MaxPreps Weekly Honor Roll, presented by the United States Marine Corps: Caleb Whittle, Itawamba Agricultural

Video: Unbelievable hook and lateral TD
See Caleb Whittle's amazing play that made him a star.

The last time Caleb Whittle laced up his cleats and competed in soccer was in third grade.

A lot has changed in the nine years since. Whittle became an accomplished athlete in football, baseball and track early in his high school career. When his senior year rolled around, he wanted to challenge himself and play a fourth sport at Itawamba Agricultural (Fulton, Miss.).

How well Whittle played in his only year on the soccer team surprised even himself.

"I didn't expect to have half the year I did," said Whittle, who played basketball as a freshman and took off the winter season the next two years.

Whittle tallied 14 goals and 10 assists, both second on the team, as Itawamba wrapped up its season on Jan. 18. He had a remarkable four-goal performance in a game in early December.

"That just really talks about the type of athlete he is," Itawamba boys soccer coach Randy Earnest said. "It's something you don't even have to coach, the natural instinct. He's a 4.5 (40-yard time) guy with a mindset he's going to get the job done no matter what."

Earnest knew he was getting a special athlete when the senior decided to come out for the team.

"The success part, I really wasn't surprised," Earnest said. "Some people have that ‘it' factor, he's got it. Maybe how easy it came to him, I was surprised a little about that. But he'll be successful in anything that he does."

A consummate team player, Whittle said one of the main reasons he joined the soccer team was so many of his friends were on the team. The program started five years ago and has yet to advance to the postseason.

"I just wanted to try and help all of them make playoffs," Whittle said. "We ended up falling a goal short this year."

Whittle had the respect of his teammates and played a leadership role as a senior.

"He led by example and the other kids just kind of jumped on and followed his lead," Earnest said. "He always set the tone for us at the beginning of the game, so from that aspect he was a leader."

Being a four-sport athlete was advantageous for Whittle in his final year in soccer. Earnest loved his player's competitive mindset and how he was used to being in the spotlight. That helped Whittle make a smooth transition to a sport he hadn't played in nearly a decade.

Whittle, 18, had plenty of success on the soccer pitch, but he's an even more decorated athlete on the football field. After playing on the junior varsity team as a freshman, he started the last three seasons on the varsity team at wide receiver and for a year and a half at defensive back.

He finished his career with 2,466 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. He led the team in receiving yards in his final two years, tallying 961 yards as a junior and 1,038 in his final year.

The 6-foot target logged 13 games with more than 100 yards during his three years. He was a deep-ball threat every time he lined up on the line of scrimmage.

"I like scoring touchdowns and trying to make big plays," Whittle said. "That's just really the fun part about it."

The most memorable moment of Whittle's high school career came on Sept. 19, 2015. With the clock winding down on the first half of a game against Aberdeen, the Itawamba football team had time for one final play from its own 35-yard line. Quarterback Vijay Miller threw a bomb to Whittle, who made a leaping catch at the 13. An Aberdeen defensive back had Whittle wrapped up and was trying to get him to the ground when Whittle spotted tight end Russell Branch streaking down the field. Whittle tossed the ball back to his teammate, who ran the ball into the end zone.

The play ended up being No. 1 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day.

"It was unbelievable," Whittle said. "It almost felt like it was a dream."

The miraculous lateral also appeared on ESPN's SportsNation where viewers voted it the "Best of the Best" for almost three weeks.

That play earned Whittle a celebrity reputation around his hometown. It isn't uncommon even these days for Whittle to get stopped by admirers when he's out and about because they saw him on ESPN.

"They always bring it up every time I see them or something like that," Whittle said.

Whittle would like to continue his football career at the next level. He's garnered interest from a number of junior college programs and might get a walk-on offer from Mississippi State. If that comes to fruition, Whittle said he'd jump at the opportunity to play in the SEC.

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With the spring sports season right around the corner, this will mark the fourth-straight year Whittle will juggle playing both baseball and track at the same time. It creates quite a hectic schedule.

The majority of Itawamba's track and field meets take place on the same day as baseball games. He will head to a meet, with running events starting about 3 p.m., and compete in the 4x200-yard and 4x100 relays along with the 200- and 400-yard dashes. Once his races have wrapped up, he'll jump into his vehicle and drive to wherever his baseball team is playing. First pitch for most games is either 6 or 7 p.m.

"It wears me out, but it's just a lot of fun doing both," Whittle said. "I've already stretched by the time I get to baseball, so I don't have to do a lot of running when I get there."

Whittle is entering his second year as Itawamba's starting centerfielder. He earned plenty of time on the diamond as a freshman and sophomore.

Whittle, who hit .312 near the top of the lineup last year, really prides himself on his defense.

"I like defense a lot because I don't like letting balls drop in the outfield," Whittle said. "So I try to challenge myself to not let anything hit the ground out there."

Away from the heat of competition, Whittle is a dedicated kid in the classroom with a 3.5 grade-point average.

"He's involved with school," Earnest said. "You see him at break, he's making sure people are picking their trash up; he's picking his trash up himself, instead of leaving stuff around. Just a good kid to have in the school."

Whittle enjoys helping coach camps for young football, baseball and soccer players. He also referees soccer and coaches his 7-year-old brother Miles' basketball team.

Coach Earnest can really see Whittle's passion when he works with kids.

"He's like a kid himself," Earnest said. "He's puts the kids first, it's never about himself. It's all about having fun, but at the same time making sure the kids get something out of it."

Another volunteer activity Whittle really enjoys is welcoming elementary kids to school in the carpool line. Once or twice a month, Whittle will greet kids with high-fives when their parents drop them off in the morning.

"It definitely makes your morning better when you get to see kids get out of the car smiling just because they get to see you," Whittle said. "It makes you feel pretty privileged that kids can think so highly of you."

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