High school wrestling: Lorain's Kamere Humphrey turning things around in final year on the mat

Every high school wrestler will say one of their top goals each season is finishing better than they did the previous season. Many wrestlers use the match that ended their season as motivation going into the next season. But not many have experienced the turnaround that Lorain's Kamere Humphrey has had to start his senior season. Humphrey went 0-2 at the Division I sectional tournament last season at Midview, getting pinned in the first period of the semifinals by Avon Lake's Nate Grieger and then being pinned again in the consolation quarterfinals by Elyria's Shamus Fogarty. "When he lost that (elimination) match, he was down on himself," Lorain coach Dan Findley said. "He felt like he let that match slip away when he was up and he just let that fuel him all summer long. He worked hard all summer with that match in his mind and he's just hungry this year." Humphrey is undefeated with a pair of tournament championships under his belt one month into the season, and only one match he's had could be considered close at this point. Humphrey was the No. 3 seed for the Titan Classic — Lorain's season-opening event — and received byes during his pool play matches. His first match of the season was a forfeit win over Garrett Morgan freshman A'ki Drake in the 113-pound quarterfinals. His first match he actually got to wrestle was a 5-4 win over Clearview sophomore Sylvester Montanez — the No. 2 seed — in the semifinals, then he wrapped up the tournament championship by pinning Elyria Catholic sophomore Christian James — the No. 1 seed — with 15 seconds left in the final. "I worked on my moves all summer and did a little freestyle early in the summer, too," Humphrey said. "I was finally able to push that match out of my mind and just not think about it anymore." Last week Humphrey dominated his way through the bracket at the inaugural Brookside Brawl 2K23. He went 3-0 in pool play, pinning Brookside freshman Trevor Taylor and Bay sophomore Michael Surovi, and rolling to a 15-0 technical fall over Western Reserve sophomore Riley Lutz. Humphrey met Clearview's Montanez again in the semifinals and pinned him in the second period, then pinned Greenwich South Central junior Diton Farnsworth — ranked No. 14 in the state in Division III — in the first period of the final. "It just seems like everything just really started kicking in this year," Findley said. "Him and Caiden Rosario and Johnny Rosario have really been putting in all kinds of work and they're all on another level right now. He's just turning it up." It's a stark contrast to the success Humphrey had during his first three high school seasons. He entered the sectional tournament with a record of 5-7 as a freshman and went 0-2 after being pinned by Avon Lake's Nathan Perry and Fremont Ross' Bakari Scott. He wrestled in the 113-pound bracket as Vinnie Bonaminio was at 106 pounds and won the wrestleoff for the postseason spot. "I was like 90 pounds," said Humphrey, who began wrestling at 8 after his father introduced him to the sport. "I was so weak back then. But it took me a couple years to get to where I am now." Humphrey was unable to win a postseason spot as a sophomore, then was sitting at 22-10 when he was unable to make much headroom in last year's 106-pound bracket. Not only does Humphrey believe he'll pick up his first sectional victory this season, he believes he's got a good shot of making it all the way to the state tournament. "That's really all I'm thinking about right now," Humphrey said. "Just trying to make it to state and seeing how far I can go." Humphrey's unbeaten streak will be tested tonight and Saturday as Lorain does battle with 47 other teams at the Perrysburg Invitational. Among the state-ranked wrestlers at 113 pounds Humphrey will test himself against are Perrysburg freshman Grey Burnett — ranked No. 1 in Division I and the son of Elyria Catholic three-time state champion Scott Burnett — Medina Highland freshman Austin Bickerton (No. 5 in D-I), Napoleon senior Harrison Bohls (No. 5 in D-II), Delta junior Adam Mattin (No. 1 in D-III), Genoa sophomore Scott Fuller (No. 4 in D-III) and Oak Harbor sophomore Joey Judge (No. 18 in D-III). Humphrey and his coach are excited to see how his renewed approach on the mat will fare against some of the state's best. "I'm super, super excited to see what happens the rest of the season," Findley said. "I'm super proud of how he's wrestling … just wrestling lights out. It's like he's on a mission and his goal is to get down to Columbus this year and finish on the podium, and if he keeps up the way he has been I don't see anybody that's going to be in his way." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.