Today’s interviewee is Pace Academy wide receiver/cornerback Terrence Kiel II, who signed Wednesday to play baseball at Texas A&M, where he also has an offer to play football. Kiel holds the Pace Academy record for touchdowns in a career with 40, setting the mark on a 97-yard interception return last week against Mount Zion of Jonesboro. Kiel didn’t realize he had set the record until he discovered it himself two days later, which he explains. In baseball, Kiel is a switch-hitting shortstop who hit .500 for Pace last season. Kiel and Pace’s football team are playing at North Oconee on Saturday in the Class 4A playoffs. Kiel is the son of Terrence Kiel Sr., a former Texas A&M and NFL safety who died in a car accident in 2008 at age 27.
1. How do you feel about the school record? “Having the 40 touchdowns and breaking the Pace record is a big thing for me because that was my goal. The coaches do a good job of having our game plan and getting us prepared. And I couldn’t have done it without the blocking and my teammates. They were the ones who set me up for the touchdowns. It’s funny because I was sitting at home on Sunday and I thought about the record, so I went to the stats and counted the touchdowns. I was like, ‘Oh shoot!’ So I texted Coach Bach [Pace head coach Nick Bach] and told him that I believed I broke the record for touchdowns at Pace, and he saw that I did. And once I found that out, I got pretty excited while watching the NFL on Sunday, so that was a pretty fun moment. He also told me that I was the first player to have a 90-plus-yard pick six in Pace Academy history. We were in film when he told me that, and I got a standing ovation from my teammates and applause from the coaches, so that was a very special moment for me.”
2. You’ve gotten scholarship offers from Texas A&M for both football and baseball. Can you tell us more about your history with the two sports and how you manage them? “When I was a little kid, around the age of 4, I started playing football and baseball at the same time. My dad played football at Texas A&M and got drafted by the San Diego Chargers and played for a few years. At a young age, I always knew I wanted to play football and baseball. I knew I always had to keep working and getting better at my skills. I progressively saw my skills rapidly increase as I got older. I got my baseball offer my sophomore year and got my football offer a little after my junior year ended. It was pretty special because my goal was to always go to Texas A&M, and I achieved that goal. I signed with the baseball team yesterday [Wednesday] for signing day. Having that football offer meant a lot because my dad played there. I’ll be doing baseball my freshman year, and I’m still interested in playing football my sophomore year.
“As for managing the two in high school, I start with football in the summer because of summer workouts and practices. And when it’s in full effect during the season, I only play football. Sometimes I go and hit during the weekends because during the weekdays football takes up so much of my time that I’m not able to hit [during the week] or play in fall games with my [baseball] team. I use the weekends for recovery, too, after games on Fridays when I’m a little banged up. When football season is over, I switch right into baseball. So I can just flip the switch. I’m already in baseball season and get prepared for high school and travel ball too. So that’s how I get ready for both sports. And once I’m done with baseball in the summer, it’s right back to football.”
3. What are your plans for either or both sports post-college? “My goal is to make it to the MLB draft. That’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and I have the opportunity to do that coming up in the next few months. And after I finish my baseball career, I also want to try to play in the NFL too. I want to be like another Deion Sanders, playing in the MLB and playing the NFL too. Post football and baseball career, whatever happens, I want to be a pilot. So I have my plans set out.”
4. Which sport is your favorite, and who’s your biggest inspiration in each sport? “It’s a pretty hard decision. I’ve been going back and forth over the years. But I’d say baseball is definitely my favorite. There’d be times where football is also my favorite. It depends on which season I’m in. As far as inspirations, players I like to watch a lot are Michael Harris [Braves center fielder] and Adolis Garcia [Rangers right fielder]. Those are my two favorite players to watch. And Adolis Garcia and the Texas Rangers just won the World Series, and he did really well. If he didn’t get hurt, he probably would’ve won MVP. For football, my dad is my inspiration. I’ve always looked up to him, watching his highlights in college and the NFL. My goal was to always be better than him, and I think that I’ve accomplished that.”
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