Cater makes his pick: Syracuse
Riverhead middle linebacker commits verbally
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Riverhead's Malcolm Cater extended himself to block this extra-point attempt by North Babylon's Adam Amin.
Cater, a middle linebacker who will enter his senior season with the Riverhead High School football team in September, has verbally committed to attend Syracuse University. In accepting a full scholarship offer from Syracuse last Thursday, Cater opted to decline similar packages from Rutgers and Temple.
In Cater, Syracuse gets an active, athletic tackler who likes contact and was the defensive most valuable player for Riverhead's undefeated Long Island Class II champion team last year. The all-league player, a transfer from Wyandanch, led the Blue Waves with 106 tackles in his first season at Riverhead, which became the first Long Island team to post a 12-0 record.
Cater also won the team's Hammer Award an unprecedented three times during the season. That weekly honor is given to the player judged to have made the biggest hit in a game.
"He was a great player on a very good team," Riverhead Coach Leif Shay said. "He came into a good situation where he didn't have to be a standout player, he could be a role player. I think it was good. It relieved some of the pressure off him."
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Cater runs the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds and can bench 365 pounds, according to rivals.com.
The Riverhead player's decision to play for the Orange seems part of a renewed commitment by Syracuse to recruit top New York State players. Earlier last week, Syracuse reportedly received a verbal commitment from linebacker Mario Tull of Xaverian High School in Brooklyn.
Shay said Syracuse pushed for Cater. The coach said he received calls from such Syracuse alumni as former all-American quarterback Don McPherson and Babylon High School's former coach, Hans Wiederkehr, who pushed for Cater to join the Orange. "They really pulled out all the stops," said Shay.
Shay said what might have put Syracuse over the top was the academic support it could provide Cater, as well as the degree of interest it showed in him. "I think at the end of the day, Malcolm figured this team really wants me," said Shay.
Repeated attempts to reach Cater for comment were unsuccessful prior to the deadline.
In going to Syracuse, Cater would extend a Riverhead presence on the team. Mike Owen, a senior tight end from Riverhead, is a returning starter for the Orange.
Cater has one more high school season ahead of him. Shay said that in addition to Cater playing middle linebacker, he will also use him as a running back. Shay said, "You have a kid like that, you have to put him to use."
bliepa@timesreview.com
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1 comments found
: 7/2/2009
Congradulations Malcolm! You are a fine young man.
