MaxWire National Blog

The Newark Star-Ledger reported that the Columbia (Maplewood, N.J.) girls ran the second-fastest sprint medley relay in high school history (3:52.07) on Saturday while notching the title during the annual New Balance National Championships in Greensboro, N.C. The record of 3:51.90 has stood since 2007.

Rising senior Olivia Baker continued her quest to gain legendary status when she ran the 400-meter leg in 53.1 seconds. Shanika Dessein ran the 800-meter anchor leg in 2:09.34. Baker also ran a 2:13.03 anchor as Columbia won the 4x800 national title in 9:01.12

Baker had reached superstar status when she became the first athlete ever to win four gold medals in the New Jersey Meet of Champions. She also is involved in music, astronomy and wants to become a neurosurgeon.

Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, N.J.) won the boys shuttle hurdles relay in 56.63 seconds, No. 3 all-time.

Another New Jersey star, Keturah Orji of Mount Olive (Flanders, N.J.), won the girls triple jump at 43-9 1/4, which is No. 6 all-time.

University of Pittsburgh football fans have a special treat awaiting them, because dynamic Tyler Boyd will be playing for the Panthers in the fall.

However, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound running back took a slight detour Saturday to help the Pennsylvania All-Stars demolish their Maryland counterparts in the 56th annual Big 33 game by a shocking 58-27 margin. Pennsylvania had lost the last four meetings.

The two-time Pennsylvania Mr. Football, who led Clairton (Pa.) to the nation's current longest winning streak (63 games and four consecutive Class A state titles), ran the opening kickoff back 91 yards and was off to the races. He soon snared a 16-yard touchdown pass, later scoring on a four-yard run and firing a 68-yard halfback pass for another touchdown.

Boyd told the Harrisburg Patriot-News, "It felt really great. My team told me they were going to block for me and they gave me a huge lane on that opening kick. I took full advantage of it."

He finished with 244 all-purpose yards, including 144 on returns.

Chosen as Indiana's all-time All-Star basketball player this week by the Indianapolis Star, the great Oscar Robertson continues to inspire young players.

The 74-year-old legend spoke to the Indiana boys and girls All-Stars on Friday before their annual series against Kentucky and the boys apparently took the speech to heart because they trampled the Kentuckians in a record-breaking 114-60 victory before 1,500 at Freedom Hall in Louisville.

The previous margin of victory in the 120-game series was 37 points during a 101-64 win in 1960.

Robertson, the only NBA player ever to average a triple double for an entire season, attended Crispus Attucks, a segregated all-black high school in Indianapolis. Robertson led Crispus Attucks to a state title in 1955, the first all-black high school in the country to win a state crown. The school now goes by simply Attucks (Indianapolis).

Indiana coach Scott Heady told the Louisville Courier-Journal, "Obviously, we weren't expecting that kind of a margin. "They kept their intensity and stayed unselfish. That's great to see. We have some big-time players willing to sacrifice for the good of the team. We defended well and that got us going early. We were good inside."

Leading five players in double figures was 6-foot-6 University of Notre Dame recruit V.J. Beachem of New Haven , who shot a perfect 9-for-9 and finished with 22 points. His perfect night enabled the Hoosiers to shoot a red-hot 59.5 percent from the field. They also had a commanding 50-25 rebound advantage.

Kentucky, which shot just 31.7 percent and made 25 turnovers, was led by 6-9 University of Kentucky recruit Derek Willis of Bullitt East (Mt. Washington) who had 18 points.

The University of Georgia beat out defending national champion Alabama on Friday for Elite 11 quarterback Jacob Park, according to the Charleston Post and Courier.

Park is the No. 8 pro-style quarterback and the 139th overall player, according to 247 Sports.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound rising senior also had offers from Auburn, Tennessee, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, among others.

His coach at Stratford (Goose Creek, S.C.), Ray Stackley, told the newspaper, "It was a very difficult decision for Jacob. He kept going back and forth between Alabama and Georgia. They both did a great job recruiting him, but I think he just liked a few more things about Georgia. He has a real good relationship with (Georgia head coach) Mark Richt. He talked with both schools several times this week."

In three varsity campaigns, Park has passed for 4,919 yards and 43 touchdowns while running for 381 yards and seven touchdowns.

He will participate in the Elite 11 national camp during June 28-July 3 at the Nike Campus in Beaverton, Ore.

Canon-McMillan (Canonsburg, Pa.) nipped Neshaminy (Langhorne) 4-3 in 12 innings on Friday to win the Class AAAA state softball championship in University Park, Pa.

It was the longest Class AAAA state-title softball game in Pennsylvania history, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. A Class AA finale in 2001 lasted 14 innings.

The last three innings were played under International Tiebreaker rules, which start each inning with a runner on second base and no outs. Both teams scored one run in the 10th and 11th.

Senior pitcher Alayna Astuto, who took a no-hitter into the 10th inning, went the distance and struck out 18. She got the win when freshman Linda Rush slammed a two-run homer in the top of the 12th inning.

Astuto told the Tribune-Review, "It just kept going on and on and on. My heart dropped (when Rush connected). I thought, 'Please go over.' "

The Big Macs won their first state title with an almost flawless 25-1 record. Neshaminy finished 23-3.