Lance Jeter: Basketball and football standout at Beaver Falls. Click photo for larger image.

Lance Jeter is participating in spring football practices at the University of Cincinnati, trying to work his way into playing time at receiver. While Jeter tries to make his mark in the Queen City, he is king back in his hometown.

Jeter graduated from Beaver Falls High School in June and left behind a legacy of accomplishments. One of them was being selected the Post-Gazette Athlete of the Year for the 2005-06 school year. He will be honored at the Dapper Dan Banquet.

Many great athletes have competed in high school athletics in Beaver County. Tony Dorsett, Mike Ditka, Joe Namath, Brad Davis and Lauryn Williams are just a few. Jeter might never attain the fame after high school that those athletes did, but his star shined as brightly as anyone in their high school days.

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"He may not be in a class by himself as far as athletes in Beaver County history," Beaver Falls basketball coach Doug Biega said. "But it doesn't take long to call roll in his class."

Jeter was redshirted his first season at Cincinnati. As a senior at Beaver Falls in the 2005 football season, he was one of the WPIAL's top receivers, catching 48 passes in nine games for 793 yards. He tried baseball in the spring of his senior year for the first time in his high school career, became the starting shortstop, batted better than .300 and had a walk-off grand slam in one game.

Although he has decided to concentrate on football in college, Jeter made his biggest mark in high school on the basketball court. A 6-foot-3 guard, he was a four-year starter and scored 2,243 points, 13th-best in WPIAL history. He averaged 20.2 points a game as a senior. He seemingly made umpteen winning shots in his career and his performance in the 2005 WPIAL Class AA final was one of the greatest in WPIAL history. He scored 37 points and banked in a 30-foot shot at the buzzer in the third overtime to give Beaver Falls a 79-78 victory against Aliquippa. Jeter also made a long 3-pointer at the end of regulation.

A few weeks later, he beat Aliquippa with two free throws and a steal in the PIAA semifinals. As a senior, he made a few more winning shots and helped Beaver Falls to the PIAA Class AA championship game for the second year in a row. In his four years with Beaver Falls, the Tigers had a 102-19 record.

Jeter had trouble deciding what were his best moments in high school. Maybe it's because he had so many great ones.

When Jeter graduated from Beaver Falls, it was hard to say goodbye for some.

"I love the kid to death," Biega said. "I don't know if I've ever been around a more humble kid. I'll miss coaching him. You're going to miss reporting on him. We're all going to miss watching him."