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12/21/05

Cleveland Plain Dealer Football Offensive Player Of The Year...

FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
'Human highlight' reel dazzled again and again


Tuesday, December 20, 2005 Tim Rogers
Plain Dealer Reporter
Spectacular runs were common. Memorable runs were the routine.

That's how it went this season for Copley running back Delone Carter, who has been chosen as The Plain Dealer's Offensive Football Player of the Year.

The hard-running Carter, whose ability to run over or around would-be tacklers enabled him to rush for 2,735 yards and 49 touchdowns, was a human highlight film practically every Friday and eventually earned the distinction of being named Ohio's Mr. Football.

Seemingly everyone connected with the Copley program had their favorite Carter moment. Was it the two 60-yard runs that capped a 375-yard, six-touchdown night against Wadsworth? Or, how about one of his six touchdown runs over rain-soaked Gene Clark Stadium when he ran for an incredible 438 yards against Cloverleaf?

However, the one that should go down as the greatest run of his high school career came during a Week 4 victory over Barberton. It was the last of his four touchdowns that night, a trip that covered 50 yards and a mile of astonishment.

"I think I did pretty good on that one," said Carter, easily his toughest critic. "I really can't tell you how I did it. I know I felt like I was going down twice but I was able to stay on my feet."

Known as "37 trap-lead," the play begins with the ball on the 50-yard line.
Carter is handed the ball on a sweep to the right. A defender almost trips him up. Carter plants his left hand in the turf at the Barberton 49, enabling him to maintain his balance.

Another defender hits him before he is upright, but he spins out of his grasp and momentarily breaks free.

Cutting back against the grain he is hit again, and again appears headed to the turf. For a second time, he spins out of the tackle and appears to lose his balance. Once more, he saves himself by planting his left arm on the ground. He is at the Barberton 38. There is nobody left to tackle him.

He romps untouched the rest of the way.

"I've been coaching for 31 years and I have never seen a run like that," Copley coach Dan Boarman said at the time.

It might be 31 more years before he sees another.

School: Copley

Year: Senior

Position: Running back

Superstar stats: Relentless would be a good way to describe his running style after a prolific seas on in which he ran for 2,735 yards and 49 touchdowns on 289 carries in 12 games, and was named Mr. Football. He ran for 5,291 yards and 77 touchdowns on 619 carries in two seasons at Copley, which reached the Division II playoffs both seasons. He had games of 438 yards and six touchdowns on 32 carries against Cloverleaf and 375 yards and six TDs on 25 attempts against Wadsworth.

What you didn't know: Carter plans on majoring in business at Syracuse and hopes one day to own his own hotel and/or health club.

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Delone Carter, Copley, football – Offensive MVP

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