Service, teamwork is first nature for Navy recruit Paul McClune of Twin Valley
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Brett Myers first noticed Paul McClune as a seventh-grader, playing basketball. He was the biggest guy on the court but moved well for someone his size.
Myers, a football coach there to watch his son Evan play, had an immediate thought: That kid’s gonna make a great Wing-T guard.
“He moved so well, you kind of knew he was going to be special,” said Myers.
Four years later when Myers became the Raiders’ head football coach McClune had grown to 6-4, 270 pounds and indeed was a standout on the offensive line, as predicted.
He was even bigger and better as a senior, leading the Raiders’ to a record-breaking season that saw them win 10 times, share the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 title and win a home game in the District 3 playoffs.
College coaches took notice of McClune’s work. He got interest from several Division I programs, including the U.S. Naval Academy.
He admits he had never considered attending a military academy and wasn’t all that interested in such a lifestyle when he took a visit to Annapolis last March. That turned out to be a life-changing weekend.
“It really opened my mind to the service academies,” McClune said. “Before I went on the visit, I thought it was like boot camp the whole time. I didn’t know what to expect.”
McClune went on a game-day visit in November, was offered a chance to play for the Midshipmen a few days later and committed shortly thereafter. He signed his letter of intent in December, during the NCAA’s early signing period.
He took an official visit last weekend and is all-in now.
“The players and coaches told me it’s gonna be tough to get through it,” he said of the demanding physical and academic challenges the Naval Academy will present. “You’ve just gotta be able to look at the end of the tunnel and all of the benefits that come along with it.”
Myers believes he should have no problems adjusting to a military lifestyle. Myers said McClune has the mindset of a “servant leader” which fits the Navy profile.
“Paul just wants to be able to open the door for other kids at Twin Valley to be recruited,” Myers said. “There haven’t been many Division I guys coming through here. He’s thinking of other people.
“In the academy, you’ve got to be willing to sacrifice for the greater good. He’s already shown at a young age that he’s ready to do that. He’s going to be sacrificing for the rest of his life, because that’s who he is.”
That’s the nature of an offensive linemen, and McClune fit the bill there. He was a natural leader up front, willing to put things on his shoulders to help carry his teammates forward.
“To have someone that tells guys: ‘Run behind me, we’re gonna get this done,’ ” Myers said. “That builds (throughout your program). We knew in crunch time we were running left, behind Paul and Aris (Drake).”
McClune, who played at 6-4, 295 pounds as a senior, was an anchor on an offensive line that paved the way as the Raiders led the 37-team Lancaster-Lebanon League in total offense at 448 yards per game and in rushing at 324 yard per game.
He helped the Raiders set a single-game program record with 619 total yards in a season-opening win over Schuylkill Valley and led the way as running backs Drew Engle and Evan Johnson combined to rush for 2,688 yards, the most ever by a Berks running back duo.
He was an all-league pick in Section 4 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League and along with tight end Ean Winchester became the first Twin Valley players selected first-team All-State.
McClune received preferred walk-on offers from Penn State, Boston College, and others but thought the Naval Academy offered so much more than traditional colleges.
He will begin his journey at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I., where he will spend 10 months before reporting to the Naval Academy in Annapolis.
