DeSmet's Neal made believers out of all who witnessed the show
Every time Durron Neal took the field this fall, people were watching.
From the DeSmet sideline, it was coach Pat Mahoney, who tried to find ways to get his senior standout the football more regularly.
From the opposing sideline and across the line of scrimmage, it was coaches and defenders searching for defensive schemes for wherever Neal lined up.
In the stands, it was fans waiting to see what highlight-worthy play the University of Oklahoma recruit would make next.
All enjoyed the show. Whether you coach him, play against him or were just there to watch, Neal just kept making plays.
The Post-Dispatch All-Metro football offensive player of the year, Neal accounted for 1,646 total yards and 30 touchdowns, leading DeSmet through a 9-3 season and to the Class 5 quarterfinals.
"I think if you talk about the best players that have ever come out of St. Louis, his name has got to be in that conversation," said St. Louis University High coach Gary Kornfeld. "I don't think there's any doubt about it. He is a very, very special player."
A 6-foot, 195-pound dynamo and the area's top prospect, Neal played running back, wide receiver, quarterback, free safety and cornerback. He lined up to return kicks and punts, though opportunities for returns were few and far between because opponents seldom kicked in his direction. That took some of the fun out of his senior season.
"I helped my team out the best way I can," he said. "I think I did pretty good for my senior year. Obviously, not being able to touch the ball on punt returns and kick returns, that's one of my favorite things to do. The fact that I didn't get a chance to do that took something out of it."
Mahoney called trying to find ways to get Neal the ball more frequently and trying to figure out how opponents would defend Neal a "chess game."
"Obviously toward the end of the season we finally figured it out," Mahoney said. "He had big games every game. He carried us, especially the last two games. He really put us on his shoulders and made us successful."
In one of those games, a 47-46 loss to SLUH in Neal's last high school performance, he went out with a bang. He carried the ball 11 times for 247 yards, including touchdowns of 80 and 84 yards. He caught one pass, which went 48 yards for a touchdown. He threw one pass, which went 62 yards for a touchdown.
It was not an atypical performance for Neal, who has been one of the area's more dynamic players the past three years.
This fall, he caught 35 passes for 825 yards, an average of 23.6 yards per catch, and 15 touchdowns. He ran 78 times for 716 yards and 11 touchdowns. He passed for 105 yards and two scores. He also scored twice on returns -- an interception and a punt return.
Neal accounted for 31 touchdowns as a junior. He scored 15 as a sophomore and two as a freshman. That's 78 touchdowns total.
DeSmet has produced several Division I players over the years -- the Spartans had players at Missouri, Oregon State, Iowa State and Southern Methodist this fall -- but Mahoney said Neal is different.
"The difference between Durron and everybody else is he's complete," the coach said. "Everybody else had a shortfall. There was something they were going to have to work on."
Mahoney said one of the differences between Neal and the rest is how quickly he sees things develop and how quickly his body reacts. The coach said he discovered that with the results of a visual acuity test, which showed how quickly Neal could interpret what was happening and react to it.
"That's one of the things that makes him really special, aside from incredible drive and all that," Mahoney said. "But he's got the complete package. He runs hard. Great desire. Catches the ball. Sees the field. Knows the game. He's just a complete player."
Neal has proven that during his time at DeSmet, during which the Spartans went 29-9 the past three seasons. Now, Neal is focused on making an impact as soon as possible with the Sooners next year.
"I just have a good feeling that I'm going to do something special," Neal said. "I've got a lot of people that say I'm going to be this and that at the next level -- I'm not going to (succeed) because I'm just doing it now because I'm not playing against no competition.
"It's all in the back of my head, and it just keeps motivating me. It's making me work harder and harder and harder. I've got a special feeling that I'm going to do something good next year and in the years to come."
