Underdog Story: RB Katravis Geter Looking to Get UM's Attention
On the first drive of a big game players and coaches want everything to go right. That didn’t necessarily happen last season when Miami Carol City took on perennial powerhouse Miami Central at Traz Powell Stadium in the season's third game. Carol City running back Katravis Geter, then a junior, was looking to build on a successful sophomore campaign when, unfortunately, things broke left.
“I was in the slot and I caught a bubble screen and I cut outside,” Geter said. “The safety came down, I stiff armed him, and he grabbed my arm and his leg wrapped around my leg, and my leg got stuck inside the turf. My body turned out of bounds left and my ankle turned the opposite way.”
Geter, now a senior, has strong ties to the University of Miami. His former high school head coach, Benedict Hyppolite, was hired by the Canes as an offensive graduate assistant for the offense this year and UM starting running back Cam’Ron Harris is a former Carol City running back.
“He (Hyppolite) always tells me my time is going to come,” Geter said. “He asked me how do I feel about playing for UM, and I would love to play for UM, just because it’s hometown.
“I love UM, but I just want to go somewhere I can compete and possibly play my freshman year. I want to go to a school where I feel comfortable and where I can get a good education.”
Geter (5-10, 190) is on the cusp of becoming an SI99 player and could achieve that feat if he gets a chance to play his senior year.
But the fallout from that 2019 ankle injury must be overcome.
From pure heart and adrenaline Geter finished that game against Central.
“I just told the trainer to tape me up and I played the rest of the game because my team needed me,” he said.
Geter scored three touchdowns with what was believed to be a high ankle sprain in a 49-26 loss.
The resilient running back relied on his love for football to carry him through the rest of the 2019 season. Geter would go on to play five more games including a first-round playoff against rival and eventual 4A champion Miami Booker T. Washington. Geter finished that game with 220 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown.
Geter finished his sophomore season with 964 yards rushing, 487 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns.
The all-purpose back is looking to prove that he can bounce back from injury and bounce onto a D-I program.
“As of right now I’ve been touch with coach (Tim) Harris from FIU, South Dakota and Tennessee State,” Geter said.
“I’ve been in contact with Penn State and Georgia, but they really want to know if I’m healthy from my injury. I hope we have a season because it’s really important for my recruiting process.”
An eerily similar situation happened to running back Nay’quan Wright, Geter’s former Carol City teammate. Wright, after a spectacular sophomore year, also suffered an ankle injury as a junior but it forced Wright to miss the entire season.
Wright had to prove his sophomore season wasn’t a fluke and he did so as a senior. Wright eventually signed with Florida. Geter hopes also sign with a D-I program.
“He (Wright) just tells me to keep working and to keep grinding,” Geter said. “He tells me this is what we we’re made for, to get through situations like this.”
In the offseason, Geter trained with Wright and Carol City running backs coach Jerry Seymour. Geter strength training with former UM signee Willie Williams at Strong Arm Fitness in Hialeah.
“I’m 100 percent (healthy),” Geter said. “I ran a 4.67 (40-yard dash time) on laser coming into high school and I’m just working on getting back to that level of explosiveness.”
After the season Geter learned he actually had a slight fracture in his ankle and had to rehabilitate the injury for two months before training. Geter maintained a 3.1 grade point average in the process, scored exactly 1000 on the SAT, and is on schedule to graduate early in December.
“I’m en route to enroll early so I can be in college in the spring and have a better shot at playing my freshman year,” Geter said.
Colleges are seemingly taking a wait-and-see approach with Geter. Unfortunately for Geter, the COVID-19 pandemic has put the Florida high school football season in jeopardy.
Geter played with SI99 members James Williams and Terrence Lewis in youth football at Carol City. Williams is committed to Miami while Lewis is committed to Tennessee. Geter is disappointed that the injury has hindered his recruiting process.
“Looking back, I should have waited it out and came back at a reasonable time,” said Geter regretfully. “But I’m coming for it all this year. I have something to prove.”
Geter is ready to make a comeback if COVID-19 permits. All he needs is a chance to revisit the success of that sophomore season.
“A lot of people didn’t know I played hurt for most of the year (last season) and that’s why the verbal offers backed off of me,” he said, “but football and my education is life for me.”
