The San Diego area has been a launching pad for top-flight running backs. NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen and former MVP Terrell Davis both hail from America’s Finest City, as do Heisman Trophy winners Rashaan Salaam and Ricky Williams.
Former Helix star Reggie Bush carried on the tradition, winning a Heisman Trophy and two national championships while at USC.
Mission Bay senior Dillon Baxter is on track to be the next superstar tailback from the 619 area code.
Baxter has had an outstanding season, punctuated by his performance Friday night against Lincoln. The 6-foot, 205-pounder, who lines up at quarterback for Mission Bay, threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 268 yards and two scores. He also intercepted a pass on defense.
For the season, Baxter has amassed 781 passing yards and 1,090 rushing yards. He’s even kicked three PATs.
Baxter has good speed, excellent balance and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, all characteristics that have folks in the San Diego buzzing about the area's next great rusher.
In a September matchup with Paloma Valley, Baxter rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another as Mission Bay won 38-15. Paloma Valley head coach Bert Esposito was highly complementary of Baxter after the game.
“That’s the best high school football player I’ve ever seen, and I saw Reggie Bush at this age,” Esposito told North County Times afterward. “But this kid’s phenomenal.”
Dillon Baxter exploded against Paloma Valley.
Steven Silva
Like Bush, Baxter will play for
Pete Carroll at USC, where he’ll probably be see time at running back and slot receiver, similar to the way Bush was bushed.
Baxter will be part of a talented group of skill players in the Trojans’ 2010 class. Serra (Gardena, Calif.) speedster
Robert Woods, Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.) running back
D.J. Morgan and Proviso West (Hillside, Ill.) receiver
Kyle Prayer will all wear cardinal red and gold next fall.
LSU leads for King
Junior wide receiver Nigel King from Wakefield (Raleigh, N.C.) is one of the Tar Heel State’s top wide receivers regardless of class.
Over the weekend, he erupted for 185 receiving yards and three scores on ten catches against Leesville Road.
Colleges have already taken notice of the 2011 star and offers are beginning to roll in. King has already been offered by LSU, according to his adviser, Jeff Neese, and the Tigers appear to be out in front to land King’s services.
“I think LSU is his favorite now,” Neese said of the 6-3, 185-pound King.
Louisville and Maryland have also extended scholarship offers, Neese said.
King was sidelined with a hip injury for the first four games of the season. As a sophomore, he registered 850 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.
Singleton’s speed leads Madison Central
Tobias Singleton of Madison Central (Madison, Miss.) was hardly an unknown commodity entering the season; he was named a member of MaxPreps’ Class of 2011 Top 100 Watch List after exploding onto the scene as a sophomore with 43 catches for 942 yards and 13 touchdowns.
This season, Singleton has continued to show why he’ll be one of Mississippi’s most highly-recruited players next year. In seven games, he already has 10 touchdowns, scoring a number of different ways thanks to his outstanding speed.
Against rival Clinton, Singleton took a reverse to the house for a 51 yard score. A week later against Murrah, he had 92-yard and 61-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Along with quarterback Peyton Johnson, Singleton has Madison Central poised to capture a 6A state title this season. Long-time Mississippi juggernaut South Panola, featuring one of the state’s best players in Nick Parker, will be a major obstacle.
Just freshmen
It appears to be a good year for receivers in Mississippi. In addition to Singleton, the Magnolia State boasts two of the nation’s top freshmen receivers on the MaxPreps stat leaderboards.
Bruce freshman Shaq Bush has been highly effective in his debut season. Through seven games, he’s made 28 catches and scored five touchdowns. His 578 yards is second nationally for his grade. Bush is averaging over 20 yards per reception.
Calvary Christian’s Desmond Grayson has been equally as impressive. In four games, he’s totaled 466 yards and seven scores. Calvary Christian plays 8-man football and puts up some mindboggling offensive numbers. The team’s quarterback, Kyle Koch, threw for 61 touchdowns last season and has already eclipsed 30 this year.
Grayson, who also excels in the secondary, played last year as an eighth grader, and head coach Kirby Newell has seen him really get comfortable playing varsity football this season.
“Last year he was a little gun shy, but this year, he’s become a big hitter,” Newell said. “I could really see him playing defensive back for somebody at the next level.”
