Football combines for high school prospects give athletes an opportunity to showcase their talents and to be noticed by college recruiters. The FCA Combine held at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday did just that.

Hot Springs Lakeside wide receiver Ben Crumpton had an outstanding performance and will no doubt now garner the attention of college coaches.

Crumpton, despite a subpar start, recorded the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash, 4. 47 seconds. He had the best times in the pro-shuttle and L-drill, with a 3. 95 and 7. 09, respectively. A proshuttle time of less than 4. 0 is exceptional. He also recorded a 31 1 / 2-inch vertical leap.

Crumpton even surprised himself with his showing.

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“I was extremely pleased,” Crumpton said. “I’ve been training for a while, and I went in hoping I would do real well. I went far and beyond my expectations of the combine.”

Crumpton, 5-10, 177 pounds, came into the combine somewhat unheralded because he only played in about 4 1 / 2 games last year because of injury. Though his play was limited, Crumpton used his speed and quickness to catch 33 passes for 573 yards and 8 touchdowns. One of his better games was against Camden Fairview, when he had 12 catches for about 160 yards.

“Most of my yards came on the go routes and verticals,” Crumpton said. “I would give a quick move and take them down the sideline and the quarterback would pretty much throw it up and I would go get it.”

Lakeside Coach Randy Hornbeck has coached for 25 years and said Crumpton has the best hand-eye coordination he’s ever seen. Crumpton is fond of the SEC. “I love the SEC,” Crumpton said. “Really any school in the SEC, I would be thrilled. Of course Arkansas, I’m a diehard Arkansas fan all the way. It would be a real privilege to go there. I like [Mississippi Coach ] Houston Nutt a lot. I would like to go to Ole Miss.” Crumpton plans to attend Arkansas, Ole Miss and Tulsa football camps this summer.

EL DORADO’S FAST BACKS Two of the fastest 40 times at the combine were recorded by El Dorado’s running back duo Justin Billings and Dexter Toney. Billings, 5-7, 170, ran the fastest time of 4. 43, and Toney, 5-8, 185, was next with a time of 4. 44. Pine Bluff Dollarway athlete Jesse Grandy ran 4. 44.

Billings rushed for 848 yards on 144 carries and 11 touchdowns. Toney carried 129 times for 789 yards and 11 touchdowns.

El Dorado Coach Scott Reed said both were very productive last season but believes the combine will give them much deserved attention.

“They both played very well last year,” Reed said. “They’re good football players. They just haven’t been on the radar until Saturday. Billings really accelerates real well. A couple of times last year, he saw [the hole ] and exploded and nobody could catch him. Dexter has really developed the last year or so.”

Reed said Billings and Toney have good work ethic and character.

“They’re two guys that actually come in before school to lift,” Reed said. “I come early, it’s optional and we have a few kids show up, but those two are here about every day. They have really worked to get to where they are, and they’re great kids.”

Safety Greg Carter is another Wildcat to watch for next fall. Carter, 6-0, 194, was hampered by shinsplints and was limited in drills Saturday. He’s receiving interest from North Carolina, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. MORE OFFERS FOR WINSTON

Helena-West Helena Central cornerback Darius Winston, who orally committed to the Hogs in February, is up to 14 scholarship offers. Winston added offers from Clemson and South Carolina over the past week. Others that have offered include Miami, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

CSTV national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming has seen tape of Winston and thinks he could play on offense and defense.

“He’s a very good athlete,” Lemming said. “He could be a cover corner or receiver. He’s very active. I can see why he would be nationally recruited because of his athletic ability.”

Lemming was impressed with the amount of offers Winston has received and said the difficulty of getting to Helena-West Helena might have limited the number. “I think it’s amazing,” Lemming said. “I think if he was in a big city he would have over 30 to 40 [offers ] now.” Winston’s teammate, defensive tackle Eric Smiley, 6-4, 285, 4. 75, will make an unofficial visit to Washington on March 26. Smiley moved to Helena-West Helena from Seattle last summer. He’s receiving interest from numerous schools, including Arkansas, Oregon, Alabama and Tennessee.

NIKE COMBINE NUMBERS Cornerback Collin Ashley, 6-0, 165, of Flower Mound, Texas, had an excellent showing at the Nike Combine at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, on March 8. Ashley, who is receiving interest from a number of schools including Arkansas, ran a 4. 58 40 despite abnormally cold temperatures. He ran a 4. 03 pro-shuttle and recorded a 27-inch vertical jump. Ashley placed sixth in a field of more than 900 participants. Harrison’s Jacob Grigg tied for 10 th place at the same combine. Grigg, 5-10, 171, who plays running back for the Goblins, ran a 4. 66, a 4. 00 pro-shuttle and had a 29-inch vertical leap.

OLE MISS OFFERS HARRIS Wide receiver Clarence Harris, 6-2, 175, 4. 5, of Lonoke has received a scholarship offer from Ole Miss, with Tulsa reportedly close to offering. Arkansas is one of many others schools showing interest. Harris rushed for more than 600 yards and had more than 700 receiving yards last year. E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.