Posted on Wed, Jun. 11, 2008

St. Thomas Aquinas' talented receiving trio of Duron Carter, Dwayne Difton and Gabe Holmes have had the attention of college coaches for a while now.

The receivers known for their various skills set and physical tools have letters from college coaches piling their mailboxes.

As for the attention and respect of opponents, well, that might have finally come to fruition last December.

The Raiders were battling Kissimmee Osceola for the Class 5A state championship when Carter taught a Kowboys defensive back a lesson.

''In the 2007 state final someone was telling me that my dad [former NFL great Cris Carter] was good, but that I'm not,'' recalled Duron Carter, with a wide smile across his face. ``So then I went out and scored a touchdown on him. He didn't say anything after that anymore.''

St. Thomas rolled past Osceola 35-20 that day and claimed the 5A football crown.

For an encore performance, the Raiders will heavily rely on receivers Carter and Difton and tight end Holmes.

With Carter, the Raiders have the prototypical receiver.

A BIGGER FRAME

Carter has grown two inches and added 15 pounds from last season and is now 6-3, 185 pounds.

Besides his impressive frame, Carter also has great football instincts that in part can be attributed to having a future Hall of Famer for a father.

''It definitely helps us a lot,'' said Duron, of Cris, who helps out the Raiders receivers. ``Having the NFL experience he has out here coaching high school players definitely gives us an edge over our competition. It helps us excel to the college level having us know more information than others.''

Said Miami Herald recruiting analyst Larry Blustein: ``You figured that this one-time quarterback prospect would find himself at the position that will soon put his father, Cris, in the Hall of Fame. Tremendous football player who is getting better all the time.''

Carter has a long list of college suitors, among them: Florida, Auburn, Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, West Virginia, Wisconsin and South Florida.

Carter was second on the Raiders in receiving last season with 22 catches for 361 yards and eight touchdowns.

Difton, who will lineup opposite Carter, is the Raiders downfield threat with his speed.

The 5-10 receiver was third on the team with 19 receptions, 276 yards and two touchdowns last season.

With leading receiver Phillip Pierre-Louis graduated, Difton's role will increase.

``Difton has perhaps as much skill level at the position as anyone in the state,''Blustein said. ``USF and Syracuse are among the programs that are looking to upgrade their offense -- quickly.''

A NEW SPORT FOR HOLMES

The most intriguing for college coaches of the St. Thomas receivers this season is Holmes, who initially shied away from football.

Having played basketball all his life, Holmes, a 6-5 man-child, was asked by Raiders football coach George Smith to come out for the football team his freshman season.

The problem with football at the time for Holmes was that the Raiders didn't play their home games in an air-conditioned dome.

''I didn't like football my freshman year,'' Holmes recalled. ``So I ended up quitting to go back to playing basketball. I'm used to air conditioning so out here in the sun I didn't really like it.''

Smith didn't give up in trying to land the athletic tight end.

''Coach Smith showed me what I could have playing football,'' Holmes said. ``A lot of college coaches were calling me every night for football when they found out I came back to football. I wasn't getting too many calls for basketball.''

Holmes played junior varsity his sophomore year after he split the webbing of his right hand.

Last season, his first on varsity, Holmes had a modest seven catches for 72 yards, but he did score three touchdowns.

Despite not filling up the stat sheet in his junior season, Holmes has attracted plenty of attention for having played only one season of high school football.

Florida State, FIU, Ole Miss, Rutgers and South Florida have all shown interest in the former power forward-turned-tight end.

''Gabe Holmes certainly has a great upside to him,'' Smith said.