Either the Lockerby Vikings or the Lasalle Lancers are going to inherit one heck of a young athlete next fall.

First, however, Northeastern Public School senior Cale Bast must make a decision.

All in good time. For now, we are more than happy to sit back and appreciate the multi-sport excellence of the well-spoken 14 year old.

At various times during his stay at Northeastern, sometimes in a school setting, sometimes not, Bast has excelled in volleyball, basketball, track and field and soccer. What has been interesting is the fact that the development curve for the talented teen has differed notably from one sport to the next.

Take volleyball, for instance, where Bast teamed with the likes of André Boulet and Nathan Cranston, helping the Cougars capture the Rainbow elementary banner, back in December, with a 25-23, 25-17, 25-15 sweep of the Lo-Ellen Park Knights.

"When I started in volleyball back in grade three, I was horrible," suggested Bast. Certainly not a great obstacle for coach and teacher Dale Beausoleil. "As far as drills and stuff goes, he doesn't do much different from other coaches," added Bast.

"He just connects with us more than other coaches would. He knows how to be soft on us, but also really tough. He can yell at us, but he's a really nice person and always talks to us."

By contrast, his second incursion into a court sport would yield a much different template for future growth. "Basketball was the only sport where I thought I was pretty good early on," said Bast. "I was always a pretty fast runner, and carrying the ball just felt like it was easy to do, it was fluent."

When the snow melted, it was time for Bast and his brethren to expand their wings in the great outdoors. "In track and field, to start, I couldn't do anything. The only thing I could do was standing jump. I think I just took track more seriously, in (grades) five and six, once all of the bigger kids were graduating and gone."

Yet despite all of the above, it's on the soccer pitch where Bast sees his greatest potential. A member of the GSSC (Greater Sudbury Soccer Club) Impact the past few summers, the Garson native was one of just a very small handful of players on his team identified to move on the provincial team talent identification trail last year.

"I just enjoy soccer a lot more than track and field," Bast said. "It seems that because we're chasing after something, you just feel faster." This is also the sport that has most allowed him to compare his skills to similar players from across the province.

"The talent ID was a lot of fun," said Bast. "I hurt my knee, just before going, but I still did decent. They are fast, but I can keep up with them, being fast, but they handle the ball really well."

As he prepares himself for the next phase of his various careers, looking forward to his athletic pursuits both in a high school environment, as well as a competitive club context, Bast will do so with the backdrop of many very special years spent at Northeastern Elementary.

"Sometimes, the school will come and watch out games, when there's tournaments here," he said. "I like that. And it's really fun to play with the guys that I've known for a long time."