Brothers On Field and Off| By Mike Catano

sports
Brothers On Field and Off
|
By Mike Catano
Going Places: Exeter Quarterbacks Take It to the Next Level
Football runs in the family for brothers Idris
’03 (left) and Malcolm McClain ’08 (right),
who followed their father, Mark ’74, to Exeter
and onto the varsity team. Idris returned to
Exeter this year as an admissions intern and an
assistant football coach.“When we were
younger, we used to play in the yard together,”
recalls Malcolm. But as teenagers,“we missed
all of each other’s games. I was excited about
him being here to see me play.”
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The Exeter Bulletin
winter 2008
Matt Polhemus ’04 Yale University
Current Status: Polhemus was Yale’s starting QB for both the 2006 and 2007
seasons, and helped leadYale to a 9-1 finish last fall. He had a 52 percent completion percentage over the two seasons.
While at PEA: Captained the 2003 Exeter squad to the Prep New England
Championship and a 10-0 record, the first undefeated season since 1957.
Named the 2003 New England Prep School Player of the Year.
Gone, But Not Forgotten:“Matt was probably the best overall athlete ever to
play QB at Exeter,” says Glennon. “He was certainly the best running QB to
wear the Big Red.All he ever did was win!”
In his own words: “A big reason for the success I’ve had at the college level is
because of the two years I spent playing football at Exeter,” says Polhemus.
“The level of play, the teammates and the coaches prepared me in ways I didn’t even realize until I got to college. I left Exeter with greater maturity and an
understanding of what it took to be successful on and off the field, and I am
very thankful to everyone that made that possible.”
Cameron Dantley ’05 Syracuse University
Current Status: He made the Syracuse squad as a walk-on in 2005, and
earned a scholarship for the 2007 season. Named to the weekly honor roll by
the Big East for his performance at Pittsburgh on November 3, when he went
15-of-27 for 189 yards and two touchdowns.The following week he threw for
276 yards against South Florida. He had a 53 percent completion rate for the
2007 season.
While at PEA: Led Exeter to a 28-12 win over Andover with two touchdown
passes. Named 2004 1st team All New England Prep School Quarterback.
In the pocket:“Cameron was a pure pocket passer with the uncanny ability to
avoid the rush and complete the pass,” says Coach Glennon. “He has a great
understanding of the game, and he could throw the long ball exceptionally well.”
In his own words: “I had great coaches at Exeter. Coach Glennon was a great
influence on me, both in my decision to come to Exeter and then to go on to
Syracuse. He showed me around, and told me about the offense and the football team. He also taught me about Exeter/Andover, and their historic rivalry.”
Polhemus
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
ART DURITY
The Phillips Exeter experience can be writ
large in the lives of a family.One such family is the McClains, whose connection to
Exeter is multigenerational,broad and built
on the relationships they forged here,many
of them on the football field.
Two McClains are making their mark
on campus this year: brothers Idris ’03 and
Malcolm ’08, who left their home in
Cleveland, OH, to follow in the footsteps
of their father, Mark ’74. Idris recalls that
there was no debate about where he
should go to high school.“My father made
it clear that Exeter was the way to go,” he
says with a smile. Idris got his first look at
Exeter in the spring of 1999, when he
accompanied his father to his 25th Exeter
reunion and stayed with a student in Ewald
Hall. “I loved it when I came up to visit,”
he says,“and I was eager to start in the fall.”
By the time Malcolm was ready to pick
a high school, his path to Exeter was wellblazed.“I had been to Exeter many times,
and knew from my dad and brother that
there were great people here,” he says.
Football has been a common thread for
all the McClains. Idris and Malcolm each
started playing football in the fifth grade on
the same Municipal Football League team in Cleveland.All three of
the McClains played football for four years at Exeter, and each
served as a team co-captain. Idris went on to play for four years at
Amherst College.
From the beginning, Malcolm enjoyed his football days here.“I
made a lot of friends during preseason,” he says.“I love the camaraderie of the football team. Every year I’ve been here, we’ve had a
great group of guys.”
Versatility has been a hallmark of both brothers’ play.At Exeter,
Idris played as a primary receiver and tight end on offense, and
switched to linebacker and cornerback on defense. Malcolm also
played on both sides of the ball.This year, he was the team’s leading
receiver with 23 receptions for 595 yards and nine touchdowns, a
performance that earned him a receiver spot on the NEPSAC Class
A All New England Team. On defense, he was a starting safety,
where he led the team with 25 tackles;he also had one interception.
