SL standout decides to promote himself

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SL standout decides to promote himself
August 14, 2009 9:10 PM
Ryan Herman
Sports Editor

DEEP RUN — Nestled in the flat lands of southern Lenoir County, the town of Deep Run isn’t very big.

It has a small bank, a post office, zero stoplights, and according to Wikipedia.com, a population of 43.

The biggest attraction in the small town is its high school, South Lenoir. The school, which opened in 1964, isn’t known for its football program.

Since the doors opened, the Blue Devils have had just 11 winning seasons and made three playoff appearances. But there’s one player who’s trying to change that, and he’s trying to put himself — and the Blue Devils — on the map as he does it.

Rising sophomore Khadree Hooker, 15, wants to play major Division I college football one day. There are only 120 D-I Football Bowl Subdivision programs in the country, and unless your name is on some type of list, odds are those programs will pass you by.

Hooker doesn’t want to be passed by.

The 6-foot-2, 265-pound defensive tackle is doing his own marketing in hopes that a big-time program like Oklahoma or North Carolina comes knocking on his door, and he recently used a skills combine to get his name out there.

Hooker recently participated in the Rivals.com Ultimate 100 Camp at Oklahoma University in Norman, Okla., where he was ranked the third best defensive lineman among those who participated in the graduating class of 2012.

He had good enough numbers in the local combine competition in Jacksonville to be invited to the regional camp in Atlanta. His performance in Atlanta landed him a spot in the land of the Sooners.

“This was a chance to get exposure since we’re such a little school,” Hooker said. “I got some exposure, competed, and ended up in Oklahoma.”

Hooker’s numbers in Jacksonville — which he had to pay his own way to compete — were among the top. He ran a 40-yard dash in 5.1 seconds, benched 155 pounds 22 times, ran the shuttle run in 4.8 seconds and was measured with a 22-inch vertical leap.

He’s so special to South Lenoir’s success that head coach Kevin Wilson says he’ll only leave the field in kicking situations.

He’s played every position on offense except tailback and center, and is currently the team’s No. 2 quarterback.

“He won’t come off the field,” Wilson said.

Hooker said Wilson is the one who told him about the combine down in Jacksonville, and after showcasing his skills there, he had to pay for his own plane tickets to compete in Oklahoma.

Hooker didn’t mind though. Because sometimes that’s the price you pay if you want people to know who you are.

“It’s got him recognized and noticed,” Wilson said. “When you have someone that you think could have a little bit of potential talent, you have to market that person.”

Added Hooker: “I’m determined that I’m going to play Division I football, so I have to work at it and do what I need to do to get there.”