State runner-up Kaiyon McKinney will wrestle for Perkins

PERKINS TWP. — Kaiyon McKinney is coming home. A Sandusky native and son of Blue Streaks great Rocky McKinney, Kaiyon McKinney spent his first two years of high school at Elyria. But he plans to complete the remainder of his high school wrestling career for the Perkins Pirates. "He's been coming to open mats and wrestling with our kids," Perkins coach Travis Crabtree said. "He's fitting in well. He's growing. He's grown a lot over the past two years." McKinney has already established himself as one of the best wrestlers in the state. After placing seventh as a freshman at the state meet at 113 pounds, he was runner-up at that weight in Division I as a sophomore. "It's definitely a blessing and opportunity to be there, but it's always motivation to work harder, knowing that you're missing something," McKinney said. After attending Sandusky City Schools through eighth grade, McKinney enrolled in Elyria to wrestle for hall of fame coach Erik Burnett. He had been coached by Burnett in a club setting since third grade. "It felt right to go (to Elyria)," McKinney said. Burnett retired after McKinney's freshman season, and after another year of making the daily commute from Sandusky to Elyria, McKinney decided it was time for a change. "The drive, it's kind of a long drive," he said with a laugh. "Not trying to do that every day anymore." McKinney's mother lives in the Perkins district, and the school has already completed McKinney's transfer paperwork to ensure his eligibility. "It's already taken care of," Crabtree said. "We submitted the papers to OHSAA and got the clearance… He's good to go for the whole year." The Pirates have welcomed McKinney with open arms. He got a chance to attend West Virginia's team camp with the Perkins team earlier this summer, and he went 8-1. They've also spent time on open mats at the high school, where Crabtree has gotten an up-close look at what he calls McKinney's "bag of tricks." McKinney joins a strong wrestling room with the likes of Wyatt Nemitz, Sawyer Smith and more than half of last season's solid lineup returning. He's also already familiar with Perkins assistant Davion Caston, a Sandusky grad himself who has coached McKinney at times. McKinney's foundation comes from his father, whose son has been wrestling as long as he can remember. "There's videos of me from when I was like 2," McKinney said. "... I didn't like it at first. I was always physical, but I wasn't that good. Eventually, I got better and better." It was a fruitful training environment for McKinney to grow up in, and even though he didn't immediately love the sport, wins and the enjoyment that comes with them soon came into the picture. "His father has really pushed him and always been there with a thumb on him, making sure he's doing the right things," Crabtree said. All the big tournaments and strong coaching has led McKinney back to the Sandusky area, where he'll don the Pirates colors and aim for the top of the podium. He didn't hesitate to say his goal is a state title, or even "a couple of them." Crabtree acknowledged the same. McKinney was right there as a sophomore, reaching the state championship match against St. Edward's Karson Brown before two stalling calls put him behind the pace in an eventual 6-1 defeat. "I know he's got a bitter taste from what happened in his state finals match," Crabtree said. "We've talked about that a few times. He's gonna hear it a lot more, especially if I see him slacking or anything. I think every day he thinks about that." McKinney's weight class is to be determined, as he's hit a bit of growth spurt and could move up a few spots in the lineup. He'll also wrestle at the prestigious Ironman event during the regular season. But that's all less crucial to him than where he wants to end up. Come the evening of Sunday, March 10, 2024, McKinney plans to make the walk out of the tunnel at the Schottenstein Center with the other state finalists, wearing a Perkins uniform. And by the end of the night, he expects to be on top of the podium. "Like he said, he's wrestled in the big tournaments before, so he expects to be in the state finals," Crabtree said. "The state tournament is just another date on his schedule. Being there Sunday night wrestling under the spotlight is where he wants to be, and we're gonna make sure that's where he gets."