Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Football, Baseball Player Caleb McCreary Voted 2023 ITG Next Alabama Male Athlete of the Year
One of the state’s top multi-sport athletes, Montgomery Catholic football/baseball player Caleb McCreary has been voted the 2022-23 ITG Next Alabama Male Athlete of the Year with 52.45% of possible votes over a list of three additional finalists.
The other finalists were Elba football player Alvin Henderson, Baker basketball player Labaron Philon, and Saraland football player/track and field athlete Ryan Williams.
Beginning with a look at his junior season on the gridiron, McCreary was a major factor in Montgomery Catholic’s success last fall. The Knights finished the season with a 13-1 overall record, including an undefeated regular season, and a Class 4A state semifinal appearance.
McCreary, a three-star Troy commit, completed 60.9% of his passes at the helm of a Knights offense that averaged 50 PPG. The dual-threat QB passed for 2,809 passing yards and an impressive 43:1 TD:INT ratio, and he rushed for 802 yards and 10 touchdowns on 80 attempts. He earned ITG Next Alabama Male Athlete of the Month honors in December 2022.
“He’s the catalyst,” Montgomery Catholic head football coach Kirk Johnson said. “The guy that catches the snap every play. When that guy is a high-level football player, it kind of makes you go. I tell people all the time that I don’t care what kind of car you drive, if the engine isn’t good, you’re not going to be very successful. Caleb’s the engine. He has to be smart, tough, a lot of different things for us, and when he’s at his best, we’re unbeatable. He’s just so talented.”
A multi-year starter for the Knights who threw for 5,000+ yards and 64 touchdowns in his freshman and sophomore seasons, McCreary has made big strides in three years at quarterback.
“He’s been forced to start since he was a freshman, so watching him kind of mature has been the biggest thing,” Johnson said regarding differences between McCreary in 2022 and years past. “Body language, becoming a leader, all of those things – Watching him do that the last couple of years has been the biggest thing, because his talent level has always been crazy.
“Of course he has gotten better,” Johnson added, “but even when he was a freshman, he was making plays where we were going, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and then when he was a sophomore, we were like, “Oh my gosh.’ I think the leadership, and him taking ownership in the offense and in his guys.”
The impact McCreary had for Montgomery Catholic in 2022-23 didn’t stop on the gridiron, as he was also a major piece of a Knights baseball team that went 22-14 to reach the Class 4A state playoffs.
In 32 games played, McCreary slashed .333/.492/.505 with 1 HR, 16 RBI, and 36 SB. Holding an OPS of .997, McCreary also added 5 doubles and 4 triples.
McCreary will be one of the state’s top returning quarterbacks this fall, with the potential certainly there to equal, and even surpass, those impressive 2022 numbers in a few areas.
“I want him to leave his statement and footprint on Alabama,” Johnson said. “A lot of people think that you have to be in 7A or 6A. I say it all the time, there are good players in every classification, and I want Caleb to be able to leave a mark where he can look back on his career and know that he left huge shoes to fill for anybody, not just at Montgomery Catholic, but in the state of Alabama.
“I’m proud of him, and I hope that when he walks out of here, he knows that he left big shoes to fill for everybody.”
Once again, congratulations to Montgomery Catholic football and baseball player Caleb McCreary, the ITG Next Alabama 2022-23 Male Athlete of the Year.
