Prep Star Shot

http://www.al.com/sportsflash/local/index.ssf?/base/sports-16/1236030855174160.xml&storylist=alabamasports

MOULTON, Ala. (AP) — A weekend shooting critically injured a standout high school football player in Lawrence County who had just made a recruiting visit to the University of Tennessee.

Lawrence County Sheriff Gene Mitchell said 17-year-old Demetrae Griffin, a junior at Speake High School, was shot in the chest and stomach around midnight Saturday when fighting broke out between two groups of young people at a party.

Griffin, who some witnesses said was trying to break up a fight, was listed in critical condition Monday at Huntsville Hospital.

"We're still taking statements, trying to piece together what happened," the sheriff told The Decatur Daily. "There was a party going on, and at some point, outside people came and things just got out of control."

Authorities said about 100 people were attending the party at the Caddo Senior Citizen Center. No charges were filed immediately.

A message left with a sheriff's investigator was not immediately returned Monday.

Speake High School football coach Royal Carpenter said Griffin, a defensive lineman, had made a junior recruiting visit to Tennessee on Saturday and is being recruited by other Southeastern Conference schools.

"He's a good kid who has come millions of miles," Carpenter said.