year." McKee said getting stronger was about more than lifting weight every other day, although he said consistency with his workouts has provided a big boost. He also had to make sure he was getting to bed on time, eating and drinking right and staying with the mental game plan that accompanied his physical regimen. "I've had a lot of people tell me I look a lot bigger this year," McKee said. "I'm wrestling at 132 again, but I haven't really felt weak at all this year. I'm getting good workouts in and the weight has been coming off pretty easy. So, it's been pretty cool." The biggest issue for McKee has been getting tough matches. "It's a bit harder to identify areas to work on when you go out there and dominate and you don't have someone pushing you," McKee said. "I've had a couple tough kids, I have two losses, right? And those are the matches, the tough ones you need, to push you and show you what you need to work on. If I'm messing up on something, I just want to make sure I tough it out and get rid of that mistake as fast as possible. I'm always trying to make sure my wrestling's perfect." Watters calls McKee a student of the sport and asks what he needs to work on every time he steps off the mat. It's a work ethic that has rubbed off on his Wellington teammates. "I've got three other seniors on the team and they see the success that he's had, and they're hungry right there with him," Watters said. "His drill partner is an underclassman who has benefited greatly from it. Someone with that kind of passion, it definitely brings a room up, raises the level and the intensity in the room." McKee will be the favorite at his weight Saturday at the Lorain County League tournament at Black River High, then will get a couple weeks off before the sectional tournament and the start of his final high school postseason. McKee said patience has been limited while waiting for that first step. "He's about as hungry as I've ever seen," Watters said. "I mean for a wrestler that's qualified for state twice and potentially going a third time, he's never wrestled in the Schott. He wants to compete in the Schott this year, which, barring any catastrophes, he'll have that opportunity and his sights are set as high as they can be." Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on Twitter.