Across the nation in high school sports (December)
Alabama
Birmingham Briarwood Christian School quarterback Barrett Trotter completed 11 of 15 passes for 117 yards, but was intercepted three times, with two returned for touchdowns, as the Alabama squad fell 26-7 to Mississippi in the 2st annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic at Mobile. Trotter’s 30-yard touchdown pass to DeKendrick Moncrief of Prattville High in the third quarter accounted for Alabama’s only score. Moncrief (six receptions, 71 yards) earned Alabama MVP honors. Foley High wide receiver Julio Jones, selected the state’s Mr. Football award winner, was held to just one catch for nine yards.
Palmer Colony High (232.5 points) repeated as Class 4A state wrestling titlist without an individual champion. Colony placed 12 in the top six to win by 54 points over Fairbanks Austin E. Lathrop High. NHSCA National Juniors champion Andrew Wilson (215) led four champions from Anchorage East High. Senior Kevin Whitley’s title at heavyweight helped Anchorage Christian School dethrone two-time defending Class 3-2-1A champion Dillingham High, 166.5-164.5. Both of Dillingham’s defending champions lost in the finals, Joe Hunt (119) to three-time champion Kevin Hansen of Kotzebue High and Wes Richards (135) to Outstanding Wrestler Josh Merioles of Valdez High.
Tempe Corona del Sol High used three-point shooting to record an 87-80 win over Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola High to advance to the finals of the Tempe McClintock High Holiday Shootout against Phoenix St. Mary’s High. Corona del Sol (6-6), whose losses all are by four points or less, got six treys from junior Leland Devlin, who led all scorers with 36 points. The Aztecs held Loyola junior Hollis Thompson, who has committed to Georgetown, to 16 points. St. Mary’s, also 6-6, held off a late rally to beat Phoenix Brophy Jesuit Prep 64-54 in the other semifinal.
Beebe High point
guard Ty O’Neill foiled a box-and-one defense, scoring 22 points and adding
four assists and four steals as the Lady Badgers beat Star City High 63-50 to
advance to the Beebe Holiday Classic final against Lonoke High. The Lady
Badgers, meanwhile, forced 23 turnovers – 18 in the first half – on 14 steals
as they built their lead to 22 points midway through the final period against Star City (13-2).
Neshia Upchurch scored 11 points and added 11 rebounds, three assists and three
steals for Beebe, with Andre Renneker adding nine points and Bailey Thomas
eight.
Jonathan Zamora, the state’s top-ranked heavyweight, won in the finals as Clovis High salvaged a tie with cross-town rival Buchanan High in the Zinkin Classic. The two teams each scored 272.5 points, with Bakersfield High (194.5 points) finishing third. Scott Sakaguchi (145) also won for Clovis, while Buchanan had three winners: Host Buchanan had three champions: Stephen Meredith (112), Justin Arredondo (130) and Stephen West (160). Both teams placed six in the top three. Orange El Modena High senior Vinny Pisani (135) was voted the Outstanding Wrestler.
Despite not placing a wrestler higher than fourth, five-time defending Class 5A state wrestling champion Parker Ponderosa High had a successful showing in its first appearance at the prestigious Al Dvorak Memorial Invitational at Machesney Park (Ill.) Harlem High. The Mustangs (132 points) finished eighth and only one school exceeded its seven placewinners. State placewinners Daniel Kelly (145) and Jake Ottmann (215) and state qualifier Taylor Stam (285) all finished fourth, state champion Jake Snider (140) fifth, freshman Austin Gabel (135) sixth and state placewinner Stephone Kling (152) eighth.
Ansonia High, which finished No. 22 in the NHSCA’s small-school rankings, was the recipient of the Joseph W. Kelly Trophy, emblematic of the top high school football team in Connecticut, for the second straight year. It is Ansonia’s fourth trophy overall. The trophy is sponsored by Varsity Gold and is awarded to the school which finishes at the top of the New Haven Register media poll. Ansonia went 13-0 and won the Class S state title, 35-0 over New London High, to complete its second straight perfect season. Ansonia became the third school to repeat as Kelly Trophy winner, joining Cheshire High, which won four straight from 1992-95, and Bloomfield High (1998-99).
