Akron Beacon Journal
8/24
Posted on Wed, Aug. 24, 2005
CARTER MAKING NAME FOR HIMSELF
Copley senior tailback will hear it called often for Indians this season
By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal sports writer
Football fans know his name now and even how to spell it.
Copley tailback Delone Carter changed gears as deftly as Lance Armstrong last season, going from relative obscurity to all-state seemingly overnight.
Carter was No. 2 on the Hoban depth chart in 2002 and 2003 behind one Tyrell Sutton, a back destined to be the state's all-time leading rusher.
Upon his transfer to Copley for his junior year in 2004, Carter stood on his own skills in rushing for 2,556 yards and scoring 29 touchdowns to help the Indians finish in a three-way tie for the Suburban League title and reach the Division II regional final.
``I showed everyone what I could do instead of sitting in the background,'' said the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Carter, a first-team all-state selection in Division II. ``I showed I am not just another running back; I am one of the good running backs.''
The attention he received also was instrumental in showing people how to spell his name. A typo in the Copley program -- it was ``Deleone'' -- had fans, opponents, the media and public-address announcers using that version of his first name in the early games in 2004.
Once interviews came following one outstanding performance after another, the truth came out.
``That didn't bother me,'' Carter said about the mistake. ``I was just happy to be playing football.''
Copley coach Dan Boarman was just as happy that Carter was playing football for him.
``What people have to remember is that he didn't have much experience when he came to us... he had so few carries,'' said Boarman, whose teams have made the state playoffs in six of the past seven years. ``What you notice about him on film from game one to game 13 was that he got better and better. His best football is ahead of him.''
Such improvement will come as a senior at Copley in 2005 and as a college player after that at Syracuse University, to which Carter orally committed on Aug. 8.
If there is improvement in Carter's performance this season, opponents don't want to hear it and don't want to live it.
Carter has decent speed (4.4 in the 40), but his strength is, well, his strength. He routinely broke tackles last season, with power and balance that brought him many of his yards after the initial contact.
``He scares me. He is so strong and doesn't slow down when he is hit,'' Revere coach Terry Cistone said. ``I saw him in track in the spring and couldn't believe the size of him. His legs are huge and he has such a strong upper body. You have to wrap him up to tackle him.''
Wadsworth coach Greg Dennison said his Grizzlies have a definite game plan on defense against Carter.
``We tell our team you can't hit him with one or two guys. We have to play team defense on him,'' Dennison said. ``He has power, yet he can make you miss and he has such great vision.''
Carter doesn't like to be typecast as a power back, so he has spent the offseason working on his quickness and elusiveness.
``I want to be a well-rounded back. I want to do everything well,'' Carter said. ``I do enjoy running over people, but I don't want to be known just for that.''
Carter, who picked Syracuse over Kentucky and Wisconsin, was thrilled about his individual performance last season, but was just as excited about being part of a team that went 10-3 and took Tallmadge to the wire in the regional final.
``That was great. Nobody expected us to go that far. We proved everybody wrong,'' he said. ``We meshed as a team.''
The 2005 Indians have a high number of graduation losses on defense. But with Carter expected to carry the ball early and often, the Indians will never be out of any game.
``I will run as many times as they want me to... I'll do whatever it takes to help us win,'' Carter said. ``Some people will underestimate us again. We will be pretty good.''
With Delone Carter -- not Deleone Carter -- as the focal point.