Colquitt County junior Carter Boatwright has been concentrating on football for a few years now, even getting reps on the varsity as an underclassmen, but it was this fall that the multi-sport standout (baseball) decided to focus completely on the gridiron. We are only a few games through now, but it certainly seems to be a good decision for the 6’4″ tight end.
Just last week, Boatwright flashed down the middle of the field into the back of the end zone with two Thomasville defenders in hot pursuit. The junior showed off his impressive hand-eye coordination by hauling in the pass after originally bobbling the football, but eventually corralled the ball back with his right hand as he landed just inside the back of the end zone. The catch, was truly amazing, and deservingly won Week 3’s Top Play in the state of Georgia with about 10 k votes.
The season might have started in August, but for schools like Colquitt County, preparation truly starts at the beginning of the spring semester. Adding fuel to their competitive fire was last season’s crushing state championship loss, which drove Boatwright and his teammates during the offseason for 2018 excellence.
“The offseason was very tough as expected, we came so close to winning the state championship last year, and this offseason we worked as hard as we could knowing how close we came last year to winning it all. That is what pushed me and my team this offseason to be the hardest working team in the nation,” Boatwright said.
That Colquitt County toughness was on display in the early season where Colquitt stomped fellow state power McEachern in the Corky Kell Classic 41-7. To many pundits, it was a resounding statement, and heading into Week 4 of the season they are widely considered the #1 team in 7-A.
Expectations are no doubt high, and heading into this season Boatwright and his teammates seek nothing but perfection.
“My teams expectation was to be perfect. At my school we settle for nothing but perfection in everything we do.” Boatwright continued to talk about his personal expectations, “For my self, I want to get better every day in every way that I can.”
Boatwright is hearing from several colleges at the moment, but nothing is really set in stone for visits this fall. Standing at 6’4″, and weight around 205 lbs., there should be good interest among FBS schools for the long athletic pass-catcher. Watching Colquitt Co. live he is certainly an athlete that stands out from size alone, but also shows good athletic fluidity running his routes down field.
When asked about what makes playing on Friday nights so special, Boatwright responded, “My favorite part about playing on Friday nights is playing with my brothers and playing for the people I love.”
Good news for Boatwright and his teammates, they should have a long season playing beside one another this fall based off the early season alone. On defense, they are returning a ton of experience and depth, while on the offensive side of the football players from every class have emerged as pass-receivers, while Ty Leggett and Daijun Edwards will have plenty of room to operate running behind their experienced senior laden offensive line. Jaycee Harden seems to be getting more comfortable as the new starting QB, and already shows incredible command of the offense in his first few starts, so it should be interesting to see how his chemistry develops between him and Boatwright.
Another development worth watching is Boatwright’s recruitment. It is hard to believe that his Saturday schedule remains blank from college visits this fall, especially if he continues to make impressive red zone catches like he did last weekend. Interested in recruiting Carter Boatwright? Click HERE to visit his NEW Recruit Georgia profile.
