Jeff Andrews entered the state tournament his senior year of high school thinking that was it for his athletic career. All signs pointed to Andrews' fifth-place match as the final bout of his long and arduous wrestling career.
"It was super emotional," Andrews said. "I thought that would be the last time I would wrestle."
Andrews quickly found out not only how much wrestling meant to him, but how much he needed the sport, as well. Wrestling has given Andrews an unparalleled work ethic, taught him the toughest of lessons, kept him accountable and shaped him into the man he is today.
Tried his hand at many sports
Andrews tried his hand at many different sports growing up. He played football, excelling early on until his growth spurt concluded, while many of his counterparts continued to get bigger, faster and stronger.
Andrews gave baseball a go. He could run well, effectively field many different positions on the diamond, but couldn't barrel up many pitches.
Andrews threw his hat in the proverbial basketball ring. He soon found out that his physical nature led to several fouls and many games he'd disqualify himself with five fouls.
Wrestling was the one sport where Andrews didn't encounter any physical roadblocks. His size was advantageous and his physicality was commended.
"I excelled in wrestling," Andrews said. "I learned, from a really young age, the adversity that came with wrestling. There's nothing I ran into in my life that knocks you down and picks you up as much as wrestling."
Andrews wrestled in high school for his uncle — the long-time head coach at Anchor Bay High School. He practiced and competed alongside numerous cousins, and that formed a deep bond that went well beyond the mat.
"It really was a family," Andrews said. "All the kids on the team were super close, and I really appreciated that."
That family atmosphere was precisely what Andrews wanted when he was approached about the possibility of continuing his wrestling career in college. He narrowed his search and vetted programs, finding one that had a family focus and one that would value his academics, as well.
"We had great conversations when I recruited him," Ohio Northern head coach Ron Beaschler said. "We'd be on the phone, half hour or 45 minutes some nights. He wanted to know about the program, know about the university. It wasn't your normal recruiting conversations. We really started talking about philosophy and stuff like that."
Andrews saw ONU as a place where he could continue to blossom as a wrestle but also as a person. He viewed the program as one that had all the right values, many of which he could strengthen in his time there.
Not afraid to speak his mind
Andrews was a captain during his high school wrestling days. That close-knit team at Anchor Bay, was due, in part, to Andrews and his philosophy.
He wanted to build on those leadership qualities and create something similar in Ada. So from the outset, Andrews wasn't afraid to speak his mind.
"I thought this team could come a lot further than where it was, and I wanted to be a part of that," Andrews said. "I may have only been a freshman, but leaving high school — where I was a captain for three years, and that was something that was very important to me — I still wanted to be a leader."
That proved difficult as an underclassmen at times, and while there were speed bumps along the way, Andrews remained in a leadership role and created the atmosphere he longed for at ONU.
"Having pride in the team is important to Jeff," Beaschler said. "We have a close-knit team right now, and he's a large part of that. We don't have little factions. A lot of times teams will have a group here and a group there, but Andrews has been one that has really promoted getting everybody together."
Andrews has also gotten it done on the mat. He's earned a letter in all three years thus far, boasting a record of 93-57, which includes 16 pins, 23 tech falls and 19 major decisions.
"He's a blue-collar plugger," Beaschler said.
Andrews also credits wrestling with keeping him on course academically. He has seen multiple high school peers run off to college, go astray and end up back in Anchor Bay rudderless.
That hasn't happened to Andrews, and he defers much of the credit to wrestling.
"I didn't want to end up in that same rut," Andrews said. "I made the decision to go to a school where I could continue wrestling, and also where I could value my education. ONU has had everything I wanted and needed."
Andrews is set to graduate with a business management degree and wants to attend law school in the near future.
"I always joke around"
Andrews — being the family guy that he is — often pokes fun at his wrestling adventure with his parents, his brother, uncles and cousins.
"I always joke around, and say, 'I work super hard to be terribly average at wrestling,'" Andrews said. "They always reassure me that I'm a little better than average."
Even that is a modest take. While it's easy to see a .62 win percentage is much better than average, Andrews' leadership and ability to elevate the ONU wrestling program is difficult to quantify.
One thing is for certain though, Andrews' impact in Ada is light years better than average.
