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Regardless of which direction you would select… it’s fairly simple to reach a decision when the dilemma is only make believe. In the case of Zach Lee (McKinney, Tex./McKinney), this is more than just a hypothetical scenario. At 17-years of age, Lee faces a decision that has the magnitude to dictate the direction of his promising athletic future.
At 6’4 195 lbs, Lee is a true pro-style quarterback with precise accuracy and a powerful throwing arm. He can make all the big-time throws and puts tremendous velocity and zip on his deep ball. Texas Tech and Nebraska are the first to offer the junior quarterback, while Arizona, Oklahoma, Stanford, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M don’t appear to be far behind.
This Friday (11/14) McKinney will represent District 9 in the 4A Division I playoffs when they take on Highland Park HS. Heading into the first round matchup, Lee has completed 167-of-261 passes for 2712 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions throughout the regular season. His trademark game came in a gut wrenching overtime loss to Denison when he converted on 27-of-47 passes for 414 yards and 6 touchdowns. He has also proved to be a very efficient passer as is evident in his performance against McKinney North (12-of-15 passes for 218 yards and 5 touchdowns).
In order to capture Lee’s full legacy at McKinney, you have to look beyond his accomplishments under the lights on Friday nights and venture onto the baseball diamond.
Standing atop a mound 60 feet and 6 inches away from home plate with a rosin bag at his side and a 95 mile-per-hour fastball as his weapon, Lee has become one of the most feared pitchers in the state of Texas.
The same throwing arm that has made Lee such a coveted quarterback is also responsible for helping him become an effective pitcher on the baseball diamond. Equipped with a fastball that is continuously clocked at 91-93 miles per hour, topping out at 95 mph, it’s no wonder Lee finished up last season with an 8-1 record and a 0.32 ERA.
Recently selected to the Texas Rangers Area Code Team, Lee was also a member of the Team USA 18U Trials Team. A year ago, when on the Team USA 16U squad, Lee and his teammates traveled to Venezuela for the junior Olympic tournament. He was named the starter for the gold medal game against Brazil and responded by only surrendering one run over 5.1 innings while recording the victory.
Although he has hinted at wanting to play both sports in college, Lee does acknowledge that would be extremely difficult… especially for a quarterback. For now, the only thing that matters is getting past Highland Park and into the next round of the playoffs.
Regardless of what the future holds, DeBartolo Sports University is pleased to recognize Zach Lee as a candidate for the 2008 Joe Montana Quarterback of the Year Award.
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