By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Randal Carter's enthusiasm is so infectious that when he set the nation's No. 1 high jump mark (7-4) for 2007, he captured the hearts of an overflow crowd of 13,000 at Nebraska's state track meet.
"Sometimes I start clapping and (that day) the whole stadium (at Omaha Burke) joined in," he said, still somewhat amazed. "It's a little adrenaline for me."
His track coach at Papillion-La Vista (Papillion, Neb.), Don Patton, put the Kodak Moment in even sharper focus when he said, "I've been in the business 48 years and I never have been anywhere where the electricity flowed through the stadium like it did that day. The whole stadium was with him. That place was just wall-to-wall bodies."
The fans remained behind him as he made three more attempts with the bar set at a national-record 7-5 1/2. After his final jump, he was standing in the pit with his hands up in the air when the bar tumbled off. "I clipped it, it was shaking and then it fell off," he explained. "I was really disappointed, because I had been going for that since my sophomore year." Nevertheless, he received a standing ovation from the huge crowd.
The 6-0, 185-pound Carter, who has excellent speed, is attending Metro Community College in Omaha this summer. He received around 100 college scholarship offers and had planned to attend the University of Nebraska. Due to travel time away from school he had dropped an algebra 2 class, expecting to pick it up in the summer. However, to receive an NCAA scholarship - he found out later - he must have taken the course during the school year.
His dream of qualifying for the 2008 USA Olympic team also has been stalled by painful shin splints suffered recently while playing basketball on a cement court. Despite having to wait a year for the Nebraska scholarship, he will be competing - unattached - in some major college meets during the 2007-08 school year.
Carter's first sport actually was soccer at age five, but he quit a couple years later. "I didn't like being out in the hot sun all day," he explained. Then he switched to basketball. "I used to be a ball hog," he conceded, "but now I love to pass the ball." He actually played basketball throughout high school, averaging 10 points and placing No. 4 in the state in rebounding as a senior.
In addition, he played football (running back and corner back) from first grade through the middle of his junior year in high school. As a first grader, he ran a kick-off back 90 yards for the winning touchdown with one minute left.
He went out for track in fourth grade, specializing in the 100- and 200-meter sprints. As he entered Logan Fontenelle Junior High in Bellevue, he still was "a little runt. I was 5-nothing (5-4)," he quipped. "Everybody else was 6-foot and growing. I was looking up to all of my friends. But I always had good speed."
Carter first tried the high jump as a seventh grader, mainly because "It looked like fun." He was the No. 3 jumper, clearing a best of 5-0. A football knee injury cost him his eighth grade year of track.
Then the Carter family moved to Papillion to find a bigger house, putting Randal in a new school for his freshman year. He tried out as a sprinter, but in his second JV meet he jumped 5-8 and immediately was moved to the varsity. By the end of the year he had bested 6-3. "He really showed a lot of lift," coach Patton noted. "He qualified for the state, but didn't place. He hurt his back before the state meet and jumped despite the injury."
The last day of practice, Patton asked his talented freshman what kind of goals he had for the next year. He replied, "I want to qualify for the state." Patton then told him, "You will qualify and probably will win it."
Well, Patton was a prophet with honor. Carter never lost a meet as a sophomore and won the Class A state title with a leap of 6-9. He showed what he was made of during a meet against a standout from Fremont. At 6-4 he sprained his ankle and Patton asked him if he wanted to withdraw. "No, coach," he replied, "I've got to show this kid who is the boss." He kept climbing until he won at 6-10.
As a junior he again went undefeated and reached 7-0 for the first time. Later he leaped 7-1 ¬ and 7-2, though he won the state at "only" 6-11. During the summer Junior Olympics he cleared a career-best of 7-2 ¬.
His junior year also was significant from a psychological standpoint. Rob Bitera, his psychology teacher and girls track coach, taught him to stare at the bar and picture himself going over it. "I tried it just out of curiosity," he admitted, "and it actually worked. The longer I stare at it, the smaller it looks. I just do it when I reach 7-2 or 7-3."
Carter certainly didn't picture his senior year starting out on a negative note - he overslept and missed the bus for his first indoor meet. "The coach didn't talk to me for two weeks," he claimed. "I just worked out harder to punish myself. The next meet I went 7-3 and it actually helped me out."
He finished unbeaten over the last three years and never missed a jump at the state meet until he tried for the national record.
Carter carried a 2.5 GPA and enjoyed English the most. He was a member of the concert choir and helped coach junior high track athletes. He is a member of the Glad Tidings Christian Church in Omaha.
Coach Patton predicts a brilliant future for Carter. He says, "I think 7-6 or 7-7 probably is in his range. I'm not quite sure he realizes what he has in his legs. Who's to say what he can do four years from now?"
Football Notes
* Lincoln (Portland, Ore.) rising senior Ethan Johnson, who is one of the nation's premier defensive ends, has made a commitment to attend Notre Dame. The 6-4, 278-pounder made 70 tackles, including 10 sacks, as a junior. He also forced three fumbles and recovered a pair.
