On the
phone, Kish -- also an all-state linebacker -- is mellow and respectful.
He reminds me of a Panda Bear in many ways
(e.g., laid back, quiet, but territorial) as he answers questions
laconically. Word on the street, though, is that Kish is not laid
back on the mat. In fact, his centaur-like body causes havoc there.
He is taking a 188-2 record and three Michigan state titles
into his senior year at Lapeer West High School, where he is coached by
his father. He is on track to log the most wins in the
state's history...he needs 32 more to eclipse Andy Simmons' 219 victories.
He put up 62 wins as a junior, so it's safe to say
Kish will be the new mat king of Michigan after the 2002-2003 season (he
is, after all, on a 158 win streak).
In addition to his Michigan mat éclat, Kish is
successful on the national level. He won the Asics/Vaughn Junior
National
Championships at 189-pounds this past summer and that win -- along with an
early summer drubbing of Kansas prep All-American
Justin Dyer -- catapulted him to the top of the 2002-2003 recruiting
class. Kish pounded J.D. Bergman of Ohio 8-1 in the finals
of the juniors and defeated Dyer in similar fashion (7-1) at the national
duals.
Kish has placed several times in Fargo, including
finishing second to Hetag Pliev (the 2002 No. 1 189-pounder) in the 2000
cadets. He also earned All-America honors in 2001 by placing 7th in
the juniors.
Throughout our conversation Kish continues to answer
questions sotto voce. Every question except the one asked about
Sean Bormet, the former University of Michigan All-American, who helps
Kish out from time to time at his Overtime School of
Wrestling. Kish perked up when I asked him about Bormet: "Sean is a
funny guy...a great guy...a great coach; a great person."
He must be a great guy. Kish travels more than five hours to work
out with Sean at his new atelier, which is located in Naperville,
Illinois.
Kish says it is hard to get workout partners in Lapeer,
but to drive five-plus hours to get one-on-one coaching from Bormet?
That seems like a lot of road time. There's a catch, and here it is:
Kish's parents are divorced, and when Kish travels to Portage,
Indiana (four hours from Lapeer, Michigan) to visit his mother, Brenda,
he's only 90 minutes from Naperville. It must be worth the
trip: Eric Tannenbaum, also a 2002 Junior National Champion (140-pounds),
spends time at Bormet's club.
Bormet and Kish go way back: Sean worked with Kish at
the University of Michigan camps for several years and they have
fostered a good teacher/student relationship.
"He's a good kid. As a wrestler, he's technically
sound and will do anything you tell him to win. He's the kind of kid
who will
keep wrestling with 10 seconds left, even if he's up by nine points,
Bormet says about Kish. "We talk a lot about things off the
mat, too. For example, we talk a lot about movies...we both like
action movies. He's a polite kid who leads by example. He
will make an immediate impact on the college scene."
What's it like being the top recruit in the prime of
recruiting season? Let Kish explain: "It's busy. I go to
school, go to football
practice, eat dinner, then the phone starts ringing. I spend about
an hour every night on the telephone listening to coaches talk
about their programs," Kish said. At time of publication, Kish noted
Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa State and Iowa (in no particular
order) as his possibilities. I told him that several coaches told me
that he wrestles "Iowa style." He said "Yeah, I wrestle Iowa/
Minnesota style."
His mat prowess is in his bloodlines. His brother
James, a two-time Michigan state champion, will be a redshirt freshman at
the University of North Carolina this year. "We are close," Kish
says about James. "We talk a lot on the phone, and James tells
me that college is a different ballgame; practices are much tougher.
I won't be able to go in the room and pound people -- it's
more of a grind."
According to Bormet, Kish is ready for the college
level. "Roger is already a grinder, and does not get intimated.
In addition,
Roger dominates his opponents both physically and mentally; he will finish
a shot whether it's solid or not. He won't back out from
a bad shot...he'll get his points...he's a fierce competitor."
To get to the next level -- or on the awards platform
at the NCAA's -- Kish watches film from his previous matches, attends
camps
in the spring and fall, lifts weights, drills, runs and eats correctly.
In his spare time, which he doesn't have too much of, he likes to
go fishing, and according to Bormet, watch action films.
Kish is looking for a college program that will help
him win. He's not so concerned about records at this point. He
just wants
to win. The Michigan kid will make his college choice in November
after his college visits, where he will hear last-minute "attaboys"
and "you are da mans." We'll have to wait to see which color uniform
this classy blue chipper will don for the next four years.
No matter what the color, there will be no talking, just wrestling.
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