Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340947
WHAT HE DID A three-year letterman, Wheatley helped lead Archbishop Spald- ing to a combined record of 14-9-1 the past three seasons. A;er Maryland paused high school athletics to start the 2020 fall semester, the Cavaliers and a handful of other teams in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association at- tempted to play a shortened season be- ginning in early November. They were only able to play two games before athlet- ics were suspended again due to COVID- 19, and the season was never resumed. Wheatley scored two touchdowns on of- fense and had two interceptions, while Spalding went 2-0. His best season was in 2019 when he to- taled 30 tackles, seven pass breakups and 8ve interceptions while also serving as a major o:ensive contributor with 810 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. WHAT HE WON Wheatley earned All-City and All- County honors in 2019. He was also selected to repre- sent Maryland in the 2021 Big 33 game. Rivals.com named him a four-star prospect. He's ranked 21st nationally at safety and 10th overall in Maryland. WHERE HE VISITED Wheatley earned an o:er from the Nittany Lions in June 2019. He visited for the 8rst time the following month, attending the Lasch Bash barbe- cue, and that's what really put Penn State in the pole position with him and his family. Wheatley went on to visit three more times, attending two games that season, followed by a personal day with the sta: in December 2019. He narrowed his list to eight schools – Penn State, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwest- ern, Pitt, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Wis- consin – in March 2020 and went on to commit to Penn State in April. Overall, Wheatley earned two dozen scholarship o:ers. QUOTABLE Cavaliers head coach Kyle Schmitt: "Zakee is one of the best play- ers in the history of Archbishop Spald- ing. He is a three-year starter on both sides of the ball, making a tremendous impact on our program. He has length, athleticism, toughness and elite ball skills that will make him an impact player in the Penn State secondary. Most DEFENSIVE STANDOUT Wheatley had seven pass breakups and five inter- ceptions during his stellar junior season at Arch- bishop Spalding. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com Rivals.com ZAKEE WHEATLEY RIVALS ★★★★ | POS Saf. | HT 6-2 | WT 183 | HOME Crofton, Md. | SCHOOL Archbishop Spalding >>