“Malcolm was a fine captain, leading by example with his hard
work as well as talent,”says varsity football coach Bill Glennon.“He
(continued on page 40)
YALE UNIVERSITY
Varsity football coach Bill Glennon keeps a close watch on former Big Red
athletes who go on to play college football.This past season, there was plenty
to watch.
Dantley
Cameron Ely ’07 Harvard University
Current Status: Ely tore his Achilles tendon in the off-season. Recovering well
after surgery, he received a medical Red Shirt year (meaning he has five years
to play his four eligible years) and is expected back on the team next fall.
While at PEA:Threw for over 1,500 yards and 11 touchdown passes during his
single year at Exeter. He led the Big Red to a 7-2 record and was a 2006 1st
Team All New England Prep School Quarterback.
Ready, aim, fire: “At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds with a rifle arm,” says Coach
Glennon,“Cam is the prototype for a big-time college or pro QB.”
—M.C.
Ely
winter 2008
The Exeter Bulletin
39
for 595 yards and nine touchNorthfield Mount Hermon.
Debra and Mark McClain each
made the trip from their home in
Cleveland to see their sons in
action. Debra (opposite page, with
Malcolm) saw the team’s 42-6
win over Northfield Mount
Hermon during Parents Weekend,
while Mark and daughter Amina
(right) were on hand for the
Exeter/Andover game.
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The Exeter Bulletin
winter 2008
ART DURITY
downs, including this play against
BRIAN CROWLEY
leading receiver with 23 receptions
football. “I love the sport, the competition and the friends,” he explains.
“When I knew I was coming back,I had
to coach. It was a chance for me to pass
on some of my knowledge to younger
players.”
Malcolm was pleased when he heard
that Idris was joining the team. “When
we were younger, we used to play in the
yard together. All those memories came
back. We missed all of each other’s
games. I was excited about him being
here to see me play.”
According to Glennon,“Having Idris
as a coach added a new dimension to
our staff. Being a former captain as well
as a college receiver and outside linebacker, Idris taught great technique on tackling and running patterns as a receiver. Idris is also a great
motivator of young men.”
Looking beyond football and the school’s rigorous academics, what impresses Idris most about
Exeter is its diversity.“At Exeter, you can have friends from many different parts of the community. It
made it easy to do the same thing when I got to Amherst.”
Picking up on that point,Malcolm adds,“One of the biggest parts of being at Exeter is building relationships. Those late nights when you should be doing homework, you end up talking about anything
that comes into your head.You have your friends around all the time.We can relate to each other and
all the struggles we go through.”
Both Mark McClain and his wife, Debra, encouraged Idris to return to Exeter, and are very pleased
that their sons have had this special time together, making up for time they may have missed over the
years.“They knew I’d be there for Malcolm if he needed me,” says Idris. Both parents were able to trav-
Big Wheel on Campus
HAROLD BROWN ’74
MARK KELLEY
(Above) Malcolm was the team’s
(continued from page 38)
was extremely well respected by his teammates
and by the coaching staff.”
After finishing up at Amherst this past
spring, Idris returned to Exeter to work as an
intern in the admissions office, a decision
encouraged by a number of his former teachers
and coaches, including Athletic Director Rob
Morris. Although an intern, he has a full spectrum of responsibilities, including recruitment,
making presentations to prospective students
and their parents and conducting student interviews. He describes his role as “spreading the
word about Exeter. I see what kinds of interest
level prospective students have in attending, and
encourage them to sign up.”
Playing a large part in Idris’ decision to
return to Exeter was a possible second role as an
assistant football coach, which would let him
join Malcolm on the field, albeit from the sidelines, and continue his active participation in
el to Exeter for a game this fall. Debra saw the team’s 42-6 win over
Northfield Mount Hermon during Parents Weekend, while Mark
and daughter Amina were on hand for the Exeter/Andover game.
And who says you don’t get a second chance? Idris, who was
injured during his Exeter/Andover game and had to watch from
the sidelines, admits to a definite feeling of vicarious participation
watching Malcolm play in this year’s matchup. His excitement
peaked when Malcolm executed a hard-fought reception in the
end zone and scored a touchdown.“Seeing my brother score was
pretty special,” he says. “We gave each other a fine chest bump at
the sideline, and then Malcolm gave me a head butt. I got a bloody
lip from it, but it was worth it!”
