By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Kyle McLester made a smooth transition last fall to the middle linebacker for the Montgomery High School football team.
“Last year I played outside linebacker,” said the Cougars senior. “In the middle it was a bigger role. I think I handled it well. Me and Jake Bobal had good chemistry. And with the defensive line, all the pieces worked well. In the Hillsborough game, we only let up 12 yards in the first half. The run stopping was a big part of the defensive front.”
McLester was a key part of the stalwart defense. Whether plugging a hole to force an opponent into a waiting teammate or making the tackle himself, he helped to bolster the Cougars.
“He made us a lot better,” said MHS head coach Zoran Milich. “He gave us a big presence in the middle. He played on the tight end side. He did a lot of blitzing for us. We brought him off the edge. He’s a very, very hard hitter. He’s very versatile. He’d go in and plug the hole. He allowed Jake to go in and make a lot of plays. He still had 103 tackles.”
McLester was rewarded for his play last fall by being selected to the Basilone Bowl. He will suit up for the Leathernecks team that takes on the Devil Dogs in the third annual Basilone Bowl 7 p.m. next Thursday at Somerville High School.
“It’s a huge honor,” McLester said. “You’re part of a game for a hero, especially a hero for the whole county.”
Joining McLester from Montgomery are Bobal, Tyler Young, Chris Chick, James Esther, Brian Flood and Trevor Schmidt. The large contingent from the Cougars is a reward for a season in which they went 8-2, handed Hillsborough its only regular-season defeat and earned the No. 4 seed for the Central Jersey Group 5 state playoffs.
“It’s people recognizing how much talent we have on our team,” McLester said, “and how hard we all worked for it.”
The Cougars could have had a couple of more seniors in the game, but Chris Chugunov enrolled early at West Virginia and Jabari Clemons was picked, but his Oberlin coach does not want him to play in the all-star game that has already taken hold of the area. It has paired the Somerset County coaches up with the United States Marines in a game that benefits both. It’s gotten better each year.
“I like the fact that kids come into the offseason hoping to get picked for it,” Milich said. “We’re more established with the Marines. They’re more comfortable with what we do and we’re comfortable with what they do. It’s streamlined more.
“They’ve seen it, so kids want to play in it,” he added. “It’s becoming something. When the freshmen come in, that’s all these kids will know. Just like the Sunshine Classic, you know it’s there at the end of the year. It helps with our military, it gives back a bit. It’s great what these young people do, they put their lives on the line for our freedom.”
The game brings together friends and rivals for an all-star game that is held in honor of Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, who grew up in Raritan Borough. Basilone earned the Medal of Honor for his heroic acts at Guadalcanal. He was killed on D-Day but left a lasting impression with his selfless service. McLester attended last year’s game as a fan.
“I knew a lot of people that were playing in it,” he said. “It was a pretty cool event.”
Now, he will have the chance to play in it. McLester has been training in preparation to take the next step. This fall, he will suit up for Elon University, where he is expected to play linebacker and long snapper.
“I like the academics,” McLester said. “I like the level they play at. They’re in one of the best conferences in I-AA.”
McLester will bring the sort of physical play necessary to compete at the next level when he returns to the field for the Basilone Bowl. It’s what has become his signature style.
“I think Elon is getting a really good football player,” Milich said. “I think he’s just starting to scratch his potential. He’s got great hands too. He can pick some balls off. Scotch Plains, they have a good linebacker and fullback, and they went to iso our kid and our kid just knocked him out. It looked like he ran into a brick wall. Kyle has one of those heads and guys drop like bricks. You tell kids not to use their heads, but there are some guys that just have those heads.
“This year, he played better. He used to just run through a person. He was more like seek and destroy. I thought he was much more polished as a linebacker this year.”
McLester has grown into his role in the middle of the Cougars defense. He took on more each year.
“I think it was an easy transition,” McLester said. “I played linebacker sophomore year. The next year, there was another senior, Ryan Sohmer, he was there. I played outside that year. When Sohmer left, I got to play inside again.”
McLester was looking forward to the chance to be a bigger part of the defense. He made sure that he had himself in shape to contribute and to lead.
“It’s working hard to get yourself in a spot,” he said. “When the season comes, you have to be in the right spot. It’s working hard and being resilient. If something doesn’t go your way, you have to go hard.”
McLester came back strong from a tough setback his junior year. He was hurt in the first game of the year, and missed several games. The Cougars saw his game-changing potential when given a bigger chance.
“He ended up replacing Jake Bobal at the end of the year when Jake hurt his knee,” Milich said. “In his first varsity start at linebacker, he had 14 tackles at the inside linebacker position.”
McLester was more consistent this year, and consistently good for the Cougars. He was a difference maker for a defense that played a lot of snaps because of their quick-strike offense.
“I thought he took a huge step,” Milich said. “We thought he was going to play well and be physical. He did, and he started reading plays. He’s your typical Mike linebacker. He’s one of the hardest hitters I’ve ever had. He certainly doesn’t go backwards on contact.
“We have to try to replace that, which is going to be very, very difficult. He’s very strong, very physical.”
McLester is looking to bring his physical style to Thursday’s all-star game. He is excited to have the chance to take on the top offensive players in the county.
“Looking at our roster, the defense we have, if it stays the same, we have a very strong defense, a lot of good linebackers and linemen,” McLester said. “I don’t know much about the corners and defensive backs, but up front we’ll be good. We’ll be going up against some big lineman.”
Practices for the Basilone Bowl begin Sunday. The teams will have four days to put together their game plans. It’s the final opportunity to play together with some of their longtime teammates before they head in their various directions.
“It’ll be the last time I play with all my high school buddies,” McLester said. “I’m one of the people that are lucky enough to play in college. It’s another opportunity to play football, which is great.”
