Photo by Kim North Harrison Central senior Mykel Quito, center, is flanked by his father, Edgar, and mother, Mindi, as he signs his NCAA Letter-of-Intent Friday morning to attend Wheeling University where he will continue his academic and athletic careers as a member of the football program.

CADIZ — Despite missing more than half of his senior season due to a knee injury, Harrison Central’s Mykel Quito is ready to move on with his football career.

Friday morning, the 6-2, 220-pounder signed his National Letter-of-Intent to continue his academic and athletic careers at Wheeling University.

“I’m very blessed to be able to sign somewhere,” Quito said. “God has a plan for everyone.

“I’m getting healthy and going to therapy and all of that stuff, overcoming the injury has definitely made me hungrier to get back on the field.”

A standout tailback and defensive end for the Huskies, Quito said he was recruited by the Cardinals as a running back.

“I like offense better, especially when I score touchdowns.”

During his career with the Huskies, he carried the ball 552 times for 3,460 yards and reached the end zone 44 times. Those numbers are basically for two seasons as he was a backup as a freshman.

“It’s a great fit for him. We’re so fortunate to have such an outstanding program like Wheeling right here basically in our backyard,” Harrison Central head football coach Anthony Hayes said. “Coach (Zac) Bruney has done an outstanding job of building that program from the ground up, and for us to be fortunate enough to send one of our athletes there is pretty special.”

Quito said his only other option was Ashland University.

He said that some of the recruitment fell off when he got injured.

“It (missing most of his senior season) was very disappointing, but I learned to look ahead and not back,” Quito added. “I built a lot of friendships between the coaches and players.”

“It stinks,” Hayes said of the injury. “We all assume these risks when we play, but any time you see a kid miss something, especially his senior season, due to an injury, your heart goes out for him.

“We see, and his family does as well, what goes into being an athlete. All the behind-the-scenes work when nobody is watching,” Hayes added. “Everything happens for a reason and we’re not to question those things. Mykel is well aware that when one door closes, another one opens.

“It was so very unfortunate that he missed so much of his final season. However, he was never absent. He may have not been actively participating, but he was present,” Hayes stressed. “He supported his teammates all throughout the football and basketball seasons, and now the track season.

“I know in my heart that Mykel has never taken any opportunity for granted. We looked at his injury as a bump in the road,” Hayes noted. “How will he handle this adversity? Will he sit back and let it consume him or will he work harder to get better? In typical Mykel Quito fashion, when adversity shows its face, he’s always going to that first one to climb the mountain.”

Quito, the son of Edgar and Mindi Quito of Cadiz, will major in Physical Therapy.