Tuesday, November 3, 1998
Times have changed for Lewis
By Bobby Burton
Special to ESPN.com
"The first time Chris came out, he must have been about 9 (years-old).
We're running everybody through the normal drills, letting them kick, pass,
the whole thing," said Chuck Fabian of his prize pee-wee league pupil.
"And out comes Chris and he throws the ball 40 yards in the air."
"We immediately put him at quarterback in games and threw the ball a lot,"
said Fabian.
But Chris didn't immediately take to the position.
"He didn't like
quarterback very much back then, especially at first. The offensive line
wasn't very good and he was spending more time on his back-side than
anywhere else," said Fabian.
Time and things have changed.
Today, Chris Lewis is the quarterback and leader of Long Beach Poly
(Calif.), the nation's second-ranked
high school team. Lewis hasn't lost a game as starting quarterback in two
years and has passed for 1,652 yards and 22 touchdowns with only three
interceptions this season alone. He is one of the nation's most heavily
recruited quarterbacks and certainly one of the winningest
But Lewis takes the success all in stride.
"I try not to get too emotional about things. I'm a little emotional on the
field, but I try to let my game do the talking for me," said Lewis.
His game has done plenty of talking, especially amongst recruiters. Lewis
says he will choose from Stanford, Cal, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Washington,
Colorado and BYU. All of the schools have offered him a scholarship.
Lewis and four of his Poly High teammates -- Kareem Kelly, Darrell Rideaux,
Larry Croom and Sammie Parker -- made their official visits to Cal last
weekend for the Bears' game against UCLA.
"I think we all liked it there," said Lewis.
"Cal and Stanford are probably my two favorites right now," said Lewis. "I
don't really have a clear-cut leader. I just want to finish taking my
visits then come to a decision with the help of my mom and dad."
Lewis has two other visits scheduled -- one to Stanford for Nov. 6 and one to
Notre Dame on Jan. 15. He may schedule visits with Tennessee and Colorado
in the next couple of weeks.
Lewis' sister Robyn plays volleyball for Stanford. So many insiders believe
the Cardinal have the inside track.
"It would be neat to be with my sister, but that's not going to be what
really makes my decision. I've got to decide what's best for me."
Whatever Lewis decides, whether he plays for Stanford, Cal or any other
college on fall Saturdays, he says he's certain he will make the "right"
decision.
Like the "right" decision Chuck Fabian made to put the nine-year-old Lewis
at the helm of the North Long Beach Panthers after seeing the youngster
wing the football 40 yards in the air.
Atlantic
Quarterback C.J. Leak (Charlotte, N.C.) says he is planning on making
visits to three schools. "Syracuse, Notre Dame and Nebraska are the teams I
can say I am for sure going to see," said Leak.
Leak, through seven games, has passed for more than 1,500 yards and 16
touchdowns with only two interceptions. He's also rushed for eight scores.
Two Virginia natives -- Nathaniel Adibi (Hampton, Va.) and Keith Willis
(Norfolk, Va.) -- made official visits to Kentucky last weekend.
Adibi, who plays running back and defensive back, says he will make an
official visit to Penn State this weekend and also has a Dec. 11 visit
planned to Virginia Tech. Though he enjoyed his trip to Kentucky, Adibi
says the Nittany Lions and Hokies are his top two choices.
Willis, a tight end and defensive end, also has other visits scheduled. He
is slated to visit Virginia Tech on Nov. 20, Georgia on Nov. 27,
Virginia on Dec. 4 and Michigan on Dec. 11.
"It's tough," said Willis of deciding on a school, but he listed Kentucky,
Virginia Tech and Virginia as his top three choices heading into the
remainder of his visits.
East
Boston College is doing much better than expected. With the recent
commitments from two of New Jersey's top prospects, running back William
Green (Absecon, N.J.) and defensive end Tom Martin (Howell, N.J.) the
Eagles are the surprise recruiting team of the East and possibly the country.
The Eagles are also in the running for two other top-notch prospects on the
East Coast. Lineman Augie Hoffman (Montvale, N.J.) has already made an
official visit to Notre Dame, but says BC is the team to beat for his
services.
Boston College also will be getting an official visit in December from the
nation's top quarterback, Chris Simms (Franklin Lakes, N.J.). Simms made an
official visit to Tennessee for the Vols' game with Alabama.
"I liked Tennessee a lot, but I'm nowhere near a decision," said Simms.
"I'm still planning on taking all of my visits. And I won't do that until
after the season is over."
