Jamie Ball and Amara Carey are more than just two of the best athletes and students at San Juan High School.

Friends since elementary school and boyfriend and girlfriend since eighth grade, the seniors are soul mates guiding each other's dreams and ambitions through the treacheries of adolescence.

"You never have to keep an eye on Jamie or Amara," says Erich Wohlenberg, Ball's basketball coach and a teacher at San Juan. "If anything, they keep an eye on us. They are good athletes and students and even better individuals."

Jamie and twin brother Julian lead a Spartans team that is 21-3, ranked No. 13 by The Bee and atop the Golden Empire League.

Carey is the top scorer (10.5 points per game) and rebounder (10.0) on a girls team that dropped to 9-15 after Thursday night's loss to Capital Christian.

Both are popular campus leaders who help tutor younger students in Wohlenberg's Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) classes.

The classes help put hard-working students from low-income or minority families on track to attend college. Ball and Carey are products of the program.

Both also work to help support their single mothers. Ball is a well-liked courtesy clerk at Safeway – he is on leave during the basketball season – while Carey works at an In-N-Out Burger.

They spend so much time together that Jamie's mother, Sheronda Ball, considers Carey a part of her family, which also includes sons Jordan and Jaylen, a junior and freshman, respectively, at San Juan.

The Balls live across the street from the Citrus Heights campus, better for mom to keep up with the academic and athletic achievements of her sons.

While Sheronda had concerns initially about Jamie and Amara developing a relationship when they started getting serious at Will Rogers Middle School, she gives Carey credit for helping his son mature quicker than most teenage boys.

"She's a joy to have around," said Sheronda, who works for Blue Shield of California. "They've had their ups and downs just like any couple. They'll sometimes take a break from each other, but you'd never know it because they'll still be talking on the phone."

Jamie credits Amara for turning him from an indifferent student into someone looking forward to college and a career.

"She's helped me a lot more than I've helped her," Ball said. "In middle school, I had horrible grades. But when we started dating, she directed me toward the right path. She's always been my best friend."

Carey remembers the joy on Jamie's face when he got all A's on his report card his freshman year at San Juan.

"I was so proud of him," Carey said.

She says Ball inspires her.

"I like it that he is a very hard worker and does not give up," she said. "He's athletic and motivated. He's a great friend to talk to, a person who won't leave you hanging."

Their bond is so strong that they decided to be baptized together at an Orangevale church last year.

"I was really proud of Jamie because he didn't hold back," Carey said. "He was a little reluctant at first, but it turned out to be an amazing experience."

Sheronda Ball was impressed by the maturity of their decision.

"Instead of having babies together, they were getting baptized together," she said. "They've together pledged to do the right things with their lives. Jamie and Amara are awesome kids."

While Ball has played basketball since he could walk, Carey has dabbled in a number of sports and extracurricular activities, including cheerleading, cross country and volleyball.

Carey didn't become a serious basketball player until her sophomore year. But thanks to Ball's encouragement and an occasional tip or two, the 6-foot forward has developed into a determined force for the Spartans.

"She loves to play, and she's really competitive," Ball said.

Says Carey: "I like basketball; he breathes basketball."

Their emotional chord has only grown stronger this year because they know it could be their last being so geographically close.

Both plan to go to college.

Ball, a 6-6 forward averaging 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds, hopes to get a basketball scholarship. Wohlenberg says Ball is getting strong looks from several Northern California colleges, including Sacramento State, Cal State Stanislaus, William Jessup, Menlo and Dominican.

Carey, who has a 4.0 grade-point average, plans to major in business or communications but also loves clothing design. She is leaning toward Sac State or UC Davis.

"It would be great if we could stay together and go to the same college, but I'm not sure if that's going to work out," Ball said.

While Carey would like to stay close to her boyfriend, she understands the realities in taking the next step on their respective journeys.

"It's a really hard topic to talk about right now," Carey said. "I want him to do what is best for him. I don't want it to be a situation where he has to choose me over basketball.

"I want him to follow his dream, just as I want to follow mine."

Call The Bee's Bill Paterson, (916) 326-5506.