Homewood High School student-athlete Kaleb Carson and his mom, Jessica Carson, have a special relationship. In fact, Jessica encouraged Kaleb to start playing sports in the first place.
“My mom and godfather used to throw the ball around with me, and they noticed I was super good. So around six or seven is when I started playing football and basketball,” Kaleb says.

A decade later, Kaleb is still competing in both sports. He plays football in the fall for Homewood head coach Ben Berguson and basketball in the winter for head coach Elijah Garrison.
For Kaleb, there is no real preference between football and basketball—just whatever sport is in season—and says it’s the people he’s around that make it fun. Homewood is a school that cultivates a supportive atmosphere for its student-athletes and when asked what it’s like to play for the Patriots, Kaleb says, “It’s great. All the coaches, all the students, they all come out and support you. And the faculty as well.”
But Kaleb isn’t just concerned about performing well in athletics; he also maintains a 3.0 GPA in the classroom and has plans to one day get a degree in business. Though he is only a junior, Kaleb says his preference is to attend the University of Oregon but is open to other options.

In his spare time, Kaleb loves to watch football with friends and says his favorite restaurant is The Cheesecake Factory. “I like Celebration Cheesecake…it’s like a birthday cake cheesecake,” he describes.
Kaleb and the Patriots are currently marching through a tough winter basketball schedule. During Christmas break, Homewood hosted the 8-team 2024 Metro Tournament from December 27-30 and is now deep into its region schedule. This week, the team hosts Jackson-Olin on 1/14 and travels to Minor on 1/17.
According to MaxPreps, Kaleb, who plays point guard for the Patriots, is second on the team in scoring with a 12.7 points per game average and second in rebounds per game at 3.7.

It seems the sky’s the limit for this two-sport star, and it’s not too far-fetched to imagine him fulfilling his dream of packing his bags and moving to the West Coast after he graduates in May of 2026. If, in fact, he does go away for college, Kaleb says his mom is willing to go with him and her job as a real estate agent is conducive to such a move.
To top it all off, it just so happens that Kaleb’s favorite restaurant has two locations in the state of Oregon. And if he ends up signing with the Ducks, a slice of Celebration Cheesecake will be more than appropriate. TG
Photos by Al Blanton
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