Simms' season could last into late November. His team, Ramapo, won the
state championship and is currently 5-0 this campaign.
Simms is also considering Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, Michigan and Pitt.
Midwest
"I was surprised to say the least," said quarterback Scott McMullen
(Granville, Ohio) about being offered a scholarship by national power
Florida State a week ago. McMullen's only other previous scholarship offers
came from some MAC schools, like Akron.
"It shocked me pretty good. I come from a pretty small town and I didn't
expect it. It just came out of the blue," said McMullen.
"At first, my friends thought I was joking."
Initially, so did McMullen's parents.
McMullen's father Ron put it this way: "The phone rang and Scott took the
call upstairs. About 15 minutes later Scott walked down the stairs and told
me and my wife, 'Well, I think you might be looking at a Florida State
Seminole.'"
"We said, 'What?'"
"We always believed Scott had potential, but for a top five program like
Florida State to offer your son a scholarship only validates what you've
always thought yourself," said Ron McMullen.
Southeast
Not only did Tennessee play host to Alabama on Oct. 24, it also hosted
two recruits for official visits and over 100 more for unofficial visits.
The recruits -- quarterback Chris Simms and defensive lineman Albert
Haynesworth (Hartsville, S.C.) -- are widely considered among the best in the
nation at their position.
The visit was Haynesworth's third official visits in as many weekends.
Haynesworth visited Georgia and Penn State the previous two weekends,
respectively.
"Of the three, I liked the Tennessee visit the best," said Haynesworth.
Florida, Florida State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Clemson and
Ohio State are also in the running. Haynesworth has not scheduled any other
official visits.
Two other defensive linemen are being heavily recruited. The Thompson
Twins, Derrick and Eric (both of Ita Bena, Miss.) are both 6-foot-6, and
weigh at least 260 pounds.
The Thompsons have scheduled an official visit with Michigan for Dec.
4. They also mention Georgia, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Florida,
Nebraska and Missouri as possibilties.
Big 12
What position Chris Massey (Spiro, Okl.) chooses to play in college will
have a direct effect on what school he will attend.
"If I decide that quarterback is best for me, then it looks like Nebraska
and Oklahoma State would probably be the best schools," said Massey, who is
the nation's best option quarterback.
But Massey also plays defensive back, and that means other colleges are
also a possibility. "Michigan, if I want to play defense, is a real option
because they need some people to play early in the secondary."
Massey has set two official visits, one to Nebraska on Dec. 18 and one
to Michigan on Dec. 11.
Massey says he will "probably" visit Oklahoma State unofficially. Kansas
State and Notre Dame are other possible visits.
Three of the best players in the Houston area -- Alfio Randall, Roderick
Babers and Gerome Sapp -- will make their official visit to Texas on Nov. 27.
Sapp, the nation's top safety, also has visits scheduled to Notre Dame
Dec. 4, Ohio State Dec. 11, Colorado Dec. 18 and Michigan
Jan. 8.
West
Quarterback Kyle Boller (Newhall, Calif.) is having the best year of any
quarterback in the country.
One local sportswriter even joked that Boller made him break the "Elway
Commandment". As in, thall shalt not compare any Southern California high
school quarterback to the man behind center of the Super Bowl Champion
Denver Broncos.
The reason the sportswriter is so impressed?
Boller has completed 119 of his 179 passes for 2,614 yards, 32 touchdowns
and only one interception in seven games this season. And the one
interception came on a pass that first deflected off of Boller's own receiver.
Oregon, Colorado, Florida State, Cal and Southern Cal are on Boller's short
list.
What's really impressive about Boller's accomplishments is that this is his
first season as a starter. Boller was the back-up last season at Hart High
to Nevada freshman sensation David Neill.
Another West Coast quarterback, Matt Berry (Redmon, Wash.) of Eastlake High
has committed to BYU. Berry selected the Cougars over Washington, Arizona,
Colorado and Oregon.
Across town from Berry is lineman Dan Major (Redmond, Wash.) of Redmond
High who is one of the more heavily recruited linemen in the Pacific
Northwest.
Major has visits scheduled to Washington for Dec. 11 and to Colorado
for Dec. 18. Oregon, Arizona, Southern Cal and San Diego State are also
in the picture for Major, who starts at offensive tackle and defensive end.
Bobby Burton is editor of The National Recruiting Advisor. To subscribe, dial toll-free
1-888-TNRA-NOW or 888-867-2669 (seven issues for $59, plus regional newsletters for an additional $20 per region). For the latest on your favorite college, dial
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