Across the nation in high school sports (January)

 

 

Alabama

The late James Findley, a head coach in five sports at Holtville High, is one of nine Class of 2008 inductees into the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. The graduate of Calera High and the University of Montevallo coached Holtville’s boys basketball team from 1960-65 and again from 1984-97, compiling a 259-117 record and advancing to five state tournaments, including four state finals. His 1996 team won the Class 3A state championship and he was named Class 3A Coach of the Year. Findley also was the school’s head coach in football (two years), boys and girls tennis (five years), girls softball (two years) and boys track (two years), his final track team earning state runner-up honors.

 

Alaska

Reigning Player of the Year Robb Haider scored on an assist from Connor Wright on a 2-on-1 break at 4:31 of overtime to lift Anchorage South High to a 2-1 overtime victory over Anchorage A.J. Dimond High in a battle of the Cook Inlet Conference’s top two tournament seeds. Ray Stenehjem’s goal five minutes into the second period gave South a 1-0 lead. Dimond tied it late in the second period on Erik Cooper's power-play goal. The victory enabled South to lock up the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs. After winning its first 20 games this season, Dimond (20-2) lost its second straight.

 

Arizona

Alex Blalock and Bethany Sharp scored in the final five minutes to rally the Flagstaff Coconino High girls soccer team past Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain High 2-1 in the first round of the Grand Canyon Region tournament. Coconino held a 25-1 advantage in shots, but an own goal gave Bradshaw Mountain a 1-0 lead and a shot at an upset in the 73rd minute. But the Panthers averted an upset with two goals in the next four minutes. Blalock banged home a rebound of her own shot to tie the game and Sharp’s cross from 20 yards out found the net for the winning goal.

 

Arkansas

Kyle Teague scored 21 points and Siloam Springs High (14-7) outlasted Rogers Elmwood High, 45-43 in triple overtime. Teague scored all 11 of his team's points in the third quarter and later hit a game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation, sending the game to overtime. Brock Wilmott also hit a three-pointer near the end of the first overtime that also tied the score for Siloam Springs. Tyler Tiger added nine points for the Panthers and Will Wheeler seven. Graham Parker led all scorers with 24 points, including 16-of-21 from the free-throw line, for Elmwood (11-7), which had lost in double overtime three days earlier.

 

California

                Dana Mohammad-Zadeh of San Diego Rancho Bernardo High and Tyre Ellison of San Francisco Burton Academic High were named the Fall 2007 Spirit of Sport award winners by the California Interscholastic Federation.  A National Merit semifinalist and recipient of the AP Scholar with Distinction award, Mohammad-Zadeh has been a four-year member of the track and field team while also participating in cross country. Ellison has been a member of the football, basketball and track and field teams, earning the school’s Puma Award, given to the most dedicated player on the team, in both track and field and basketball, and was named the MVP of the track and football teams in 2006.

 

Colorado

Visiting Littleton Dakota Ridge High’s girls basketball team (14-2, 3-0) won its 43rd consecutive Class 5A Jefferson County League game, 56-27 over Lakewood Green Mountain High. Senior Brooke Pendergraft scored 14 points and had seven rebounds, and Jenna Santistevan and Janelle Baal added 10 points apiece for the No. 3 Eagles, who haven't lost a league game since falling to Arvada High on Feb. 21, 2003. Dakota Ridge jumped to a 16-4 lead after a quarter and unranked Green Mountain (11-3, 2-1) never recovered. The Eagles also held sophomore point guard Adaugo Osuala  to eight points and three steals, less than one-half her season averages.

 

Connecticut

Cameron Banks, a senior 171-pounder, broke a 9-9 tie with an escape and a takedown in the final 10 seconds to beat Milford Jonathan Law High’s Alex Kappel 12-9, helping host Berlin High take the Art Powers Duals with a 37-32 victory. Berlin (18-4) won its own event for the first time in three years and the third time in the tournament's 20-year history. All three Berlin victories avenged losses earlier thios season. The Redcoats beat Waterford High 42-27 in the first round, No. 6 Madison Daniel Hand High 38-22 in the second round. Law had won a 32-32 tie on criteria – most near-fall points – in the title match of the Milford Duals in December.

