New York Yankees Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter has never met Greenbrier West standout Chase McClung, but they clearly share a common philosophy.
“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do – and I believe that,” Jeter told Yankees magazine back in 1996.
McClung has made it clear on the baseball diamond, the basketball court and now on the football field that he would not be outworked or out hustled.
“In 18 years, I have been blessed to coach a lot of good kids and a lot of kids that play hard. When it comes to effort, desire and will to win, Chase is at the top,” Greenbrier West head basketball coach Jared Robertson said. “He is just a phenomenal kid and it’s a joy to have a kid like that. You know he is going to give everything that he has every night.”
Head baseball coach Doug Nickell echoed Robertson’s words.
“Chase is a kid that doesn’t come around very often. He is a coach’s dream. Chase shows up every day and wants to work his butt off and get better,” Nickell said. “His dad has coached him all his life, so he kind of knows what coaches expect out of him. He is great in the classroom, great in the community and great on the fields of play.”
The first three years of his high school sports career have centered around basketball and baseball.
From the first glimpse of McClung on the hardwood, fans, coaches, and players could see there was something different about the way the young freshman played the game.
“I have always been aggressive and played aggressive. If you hit ’em hard they may not come back at you,” McClung said, laughing.
“He is worth the price of admission just to watch him dive on the floor. He is down there against kids that are 6-foot-4 or 6-5 and he is outrebounding them,” Nickell said. “He is not going to do anything flashy, but he does what needs to be done. He is a gamer, and he shows up.”
The development of his skills on the basketball court showed not only did McClung play with great effort, but he also had a superior work ethic and a strong desire to get better.
“A few years back when he was a JV kid, he was not a super-skilled basketball player,” Robertson explained. “Now you can see the time he has put in really paying off. Now he can shoot and handle the ball. He has always been able to rebound because of his effort. Now he has turned into a complete player, and I feel like he will have a great senior year for us.”
When McClung put on the Greenbrier West baseball uniform, however, it was different because he was more than ready to play at the varsity level.
“I started playing baseball when I was four years old. That is my sport,” McClung said. “My dad played baseball up through college, so it came sort of natural.”
“Chase has started (varsity) from day one. He has been our shortstop and he pitches for us,” Nickell said. “We always knew what we were getting with Chase. We had watched him grow up and as soon as he stepped into high school baseball, he has been our leader. He has that bulldog mentality.”
While being impressed since day one with his effort and hard work, both coaches have also been impressed by McClung’s desire to help make his teammates better.
“You could see that this summer when he was the one on the floor directing the younger kids,” Robertson said. “He knows those kids have to come along for us to be successful.”
“He helps the other kids and I think sometimes he aggravates them. He holds you accountable,” Nickell said. “He is one of those kids that if he feels you aren’t doing what you are supposed to, he will get after you a little bit.”
With a promising season ahead in both baseball and basketball, McClung decided to add another sport to his senior repertoire – football.
While his aggressive nature might seem a natural fit for the gridiron, football almost didn’t happen this season.
“I played football my eighth-grade year in middle school, but I had some shoulder injuries during baseball last year,” McClung said. “It was borderline whether to play or not, but I decided to go ahead and come out. It was my senior year and I felt like I should give it a try.”
In the preseason, head football coach Toby Harris was unsure what he would get from McClung.
“Chase is a really aggressive kid in basketball and he plays hard. This year he wanted to try football,” Harris said, “He can catch the ball, run, and play defense. Even though he was inexperienced, I felt like he could be a key to our success this year.”
It should come as no surprise that McClung has indeed been a key component in the Cavaliers’ success playing both offense and defense.
On offense, McClung is the team’s leading receiver with nine grabs for 234 yards and three touchdowns. Over on defense he has three interceptions to go along with 14 total tackles. Two tackles have been for loss, and he has a pass deflection.
“This has been a blast with all of the atmosphere and all of the guys together. I love it,” McClung said after a win over Pocahontas County. “We still have a lot to prove because we still have a lot of doubters out there. I think we are coming along great, and our chemistry is amazing.”
After dropping a tough opener at Buffalo, McClung, and the No. 13-rated Cavaliers have now run off four straight wins to silence those doubters.
Now the question becomes, can Greenbrier West make another trip to the postseason?
A home win Friday night over No. 14 James Monroe could provide the answer to that question.