Delaware
Georgetown Sussex Central High’s seniors celebrated the first wrestling tournament team title of their careers, prevailing 221-175.5 over Fort Washington (Pa.) Germantown Academy in the Wilmington A.I. du Pont Tiger Classic. The Golden Knights advanced five to the finals, with unseeded Harry Rosario (112) and state champion Brock Budesheim (171) winning titles. Nationally ranked Keith Hynson (160) of New Castle William Penn High and two-time state champion Vinnie Ranauto (189) of Bear Caravel Academy both won easily. Other Delaware winners: Caravel’s Brandon Davis (103), Georgetown Sussex Vo-Tech’s Jamar Beckett (215) and William Penn’s John Gibson (285).
Carol City High football coach Walt Frazier, who became known for wearing his signature train conductor hat on the sideline, announced his retirement after 26 seasons. Frazier, 62, was one of just three coaches in Miami-Dade County history to win three or more state championships (1996, 1997 and 2003) and win more than 200 games (career record 212-107). His back-to-back state title teams won 29 straight games. The Florida High School Athletic Association recently honored him as one of its “Coaches of the Century.” Frazier wore the hat in honor of his father, Walt Sr., an Atlantic Coast Railroad worker for 30 years.
Georgia
Washaun Ealey of Twin City Emanuel County Institute became the first junior to be selected as the state’s All-Class Player of the Year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since the newspaper first presented the award to a single player in 1981. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound tailback rushed for 58 touchdowns, breaking former Buford High and Notre Dame star Darius Walker’s state record by 12, and his 2,982 yards were the third most in state history. He rushed for 261 yards and three touchdowns in the Class A state title game, a 41-21 victory over Wilcox High as ECI completed a 15-0 season with its first state title in 86 years.
After knocking off Nevada’s top team, Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High, in the semifinals, Honolulu Punahou High (9-1) fell victim to a second-half rally and lost 66-60 to Wheaton (Md.) Our Lady of Good Counsel High in the finals of the St. Francis Merv Lopes Classic. Kameron Steinhoff scored 27 points on 12-for-14 shooting and Manti Te'o added 13 points off the bench for the Buffanblu, which built a 34-26 halftime lead thanks to Steinhoff’s 18 first-half points. Punahou fell behind 60-53 with 3:21 remaining, but a Dalton Hilliard three-pointer helped narrow the deficit to 61-59 before the visitors iced the game at the free-throw line.
Boise Borah High, which is playing its home games at cross-town Capital High this year while its own gym is being renovated, found Capital’s floor right at home. Junior guard Mariah Roe scored a career-high 27 points and the Lions ended the game on a 13-4 run to close out a 55-48 victory over Meridian Mountain View High in 5A Southern Idaho Conference play. Borah (6-7, 5-6) outrebounded Mountain View 26-16 and converted 22-of-27 free-throw attempts, while the Mavericks went to the free-throw line just eight times. Roe alone hit 13 free throws and was 6-of-9 from the field. Kassie Law added 11 points. Senior forward Natasha Bishop led Mountain View (7-6, 5-6) with 16 points and six rebounds.
Lombard Montini High’s Garrett Goebel, an Ohio State football recruit, pinned all four opponents in a combined three minutes, 57 seconds to win the title at 285 and was voted the Outstanding Wrestler in the Al Dvorak Memorial Invitational at Machesney Park Harlem High. Despite placing 11 wrestlers in the top eight – no other team had more than seven – Montini finished second to Iowa City (Iowa) West High, 197.5-189.5. Senior 171-pounder Chris Spangler, up seven weight classes from last season, pinned Iowa City West’s Grant Gambrall to lead Naperville Neuqua Valley High (161.5 points) to a third-place finish, its highest ever in the event.
Washington High’s 7-foot power forward, Tyler Zeller, put on a show in the Super Hoops New Year Classic, scoring 43 points to lead the Hatchets (6-2), ranked No. 10 in Class 3A, over Winchester High, ranked No. 1 in 2A, 65-53. Zeller, a North Carolina recruit, was nearly perfect, connecting on 14-of-17 shots from the field and 15-of-16 free throws. He also added five rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Winchester, with no player taller than 6-5, rallied within 39-38 in the third quarter and trailed just 48-42 with 4:11 to go. But Zeller and 6-11 center Seth Coy (11 points, nine rebounds) fueled a 17-3 run to pull away.