Delaware

Wilmington Tatnall School sophomores Megan Northshield and Haley Arasim won two individual races apiece and swam on two medley-winning teams as the Hornets (7-2) girls swimming team, which includes just two seniors, beat fourth-ranked Wilmington Padua High 99-71, handing the Pandas (9-1) their first loss of the season. Northshield won the 200 freestyle (2:00.42) and the 500 freestyle (5:19.69), while Arasim captured the 100 freestyle (57.17) and the 100 backstroke (1:03.26). The duo also competed on the winning 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay squads.

 

Florida

Louise Crocco, the NHSCA’s National High School Volleyball Coach of the Year award winner in 2006, has announced her retirement after 39 seasons at Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons High. In her tenure as volleyball coach, Crocco built the Chiefs program into a force recognized throughout the state and the nation. Under her direction, Cardinal Gibbons won a record 18 state championships, the most recent coming in 2006 when the Chiefs went 32-0. Her final team last fall finished 26-4 and advanced to the Class 4A regional finals, and her career record was 1,132-123. Crocco, 60, will remain the school’s athletic director.

Georgia

Suwanee Collins Hill High won its first Class 5A state title since 2005 and Jefferson High won its seventh consecutive A title in the dual-team state wrestling championships. Collins Hill pounded Kennesaw Carl Harrison High 47-10 for the title. Jefferson, which will move up to 2A next season, also won easily, 51-19 over Bremen High. A winter storm shortened the event, which resulted in 3A finalists Carterville Cass High and McDonough Henry County High electing to share the title. Ringgold High upset top-ranked Covington Eastside High 38-36 to win the 4A title and LaFayette High, a criteria loser to Norcross Wesleyan School in the 2A final a year ago, gained revenge with a 43-16 finals blowout this year.

 

Hawaii

Mikela Thoemmes, playing on TV for the first time, had 14 points and 11 rebounds as No. 10 Honoulu Roosevelt High outlasted eighth-ranked Honolulu Farrington High 49-42 in a Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) Red East game. Both teams are 8-3 in OIA play. Tianna Sugui and Iiyana Nakasone added 11 points each and Dianna Zane had five points and five assists. Farrington rallied from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter behind Lusina Otineru (11 points, eight rebounds) and Honour Stone (10 points), tying the game at 33-33 with 6:34 left before Roosevelt answered with an 8-0 run, putting the game away.

 

Idaho

Meridian High junior Dillon Gentry (119) and Weiser High senior Jacob Scharbrough (215) each won their third titles in one of the state’s most prestigious wrestling tournaments, the Rollie Lane Invitational in Nampa. Gentry had a pin in his final match and Scharbrough (14-0) was voted the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler in the upper weights after an 8-4 finals decision. Caldwell High freshman Colby Kloetzer (135) was voted the lower-weight OW after recording three pins and improving to 31-0. Kloetzer won the Sierra-Nevada Classic in Reno in December. Blackfoot High (73) won the team title.

 

Illinois

The Illinois High School Association Board of Directors moved forward with a proposal to implement a random testing program for performance-enhancing substances used by athletes who compete in IHSA state series, beginning next year. The action was taken after results of a survey in which member schools voted 294-117 to support implementing the program. The plan calls for random testing of student-athletes during selected IHSA state series competitions. In advance of the 2008-09 school year, the IHSA Board of Directors will finalize a series of items related to the implementation of the plan.

 

Indiana

Carmel High's bid for a fourth consecutive Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC) girls basketball championship was ended top-ranked Class 4A team Indianapolis No. 1 Ben Davis, 57-43. Sophomore Jordan Huber scored 16 points and the Giants (20-1, 6-1), which last won a share of the MIC title in 2005, opened a double-digit lead in the first half. DeAirra Goss scored 12 points and junior guard Alex Bentley had 10 points, eight rebounds and five steals for Ben Davis, which shares the MIC lead with Indianapolis North Central High. Carmel (15-4, 4-2) was led by senior Danielle Havel, who finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds.

 

Iowa

Des Moines Lincoln High’s Adam Robinson, a 5-foot 9, 185-pound running back/defensive back, announced he had accepted a football scholarship to the University of Iowa. Robinson, who follows Jordan Bernstine, the state’s Player of the Year last season, to Iowa City from the same school, earned Class 4A First Team All-State honors after rushing for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns, catching four scoring passes and making 42 tackles and three interceptions to lead the Railsplitters (7-2) to a state playoff berth. Iowa Preps.com ranked Robinson as the state’s No. 13 prospect.

