Thomas Wilson of Leesville Road, one of the most productive and efficient high school quarterbacks in the state, has committed to Elon University.

"Elon was the only school that offered me a scholarship to play football," Wilson said.

"I went on an official visit and fell in love with the place. The biggest thing was I felt at home. I spent a lot of time with the players, and I just fit in there."

Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior, led Leesville to a 13-2 record last fall.

The Pride's run ended with a 20-10 fourth-round playoff loss at New Bern, which won the state 4-AA championship the following week with a victory over Charlotte Independence.

"We had a great season," Wilson said. "We just didn't get it done against Wake Forest-Rolesville in the Cap Seven championship game [21-6], but we came back to beat it in the playoffs [21-6].

"New Bern was just an exceptional team. We played hard, but just got beat."

Wilson completed 214 of 353 passes for 3,223 yards.

His passing efficiency -- a rating of passing completion ratio, touchdowns, yards and interceptions -- was an impressive 173.9.

He was selected to participate in the Shrine Bowl Game of the Carolinas all-star game.

"I didn't play as much as I would have liked, but it was a great experience," Wilson said.

"It was quite an honor to be chosen, and I was down there with who you might say were the best 44 high school players in the state; they were all big and fast."

One of his best memories of Shrine Bowl week was a visit to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Greenville, S.C.

"That was very special," he said. "Just seeing those kids was emotional."

Leesville coach David Green believes Wilson will make a smooth adjustment to college football, especially at Elon.

"I think he is going to be great on the college level," Green said. "He is going to fit in really well at Elon, because it throws the ball so much."

Wilson knows he has his work cut out for him at Elon, though.

Freshman Scott Riddle passed for 3,817 yards during a 7-4 season.

"They plan to redshirt me [hold him out of competition and preserve a year of eligibility] this fall to give me a chance to learn the system and get a good start on my academics," Wilson said.

Wilson also is an exceptional baseball shortstop. He plans to play baseball this spring at Leesville but doesn't know if he will try to play baseball at Elon.

BULLOCK GROWS UP: Kinston basketball coach Wells Gulledge said 6-5 sophomore guard Reggie Bullock took a big step toward manhood when he called Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio and Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson to tell them he was committing to North Carolina.

"Reggie really was dreading it because both coaches had treated him so well and showed so much interest in him," Gulledge said.

"It was tough for him to tell them that he was going somewhere else. He expressed his appreciation for all the attention they had shown him, and he thanked them for taking time away from their families to recruit him."

Bullock had fallen in love with Wake Forest when he visited the campus.

"And the big thing about Wake Forest is the players recruit so well for Wake Forest," Gulledge said. "They do a phenomenal job.

"Wake Forest had shown Reggie a lot of love, and they were always there for Reggie.

"It was a tough call to make, but Reggie needed to make it himself."

Gaudio was disappointed but put Bullock at ease. Sampson said his sisters went to North Carolina and he understood Bullock's decision.

Bullock was excited about the possibility of going to Wake Forest, but he had been a North Carolina fan for years.

"Reggie just absorbed Carolina like a sponge when he visited," Gulledge said. "Carolina sells Carolina.

"He was a little in awe when he met with the academic people and saw his first two years' workload, but he is ready to dig in and work."

HEELS ADD FOOTBALL RECRUIT: Quarterback A.J. Blue of North Gaston (6-1, 200) committed to North Carolina last week. Blue may have to attend prep school for a year before enrolling.