Iowa City West High became the first out-of-state team to win the Al Dvorak Memorial Invitational at Machesney Park (Ill.) High, outscoring Lombard (Ill.) Montini High 197.5-189.5 despite Iowa recruit Grant Gambrall’s loss by pin in the 171-pound final against Naperville (Ill.) Neuqua Valley High’s Chris Spangler. Senior Nate Moore (125), also an Iowa recruit, junior Dylan Carew (130), sophomore Nick Moore (140) and junior Derek St. John (145) all won titles for the Trojans, who placed seven in the top six. Senior Jeremy Garvin (152) finished fourth for West and senior Tyler Carew (135) eighth.
Kansas
Wichita Southeast High (7-0) already has surpassed the 100-point mark on the scoreboard twice this season. Most recently , the Golden Buffaloes scored 62 second-half points in a 113-72 win over Wichita South High, snapping a five game South winning streak. Adonis Gantt led the scoring with a game-high 24 points, with Cecil Shaw adding 21 points, Jordan Cyphers 20, Joe Mitchell 17 points and Cortez Barnes 11. Southeast, which averages 86 points per game, has eight players average at least four points a game, with six of those players averaging at least eight. They also hit the century mark in a 102-44 season-opening win over Wichita West High.
Senior point guard Rodd Lanon’s basket with 2.6 seconds remaining lifted Louisville Male High’s boys basketball team (11-1) to a 53-51 win over Hopkinsville University Heights Academy in the title game of the Canfield Development King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic at Fairdale. A night after hitting just 2 of 8 shots and committing eight turnovers in a semifinal victory over Louisville Manual High, Lanon rebounded with 13 points, six assists and just two turnovers. Brice Mitchell led Male with 14 points, Dexter Heyman added 11 points and 12 rebounds and D'Eric Shontee scored 10. Tournament MVP Scotty Hopson led University Heights (11-3) with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Hammond High
(10-4) defeated Albany High, 75-61 in the quarterfinals of the Green Devil
Holiday Classic at Plaquemine. The game was tied at 30-30 at halftime, but Hammond opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run to break the game open, and the Tors
increased the margin to 18 with five minutes to play. Ellis Marshall led
Hammond with 15 points, followed by Carderion Beale with 14, Oliverez Louis
with 12 and John Burris with 10. Shydun Jackson led Albany with 15 points while
J.J. Jackson added 13 and Edvante Showers scored 12 for the Hornets.
In a matchup of the state’s top two swimming programs, Bangor High’s boys team edged Cumberland Center Greely High, 88-86 on the strength of second- and third-place finishes in the final event, the 4x400 freestyle relay. Greely won seven events, including all three relays, as brother pairs Ian Mecray and Nathan Mecray and Andrew Bowden and Patrick Bowden did most of the scoring. Bangor got double wins from Joey Quinn (200 and 500 freestyle), and Taylor Wicks (200 individual medley, 100 backstroke). The Bangor girls rolled 107-78 as Penn State recruit Erin Thomas won the 200 freestyle and the 100 backstroke.
Maryland
Wheaton Our Lady of Good Counsel High’s boys basketball team rallied from an eight-point deficit to beat Honolulu Punahou School 66-60 in the final of the St. Francis Merv Lopes Classic in Honolulu. Jordan Clarke, a 6-foot-7 swingman who is committed to Vermont, scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half for the Falcons (12-1) and also had 12 rebounds. But the Falcons finally solved Punahou’s 1-3-1 zone defense as Clarke and guard Rodney Glasgow, who sealed the win with three free throws in the final 23 seconds, outscored Punahou 35-19 the first 12 minutes of the second half.
Massachusetts
New Hampshire teams finished 1-2 in the prestigious Lowell Holiday Tournament, but Massachusetts wrestlers claimed 11 individual titles. Host Lowell High finished fourth with two champions: Brandon Gauthier (112) and Victor DeJesus (130), and Tyngsboro High had back-to-back winners, Derek Golner (140) and Matt Donohoe (145). Connor Gregory (103) won for Winchester High, which shared second place. Also winning: Billerica Memorial High’s Kenny Anderson (119), Chelmsford High’s Tim Rich (135), Ludlow High’s Ronnie Tetreault (152), Natick High’s Travis Moran (160), Malden Catholic High’s Chris Ciaramella (171) and Lawrence Central Catholic High’s Mike Leavitt (189).
