Jonathan Alder quarterback JT Keith throws the ball during a 2019 playoff game against Jackson. Keith is working to strength his right knee, which required surgery after the season-ending loss to Columbus Bishop Hartley. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
While spring sports athletes are wondering if they will be able to compete this year, Jonathan Alder’s JT Keith is working hard with an eye toward his senior season of football.
As a junior last fall, Keith helped lead the Pioneers to the Kenton Trail Division title of the Central Buckeye Conference and a Division III regional runner-up finish.
Keith’s season, however, came crashing to an abrupt end during the first half of Alder’s regional final loss to Columbus Bishop Hartley.
The Pioneers were going for a score when Keith went down.
He tore the MCL and the MPFL, the ligament that keeps the kneecap in place, on his right leg.
Keith also had partial damage to his meniscus.
The Alder signal-caller underwent surgery the day before Thanksgiving and later entered into physical therapy.
The healing process has been going well, said Keith during a recent telephone interview with the Journal-Tribune.
“I started going to physical therapy twice a week and did that for a couple of months,” he said. “It went down to once a week for four or five weeks and now it’s once every other week.”
“Things are going well,” he said. “I’ve been focusing on getting my knee’s stability and flexibility back to normal.
“I’ve been jogging straight ahead and doing squats and lunges,” said Keith. “I’ve also been working on an anti-gravity treadmill and am able to go at 100% of my body weight.”
The next step will be working on lateral movement, which is essential for athletes in all sports.
While the injury was difficult for Keith to initially accept, he realizes it could have been much worse.
“I’m just blessed that I didn’t tear my ACL,” he said. “If that had happened, there wouldn’t be a 2020 (football) season for me.”
As it is, the Jonathan Alder first-team All-Ohio QB feels he will be ready to play when preseason practice begins this summer.
Those schedules, though, will depend on how long the coronavirus pandemic keeps its clutches on day-to-day life throughout the country.
High school athletes throughout Ohio do not have access to weight rooms due to the current illness.
Keith, however, is doing what he can to stay ahead of the curve.
“I have weights at home and am working to build my upper body strength,” he said.
He is also keeping his throwing arm in shape.
“I’ve been throwing the ball with my brother Jonathan (who will be a junior wide receiver-defensive back for the Pioneers next fall), said Keith.
The Alder senior-to-be put together an impressive junior season as the Pioneers finished the 2019 campaign with a 12-1 record.
He threw for 2,475 yards and 32 touchdowns, with only a trio of interceptions.
Those numbers have attracted the attention of coaching staffs from Urbana University and Hillsdale College in Michigan.
“I would love to play football in college,” said Keith. “It’s been a part of my entire life and I don’t want to stop playing after high school.
“I’ve been invited to workout days at Urbana and Hillsdale,” he said.
Those sessions, however, have been put on hold due to COVID-19.
“I’m not sure right now when I will be able to go to those secessions,” said Keith.
“However, the coaches at those schools can also look at my films to see what I can do.”