ALTON - If there’s anyone who’s embodied the spirit of Marquette Explorer football over the past few seasons, it’s been Carter Dennis.
Usually an unsung hero on the offensive and defensive line, in Marquette’s final home game of the season, head coach Eric Dickerson drew up a play to get the senior lineman the ball.
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Carter made a move like a seasoned halfback, got to the outside, and scored a six-yard rushing touchdown in his final game wearing Explorer Blue at Public School Stadium. The touchdown got the biggest cheer from the night from Marquette fans, and from Carter’s teammates alike.
“When we drew up that little play to get him the ball, I had no idea we’d be down by the goal line,” said Eric Dickerson, on getting Carter the ball in the fourth quarter of their final regular season game. “It was a great team moment there, and for Carson to end his high school career that way is awesome.”
Carter thought so too.
“It was special, for sure,” said Carter Dennis after the game, still holding onto the football he scored a touchdown with. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for three years.”
It hasn’t always gone Marquette’s way in Carter Dennis’s time in Explorer Blue, but he’s taken pride in being a leader for the Explorers.
“Sometimes you have to bear through it, show that leadership, that enthusiasm,” said Dennis. “We (seniors) have to bring the energy, and show the rest of the team what its like to be a good football player.”
Carter also noted that football has been his favorite sport since he started playing it. “This is my sport.”
“Honestly, he’s the heart and soul (of the team),” said Marquette head coach Eric Dickerson. “A kid that practiced every day like he played, and you just couldn’t ask for a better kid. I think he left a good legacy of what it takes to be a leader, both on and off the field.”
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