Defensive end Nick Perry of Detroit Martin Luther King High, who began the season as an unknown, ended it as a star and was selected as the National Defensive Player of the Year by maxpreps.com. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Perry, who ended up at MLK when his previous school, Mackenzie High, was closed last year, set a Michigan state record with 36 sacks. He also tallied 147 tackles – 68 for losses – as King posted a 14-0 record and won the Class A state title, the first Detroit public school to win a state football crown. His college choices include Michigan, Michigan State, USC and West Virginia.
Apple Valley High (206.5) held off Iowa City West High (191.5) and Jackson County Central High (191) to win the Minnesota State Christmas Tournament title. Eighth-grader Eric Devos (103), freshman Destin McCauley (119) and senior Matt Mincey (135), who have combined for five state titles, won titles to help the Eagles hold off West’s five individual champions. Other Minnesota wrestlers winning titles: Albert Lea High’s Cody Hansen (112), Anoka High’s Jake Deitchler (152), Jackson County Central’s Caleb Lines (189), Prior Lake High’s Jake Kahnke (215) and Champlin Park High’s Sam Maresh (285).
Visiting Mississippi returned two interceptions for touchdowns, the final one a 94-yard return by Lucedale George County High defensive back Alonzo Lawrence, to beat Alabama 26-7 in the 21st annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic. Lawrence held 6-foot-4 receiver Julio Jones of Foley High to just one catch for nine yards. Itawamba High quarterback Bret Jefcoat threw touchdown passes of 10 yards to Raleigh High’s Chris Lofton and 55 yards to 6-foot-6 DeAndre Brown of Ocean Springs High in the first quarter for a 14-0 Mississippi lead. It was just the seventh win for Mississippi in the game’s 21-year history.
Visiting Midway High’s basketball teams swept Leeton High in two tightly-played games. The Lady Vikings trailed by six points after three quarters, but rallied for a 48-47 victory as Lindsey Graham scored 17 points and added six rebounds. Brianna Wright added 13 points, five steals and three assists and Janae Semsch scored 7 points. The boys team also trailed by six – at halftime – but rallied to win 60-58 behind Michael Chouinard, who led all scorers with 30 points and six rebounds. Zach Fischer added 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Vikings.
Kalispell
Flathead High improved its dual meet record to 17-0 by taking the Pat Weede
dual tournament at Gillette (Wyo.) Campbell County High. The Braves’ 7-0
tournament record was highlighted by a 45-23 victory over the meet hosts, five-time
defending state champion Campbell County, on the first day. Four Braves
wrestlers made the all-tourney team: Shawn Lau (112), Brian Ham (135), Bryce
Stacy (145) and Tyler Thomas (285), and three others, Tanner Beaman (130),
David Lau (160) and Luke Fischer (171), went undefeated. The Braves also won
their other six duals by an average score of 59-10.
Despite a five-day layoff, Pierce High shot a sizzling 69 percent from the field as the Bluejays rolled past Crete High 76-58 at the Doane College Holiday Tournament. The win advanced Pierce to the title game against Hastings St. Cecilia High, which rallied past Elkhorn High 62-54 as Jake Hamburger scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the final quarter. Pierce senior Corey Woslager was a perfect 11 of 11 from the field and 4 for 4 from the free-throw line for a game-high 26 points. His brother, junior Jacob Woslager, added 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting and Eric Koelhmoos also scored 21. Nebraska football recruit John Levorson led Crete with 20 points.
After three games, just eight Las Vegas girls basketball teams, two in each division, are unbeaten in division play. Desert Pines High and Eldorado High (Northeast Division), Henderson Green Valley High and Silverado High (Southeast Division) and Centennial High and North Las Vegas Mojave High (Northwest Division) all have 3-0 records, while Durango High and Bishop Gorman High (Southwest Division) both stand at 2-0. Palo Verde High improved to 14-2 overall, 64-54 over Shadow Ridge High as Hayley Henderson and Mikala Pride combined for 29 points and 13 rebounds and the Panthers made nine of 13 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Londonderry High girls basketball coach John Fagula recorded the 500th victory of his coaching career when his team beat Dover High 59-55. Fagula spent 20 seasons – from 1978-1998 – at Nashua High, where he guided the Purple Panthers to 11 Class L championships. USA Today selected his 1986 Nashua team as the No. 1 team in the nation. Fagula took over at Londonderry in 2002, and has guided the Lancers to four consecutive Class L tournament appearances. He had quadruple-bypass surgery a month before this season began, but has steered Londonderry to a 3-0 record. The Lancers are one of four unbeaten teams in Class L, joining Manchester Central (4-0), Winnacunnet (4-0) and Salem (3-0).
