Interest rising for QB Merritt

Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith quarterback Dexter Merritt is getting a lot of early college interest. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder is hearing from just about everybody according to Oscar Smith head coach Richard Morgan.

"Goodness, he is getting a lot of letters from Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Syracuse, West Virginia and others," Morgan said. "It is way too early for him to have favorites right now. He's just taking the whole recruiting process in."

In his first year starting at quarterback for Oscar Smith, Merritt threw for 1,900 yards, 19 touchdowns and just three interceptions as he went on to lead the team to a 12-1 record.

"Dexter is a very intelligent player and broke school records here for passing and completion percentage," he said. "He is a confident player and a good leader and those are great qualities to have in a quarterback. Besides being a smart player, he is intelligent in the classroom too as he is a 3.0 student and on the honor roll."

Last season Merritt was named second team all-district.