Northside Christian’s Cade McNeil is a three-sport athlete who is helping his school establish a winning culture.

The rising senior is entering his final year at Northside Christian Academy and will compete as a member of the cross country, basketball and baseball teams for the final time in his career. Since joining, McNeil has helped the programs reach newfound success.

“It was really cool to see the growth. When I first got here we were a below-500 team,” McNeil said when talking about the basketball team. “We just needed to trust each other and believe in each other.”

McNeil was a key contributor on all three teams last season. McNeil was voted Region Player of the Year in basketball and helped the team win consecutive region titles. He also helped the baseball team win a region title in 2024 and placed high in many races for the cross country team. These contributions earned him the title of Lexington County’s male Athlete of the Year.

“When you say athlete of the year, he really is a perfect encapsulation of that because he’s just great. He’s so well-rounded,” Northside Christian basketball coach Peter Wilkerson said.

McNeil started playing sports at a young age. He started playing anything he could, including sports-themed video games that many young people from his generation have grown up playing.

“He just started playing the Wii, the tennis games and the baseball games, and we saw the hand-eye coordination really quick, and from that point on, he always wanted to be playing sports,” said Stephen McNeil, Cade’s father.

Cade eventually found a passion for basketball and baseball. Even early on, he showed promise and decided to stick with both.

Stephen and Wilkerson both credit Cade’s natural athletic ability and willingness to learn as reasons he was able to achieve what he has. Cade dedicates time to working to get better at all three sports, and between baseball and basketball, he can’t pick a favorite.

“Every time for me, it’s whatever I’m doing at the moment. So if I’m playing basketball in the winter, my main focus and my love is for basketball. And then when I go to the spring, it’s more focused on baseball, because that’s what I’m doing at the time,” Cade said.

Cade’s passion for sports spreads to those around him. Wilkerson described him as a silent leader whose actions help guide the team to a path of victory.

Outside of sports, he is also a leader in his community. As the son of a pastor, Cade is heavily involved in his church. He goes on missions, is part of a youth group and helps mentor younger kids. All of those activities will help Cade develop the skills needed to one day achieve his ultimate goal of being a coach or athletic director.

“My biggest goal would either be an athletic director or just coaching in general,” Cade said. “I think I could bring a lot of different things, knowledge to anywhere where I could coach. It’s really building the younger generation up to continue to grow the sports that everybody has loved for so long.”

Wilkerson believes Cade has what it takes to one day be a coach at some level. He said to achieve that goal, Cade will have to continue evolving as a leader by taking a more vocal role.

“He strikes me as someone who could be a really good leader. He’s very team-oriented,” Wilkerson said. “Continue to encourage him to grow in vocal leadership, I would say that’s my biggest piece of advice.”

Cade has another year at Northside before having to decide what to do next with his athletic career. Throughout his first three seasons, he has made large improvements to his game between those seasons.

“His sophomore year, he only shot the ball 15% from three. I mean, he had a terrible shooting year, and it really bothered him,” Wilkerson said. “I remember telling him ‘stick with it, keep shooting the ball, don’t stop shooting the ball.’ He contributes in so many other ways besides shooting the ball, but from his sophomore to his junior year, he went from 15% to 40%. And in region play for us, he shot close to 60% from three.”

McNeil is hoping for another jump in his development in all three sports during the 2024-25 seasons. He ultimately wants to continue playing something in college.

“I’ve got some camps coming up, and the biggest thing is just reaching out to coaches and finding what’s the best fit for me,” Cade said. “I got my trust in God. I think God’s going to give me a plan and allow me, if that’s his plan, to go play a college sport somewhere.”

Stephen said it’s important his son sticks to his work and continues showing the dedication he has because one day, it will translate to the goals he desires.

“Hard work pays off, and people see it,” Stephen said. “If you do it the right way, people take notice of it. That’s just kind of what we strive to live for. Do it the right way, and people take notice.”

Cade is doing his best to work hard on the field, on the court, on the track, in the classroom and in his community, not for any personal gain, but because that is who he is.

“He’s a kid you can depend on to come in each and every day and give you everything he’s got,” his father said.