Houston junior one of Lone Star States best

In the shadows of one of Texas' most dominant programs, lies Hitchcock, Texas – a town whose football talent has been pillaged for years by neighboring LaMarque High School.

A few slip through the cracks to the Class 2A school like Kansas-commit Josh Bell and Texas Prep Xtra's All-Greater Houston MVP Marquis Lowe.

"Ki Ki" Lowe, a 5-9 junior athlete, is clone of LaMarque's Russell Ball – who missed this season with a knee injury, but will still sign with Florida State. However, it was Lowe who stole the show in the south Houston suburb racking up 2,208 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns – at quarterback. He also threw for 990 yards.

"Ki Ki was at a disadvantage last year because he was thrown into the quarterback position," Hitchcock coach Gary Carney said. "He exceeded our expectations as a runner and became quite a passer. His stats are also a little skewed because he was out of games just after halftime. We don't run up the score here."

In limited playing time, he accounted for 323 yards of offense per game, while also starring at cornerback.

"I'm a breakaway runner," he said. "I don't have five-and 10-yards runs. It's more like 70-yarders.

"I like playing in the slot or running back," he said in earshot of his coach. "I hope to play that in college."

"Oh no, he'll be our quarterback," Carney said, overhearing the conversation. "I really think he's a better defensive back than anything. He will hit you. Ki Ki has a lot of football sense that you can't teach."

Whatever position he plays, he is already receiving interest from several national programs. He is taking the standardized tests this weekend with hopes of getting academically qualified before the end of his junior year. He has no favorites at this date.

"I'll go wherever I can get on the field quickest," he said. "Wherever will let me play. I really want to go wherever he's going."

He - is teammate and big brother-influence Josh Bell who is currently committed to Kansas.

"We've been real tight for years and that's not just talk," Bell said. "We'd like to tear it up at the same place."

Lowe's track credentials mirror his football legend. As a freshman, Lowe reached the state finals in the 100-meter-dash and runs competitively throughout the spring and summer with his high school and AAU teams.

"We go everywhere to run," he said. "All across the country."

For football recruiters the most important race he will run in the spring is at the Nike Camp at Fort Worth, Texas, where he plans on attending.

Get your stopwatches tuned up.