Newark St. Benedict’s Prep staked its claim to the nation’s No. 1 ranking with a 68-55 victory over Chester (Pa.) High in the championship game of the 35th annual Bank of America City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. The Gray Bees (10-0) became the first New Jersey team to win the prestigious event. Six-foot-9, 240-pound Louisville commitment Samardo Samuels scored 20 points in the title and was voted the tournament MVP. Junior Gregory Echenique, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound junior, added 17 rebounds and three blocks and senior point guard Mike Machado, junior shooting guard Tamir Jackson and forward Tristan Thompson each scored 12 points.
Senior quarterback Landry Jones, committed to Oklahoma, completed 17 of 30 passes for 301 yards and a state championship game record seven touchdowns as Artesia High scored 44 first-half points and went on to prevail 58-31 over Roswell Robert H. Goddard High in the Class 4A state title game. In beating the Rockets in the title game for the second straight year, the Bulldogs won their state record 26th state title and 10th under head coach Cooper Henderson. Senior wide receiver Cody Hokett had nine catches for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Alejo Cortez had two touchdown receptions and Jeromy Burrola and Barrett Robinson one each.
Rice High of Harlem, ranked No. 3 nationally by maxpreps.com, won the Honolulu (Hawaii) Iolani Classic for the second time in four years, winning four games by an average of 22 points. In an all-New York final, the Raiders beat Section 1 power Mount Vernon High, 75-51. Rice’s Kemba Walker was named tournament MVP for the Red Division and teammates Durand Scott and Chris Fouch were each selected to the All-Tournament Team. Fouch hit three treys and scored 17 points. Walker had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Dorvell Carter and Scott added 14 points each in their most lopsided win, 72-40 over host Iolani.
Host Wilson Hunt High (9-3) handed cross-town rival Fike High its first loss of the season, 56-44 in the title game of the 32nd annual Eastern Carolina Classic holiday tournament. Junior guard Jamil Creech scored a game-high 22 points and was voted the winner of the Harvey Reid Memorial Award as the tournament MVP. Senior guard Bobby White added 16 points and senior Stepfernia Pitt added seven points and five rebounds. Fike (11-1), which beat Hunt by 24 points in their first meeting this season, was led by 6-foot-4 senior Jeremy Atkinson, who scored 21 points, but only five the second half.
New Salem High (5-1) neutralized 7-foot center Ben Kirsch and the Holsteins beat Carson Grant County High 56-48 in the championship game of the Mandan Holiday Tournament. New Salem held Kirsch, who averaged 21 points in Grant County's first two tournament games, without a single shot from the field. Kirsch blocked five shots, giving him 24 in the tournament, but the Holsteins took advantage of solid perimeter shooting, sinking eight three-pointers, including four in the third quarter, when they outscored the Coyotes 16-6. Jared Kautzman, a 5-foot-8 sophomore guard, had four treys en route to a career-high 24 points.
St. Paris Graham High made history in back-to-back weeks, winning the Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit Ironman Invitational title and the Lakewood St. Edward Elite 8 Duals titles, both for the first time, to advance to the top of the national wrestling rankings. Junior David Taylor won the 112-pound title and senior Ben Jordan (145), also a two-time state champion, finished second for Graham, which outscored Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy 249.5-207.5. Monroeville High had three underclassmen win titles: sophomore Logan Stieber (119) and freshmen Hunter Stieber (103) and Chris Phillips (171). Graham avenged a loss in last year’s final by beating St. Edward 47-13 to win the Elite 8.
Three juniors from Norman North High were selected to MaxPreps First Team All-State football team. Two were selected on defense: lineman Nathan Badger and linebacker Beau Traber. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Badger had 106 tackles and nine sacks and Traber, the son of former major league baseball player Jim Traber, had 164 tackles, a sack and an interception despite playing much of the season with a broken thumb in a cast. Running back Beau Blankenship, who rushed for 2,200 yards and 26 touchdowns, made the team on offense. He has 3,800 career yards for a team that reached the Class 6A quarterfinals.
