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10/8/05

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</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Delone Carter's stiff arm on the face mask of defender Dan Robinson earned him a penalty. The drive several plays later gave Copley a tying touchdown in the 2nd quarter as Wadsworth High school football hosted Copley High School during a steady drizzle at Art Wright Stadium, in Wadsworth, Ohio October 7, 2005. (Akron Beacon Journal/ Lew Stamp)
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Senior carries Copley to win


Carter rushes for 375 yards, scores five TDs. Indians' defense excels

By David Lee Morgan Jr.

Beacon Journal sports writer

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WADSWORTH - Copley senior running back Delone Carter makes carrying the football look so easy.
His running style is a pleasure to watch. He's fluid, graceful and elusive in the open field, but he also can use his strength to run directly through a would-be tackler.
Friday night at Wadsworth, Carter ran every which way, amassing 375 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries in a 47-15 Suburban League win for the Indians (5-2 overall, 2-2).
It was the second time this season that Carter has exceeded the 300-yard mark.
How good was it for Carter on Friday night?
He had 226 yards at halftime and 304 yards and three touchdowns after his 78-yard run on Copley's first play of the second half, with 8:20 left in the third quarter. The score helped give the Indians a 33-7 lead.
``The coaches put it in our minds this week that our backs were against the wall,'' Carter said of the Indians' two-game losing streak. ``We knew we had to come out fighting.''
And to show his full range of talents, Carter caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jason Borchik. And he also registered a sack as a linebacker.
Carter did it all.
``What can you say about the kid, he's just a great player,'' Copley coach Dan Boarman said. ``But we have a great bunch of kids who hate to lose.''
Is Carter the area's best back?
``I want to be considered the best, but everyone has their own opinion so I just have to go out there, trust myself and play as hard as I can,'' Carter said.
Wadsworth coach Greg Dennison has been around the sport a long time and has seen some special players in his days. Dennison was impressed with Carter, a Syracuse recruit.
``He's a great back, but we didn't hit him,'' Dennison said. ``When you don't hit a great back, he's even greater.''
For the Grizzlies, (4-3, 1-3), and Copley for that matter, Friday night's game was a must-win as far as the Suburban League race was concerned. Tallmadge is unbeaten at 4-0 in the league after beating Barberton on Friday night.
Now, the Grizzlies can only hope for some kind of miracle to stay in contention for the league title. Wadsworth's final three games are against Tallmadge, Highland and Revere.
``We still have a lot to play for,'' Dennison said. ``We'll regroup, and we'll be better for this.''
Meanwhile, as Carter was leading Copley's offense, the entire defensive unit did an effective job in limiting the Grizzlies' big plays.
Linemen Mike Nitz, A.J. Meyer, Joe Matesevac and Virgil Walker, linebackers Chase Klingenstein, Rico Binford, Nick Towns, Drew Miller and Walt Harris and defensive backs David Arnold, Nick Louis and Utomhin Okoh allowed just one touchdown through three quarters.
The unit also scored a touchdown, as Okoh returned an interception 75 yards with 1:01 left in the second quarter to enable the Indians to hold a 26-7 halftime lead.
Grizzlies running back Dru Jones rushed for 133 yards on 20 carries, and quarterback Scott Saylor scored Wadsworth's two touchdowns on short runs.
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