September - Kansas City Sports & Fitness Magazine

McNeely - St. Pious X linebacker to Army Airborne Ranger
J
onathan McNeely has chosen the hardest
path. Again. To those who know
McNeely, a senior St. Pius X football
standout, it was no surprise his choice for
his Army position was Airborne Ranger,
one of the most demanding of all combat
positions.
St. Pius X athletic director and head
football coach Rick Byers has seen
McNeely’s dedication first hand.
“It’s the direction he always seems to
go,” Byers said of McNeely taking on the
hardest job. “That goes hand in hand with
who he is. That’s what I expected, that he’d
go his own way, so I wasn’t surprised.
“When he came in and said he wanted to
play middle linebacker I told him ‘you
picked the hardest spot.’ That’s my position.
Your head coach is your position
coach. I knew he was going to be one of
our leaders. I’ve seen him striving for
excellence in football. He is a very dedicated
young man who wears a lot of different
hats. He’s a self starter and he has a lot
of things going on. He’s an excellent
young man.”
In addition to school and football,
McNeely works for Byers in the summer
via a work study program to help offset the
costs of his St. Pius education.
“He’s a role model of mine,” McNeely
said of Byers. “Growing up, one of my
closest friend’s brother played at Pius and
we went to the games. It was awesome to
me to see the smaller school and smaller
players going up against the bigger schools
and bigger players and dominating them.
Coach Byers is the main reason I went
16 SEPTEMBER 2010 KANSAS CITY SPORTS & FITNESS
to St. Pius.”
McNeely has been playing organized
football since he was five and has been a
part of the St.
Pius football
program since
he was a freshman,
starting
at linebacker
as a sophomore
and junior,
although
he missed
some time last
year with a
torn labrum.
“To be a
starting middle
linebacker on
our team,
that’s high
praise,” Byers
said. “We’ve
based our
whole defense around our middle linebacker.
It says a lot about him for him to be
a starter in that spot for two years.”
The transition from high school football
player to Airborne Ranger will take place
next summer when McNeely graduates
St. Pius and goes to basic training.
“I ran the idea by my mother last
December,” McNeely said. “She didn’t
think I was serious. I started talking with a
recruiter in April. I had to wait to enlist
because I had shoulder surgery (for the
torn labrum suffered during his junior year)
and I needed six months of recovery before
I could enlist.
“When I talked with the recruiter,
Sergeant Rainville, he told me, basically,
‘it’s your
future, do
you what
you want to
do.’ I’ve
always been
interested in
the military.
I was open
to many different
career
paths in the
Army. I took
the aptitude
tests and
I got my
first choice,
which was
Airborne
Ranger.”
McNeely
will leave May 31 for Fort Benning, GA,
where he’ll complete 14 weeks of One
Station Unit Training (OSUT),which combines
traditional basic training with
infantry training. He will then go for three
more weeks each of specialist training for
the Airborne and Ranger programs.
“My mom is the only parent I’ve got and
she was apprehensive at first, but I sweet
talked her,” said McNeely, whose father
died when he was six. “We had a face-toface
meeting with the recruiter. She said
she had to meet the recruiter. After we
talked with him she said ‘I can see now
this is what you were meant to do’.
She realized it was the career that was best
for me.
“She still didn’t really like the job I
picked, though, but if I’m going to serve
my country I’m going to go all the way.
She’s come to terms with it. This is what
I want to do and she supports me one
hundred percent.”
McNeely’s teammates also support him.
“They think it’s pretty cool,” McNeely
said. “When I was going through the
process they were saying ‘we can say we
have a solder as a middle linebacker.’ They
think it’s cool. They say ‘I’m glad you’re
brave enough to do this and protect people
like me.’ “
“They show him a lot more respect,”
Byers said. “They know what he’s already
done. It isn’t lost on our kids what it means
to be in the service. It means a lot to these
kids.”
St. Pius instructor of senior theology
Deacon Mike Elsey, who served in the
Army in the 1970s, also believes McNeely
Background photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson, USASOC PAO
has what it takes to succeed.
“I know he can do it,”
Elsey said. “I know he
can handle it physically
now that he’s a young
man. I’ve known him
since he was pre-school
age. I’ve known him his
whole life. He was kind
of wild as a boy but he
has calmed down and he
has made great progress.
Marc
Bowman
Contributing
Writer
He shows his leadership here in the school.
I’m proud of him.”
McNeely is looking forward to his Army
service and is also hoping to gain experience
and earn college tuition towards a
post-service career.
“I’m leaning towards law enforcement,”
McNeely said. “When I decide to get out
of the military and go to college I’ll probably
go for a criminal justice degree. When
my enlistment is up I can take a step back
and see if I want to re-up or finish in the
reserves. I’ll spend eight years on active
duty and then see what career paths are
open. In any case, the Army experience
will be invaluable to me.”
KU vs. MU
Hockey Border
Battle highlights
College Hockey
Tournament
in October
From October 1 through 3 the Centerpoint Medical Center
Community Ice will host the Men’s College Kickoff Tournament.
Participants in the tournament include Colorado’s MetroState,
Texas’s Southern Methodist University and border rivals Mizzou
and KU.
During the tournament weekend, fans can see eight intense
battles between the hockey clubs from these schools with the
Championship Game played at the Independence Events Center on
Sunday, October 3 at 1:05 p.m.
Schedule:
Friday, 10/1 at Centerpoint Medical Center Community Ice:
Game 1: SMU vs. CO – 5:05 p.m.
Game 2: KU vs. MU – 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, 10/2 at Centerpoint Medical Center Community Ice:
Game 3: KU vs. SMU – 10:05 a.m.
Game 4: MU vs. CO – 1:05 p.m.
Jerry’s Bait Shop Bar & Grill Party and Live Entertainment
in the Centerpoint Medical Center Community Ice Parking Lot
3:05 – 5 p.m.
Game 5: KU vs. CO – 5:05 p.m.
Game 6: MU vs. SMU – 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, 10/3 at Centerpoint Medical Center Community Ice:
Consolation Game: 10 a.m.
Championship Game: 1:05 p.m. - Main Arena
Tickets: $5.00 for Games at the Centerpoint Medical Center
Community Ice. $20 for the Championship Game. $15 if you
present a ticket from one of the qualifying games.