Committed to Va. Tech, this Myers Park receiver in ‘a race to be great’

Myers Park High School wide receiver Elijah Bowick wants to eat.

On the way to his favorite fast-food spot, Bowick, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior, talked about what winning a state championship at Myers Park would mean. He talked about the Mustangs’ N.C. 4AA regional semifinal Friday at Richmond Senior. And he talked about his desire to become an all-conference player when gets to Virginia Tech next year.

Bowick was a highly sought college talent, drawing 16 offers from schools such as Georgia, Notre Dame and Tennessee. His high school coach said schools liked his big body, his speed and his precise ability to run routes.

“He’ll be a guy that comes in,” Myers Park coach Scott Chadwick said, “and because of his size and strength, he can compete right away. He’s going to be ... a very good four-year player in a program.”

When he gets to the chicken spot, Bowick gets the No. 1 combo, like always, mainly because he loves the waffle fries. He doesn’t drink soda (“players that drink soda, they cramp,” he said).

And it’s not lost on him the opportunity that the Mustangs (12-1) have in front of them.

No Myers Park team has ever won 13 games in a season. Myers Park hasn’t been to a N.C. state football final since the ‘50s, and it has never been in the 4A class, the largest and most competitive in the state.

The Mustangs are two victories away from their first appearance in the N.C. 4AA state finals.

“Bringing a state championship back,” Bowick said, “we would be known as the team. We would be known forever. Your name would be in the school forever. That would be something we would hold onto for the rest of our lives.”

Bowick has played this season like he wants to make history.

He has caught 50 passes for 1,184 yards and 16 touchdowns. For his career, he’s the all-time leading receiver at his school with 187 catches for 3,490 yards and 47 touchdowns.

Already this fall, he’s had a school-record 241 yards receiving in a game and has also been named homecoming king.

“The one thing I’ve always said about Elijah Bowick is that he doesn’t have a weakness in his arsenal,” Chadwick said. “He’s got very good speed (4.5 seconds to run 40 yards). He’s got very good hands. He’s a very good route runner. Now, I don’t know that he has one exceptional quality, but he’s got a lot of very, very good ones. .... In every skill you’re looking for, he’s in the plus category.”

Chadwick said teams usually put their best defensive back on Bowick and sliding over another player, a safety, to help. But it’s hard to do that too much because Myers Park junior Muhsin Muhammad, son of the former Panther, is also a Division I recruit.

Muhammad, a junior, has caught 47 passes for 804 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior receiver Andre Francois has caught 34 passes for 460 yards and seven touchdowns from sophomore QB Drake Maye.

Maye, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, has thrown for 2,650 yards and 33 touchdowns.

“We’ve been fortunate,” Chadwick said. “You can’t commit too many guys to (Bowick) because our other guys are pretty good, too.”

Like Myers Park, Richmond Senior has a powerful offense led by an outstanding young quarterback. Sophomore Caleb Hood, whose father Errol played at North Carolina, leads a team that averages more than 42 points per game. Hood has 1,835 yards passing and 21 touchdowns, plus 507 yards rushing and five more scores.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Bowick said. “But everybody understands where we are and everybody is more hungry and eager to get to the next game. You’re just nervous. ... You don’t know what’s going to happen. You’re not trying to let it be your last game.”

Whenever his high school career ends, Bowick — who will sign with Virginia Tech next month — plans to graduate high school in December and start college in Blacksburg, Va., in January. He hopes to wear the same number he’s worn in high school, 11, as a tribute to his idol, Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones. Bowick has a similar high school build to Jones, who is 6-3, 220.

And Bowick — who picked the Hokies over North Carolina and Wake Forest — has big plans for himself when he gets to college, where he plans to major in business.

“I’m ready for a different level of competition,” he said. “I think I can be really good, all-ACC. I feel like I can be the top receiver in college football.

“I know my ambition and what I want to do. I don’t have limits. I’m always ready to work. If I want to be better than you, I’m going to push myself to be better. And if I’m on top, I’m not done. I’ll keep going. I’m going to distance myself from everyone else.

“It’s like a great race for me.”

This story was originally published November 29, 2018 at 5:04 PM.