Kansas

Despite their leading scorer, 6-foot-2 post player Lindsey Keller, sitting on the bench with four fouls, Goddard High’s girls basketball team closed the game with a 17-7 run for a 52-44 victory over host Lawrence Free State High, earning a trip to the Lawrence Invitational title game against Derby High. Alysia Hart had 10 of her game-high 14 points in the first half as Goddard (9-1) jumped out to a 23-9 lead before the Firebirds (5-5) rallied to take a 37-35 lead early in the final quarter. Katie Porter also scored 14 for Goddard, which shot 60 per cent in the final quarter and held Free State to 31 per cent shooting.

 

Kentucky

Paducah Lone Oak High quarterback Corey Robinson, who broke state and national records in leading the Purple Flash to its first Class 4A state title game, was selected as Kentucky's Mr. Football. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Robinson, committed to the University of Troy, threw for a state-record 5,872 yards and a national-record 91 touchdowns as the Lone Oak (14-1) averaged 53 points in its first 14 games. He completed nearly 74 percent of his passes and threw just four interceptions in 520 pass attempts, none of them in the team's final 10 games, and tossed seven touchdown passes in the team’s season opener against Morganfield Union County High.

 

Louisiana

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) approved a seeding system for this year’s boys and girls basketball state tournament series. Under the plan, the 32 playoff coaches in each of the seven classifications will rank the other 31 teams and the consensus of the vote will be the official 32-team seeding. The 32 girls playoff coaches will meet Feb. 11 and the 32 boys playoff coaches will meet Feb. 18 to seed all the teams. The LHSAA also approved a power-ranking system — much like football already utilizes but more resembling the format used in volleyball — to both determine and seed the 32 playoff basketball teams in each class, beginning with the 2008-09 season.

Maine

Senior forward Billy Zolper led a balanced attack with 19 points and seven rebounds as top-ranked Bangor High (14-0) remained unbeaten with a 57-42 Class A boys basketball victory over No. 2 Auburn Edward Little High. The Rams have won 24 straight overall. Ryan Weston added 17 points and six rebounds for Bangor, while senior guard Jon McAllian had 13 points and seven assists. With Bangor ahead 19-12 at halftime, Zolper and Weston combined for 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the third quarter against Edward Little’s (11-4) four-guard lineup. Corey Therriault led Edward Little with 13 points.

 

Maryland

Baltimore Archbishop Curley High 119-pounder Mike Micklos edged Graceson Pastrik 5-4 on an escape with seven seconds remaining, helping the No. 5 Friars (12-1) improve to 7-0 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association with a 36-32 victory over No. 4 Baltimore Mount St. Joseph High. Tyler Scarinzi capped Curley’s comeback with a pin at 125. Ali Saadoulav (140), Andre Arthur (189), Leo Johnson (215) and Brett Przywara (103) also scored pins for the Friars. The Gaels (12-9, 6-1) got a technical fall from Benny Schaufele (130) and a pin from Frankie Goodwin (112).

Massachusetts

A pair of free throws with 35 seconds remaining allowed Lowell High's Ashley Rivera to pass the 1,000-point plateau as the Raiders beat Andover High 51-42. Despite scoring just five points, Rivera became the third player in school history to reach the milestone, and has a chance to pass Courtney Schermerhorn (1,178 points) to become the school's all-time leading scorer. Junior center Whitney Wilson led Lowell (8-1) with 12 points and combined with her twin sister, Briana (seven points) for 11 rebounds.  Megan Cavanaugh paced Lowell (8-1) with 14 points. Meghan Thomann led Andover (8-2) with 13 points, while freshman Natalie Gomez added 11 points and eight rebounds and Lauren Hughes scored 10.