Trailing by seven points after three quarters, La Grande High’s girls basketball team rallied to beat Sultan (Wash.) High 51-49 in the Baker City Eastern Oregon Holiday Classic. Brittani Good scored 11 poinrs to lead a balanced attack. The Tigers trailed by 10 late in the third quarter before Dakota Jenkins, in just her second game back from a broken rib, converted a three-point play to spark the rally. Corey Tooke added a season-high 10 points, Johann Pettey nine and Megan Bedard eight. Sultan’s Morgan Thomas hit four treys and led all scorers with 21 points, 13 in the first half.
Terrelle Pryor, who quarterbacked Jeannette High to its first Class 2A state football championship and the No. 3 spot in the NHSCA small school rankings, was selected as the National Offensive Player of the Year by maxpreps.com. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Pryor led the Jayhawks to an average of 55 points per game offensively and fewer than 10 defensively. Pryor rushed for 1,796 yards and 36 touchdowns and was 83 of 124 passing for 1,807 yards and 21 touchdowns. With 4,250 career rushing yards and 4,249 career passing yards, Pryor is the only player in state history to have over 4,000 yards in both categories. He has narrowed his college choices to Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State.
Senior Jeanne Mack of Providence LaSalle Academy has earned All-State honors in cross country and track and field 15 times. That includes two individual state titles each in both indoor and outdoor track and a first-team All-State appearance as a member of the Rams’ state champion indoor 4x400 team last year. A month ago, Mack earned her third straight first-team All-State selection in cross country when she won the individual state crown, and then finished second at the New England Cross Country Championships. She hopes to become the first Rhode Island runner to compete in the high school mile run at the prestigious Millrose Games.
Wide receiver A.J. Green of Summerville High and defensive lineman DaQuan Bowers of Bamberg-Ehrhardt High were named to maxpreps.com’s All-America First Team. The 6-foot-4 Green, a Georgia recruit, caught 77 passes for 1,504 yards and 21 touchdowns to lead the Green Wave to the Class 5A state title game. His 5,357 career yards are second best in national history. The 6-foot-4, 267-pound Bowers, committed to Clemson, was named the state’s Player of the Year after recording 97 tackles, 33 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. He also played tailback, rushing for 1,219 yards and 19 touchdowns, and returned kicks.
Miller-Highmore High advanced seven wrestlers to the championship finals and took the Webster Invitational, 179-155 over host Webster High. Pat Cowan (171) and Duke McCloud (215) won titles and Patrick Waring (103), Nick Bertsch (112), Wilbur Jones (119), Kyle Dean (125) and John Waring (145) all finished second. Freshman Logan Storley (130), already a two-time state champion, won by pin in the finals to lead four Webster champions. Dalton Sichmeller (119), Kyle Bryant (140) and John Premus (285) also won for Webster. Senior state champion Carl Serck (152) of Alcester-Hudson High also won.
Tennessee
Just two Division 1 schools, South Pittsburg High and Maryville High, were able to finish unbeaten seasons at 14-0 by winning BlueCross Bowl state titles. South Pittsburg led 46-0 after three quarters and eased past McKenzie High 52-20 in the Class 1A final as Mr. Football finalist Robert Robinson (17 carries, 204 yards) scored four touchdowns on runs of 19, 1, 19 and 8 yards. The Pirates had 391 rushing yards and 528 total. Maryville extended its winning streak to 60 with its fourth straight 4A title, 28-13 over Nashville Maplewood High as Brent Burnette completed 15 of 22 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, both to Chris Jordan.
Katy High (16-0), ranked No. 4 among large football schools by the NHSCA, won its fifth Class 5A Division 2 state championship and first since 2003 by beating Pflugerville High 28-7 in the title game. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell passed for 143 yards and three touchdowns. His 45-yard scoring pass to Brian Rowe in the second quarter erased a 7-0 deficit. Aundre Dean rushed for 221 yards and scored on a 66-yard run, giving him 2,498 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. Mitchell passed for 2,455 yards and 37 touchdowns, throwing just four interceptions, as Katy outscored their opponents by an average of 35.5 points per game.
