Prep football: Morro Bay’s Spencer Cecil new to team, football — Pirates biggest weapon

From the moment Morro Bay High School football coach David Kelley stepped on campus last year, he was trying to sell Spencer Cecil on football.

One look at Cecil, and you can see why. He stands at around 6-foot-4, and a solid 200 pounds, making him the perfect candidate to play wideout for the Pirates. Cecil was a standout on both the volleyball and basketball teams, so Kelley knew he was an athlete.

But the junior was hesitant to join the football team.

“I was just so focused on volleyball and basketball that I didn’t want to take away from it,” Cecil said.

Kelley then resorted to some interesting recruiting tactics to get him to change his mind.

“Last year, for photo (class) I had to create a life-sized cardboard cutout of myself. And one of his recruiting tactics was he wanted it in his classroom,” Cecil said. “Pretty scary.”

Kelley tried to convince Cecil that multi-sport athletes have a better chance of playing college sports and urged him that he could help change the feel of Morro Bay athletics.

“We just had conversations constantly,” said Kelley, who was Cecil’s social science teacher. “Every day we talked about football, about what a great experience out here it is.”

This year, Kelley got through, and Cecil — now a senior — joined the team. His big body has proved to be an effective offensive weapon. Through four games, all wins for Morro Bay, Cecil has four receiving touchdowns and has become a starter on defense while playing varsity football for the first time.

He couldn’t completely let go of basketball. He still wears No. 23, an out-of-place number for a wide receiver, but Cecil is not your average football player.

In Morro Bay’s last game against San Luis Obispo, Cecil had an interception return for a touchdown to seal the win on defense. But it was the go-ahead touchdown on the previous offensive drive that showed what makes him so dangerous. Despite tight coverage from the San Luis Obispo defender, Cecil leaped high over the top of the smaller player and grabbed the ball of the top of his helmet for the score.

“Almost all my touchdowns have come from fades, and it’s just like getting a rebound in basketball or spiking the ball in volleyball,” Cecil said.

Growing up a Chicago Bears fan, Cecil said he has watched big receivers like Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall and tried to mold his game after them. Kelley gave him the nickname “Megatron” after former 6-foot-5 Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

“All those big receivers — I watch and see how they fight for the ball,” Cecil said.

Cecil said he has been working before practice to form a chemistry with new sophomore starting quarterback Aidan Moriarty, and so far it has paid off. Even though Morro Bay (4-0) is still a run-first team with stud running back Brandon McGinley getting most of the carries, Cecil is still a threat to score from anywhere on the field and keeps defenses guessing.

You can bet the Cabrillo — the team visiting Morro Bay on Friday — will know where No. 23 is at all times.

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Prep football: Morro Bay’s Spencer Cecil new to team, football — Pirates biggest weapon."