LUMBERTON — Wrapped in his school's flag and surrounded by his Lumberton High teammates, Jalaquon McNeill says he's lucky.

Standing at midfield with sweat soaked through a tattered and turf-stained maroon and gold uniform, the Pirates’ senior captain admits playing football is the easy part.

“Life has taught me to not worry about outcomes and wins and losses,” McNeill says. “Football gives me the opportunity to forget everything else.”

For someone who craves contact at the linebacker position, it’s the absence of a personal touch off the field that most scratches at McNeill’s psyche. He recalls the pain of growing up without a father. He sees the struggle his mother Mary has endured trying to raise a family with no help. He understands his childhood didn't go as scripted.

“Not having a father makes things difficult,” McNeill says. “I never had that person to look up to. When you constantly have people walking in and out of your life, football becomes your retreat.”

Over time, McNeill has had to deal with much worse than a missed tackle or being on the wrong side of the scoreboard. He's seen loved ones die too young and people he thought were friends turn their backs. He uses his own misfortune as motivation, a trait he uses to his advantage on Friday nights.

Others are taking notice.

“He’s like a coach on the field,” Lumberton coach Mike Brill said. “He sets our defense and helps me call the plays. Everything we do defensively runs through JoJo. He’s got to always know what to do and how we do it.”

His ability to shrug off adversity and excel on defense has caught the eye of college coaches who reportedly include The University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Pete Shinnick and Wingate’s Joe Reich. Last weekend, McNeill took an unofficial visit to Duke University after assistant coaches at the Atlantic Coast Conference school took notice of McNeill while recruiting Pirate teammate, Jermaine Kessler, a defensive tackle.

“Coach Brill gets most of my college interest letters,” McNeill said. “I let him sort through them. Duke, Wingate and UNCP have showed the most interest. I need a scholarship. I want to get out of this life (that) I'm in.”

Growing up without a father or a dominant male in his life, McNeill has looked elsewhere for a role model, settling on Ray Lewis, the All-Pro linebacker for the National Football League’s Baltimore Ravens. McNeill patterns his game after the former Miami Hurricanes star and says Lewis plays football the right way. He says Lewis' strength and toughness convinced him to hit the weightroom more often, chiseling out his 5-foot-11, 200-pound physique in the process.

“I love his go-get it attitude,” McNeill said. “He’s like me. He’s been through a lot off the field and knows how to bounce back. He goes after it every single play.”

McNeill has acquired his skill set through countless hours of studying film of Lewis, and leads the Pirates in tackles this season with 56. He gives Brill credit for helping him become a better player and for always being up front and honest with individuals and the team.

"Brill says what he means and means what he says," McNeill said. "I've followed his leadership to help build this program. He's told us in the past the Class of 2010 was something special."

He says Brill is like the father he’s never had. Brill is flattered by his sentiment.

“I feel like all my players are my kids but JoJo is someone special,” Brill said. It’s like he’s one of my sons and I treat him that way.”

Brill attributes this year’s success with McNeill’s natural leadership qualities on the field. Heading into this week’s game at Hoke County, McNeill anchors a 5-2 Lumberton team that has one of the top defenses in the Southeastern Conference. The Pirates have two shutouts and held talented Wilmington Laney to seven points.

McNeill says his team’s resurgence in the last three weeks can be tracked to a 10-7 home loss to 2-A Whiteville in September. McNeill called the defeat embarrassing and believes the Pirates were forced into proving their worth the rest of the year.

“Losing to them fired us up a bit,” McNeill said. “We have a sense of urgency now since everyone seemed to disrespect Lumberton High School after that.”

Keeping the Bucks off the field Friday night is key, according to McNeill. Forcing three-and-outs so the offense can take over would provide a winning outcome.

"Hoke County is the best 1-6 we've ever faced," McNeill said. "We aren't taking them lightly."