 

Michigan

Clinton Township Chippewa Valley High’s girls basketball team beat Shelby Township Ford High for the second time this season, 57-31 behind the backcourt of Claire Cannon and Brittany Simon. The Big Reds (13-1, 7-0) got 16 points and six steals from Simon, and Cannon added 15 points. Chippewa Valley jumped on the Falcons early, getting three steals and seven points from Simon in the first quarter to build a 17-5 lead, then added an 18-8 second quarter to take a commanding 35-13 halftime lead. Lea Jones led Ford (11-3) with 13 points

 

Minnesota

Three members of the St. Paul Cretin-Derham Hall School team that advanced to the Class 5A state title game were honored by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as part of its six-member Super Preps team: wide receiver Michael Floyd, committed to Notre Dame; offensive lineman Joe Schafer (Wisconsin) and running back Shady Salamon (Minnesota). Defensive end Willie Mobley (Ohio State) of Class 5A state champion Eden Prairie High, No. 14 in the NHSCA National High School Football Rankings, Richland Academy of Holy Angels defensive end Brendan Kelly (Wisconsin) and Champlin Park High linebacker and two-time state wrestling champion, Sam Maresh (Minnesota) also were named.

 

Mississippi

Jackson Provine High senior Scottie Haralson announced he would attend the University of Connecticut. The sharp-shooting, 6-foot-4 Dandy Dozen guard had four high-scoring games as the defending Class 5A state champions went 2-2 in the elite Amare Stoudemire Invitational Classic in Florida over the holidays. Haralson, who averages 22 points for Provine (16-7), averaged 25 points per game at the Classic and owns a 43-point game this season. Haralson also was considering Auburn, South Carolina, Wake Forest and Providence.

 

Missouri

A new football playoff system was released by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA). Starting next season, two teams from each district will qualify for the playoffs. Under this format, 32 teams will qualify in Classes 1 through 4, 22 in Class 5 and 16 in Class 6. No longer will one-loss teams finishing second in their district see their seasons end, such as Florissant McCluer North High, which finished 9-1 in 1989 and 2003 but didn't advance past districts either time. This change in the playoffs gives those teams another chance.

Montana

Bozeman High got 16 points from 6-foot-6, 240-pound senior center Patrick Webb to power past Billings Skyview High 51-40 in Eastern Class AA boys basketball play. James Cole added 14 points for the No. 4 Hawks (9-2, 4-1) and P.J. Burns scored 10 points on two 3-pointers. Skyview hit eight 3-pointers, five coming in the first half when the Falcons built a 22-18 lead. But they were only 5-of-17 second half and didn’t hit another trey until late in the final quarter. Cole Cavan hit five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points for the Falcons, with Rylan Shaw and Jordan Clark each scoring eight.

 

Nebraska

In a battle between the top two girls basketball teams from neighboring states, Lincoln Southeast High beat Sioux City (Iowa) North High 48-46 on K.K. Houser’s layup with two seconds remaining in overtime. With the win, the Knights (16-0) advanced to the title game of the South Sioux City Shootout Classic. Junior transfer Marissa Kastanek, a North Carolina State commitment who was playing her first game since being declared eligible by the Nebraska School Activities Association, finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and five steals. Senior guard Katie Birkel had four treys and 20 points and Houser added 10 points.

 

Nevada

Las Vegas Bonanza High’s girls basketball team (13-7, 5-3) held off Las Vegas Sierra Vista High 53-52 to open up a two-game advantage for third place in the Class 4A Southwest Division. Point guard Jeannette Jackson scored 13 of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter to pace a Sierra Vista rally from a 37-31 deficit after three quarters, but she was denied the winning basket by a tough man-to-man defense the final five seconds. A Jackson layup gave the Lions (9-16, 3-5) a 50-47 lead with 2:15 left, but Bonanza regained the lead for good with a 6-0 run on a basket by Terra Novak (13 points) and four free throws by Christin Figgins.

 

New Hampshire

Derek Tomes scored Salem High's first three goals and assisted on the Blue Devils' last one in a 4-2 win over Nashua Bishop Guertin High. Salem (8-3) moved into Division I's all-important top four. The defending champion Cardinals fell to 7-2. Bishop Guertin committed six of its 11 minor penalties and one misconduct in the third period, leading to a pair of Salem power-play goals. Tomes’ hat trick goal came on a two-man advantage and broke a 2-2 tie. Despite giving up Pat Doherty’s power-play goal on a two-man advantage in the second period, Salem goalie Michael Liberatore made 23 saves.