Heber City Wasatch High got a title from Jake Salazar (152) and finished a strong second, 209-190.5 behind Easton (Pa.) High, in the Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions. The Wasps also got a big lift from unheralded senior Garrett Gleave (189), the No. 11 seed, who beat two Nevada state champions handily to reach the finals, where he lost to Hunter Collins of Gilroy (Calif.) High, ranked No. 1 nationally, 9-7. Utah also produced the meet’s heavyweight champion, Lehi High junior Dylan Stadel. Fourth in the Class 4A state tournament last year, Stadel won six tournament matches by a combined 14 points.
Joe O'Shea set a
Burlington High single-game scoring record with 45 points as the Seahorses ran
to an 87-64 boys basketball victory over Bennington Mount Anthony High.
O'Shea's performance surpassed the previous school mark of 43 points set by
Tyrone Conley last season. O'Shea hit 10 three-pointers en route to leading the
Seahorses to 8-0. James Hale added 11 points for BHS, which led by 10 at
halftime and stretched the margin to 19 with a third quarter-run. Kyle Callanan
scored 14 points to lead Mount Anthony. Dan Nichols added 11 points and Ben
Weinfurt 10.
No. 1 Virginia Beach Princess Anne High’s girls basketball team (10-0) rode a 26-point performance by Raven Harris to the Blue Star Elite Tournament championship in Philadelphia, 64-50 over Newport News Heritage High in a battle of unbeatens. Harris, who also had five steals and four assists, earned tournament MVP honors and 6-foot-3 freshman Elizabeth Williams was voted to the All-Tournament Team. Williams accounted for 13 of her team’s 19 blocked shots and also had 12 points and seven rebounds. Sonia Johnson led Heritage (8-1) with 16 points and Bonae Holston added 14.
Seattle O’Dea High running back Johri Fogerson, who rushed for 2,545 yards and 36 touchdowns to lead the Fighting Irish to the Class 3A state title game, was named the Associated Press Football Player of the Year. Fogerson, a University of Washington recruit, edged out future college teammate Cody Bruns of Prosser High. A wide receiver, Bruns, whose Mustangs won the 2A title and finished No. 8 in the NHSCA’s small-school rankings, finished his career with 310 catches for 5,177 yards – both second all-time nationally – and 72 touchdowns (third all-time). Bruns was the Class 2A Player of the Year.
Despite falling behind 9-0 at the start of the game, Ripley High’s girls basketball team notched coach Steve Hunt’s 100th career victory with a 57-36 win over Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School at the Disney Classic girls basketball tournament in Orlando, Fla. Ripley (4-1) rebounded for a 25-18 halftime lead , then outscored Baylor 32-11 in the second half as Tori Eagle scored 14 points, Lexy Kessel added 13 and Alannah Sheets and Taylor Wilson 10 each. Katy Wilson led Baylor (6-3) with 15 points. The win advanced Ripley to the title game against Manhasset (N.Y.) High.
Stoughton High (192.5 points) outlasted DeForest High (182.5) and Chicago Heights (Ill.) Marian Catholic High (178.5) to win its third consecutive Badger State Invitational Saturday at the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center. Junior Tanner Klitzke (112) won his second Badger State title and senior Brad Larson (140) was Stoughton’s other champion. Belleville Sugar River’s Big Three, Wisconsin signee Cole Schmitt (145), Kalvin York (152) and J.C. Francois (171) all won to stay unbeaten with 21-0 records. DeForest got a title from Tyler Rauls (130), while Prairie du Sac Sauk Prairie High had two champions, Matt Gaffney (135) and Brett Ballweg (160).
Jackson Hole High’s Ryan Stafford scored 26 points as the Broncs (3-6) knocked off Afton Star Valley High, 67-66 in overtime. After the two teams ended regulation play tied at 62-all, Stafford’s short jumper with five seconds remaining in overtime was the game-winner. Sky Garnick and Rob Caesar each scored 13 for Jackson. Mitch Schwab had 21 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks for Star Valley (1-6), which got 15 points from Zane Porter and 12 from Tyler Schwab. Jackson’s Lady Broncs (8-1) also won, 44-30. Carolee Saunders led eight scorers with 12 points. Alex Koncak led Star Valley, also scoring 12.