“Was it a surprise? I knew the whole year that I had a pretty decent chance at placing high. I wasn’t sure I could get first. But when I got to state, I started winning. In the semifinals, I was wrestling a junior who had been beating me the whole match. With eight seconds left, I didn’t think I was going to make it. But with six seconds remaining in the match, I got a takedown, won the match, and made it to the finals,” recalls Fitzgerald High School sophomore wrestler Ethan McKie. Wrestling in the 106-pound class last year, McKie rolled through the regular season, Area, and Sectionals en route to an appearance in the state finals. He ended up losing the championship match to Keegan Smith of Bremen – the same wrestler who defeated him in the finals at Sectionals.
McKie started wrestling when he was about nine years old. By the time he reached high school, he was already a seasoned competitor. The experience made up for his relative youth and is a big reason why he had such success at a young age. McKie admits that he isn’t the most technically sound wrestler on the team. Neither is he the strongest nor fastest. But he may be the most competitive and he absolutely refuses to lose. “I’ve always been athletic; at my first wrestling tournament, I finished second. But I’ve got a good mix of skills. I’m not really technical or aggressive but I’ve got a lot of fight in me and I don’t give up. Just like that semifinals match at state, a lot of people might have given up with time running out. I didn’t and I ended up winning the match,” he says.
After such a quick start to his high school wrestling career, all eyes are on him as the 2015-2016 season begins. At the time of this writing, McKie was 13-4 in the 120 pound class. Finishing on the podium last year was great but this year, he’d like to be the one standing in the middle. “I want to finish first this year. Second felt good for a while but it didn’t last,” he laughs.
Ultimately, McKie would like to secure a wrestling scholarship. To help make that happen, he’s stacking the deck in his favor as much as possible. “I’ve been thinking about college since middle school. What kind of wrestler would a college want, one that just wrestles or one who is good at a lot of other activities? I figured the more I was involved in, the more attractive I’d be to colleges,” he says. Adide from wrestling, McKie is also a member of FFA, show choir, drama club, one-act play, FCA, he shows hogs, and he runs cross country. He’s also an honor student to boot.
Being involved in so many different clubs and organizations has helped build his college resume but it’s also come with a bit of a price. McKie has taken a little good-natured ribbing from his wrestling friends, especially when it comes to drama and music. “Yeah I’ve taken some heat for being involved in music and theater. But those are activities I enjoy. They’re fun and you can be yourself. My theater friends and my sports friends are different. Athletes can be so serious. My theater friends cut up more, and we’ll do anything to make each other laugh,” he says.
How does he balance the various activities? “A lot of the things I enjoy happen at different times of the year. I usually get my schoolwork done during the school day so I have very little homework. Nothing really interferes with anything else. In wrestling season, that’s all I do, so I can focus on it. It’s all its own,” says McKie.
Special Feature/South Georgia/February 2016
Ethan McKie
Fitzgerald High School
Fitzgerald, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
After runner-up finish last season, Fitzgerald sophomore has eyes on a state title