* Bayside (Virginia Beach, Va.) rising senior quarterback E.J. Manuel has chosen Florida State. The 6-6, 205-pounder runs a 4.6 40 and can bench press 305 pounds. Last year he completed 137 of 244 passes for 1.973 yards and 15 touchdowns, with seven interceptions. He also ran 110 times for 340 yards and five touchdowns.
* Another outstanding quarterback, Andrew Luck, will attend Stanford. The 6-4, 215-pound rising senior from Stratford (Houston, Texas) had a big junior year, throwing for 2,909 yards and 27 touchdowns. He threw only six interceptions while completing 69 percent of his passes. His father, Oliver Luck, was an NFL quarterback and currently is president of the Houston Dynamo.
* Oregon has received a commitment from Carroll (Southlake, Texas) wide receiver Blake Cantu. As a junior the 6-0, 191-pounder led the Class 5A state champs with 80 catches for 1,283 yards and 14 touchdowns.Meanwhile, Carroll's rising senior quarterback, Riley Dodge, has backed off his verbal to the University of Texas so he can play for his father, Todd Dodge, who is the new head coach at North Texas State.
* Birmingham (Lake Balboa, Calif.) rising senior running back Milton Knox has announced he will attend UCLA. As a junior the 5-8, 200-pounder rushed for 2,374 yards and 29 touchdowns while being named Los Angeles City Section player of the year.
* Penn State has received a commitment from linebacker Mike Yancich of Trinity in Washington, Pa. The 6-3, 230-pounder used his quickness (4.5 40) to make 117 tackles as a junior.
* Brendan Beal has left Roxbury (Succasunna, N.J.) to attend Liberty (Bethlehem, Pa.) for his senior year. He wanted to graduate after the first semester and head for college, but Roxbury did not have that option. As a junior the 6-4, 235-pound linebacker made 152 tackles, 11 sacks and two interceptions, in addition to causing six fumbles.
Basketball Notes
* Seven-footer Jeff Withey, who earlier had committed to Louisville, has decided to attend the University of Arizona. As a junior, Withey averaged 14.9 points for Horizon in San Diego.
* Draymond Green has decided to attend Michigan State, even though one of his earliest memories was being scared by the Spartans' mascot. The 6-6, 240-pounder averaged 22.5 points as a junior while leading Saginaw to Michigan's Class A state championship.
* McCluer North (Florissant, Mo.) guard Femi John cited the hiring of Rick Majerus as head coach as one of the major reasons he plans to attend St. Louis University. The 6-4 strandout was the No. 2 scorer (15.3) for Missouri's Class 5 state champions as a junior.
* He's only a rising sophomore, but 6-9 C.J. Leslie already has decided he wants to attend North Carolina State. Leslie, who was 6-4 as an eighth grader, averaged 15 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots as a freshman for Holly Springs, N.C. He has exceptional athletic ability and still is growing.
* Richard Howell has transferred in Georgia from Central Gwinnett (Lawrenceville) to perennial power Wheeler (Marietta). The 6-7, 215-pounder averaged 13.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists last year as a sophomore.
* Kentucky has received a commitment from 6-6 rising senior DeAndre Liggins, who averaged 14 points, 10 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 steals last year for Chicago Washington. He plans to play his final high school season at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.
* Veteran Indiana coach Al Rhodes has moved from Logansport to Fort Wayne Northrop. In 26 years, Rhodes has compiled a 444-180 record, which includes 405-133 and the 1984 state championship in 22 years at Warsaw.
* Dirk Walker is the third member of his family to become the head coach at Cactus Shadows (Cave Creek, Ariz.). His father, Darl, was head coach from 1993-96, while his brother, Randy, coached from 1996-2002. Dirk also played four years under his brother.
* Dr. Scott Rogers is the new girls coach at Indian Hill (Cincinnati, Ohio) where his daughter, Aubrey, will be a sophomore guard. Rogers, who is a practicing dentist, coached powerhouse Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati) to a 115-19 record in five years, including a Division I state title in 2004 and 2006 and a state runner-up finish in 2005. His 2004 team was 28-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Potpourri
* The USA softball team defeated Japan, 3-1, to win the ISF Junior Women's World Championships in the Netherlands. The Americans won all 10 games with a huge 88-4 scoring margin. Outfielder Brittany Lastrapes of Laguna Hills, Calif., batted .548, drove in six runs and stole five bases to earn MVP honors.
* Mishawaka Marian rising junior Adam Sumrall won the Indiana state junior golf championship with a 5 and 4 victory over Avon's Blair Webb. Though seeded No. 4, Sumrall won all six of his matches without having to play the entire 18 holes.
* Our congratulations go out to Henry "Turtle" Thomas on his new job as head baseball coach at Florida International University, a Division I school in Miami. He long has been one of the finest high school talent scouts in the USA, having been an assistant at such powerhouses as Miami, LSU and Arizona State. With 30 years as a college assistant, the personable Thomas definitely has paid his dues.
