'Little Brother' is now big factor at Herndon
It's tough to compete when you're the smallest player on the field. Yet, despite the fact that his opponents were all either proven or budding high school athletes, no one cut him any slack. And that was just in a family football game. Now, years later, senior Daniel Chevalier is a two-sports star at Herndon.
There's a reason. It goes back to those games with his four older brothers.
"I was always the one who got picked on," Chevalier says. "They would always play football or basketball, and I was always the smallest one playing, so they'd knock me over a lot and not help me back up. Actually, they'd help me back up so they could push me back down immediately after."
It's tough to compete when you're the smallest player on the field. Yet, despite the fact that his opponents were all either proven or budding high school athletes, no one cut him any slack. And that was just in a family football game. Now, years later, senior Daniel Chevalier is a two-sports star at Herndon.
There's a reason. It goes back to those games with his four older brothers.
"I was always the one who got picked on," Chevalier says. "They would always play football or basketball, and I was always the smallest one playing, so they'd knock me over a lot and not help me back up. Actually, they'd help me back up so they could push me back down immediately after."
Five years separated Chevalier from his oldest brother – and all four of them starred at Herndon.
"We were all so close in age that it would always get competitive no matter what we did," says Chevalier, who also has a 14-year-old younger brother. "It's still the same way."
The football and baseball coaches at Herndon are grateful. Without that background, Chevalier might not be the leading receiver or the top hitter. Last spring, Chevalier led Herndon in runs (26), batting average (.375) and slugging percentage (.611).
This football season, he caught nine passes for 160 yards and a touchdown in the first two games. As a junior he caught a team-high 19 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns in the Hornets' run-based offense.
But it's not just the games with his brothers that helped him get this far.
To stay sharp in both sports, Chevalier does lots of training. He has a batting tee in his backyard and constantly hits balls off it, to hone his swing. And a football is always with him.
"I have a football in my hands at all times when I'm in my house," he says. "I carry it everywhere. My brothers and I play catch with the baseball and football all the time."
Chevalier doesn't seem to find his older brothers' shoes too big to fill, but he still he has great respect for their accomplishments.
"Out of all my brothers, Brian was the best athlete," Chevalier says. "He played the same positions as I did in both sports [and played baseball at Shepherd College]. I would say that I'm currently the best athlete, because they're all out of shape now. Had my older brother Andy not lost his leg to cancer when he was 11, he would have been better than both of us. I see him now and it reminds me to never give up on anything."
All of this natural ability came from somewhere: their parents. His mom played field hockey and ran track; his dad played baseball in college at Lynchburg.
"I guess it's either in the genes or in the water," Chevalier says.
Herndon varsity football head coach Tommy Meier, who has coached each of the Chevalier brothers who played high school football, says, "They'll catch anything you throw at them. When you have a Chevalier on your team, you know you'll have a tough competitor."
Luckily for Herndon's varsity football team, the broken wrist Chevalier suffered last year has fully recovered. He has a screw that holds the bones together.
"I get some pain when I fall on it and when I block with only my hands or something," he says. "It's fine though."
Chevalier's severe injury seems to be completely mended, and he hopes to be an all-district wide receiver this year. But he's looking beyond high school for sports.
"I want to play baseball in college, and hopefully I'll get that opportunity somewhere," he says.
The latest addition to the Chevalier legacy hopes to make a huge impact this year, on both the football field and the baseball diamond. Just like his brothers once did.
