Student-Athlete of the Week – Jerome Carter

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) -- Rancho Mirage soccer standout Jerome Carter is our latest student-athlete of the week.

"He's unstoppable. He has all the moves, all the skills that a player, that a forward needs to have, but he also cherishes part of the game by being a contributor and part of the team," said head coach Carlos Calixto.

Jerome Carter is much more than just a goal scorer. He's a play-maker with over 25 points this season.

And it's his approach to the game that's made him stand out above the rest.

"I just put myself in that space where I'm the best player on the field, trying to be humble as possible, but that's where I put myself," said Jerome Carter.

Carter leads the Desert Empire League in goals scored. And he's already won a league title, so there isn't much that he hasn't done in his career at Rancho Mirage, but it's a minor injury he faced early on that's brought him to stardom at the high school level.

"They definitely set you back, but they also build you slowly. There's things that happen for a reason, like I say, that was because of God had to slow me down a little bit. That happened before one of my professional trials, so it made me recuperate and become better and then I'm playing with my boys. I'm happy to be here," said Carter.

The senior star has all the tools to make it at the next level, and coach Calixto always knew when Carter stepped onto the pitch for the Rattlers that he was not only a one-of-a-kind athlete, but an even better person.

"He's determined to work. He wants it and he doesn't cut any corners, but that's his commitment to the sport. That's what he wants, he wants to pursue it, whether it's college or outside college, whatever might end up happening for him. And he's gonna do really well," said Calixto.

The student-athlete of the week segment airs every Tuesday on KESQ News Channel 3.

If you know a senior who is a strong student, standout athlete and an exceptional person, submit a nomination to share@kesq.com.