THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996 TAG: 9605090383
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
Two seasons ago, before the start of his junior year, Patrick McNeely wanted to be anything but a quarterback.
``He wanted to play wide receiver, because we had Matt Midgette coming back,'' said Manteo High School Coach Steve Basnight. ``But I watched him stand in the back on the end zone and throw the ball, and it kept going and going and going. I knew then he was going to be a quarterback.''
McNeely, Manteo's reluctant signal caller in 1994, became the team's starter last year. And now he is an all-star.
McNeely was named Wednesday as a quarterback in North Carolina's East-West All-Star game, set for the weekend of July 24 and 25 in Greensboro.
The 6-1, 188-pound McNeely threw for more than 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a Northeastern Conference all-star selection, the Pizza Hut State Player of the Week and the team's MVP.
McNeely, who will walk-on at North Carolina State, credited his teammates for the individual honor.
``I think it was a payoff for all the hard work,'' McNeely said. ``Even though we didn't have a good season, the other players on the team made me look good.''
Basnight said McNeely's strength as a quarterback extends beyond a strong arm.
``I've watched him stand flat-footed and flip a ball 40 yards,'' Basnight said. ``But his biggest asset is that he's so calm in the huddle and on the field. He's a coach on the field for us, he's also got really good feet. He's also a great kid.''
McNeely has a 3.63 GPA, and plans to study veterinary medicine in college.
McNeely will join Currituck County Coach Donnie Simpson on the East team. Simpson will be an assistant coach at the Greensboro game.
``He's a competitor,'' Simpson said of McNeely. ``When we played them, we made sure that he wasn't going to beat us. We were really concerned, because he's got such a strong arm. We wanted to make the other kids beat us. But from everything I know and everything I've heard, he's a great competitor and a great kid. He's the kind of kid you want to coach.''
McNeely is the son of Debby and Thurston McNeely of Nags Head. ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo
Patrick McNeely
by CNB