Fitch’s Ferree pushes limits of intense
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AUSTINTOWN -- The hard part comes easy for Michael Ferree.
It's an odd way of looking at things, but it's the only perspective for the Austintown Fitch senior wrestler.
Described as "intense" by his coach -- which may be a slight understatement -- Ferree pushes the limits of all-out effort in a sport that requires all-out effort more than most others. His work ethic and non-stop approach to conditioning and, well, everything else comes from a desire to be great.
"I want to be the best at everything I do -- everything," said Ferree, ranked as high as third in the state in Division I at 160 pounds. "So if I'm in a classroom, I'm always trying to get an A. If I don't, then I'm working hard for the next chapter, the next test and always continuously working hard so I'm the best.
"It's the same with wrestling," he added. "I want to be on the top of the podium this year. I want to catch those guys in front of me (in the rankings). Rankings don't mean anything until March 10, which is the day of the state (finals). That's what drives me, until I'm No. 1. But then when I'm No. 1, I'm still not satisfied. I want more."
It's a mindset that derived from his upbringing and one he carries into everything he does -- especially wrestling.
Fitch coach John Burd is glad that's the case. Burd, a 1999 Fitch graduate, understands the level of conditioning and overall physical fitness needed to succeed at a high level in wrestling better than most. He has been coaching the sport, in some capacity, since he graduated from high school, and he offers his knowledge to all the Falcons.
Ferree makes sure to take it all in, and since giving it his all is a requirement, he complies.
"It's just something I do," he said. "You wake up and do it. Like school, you study every single day. I have to, or I'll never get good grades. In wrestling, you've just got to keep working hard."
That approach has taken Ferree a long way.
He went from struggling to be in the lineup as a sophomore to being a state qualifier as a junior. Not surprisingly, one of his best attributes is a non-stop attacking style that can wear out even the toughest wrestlers. Add that to dogged determination, technique that has few flaws and a never-give-up attitude, and Burd sees a wrestler with the mentality he wishes for all his wrestlers.
"I think all the way back to when I first met Mike, when he was in elementary school, and he's always been that happy go-lucky kid, always smiling and working hard," Burd said. "He's kept that up all the way through his senior year. If he gets knocked down, he's getting up and coming right back at you. He's continuously improving and having fun out there. That's what it's all about."
His source of inspiration stems from his parents, Don and Carla Ferree.
The way they carry themselves and their approach toward life motivated their son to do the same. Ferree said he watched closely as his father overcame obstacles to return and finish school, and then spoke on how his mother works midnights but comes to tournaments straight from an all-night shift.
It's a work ethic he tries to embody.
"Having that support system with you all the time, you have to work hard," he said. "You can't just expect everything to be given to you.
"(The hard work) is the easy part. The hard part is giving up. You can't give up."
His perseverance is paying off.
Ferree is 42-2 on the season, with titles at the Top Gun Tournament, Josh Hephner Memorial Invitational and the Eastern Ohio Wrestling League Tournament, along with a third-place finish at the Medina Invitational. He's being looked at by numerous colleges, but he also competes in a Division I weight class that features two nationally-ranked wrestlers. Still, Ferree isn't worried, and neither is Burd.
He knows Ferree's focus, as usual, remains unfazed.
"He's always been a very positive thinker," Burd said. "He always thinks he can be the best that he can. It didn't matter about a setback, he was able to refocus himself and always believes he's going to win every time he steps on the mat."