 

New Jersey

Sussex High Point High, ranked in the Garden State’s top five teams, showed why by becoming the only team to wrestle four dual meets and win them all in the NHSCA Wrestling Festival. The Wildcats beat Vestavia Hills (Ala.) High 44-16 in its opening match, then added three victories over Pennsylvania schools, Lehighton High 55-15, Kingston Wyoming Seminary Prep School 33-26 and Tamaqua High 44-24. High Point’s 4-0 performances led nine teams who finished the day unbeaten. Blairstown Blair Academy and Oradell Bergen Catholic High were two of those teams, both finishing the day with 3-0 records.

 

New Mexico

Despite letting a 12-point third-quarter lead slip away, Albuquerque La Cueva High’s boys basketball team regained its composure in the fourth quarter. The Bears finished the game on a 24-7 run for a 71-57 victory over Albuquerque High. Despite two tournaments and a weekend series against two southern New Mexico schools this month, the Bears fought through the fatigue. Swingman Dan Koller led the way with 26 points. A 3-pointer by Isaiah Howard at the end of the third quarter tied the game at 50-all and fueled a 12-0 run that helped the Bears regain control.

 

New York

Spencerport High stamped itself as one of the state’s top wrestling teams in recent years, breezing to the championship of the state’s unofficial dual-team championship event, the Union-Endicott Duals. Ranked No. 11 nationally by W.I.N. magazine, the Rangers got a pin from NHSCA National Juniors champion Bryan Bourne (171), a major decision from Chris Collura (140) and a technical fall from Nick Terenzi (130) in a 33-14 finals victory over Fulton High. Spencerport also crushed Mexico High 53-4 in the quarterfinals and Brentwood High 43-10 in the semifinals. Fulton reached the finals with victories over Waverly High, 39-18 and Brockport High, 33-17.

 

North Carolina

Charlotte Myers Park High (Class 4A), Charlotte Catholic High (3A), Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons High (2A) and Kernersville Bishop McGuinness High (A) lead their classes after fall sports in the race for the 29th Wachovia Cup, sponsored by Wachovia Bank, N.A., and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Myers Park (202.5 points) finished second in volleyball and girls cross-country. Charlotte Catholic (227.5) won the girls dual team tennis title and was the football runner-up. Cardinal Gibbons (222.5) won state titles in volleyball and girls cross country, and was the boys soccer runner-up. Bishop McGuinness (177.5) had a pair of state finals appearances.

 

North Dakota

Bismarck High (215.5 points) blew away the field in the 40th annual Bismarck Rotary Tournament. Bismarck got titles from Trevor Johnson (125) and two-time state champion Tyler Johnson (152). West Fargo High edged Fargo South High, 125.5-122.5, though Fargo South claimed a pair of champions, Eric Forde (103) and Jake Bruns (285). NHSCA National Juniors finalist Justin Solberg (125) of Wahpeton High also was a winner. North Dakota’s other champions: Belcourt Turtle Mountain Community High’s Shane Scott (119), Bismarck St. Mary’s Central High’s David Vetter (171), West Fargo’s Scott Schiller (189) and Napoleon High’s Kriss McCleary (215).

 

Ohio

Visiting Medina Highland High junior Tyler Houska moved up a weight class to 285 pounds and recorded a pin to lift the Hornets (8-1, 6-1) beat Barberton High 38-33, taking second place behind perennial power Wadsworth High in the Suburban League. Juniors Logan Gresock (135) and Jon McKee (145) each scored pins for Highland, which also won a pair of matches by forfeit. But wins by Brandon Nelson (189) and state runnerup Adam Cogar (215) gave the Magics (12-2, 5-2) a 33-32 lead before Houska, who missed two practices earlier in the week because of a sore knee, improved to 25-4 with his match-winning pin.

 

Oklahoma

In the first meeting between the cross-town rivals in more than a decade, defending Class 6A state boys basketball champion Midwest City High (13-3) got four 3-pointers and 16 points from guard Jarrod McDaniel and beat host Midwest City Carl Albert High 59-49 in the semifinals of the Titan Classic.

McDaniel notched 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and James Davis added 15 points for Midwest City, which hit six treys in the third quarter to take a 55-39 lead. Harrison Dupont led all scorers with 23 points for Carl Albert (9-5).

