Kennedy’s Carter Commits to Arizona

Kennedy High running back Ontiwaun Carter, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the past three seasons, has committed to play next season at Arizona.

Carter, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound tailback from Pacoima who was a two-time All-City Section and a two-time Times All-Valley selection, chose Arizona over USC, Washington, Cal and Washington State.

The school’s career rushing leader, Carter gained 4,274 yards in three seasons. Last fall, he gained a school single-season record 1,538 yards and scored 20 touchdowns.

Carter said he chose Arizona, a Pacific 10 Conference school that features a ground-oriented offensive attack, primarily because he felt comfortable there.

“I just had that instinct--you can pretty much tell when you walk off the plane that this is the place for you,” he said. “I wanted to get away from L. A. and I wanted to experience the college-type atmosphere.”

Carter, who still must score the NCAA-required 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, said he will nonetheless take a scheduled visit to Washington State this weekend.