Three's better than one

In this era of specialization in high school sports, Coeur d’Alene High senior Caleb Beggerly is unique.

Not only is Beggerly a three-sport athlete — a rarity in itself these days at the 5A level — he is a key contributor on each Viking team.

In football, he played nearly every down — at running back and linebacker, as well as returned kicks — for a Coeur d’Alene team that reached the state championship game.

In basketball, he was a starter and one of the team’s top defenders.

In baseball, he’s versatile enough to play whatever role is needed.

“I just like to stay busy,” Beggerly said. “I like all three sports. Football is definitely my passion, but I just can’t put down basketball or baseball.”

Nor should he, says his football coach, Shawn Amos.

“The fact that he played three sports, that made him better,” Amos said. “If he specialized in football, he may have been worse. You don’t need to do one sport all the time. It’s so much better for you, and now coaches are starting to come around to that fact, it’s the parents that are holding onto that ‘they’ve got to train in one sport so they can go to the pros.’ But playing multiple sports is way better. And playing football made him a better basketball player and a better baseball player. It all helps each other out.”

His other coaches agree.

Beggerly said he was never able to make it to baseball tryouts during his high school career, because he was always still busy with basketball season. But that didn’t keep him from getting noticed once he got on the diamond.

“I’ll never forget the first time I saw him,” said Nick Mahin, in his third season as Viking baseball coach. “Caleb stepped on the field, and I didn’t know much about him because he was a three-sport guy, so he wasn’t at any open gyms, and I think he stole a base every single time he wanted to.”

Ditto the transition from football to basketball season — made even more difficult since Coeur d’Alene usually made a deep run in the state football playoffs.

“Basketball, in my opinion, is such a skill sport,” said Tony Hanna, the Vikings’ boys basketball coach the past two seasons. “To be good at it, you have to spend some time at it in the offseason, and he had kind of an uncanny ability to pick it up and go with it. He was such a good athlete all the way around, that even playing other sports, he had that ability to pick up basketball and keep going, and still be good at it.

“It’s rare; you have to be a really good athlete to be able to do that.”

BEGGERLY, THE younger of two sons of Josh and Jamie (Nearing) Beggerly, a pair of former Bonners Ferry High standouts, grew up in Kellogg. He attended Pinehurst Elementary and Kellogg Middle School.

While in middle school, he played some arena football with some kids from Coeur d’Alene, and played a couple games in Seattle with some teammates from North Idaho.

He transferred to Coeur d’Alene High as a freshman, leaving behind a pretty talented bunch of classmates at Kellogg. That group included another three-sport standout, Chase Jerome.

“Me and him are pretty much neighbors; we’d drive four-wheelers over to see each other,” Beggerly said.

After Beggerly enrolled at Coeur d’Alene High, he was told how hard it would be to play three sports at the 5A level.

“(But) I felt that I could do it, and after my freshman year it definitely blew by,” Beggerly said. “It was easy, so I just kept with it.”

As a sophomore, Beggerly played mostly on defense at Coeur d’Alene. The last two seasons, he did a little of everything.

This past season, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound Beggerly rushed for 758 yards (averaging 8.3 yards per carry) and a team-high 13 touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes, one for a score, and returned two punts for touchdowns.

He was third on the team in tackles, and third with 5 1/2 sacks. He also had a pair of interceptions.

“As a junior and senior he played a ton of football for us,” Amos said. “Looking back, we probably should have had him returning more kicks and punts as a junior. He’s not your stereotypical returner — a 210-pound running back.”

Why was he so good as a returner?

“Part of it is, he’s fearless, and kinda clueless” — in a good way, of course, Amos said. “Several punts he ran up, full speed, and caught it on the run. It’s one of those, ‘No, no, no, no ... yes.’ He was a very aggressive punt returner, and that saves you a lot of yardage.”

In basketball, Beggerly often guarded the other team’s best or second-best player. He could also drive to the basket, and hit the occasional 3-pointer.

“Caleb’s kind of a bulldog,” Hanna said. “Tough as they come; he could always guard guys that were bigger than him. He always played a little bigger than his size. I would consider him our defensive leader, and he would pitch in here and there on the offensive end.”

In baseball, Beggerly started out as an outfielder, moved to catcher when the starter there was hurt, then moved back to the outfield. He also plays some at first base, as well as designated hitter.

“He is a leader,” Mahin said. “He’s a three-sport athlete, he’s kind of one of those freak athletes, and you feel comfortable putting him anywhere on the field. And ultimately, Caleb is a really good kid. He’s going to be dearly missed — by all three programs.”

SO HIS players can get exposed to as many colleges as possible, Amos tries to get his players on as many college campuses as he can, just in case someone might be interested.

On the way to Pocatello for the state 5A title game in November, the Vikings practiced at NAIA Montana Tech in Butte. Beggerly and a few other Vikings met the Oredigger coaches.

Beggerly had offers to walk on at Idaho and Idaho State, and also had interest from a couple other NAIA schools, College of Idaho in Caldwell and Eastern Oregon in La Grande.

Beggerly chose to sign with Montana Tech.

At first, the Orediggers were interested in him as a running back, he said. Then they wanted him to play linebacker. Now, it’s back to running back.

“I said (while on the phone with one of the coaches), ‘I can do both if you need me to,’” Beggerly said.

Beggerly, whose older brother Josh graduated from Kellogg High in 2012, says he still stays in contact with a lot of his Kellogg buddies.

“All the way up until my junior year I always thought, ‘What if?’” Beggerly said of staying in Kellogg. “But my junior year I came around, and I knew 100 percent I made the right choice. I still miss those guys.”

On those rare occasions that he’s not playing one of his three sports, Beggerly enjoys bass fishing.

After college, Beggerly plans to apply to the police academy.

“I’ve always wanted to be a police officer,” he said.

Which makes sense, since Beggerly essentially laid down the law on opposing teams as a linebacker the last few seasons as a Viking.