 

Oregon

The Adair Village Santiam Christian School boys and girls basketball teams swept Creswell High. Nicole Barton scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the girls team (17-2, 8-2) to a 53-37 PacWest Conference victory. Tayla Woods added 15 points and six assists for the Eagles. Megan McMahon led Creswell with 11 points.  David Nigro scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and the No. 2 boys team (17-3, 8-2) outscored Creswell 34-15 the final two quarters en route to a 50-30 victory. Creswell was led by Alex Gabrio’s 11 points.

 

Pennsylvania

In what could be the first of three meetings over less than a month, Northampton High erased a 19-12 deficit by winning the final four matches for a 28-19 victory over Easton High in a match between two national top 15 teams. Jimmy Sheptock (152) started the run with a 2-1 overtime victory over Colin Dailey. Mike Wechsler (160) followed with the meet’s only pin, Seth Csaszar (171) won by decision and Aaron Chamberlain capped the rally with a major decision at 189. Two-time state champion Jordan Oliver (135) recorded the only other bonus-point win in the match, the NHSCA National Juniors champion picking up a major decision.

 

Rhode Island

Two of the state’s wrestling powers won in different ways. Cumberland High overcame a 29-17 deficit by winning the final three matches as the Clippers prevailed in a battle of Division I unbeatens with a 32-29 victory over North Kingstown High. William Lomax (189) won by major decision and Derek Paul (215) and Gerry Delannoy (285) recorded pins to cap Cumberland’s comeback. Meanwhile, three-time defending state champion Cranston West High stayed unbeaten with a 57-19 win over North Providence High. Derek Patalano (103), Shawn Giblin (125), Cory Giblin (130), Vince Dellefave (135) and Mike Petrocelli (152) all had pins for the Falcons.

 

South Carolina

It was an up-and-down day for Taylors Eastside High, the five-time defending Class 3A dual and individual state champions, at the NHSCA Final Four of High School Wrestling. The Eagles won their opening match 34-20 over Camden Wyoming (Del.) Caesar Rodney High. Pins by Weston Newton (171) and David Dawkins (189) helped the Eagles clinch the meet. IN the next two rounds, Eastside ran into two of the nation’s top teams, losing 52-7 to host Easton (Pa.) High and 54-9 to eventual champion Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy. Dawkins, Andrew Jenkins (125) and two-time state champion Corbin Martin (160) each won twice for Eastside.

 

South Dakota

Rapid City Stevens High led all teams with three individual champions and finished second, 215.5-167, to Bismarck (N.D.) High in the Bismarck Rotary Tournament. Stevens took back-to-back-to-back titles, with freshman Kris Klapprodt (135), senior Kramer Johnson (140) and freshman Jarrett Jensen (145) all winning crowns to lead eight placewinners. Aberdeen Central High (101.5 points) finished ninth, with Baker Haar (215) finishing second, and Rapid City Central High (93.5 points) 10 th behind 189-pound finalist Chad Gibson. Aberdeen Central placed six wrestlers and Rapid City Central three.

Tennessee

Cleveland High earned its first trip to the Division 1-AAA state duals since 1995, beating defending state champion Soddy Daisy High 31-30. The Blue Raiders (21-5) picked up two key wins at 119, with Marvin Lopez defeating state placewinner Justin Hammons, 6-2 and Clay Bunch’s pin at 135. Adam Peters (285) and Lopez (119) scored decisions and Bryan Alvarado (112) added a technical fall at 112 for an early 11-6 lead before Soddy Daisy won four of the next five for a 24-16 lead. Cleveland then won three straight for a 31-24 lead and held on to keep the Trojans (21-5) out of the dual state meet for the fist time since 2000.

 

Texas

After scoring just one goal in three games in the I-10 Shootout last week, Katy Cinco Ranch High regained its offensive touch in a 3-1 victory over Clear Brook High in the quarterfinals of the Clear Creek girls soccer tournament. With her team leading 1-0 at halftime, senior midfielder Kaitlyn Eidson scored twice in the second half for Cinco Ranch. The goals were set up on crosses from Valerie Whitt and Amy Brodeur. Missy Wentz’s goal from 20 yards out in the game’s 15th minute had given the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Clear Brook's only goal came on a penalty kick by Brittany Hankinson in the 60th minute.

