SHAWN ROCCO - srocco@newsobserver.com
Millbrook senior Keith Marshall is one of the country's best running back prospects and is a five-star recruit.
Keith Marshall, one of the top-ranked high school running backs in the country, is expected to announce his college decision within the next few weeks. Marshall will graduate from Millbrook in December and enroll in college for the spring semester.
Warren Marshall, Keith's father, said he expects the decision to be announced by the first week in December. Warren Marshall said his son had taken official visits to Georgia, Florida, Clemson and Notre Dame and plans to visit South Carolina.
"Those schools are in the forefront, but UNC is still in the picture. We have been there several times," Warren Marshall said.
Keith Marshall rushed for 1,891 yards and scored 25 touchdowns for a 6-6 Millbrook team despite facing defenses designed to stop him. He averaged more than seven yards per carry.
Marshall was the 2011 N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A 100-meter dash champion. He runs 40 yards in less than 4.4 seconds. He also maintains a 4.1 grade point average.
"Throughout the recruitment process, we've tried to keep Keith's education at the front," Warren Marshall said. "He has focused on his academics."
George to State: Millbrook's Samantha George, who has won five NCHSAA running championships, signed with N.C. State this week.
George won the NCHSAA 4-A cross country title this fall and had previously won the 1,600 meter run in the 2009 and 2010 indoor seasons, and in the 2010 and 2011 outdoor championships.
She also seriously considered Syracuse and Arizona State.
"I really thought it was going to be a tougher decision than it turned out to be," George said. "After my visits, I knew State was the place for me. I felt comfortable there."
George was impressed with the coaching staff at State and liked the Wolfpack runners.
"The girls are really nice," she said. "I felt I fit in well."
Suggs picks Wolfpack: Garrett Suggs, a fast, sure-handed junior baseball centerfielder, committed to N.C. State this week.
"We talk to the players about their options and with Garrett it was not a question of if he would play college baseball, but where," said veteran Fuquay-Varina baseball coach Milton Senter. "He wanted to go ahead and get his recruitment done and the colleges had seen him enough to know if they wanted to recruit him."
Suggs said he wanted to play in the ACC, liked the Wolfpack coaches, enjoyed the State players and was excited about the school's business program.
Senter said he had never had a center fielder who covered as much ground as Suggs.
"I'm known for my speed," Suggs said. "I'm not a power hitter, but I can hit singles and doubles, steal some bases, make the plays in the field."
Suggs believes State will have an outstanding team when he gets there.
"State's recruiting class is ranked No. 17 in the country," Suggs said. "I really think the program is on the upswing."
New Bern swimmer signs: Robert Armentrout, a New Bern senior, has signed with Lenoir Rhyne. He was New Bern's most valuable swimmer in 2011 and has qualified for the YMCA nationals the last two years.
Worthy commitment: Saint Mary's field hockey senior midfielder Sarah-Scott Worth made a verbal commitment to Miami of Ohio. She was the Saint Mary's captain this season and was selected to the Triangle Independent Schools Athletic Conference all-conference team. She played in the N.C. High School all-star field hockey game last Sunday.
