High school football: Keystone's Wyatt McKee at the top of the class at school, on the field

He wears No. 1, his favorite subject is environmental science and he loves to play football. He's Keystone junior Wyatt McKee and he had quite a night last week at Wellington, the town he grew up in before his grandparents moved him to LaGrange. McKee scored four touchdowns, one coming on a 53-yard run. He finished with 164 yards on 16 carries and caught a pass for 13 yards as Keystone defeated the Dukes 35-0 to improve to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the Lorain County League. The Wildcats host Columbia (7-0, 4-0) tonight in what should be a great game. The winner will be alone on top of the LCL. He wears No. 1 because Ryne Shackelford wore it for the Wildcats and set the tradition. As for environmental science, he loves learning about Earth and everything about it. Football comes naturally. "My effort I put into football I try to put into my schoolwork," said McKee. He had missed a couple of games due to an injury but is back to 100 percent after rehab. "He had a high ankle sprain," said coach Don Griswold. "You know, watching the NFL guys go through it, it's a two-to-four-week recovery. He missed two games. Every week it's getting stronger and stronger. Two games ago — the Black River game — he probably played half the snaps on offense, half on defense. Last week against Wellington, he played most of the snaps on offense and about half on defense, so slowly wrenching up his work." "I just had to do all my physical therapy," said McKee. "I really wanted to get back. (Wellington's) my hometown. It felt really good." McKee really enjoys playing for Griswold. "He brings the energy and enthusiasm — just everything," said McKee. "He brings lots to the table." For the season, McKee has 11 touchdowns and 570 yards on 71 carries, a lofty 8 yards per attempt. On defense, he has 34 total tackles, 30 solo. "Like I said a couple weeks ago, he's a violence-seeking missile," Griswold said with a smile. "He runs that way, he plays that way. You wouldn't know it in the hallways. He's got a big smile on his face always. You put the pads on him and it's a pretty neat thing to watch. He kind of makes the whole thing go. "We have other capable guys for sure. It's kind of like the bullpen in baseball, but he's our ace of the staff, so to speak. He sets the tone, has an awesome skill set, athletic." This is the ninth time Keystone and Columbia have battled since the Lorain County League was reestablished in 2017, but the rivalry extends to the days of the old Inland Conference. The schools split the first eight meetings. There have been blowouts and shootouts, but one thing is certain: Tonight should be a knockdown, drag-out battle with plenty of prestige and postseason points on the line. It may even lead to a home playoff game. It's definitely become one of the better rivalries in the LCL. "It has," said Griswold. "We know all those guys over there. We respect them. We'll have a beverage with them during the summer. Mike Rice and Chris Bucher and (Dan) Durante — good guys. "They coach the right way, they teach the right way. They're in it for all the right reasons. I have a lot of respect for those guys. We have similar outlooks on life. Similar blue-collar, tough-type teams. We want to run the ball for sure. I'm really looking forward to it." A year ago, Zach Shackleford scored twice in the fourth quarter to give Keystone a 20-7 win over Columbia on its way to the LCL title. McKee rushed for 76 yards. "It's going to be a very physical game," said McKee. "We've just got to bring everything we've got." Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com. LCL Keystone-Columbia Series 2024 Keystone 20-7 2023 Columbia 22-7 2022 Columbia 41-35 2021 Keystone 34-24 2020 Keystone 53-28 2019 Keystone 40-7 2018 Columbia 41-0 2017 Columbia 48-34