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GREENSBORO — Ricky Lewis Jr. remembers watching the East-West All-Star Game eight years ago and tugging on his dad's arm to tell him he wanted to play in it one day.

Flash forward to last summer, when Lewis Jr. was again in the bleachers and watched players who seemed much bigger fly around the field and crunch each other to the turf for three solid hours.

"I wasn't so sure I wanted to play anymore," he said with a laugh.

The former Dudley quarterback, one of A&T's prized recruits, will suit up one last time as a high schooler tonight at Grimsley's Jamieson Stadium in the N.C. Coaches Association's annual showcase of the state's top talent.

Lewis, a near-unanimous choice by local coaches as News & Record All-Area Player of the Year, finished his high school career 22-0 as a starter, led Dudley to its first undefeated season and delivered a second consecutive 3-AA title to the Panthers faithful.

"He's done everything," said West head coach Scott Cloninger of Lincolnton. "He could have come in here with an ego, but no way."

Though he'll still line up under center tonight, Lewis will be used differently than you might remember. The West will run a Wing-T offense, a three-back deception system that Cloninger is implementing at Lincolnton this fall for the first time in 30 years.

"It's real simple, but you've got to know where you're going," Lewis said. "You think in this offense."

The other quarterback on the West roster, A.J. Bazzle, won the 2-A state championship at Newton-Conover last fall by running the Wing-T.

Lewis said the Panthers practiced it nearly every day last season, but only ran it three times when it was the other team's main weapon.

If anyone could do it, it's Lewis, who as a senior racked up 2,144 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns and completed more than 70 percent of his passes (94-of-134) for 1,424 yards and 11 TDs.

"He could probably play 22 positions," Cloninger said.

That versatility made him an intriguing target for A&T, which will use him in multiple spots this fall. He's been there for every workout this summer.

"Everything's just much faster," Lewis said, snapping his fingers. "It's like, you're gonna do this or you're not gonna play."

The Aggies, coming off a 3-9 season, will start three-a-day practices the first week of August. Lewis said it will likely take two years for a complete revival, but patient optimism has taken over the program.

"The guys at A&T are real guys," he said. "They make sure you're in the weight room, go to class, keep your head on tight. It'll be tough, but we'll be alright."

Contact Tom Keller at 373-7034 or tom.keller@news-record.com