 

Utah

In the premier match in the All-Star Meet, Heber City Wasatch High senior Ethan Smith (160) upset NHSCA National High School Sophomores champion Ethan Lofthouse of Hyrum Mountain Crest High 3-2. Lofthouse got his revenge, however, in the finals of the Resilite Rocky Mountain Rumble four days later, beating Smith 5-1 in the finals. Wasatch scored 286 points to win the team title over Mountain Crest (224.5) and Rock Springs (Wyo.) High (223.5). Jake Salazar (152), Cole Shafer (171) and Garrett Gleave (189) won titles for Wasatch. NHSCA National Juniors champion Jason Chamberlain (140) of Springville High also won.

 

Vermont

Claudia Pawlikowski scored 11 points and Christine Jaques added nine, including a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds, as visiting Burlington High (9-4) defeated Rutland High, 42-39. The teams were tied at halftime and the score remained tied after three quarters before Burlington burst in front with an 8-0 run to open the final quarter. Rutland (7-7) battled back, pulling within 40-39 when Kelly Conway (11 points) hit a free throw with 20 seconds left. Brittany Garrow led Rutland with 12 points and Megan Blongy added nine.

Virginia

Chesapeake Hickory High’s boys and girls swimming teams swept the Southeastern District titles. The girls team easily outpointed Chesapeake Great Bridge High, 175-125, while the boys held off Chesapeake Western Branch High, 167-149. Bryn Moriarty led a balanced girls effort by winning the 200-meter individual medley. The boys team picked up six wins overall, with Jordan Law (50 and 100 freestyle) and Bryan Uncur (200 and 500 freestyle) both earning a pair of wins. Chris Murphy took the one-meter diving crown. Western Branch had a pair of double winners Julianne Phillips (200 and 500 freestyle) and Chase Greiser (100 butterfly, 100 backstroke).

 

Washington

Down 29-28 at halftime, Seattle John F. Kennedy High’s girls basketball team outscored host Renton Lindbergh High 18-3 in the third quarter en route to a 57-46 Seamount League victory. The No. 4 Lancers (14-0, 8-0) forced nine turnovers and limited the Eagles to 1-for-9 shooting in the quarter. Dairda Brown led Kennedy with 20 points and sophomore Yasmine Fuller added 17. Marcisa McMillan, Lindbergh’s 6-foot-1 center, scored 14 of her game-high 24 points in the first half to help the Eagles (12-3, 7-2) to a 24-13 second-quarter lead. McMillan also had 14 rebounds and five blocks. But Kennedy went on a 33-8 run over the next two quarters to take command.

 

West Virginia

Wheeling Central Catholic High’s girls basketball team, ranked No. 2 in Class A, improved to 14-3 with back-to-back victories over Charleston Catholic High and 52-38 over Charleston Sissonville High, ranked No. 3 in AA. The Maroon Knights outscored Sissonville 19-4 in the game’s final seven minutes, with Audra Oroginske (game-high 20 points) going 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Val Palmer scored 10 for the Maroon Knights, who went 25-of-29 from the line in the two victories. Kaitlin Snyder scored 13 points and senior Tori Ball (six points) scored the 1,000th point of her career for Sissonville (12-4).

 

Wisconsin

The spotlight was on host Kaukauna High and nationally-ranked Lombard (Ill.) Montini High at the Cheesehead Wrestling Tournament. But Wausau West High ran away with the title, 669-579 over Montini thanks to its incredible balance. Shawn Perry (140) was their only champion, but 13 West wrestlers won at least four matches in the two-day event and 12 placed in the top seven. Jon Schuster (103), Joey Marsh (112), Sam Umlauf (125) and Steven Monk (135) finished second for West. Host Kaukauna (528.5) finished third and had three champions: Dillon Bera (145), Noah Budi (160) and Old Dominion signee Joe Budi (189).

 

Wyoming

Any event between Casper cross-town rivals Kelly Walsh High and Natrona County High is big, and unbeaten Natrona County (13-0, 3-0) came up with a big Class 4A West boys basketball win, 53-24. Natrona County forced turnovers on 13 of Kelly Walsh’s first 19 possessions and led 24-8 at halftime. Tom Earl led all scorers with 18 points and junior post player Michael Dietz added 11. Kelly Walsh’s Cobi Eskew (11 points) scored five straight points to start the second half to cut Natrona County’s lead to 11, but Earl scored nine straight points as the Mustangs went on an 18-1 run.