During Friday’s preliminary heats, Carter pulled up with a hamstring injury during his leg of the 4x100-meter relay. His four-man group, which was one of the top contenders for a state title, finished eighth as a result and did not qualify for Saturday’s finals.
As a result of the injury, Carter also had to withdraw from his final event of Friday: the 200-meter dash. He remained a question mark to participate in the 100-meter dash and 4x200-meter relay, the two events he qualified for prior to getting hurt.
But boy, did Carter ever make a statement Saturday afternoon. Carter lined up in Lane 4 during the state finals of the 100-meter dash and then blazed down the track in 10.66 seconds to capture his second-straight Division II state title (Carter ran a 10.55 during Friday’s prelims). He limped his way over to the awards tent where he would receive his medal. His day was done. He couldn’t compete as his team’s anchor in the 4x200-meter relay.
“My teammates, my coaches and my mom, they got me together mentally,” Carter said following his race of how he was able to bounce back from the hamstring injury. “They believed in me so I believed in myself, so that’s pretty much it.”
“It didn’t humble me, I feel like I’m humble as is, but I feel like it motivated me to never give up.”
Carter will only be a junior next year at Streetsboro High School. He’s more than just a track star, though. He’s a rising football prospect and, obviously, is one of the fastest players in the 2017 class.
For the Rockets, Carter plays on both sides of the ball. He’s a wide receiver on offense and plays in the secondary on defense. And, with his blazing speed, he’s also dynamic in the return game as both a kick and punt returner.
“I’m coachable, I can go play quarterback, I can go play wide receiver, I can go play running back, I can go play DB or safety,” Carter said. “Anything you ask me to, I can do it. I describe myself as fast, lethal, I’m a threat and I believe in myself that I can do anything.”
Carter said he’d be willing to play both sports in college should that opportunity present itself. He is listed at just 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds so size is still a major question. His speed, however, is not. According to Rivals, Carter currently has five scholarship offers: Toledo, Bowling Green, Ohio, Akron and Cincinnati.
He was in attendance two weeks ago at The Opening’s regional camp in Columbus and was happy with his performance.
“I think I did pretty good. I think I impressed some of the coaches and a lot of the coaches were surprised that I was only a sophomore. I knew I couldn’t get invited (to The Opening), but I was there for the experience. I’m glad I went and I’ll be back next year, for sure.”
The Buckeyes seem to have their sights set on some bigger targets in the 2017 class, specifically at wide receiver. But Carter — who described himself as an athlete, not a football player — could be someone to keep an eye on.