Carpenter starring on the court

Associated Press

The minute someone hears that his name is Carpenter and that he’s from central Ohio’s Lancaster, they think he’s a football standout.

Lancaster Fairfield Christian Academy’s Steven Carpenter is upholding a sterling family tradition in athletics, only in a different sport.

The 6-foot-4 sophomore point guard is the first cousin of former Lancaster football greats Bobby, Jonathan, George and Nathan Carpenter, all of whom earned Division I football scholarships.

Bobby, the best known of the Carpenter brothers, played on Ohio State’s 2002 national championship team and now plays linebacker for the Detroit Lions. Their dad, Rob, is the long-time Lancaster football coach who spent 11 years as a running back in the NFL.

Steven’s father Craig (Rob’s younger brother) earned a football scholarship and lettered at Northwestern. He is now the principal at Division IV Fairfield Christian Academy.

Steven, who gave up football after his freshman season to focus on basketball, leads central Ohio in scoring at 25.2 points per game. He also averages 7.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists. 4.1 steals and 1.6 blocks.

FCA coach Roger Hooper, who has coached for 30 seasons, has no doubt Carpenter will follow family tradition by earning a major-college athletic scholarship.