A few days before classes began Triathlete Natalie
last September, Natalie Russell Russell ’10 has been
’10 flew in from Hamburg, Ger- named the Clif Bar
many, where she’d just won Athlete of the Year for
gold in the first-ever ITU Sprint her impressive showDistance World Triathlon ings in national and
Championship.
international events.
Although she’s only been
competing in triathlons for two years, the 16-year-old
from Batavia, IL, already is considered among the fastest
girls in the 16-19 age group in the world, says her triathlon
coach, Keith Dickson.“It is truly amazing how quickly and
well Natalie has developed into such a strong athlete.
She’s full of talent, and it’s just starting to come out.”
More than 500,000 spectators attended the Hamburg
triathlon in September, and even now Russell says the
experience hasn’t completely sunk in.“It was by far one of
my greatest accomplishments,” she says. “My biggest
hope now is that this is just the start of many amazing
things to come, because triathlons are something I love
to do. If I am able to rise up to the next level and perform
to this same standard, hopefully I’ll be able to continue
racing in the competitive triathlon world for a long time.”
Russell placed third in the USATriathlon Elite National Championship in Colorado last summer. She finished
ahead of members of the USA National Team and qualified for the junior females’ division of the 2008 World
Championships in Vancouver, Canada next June.
Russell is already focusing on Vancouver, using a training website created by one of her Illinois triathlon team
coaches to guide her daily workouts: early morning runs
followed by a full day of classes, swim team practices, several hours of studying, and, for at least a few minutes
every day, living the life of a normal teenager.
—Famebridge Witherspoon
winter 2008
The Exeter Bulletin
41
A
Fall
Sports
(A) Boys Cross Country
Record: 4-1
2nd place at Interschols
Head Coach: Nick Unger ’90
Assistant Coach: Bill Jordan
Captains: Graham Keggi ’08,
JY Lee ’08, IanWinthrop ’08
MVP: Eyob Eyualem ’08
B
F
G
(B) Girls Cross Country
Record: 4-1
2nd place at Interschols
Head Coach: Gwyn Coogan ’83
Assistant Coaches: Dale Braile,
Diana Davis ’03, Rick Parris
Captains:Amy Schuman ’08,
Madison Gilmore ’08
MVP:Amy Schuman ’08
(C) Field Hockey
Record: 5-5-1
Head Coach: Mercy Carbonell
Assistant Coaches: Christine
Robinson, Barbara Pollard
Captains:Alexandra
Comolli ’08, JessicaWest ’08
MVP:The 2007Varsity Field
HockeyTeam
D
(D) Football
Record: 5-3
Head Coach: Bill Glennon
Assistant Coaches: Bill Ball,
Gerry Chikala,Ted Davis,
Dick Eustis ’57, Paul Keaney,
Idris McClain ’03
Captains: Julien Dumont ’08,
Eric Eberhart ’08, Malcolm
McClain ’08, Eddie
Williams ’08
MVP: Eric Bunker ’08
C
(E) Boys Soccer
Record: 6-9-1
Head Coach:A.J. Cosgrove
Assistant Coach: Ralph Sneeden
Captain: Josh Howard ’08
MVP: Josh Howard ’08
(F) Girls Soccer
Record: 8-4-3
Head Coach: Hilary Coder
Assistant Coach: Paolo Reichlin
Captains: Julia Panopoulos ’08,
SusanTruelove ’08
MVP: SusanTruelove ’08
(G)Water Polo
Record: 13-7
4th place at Interschols
Head Coach: Don Mills
Captains: Niall Janney ’08,
Christopher Jones ’08
MVP: Niall Janney ’08
(H)Volleyball
Record: 10-4
6th seed in league tournament
Head Coach: Scott Saltman
Assistant Coach: Joanna Ro
Captains: Cathleen Kelly ’08,
Olivia Lenson ’08
MVP: Cathleen Kelly ’08
H
E
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The Exeter Bulletin
winter 2008
A: MARIE HILL; B: DIANA DAVIS; C, E, G: MIKE CATANO; D: MARK KELLEY; H: XITAI CHEN
winter 2008
The Exeter Bulletin
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