2003 Tampa Tribune Best Of The South Team:
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Melbourne Palm Bay's Xavier Carter goes over the top.
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In High-Speed Pursuit
Xavier Carter may not be America's best high-school football
player. But on one point, there's little debate. He's probably the fastest. Carter, a wide receiver from Melbourne Palm Bay, is maturing into a world-class sprinter. Catch him while you can. One day, he might be facing a
decision. The NFL or the Olympic Games? Or, perhaps, both?
 Full story
Carter sprints to three state titles
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Daytona's Xavier Lee (left)
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Florida's Mr. Football
Xavier Lee discovered his destiny at age 7. He was playing in a flag-football league, lining up at wide receiver. The pass went awry, and
the coach told Lee to chase it down and get back to the huddle. Lee threw it back - over a teammate's waiting arms, past the coach, some 50 yards in the air and into a fence that lined the field. ''Ever since then,'' Lee said, ''I was the quarterback.''
Full story
Catching Up With The 2002 Class
• 1. Xavier Carter, WR, Melbourne Palm Bay
• 2. Xavier Lee, QB, Daytona Beach Seabreeze
• 3. Keith Rivers, LB, Lake Mary
• 4. Drew Miller, OL, Sarasota Riverview
• 5. Leon Hart, OL, Columbia Spring Valley
• 6. Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville Trinity
• 7. DeMario Pressley, DL, Greensboro Dudley
• 8. Early Doucet, WR, St. Martinville
• 9. Willie Williams, LB, Miami Carol City
• 10. Drew Weatherford, QB, Land O' Lakes
• 11. Delmonte Bolden, DL, Chattanooga Tyner
• 12. Jamaal Edwards, RB, Greensboro Dudley
• 13. Markus Manson, RB, Tuscaloosa Hillcrest
• 14. Bobby Washington, RB, Miami Killian
• 15. Thomas Brown, RB, Tucker
• 16. Rory Johnson, LB, Vicksburg
• 17. George Bell, RB, Fayetteville Britt
• 18. J.R. Bryant, DB, Miami Killian
• 19. Ken Ingram, DB, Orlando Edgewater
• 20. Calvin Darity, OL, Tallahassee Lincoln
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ABOUT THE TEAM
Best Of South
The Tampa Tribune's second annual Best of the South team was chosen by 18 college recruiting coordinators from across the nation with an eye on the Feb. 4 signing date. Each coordinator was asked to pick 20 prospects from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia - covering the Southern region and all of ACC/SEC territory.
The ballot - which listed 71 players - was compliled by staff writers
Joey Johnston, Bob Bellone and Mike Servidio. It was based on a consensus
of several recruiting analysts. Receiving votes were 66 of the 71 on the
ballot, along with five write-in candidates. The top 20 vote-getters made the team.
HONORABLE MENTION
• ALABAMA (1): Tony Bell, LB, Alabaster Thompson.
• FLORIDA (7): Dumaka Atkins, OL, Sarasota Booker; Tony Carter, DB, Jacksonville Mandarin; Cornelius Ingram, QB, Hawthorne; Kyle Jackson, DB, Neptune Beach Fletcher; Aaron Jones, DL, Orlando Edgewater; Charlie Jones, RB, Homestead South Dade; Mike McIntosh, WR, Jacksonville First Coast.
• GEORGIA (3): Jeremy Ciulla, OL, Kennesaw Mountain; Calvin Johnson, WR, Tyrone Sandy Creek; Brandon Miller, DL, Colquitt Miller County.
• LOUISIANA (3): Glen Davis, OL, Baton Rouge University; Marlon Favorite, DL, Harvey West Jefferson; Ja'Kouri Williams, RB, Paquemine.
• MISSISSIPPI (2): Greg Hinds, DB, Southaven; Terrell Jackson, DB, Puckett.
• NORTH CAROLINA (2): Andre Brown, RB, Greenville Rose; Edward Hall, DL, Marshville Forest Hill.
• SOUTH CAROLINA (1): Corey Lambert, OL, Greenville.
• TENNESSEE (1): Corey Mills, DL, Memphis Christian Brothers.
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