Patch Athlete Of The Week: Khaleed Fields

senior Khaleed Fields enjoyed two special days last week.

On Thursday, he was named a recipient of the coveted . The next day, Fields, a wide receiver-defensive back on , caught four passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns in New London's impressive 51-33 win over Greenwich.

For his success on and off the field, Fields is selected Patch's Athlete of the Week.

It should come as no surprise that good things happened to Fields, because he has done the right thing day after day, year after year. A longtime youth leader and choir member at , Fields takes pride in being a leader spiritually, in athletics, in the classroom and the community.

His parents, Keith and Constance, stressed to him early about the importance of being a role model in all walks of life.

"They instilled in me the need to be a leader in church," Fields said. "Every day, I want to take every step toward being the best possible person I can be."

As a senior, Fields is reaping the benefits of making good choices in all aspects of life. The honor roll student is ranked 16th academically in his class, and the MLK scholarship and his football ability will make him a prime candidate to draw interest from a highly competitive college.

Columbia, Georgetown, Central Connecticut and other NCAA Division I Championship Subdivision teams are recruiting him for football. Fields, who plans to study computer engineering, is also interested in Worcestor Polytechnic Institute. 

"My mom has always pushed me academically," Fields said. "Although I train hard to play football and basketball, prioritizing academics always comes first. A lot of people think in New London, sports comes first. But we have a lot of student-athletes who excel in both like Jevon Elmore, who has a 3.5 GPA and Doug Henton, who has a 3.2."

Fields is just as happy making an assist in basketball or a block in football to help his teammates shine. On one play in the Whalers' opening shutout of Woodstock, he and Elmore leaped for an interception and caught the ball simultaneously. Fields, a cornerback, was falling to the ground, so he allowed Elmore, the free safety who was standing, to grab the ball. Elmore ultimately scored on the interception return.

"There was no way I could have scored, so I gladly gave up the interception," Fields said.

That's typical of Fields, who is so unselfish in this city full athletic standouts, he at times flies under the radar. In addition to his football, he was a valuable reserve guard on last winter, focusing on defending the opponent's best guard.

"My basketball role is the total opposite of my football role," Fields said. "In basketball, we had so much talent around me. My job was to play defense and get the ball to them. In football, we do have a lot of talent as well, but I'm expected to be a leader and make a lot of big plays."

The 5-foot-11, 155-pounder made All-ECC Large honorable mention as a junior on New London's Class M state finalist last season, finishing second in receiving yards with 416 on 24 catches, three touchdowns, 44 tackles and a team-high 13 passes defended. He says he won't be satisfied with the same results this year.

"As a senior, making All-ECC is not enough," Fields said. "My personal goal is to make All-State as a receiver or defensive back. Losing 7-0 in the state final last year also leaves a bad taste in our mouths, so we want to go one step further. My most important role, though, is to provide leadership as one of our captains."

Fields is off to a fast start, catching three TD passes (five catches for 127 yards totals) in two games for the 2-0 Whalers, who host 2-0 Ledyard 6:30 Friday. He feels very confident he'll put up nice numbers with the emergence of senior first-year starter Rob Key at quarterback.

"We have a lot of weapons and Rob is playing great at quarterback," Fields said. "It's nice to score but it's not about individual stats, it's about team."

You'd expect that attitude from a MLK Jr. Scholarship winner.

"I've taken part in the march on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for years and I've strived to earn one of these scholarships since I was invited to a Martin Luther King scholarship dinner in the eighth grade," Fields said. "This means a lot to me. I want to stand for something in New London and not just be known as a good athlete. The city has had way too many good athletes who didn't go anywhere. I want to make something of myself and give back to my community."

Seems like he's well on his way.