Not too far outside Peoria, IL, lies Washington Community High School, a place where the athletic programs have flourished in recent years, with the boys baseball, basketball and football teams all making playoff runs.
The Panthers of the gridiron enjoyed a 10-2 season and are looking forward to another good year in 2009 as they return several key starters, including defensive end Colton Underwood.
The 6'4, 255-lb Underwood made All-State honorable mention after recording 18 sacks, eight tackles for loss and 46 tackles (35 solo). That performance has brought about some interest from schools, but there are still plenty who have yet to discover him.
"I've only heard from Purdue, Illinois and Illinois State," he said.
Underwood says he would like to hear more from Northwestern, Michigan, Michigan State and other Big Ten schools.
He describes his style of play as, "I'm an aggressive defensive lineman that can play all four down lineman positions."
He also played fullback a year ago and rushed for 810 yards and eight touchdowns on 145 carries.