MaxWire National Blog

Covering High School Sports in America
  • One race, three national records.

    Courtesy photo

    Steven Stumph

    Technically, there's only one national record, but two others broke the previous national mark as well.

    So it was at the North Coast Section swim championships Saturday in Northern California.

    Campolindo (Moraga) senior and USC-bound Steven Stumph finished off an electric meet by winning the 100-yard breaststroke in 53.39 seconds. He was followed by Charlie Wiser (53.57), of Miramonte (Orinda), and Nick Silverthorn (53.61), of Granada (Livermore).

    All were under the previous mark of 53.67 set by Olympian Brendan Hansen. Stumph is the No. 20 overall recruit in the country according to collegeswimming.com.

    "I knew "I knew both Nick and Charlie were going to push me to do my best, and they definitely did," Stumph told Stephanie Hammon of the Contra Costa Times. "I couldn't have asked for a better race. ... It was amazing all the positive energy coming from the crowd, the announcers, and my teammates."

    Said Campolindo coach Ron Heidary: "I think the consensus from everybody I talked to was that was the most extraordinary heats of swimming that anybody has ever seen."

    Photo courtesy of Peter H. Bick

    Chelsea Chenault

    It was the only national record set at the meet at Concord Community Pool. The 400 free relay team from Carondelet (Concord) broke the girls national mark by going 3:20.42, breaking the national mark of 3:21.63 set by Germantown Academy (Pa.) earlier this season.

    The team of Chelsea Chenault, Natalie Amberg, Madelyn Murphy and Madison White broke the previous mark by more than a second.

    Chenault, an Olympic Trials finalist last summer and No. 8 recruit in the country, also won the 200 and 500 freestyle and set three NCS records. Her 49.27 leadoff leg also set the 100 freestyle section record. She's also headed to USC.
  • Screen shot from YouTube

    Dwayne Wade poses with Archbishop Carroll senior Nicole Muxo, whom he surprised at her senior ball on Friday night.

    The poor high school gents at Archbishop Carroll (Miami, Fla.).

    Imagine trying to be the big man on campus – or at the very least impressing your date at senior ball. You buy the fancy clothes and dinner, score a cool ride to pick up your date, supply a luscious bouquet of flowers or a sweet corsage.

    The he shows up.

    The Heat is on.

    Photo by Mitch Stephens

    Dwayne Wade

    He is Heat starting guard and future Hall of Famer Dwayne Wade whose specialty is stealing the ball for breakaway dunks and who on Friday stole the show by surprising Carroll senior Nicole Muxo at the senior prom on Friday.

    Muxo made a sweet YouTube video and asked Wade months ago to be her date and Wade was gentlemanly enough to decline only because the Heat are in the middle of defending their NBA title.

    However, with Friday off thanks to Miami's quick disposal of the Chicago Bulls, Wade surprised Ms. Muxo and the entire Carroll class by attending the dance at La Jolla Ballroom in Coral Gables. For good measure, he presented her roses.

    As if his presence wasn't enough.

    According to the Miami Herald, Wade actually called Muxo moments before walking into the prom to tell her to have a good night. He was right outside. He then walked in for just an extra surprise factor.

    Wade danced with Muxo and stayed almost an hour. Ms. Muxo did have a "legitimate" date Laurent Chaumin who good-naturedly told the Herald: "At least we both now how to dress."

    Wade said "I'm the third wheel. I'm like both their dates," then later Tweeted: "I had a blast at Prom. Never be 2 scared to ask."

    I was able to spend time with Wade at a Gatorade Replay event in Chicago two years ago and found him down to earth and genuine and fun. This just backs up all those notions. 

  • File photo by Dennis Lee

    Marcus Lee is known around national circles as the highly athletic basketball post headed to Kentucky. In Northern California, he's also known on the volleyball court.

    Around basketball circles Marcus Lee is a well-known force and commodity nationally.

    File photo by Ernie Abrea

    Marcus Lee up for a block.

    The high-flying, wiry 6-foot-10 post from Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) was a McDonald's All-American and headed to the University of Kentucky along with a who's who of 2013 recruits.

    But around Northern California, Lee first made big noise on the volleyball court and on Friday, he capped off his senior year in North Coast Section with the school's first title.

    Lee, an absolutely menacing and intimidating middle blocker, had 15 kills in 22 attempts to go along with 21 kills from 6-4 sophomore Jordan Ewert as the Wolverines defeated Amador Valley 25-15, 24-26, 25-16, 25-15 to improve to 40-1.

    Despite a late start because of Deer Valley's late basketball run and to commitments to McDonald's and the Jordan Brand Classic, Lee has 154 kills on the season. He's second on the team behind Ewert (4.7) with 3.8 kills per game.

    Senior Derrico Kwa had 48 assists and is sixth in the nation with 1,161 assists on the season. Ewert is 18th in the country and first among sophomores with 887 kills on the year.

    Lee and Deer Valley open NorCal playoff action Tuesday. Most believe Lee would be a Division I volleyball player if he devoted a fraction of the time to the sport he does on basketball.

    He's still dominating at the high school level. He's a four-year starter for the Wolverines, who have gone 143-17 in that time under superb coach Lou Panzella.

  • File photo by Daryl Chan

    Esperanza's boys volleyball team, shown here in a 2010 Southern Section title game, deserves a standing ovation for its act of sportsmanship this week.

    Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) was supposed to host a Southern Section Division II boys volleyball match tonight (Saturday, May 18) against Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.).

    But the Aztecs decided to reschedule to Monday. The reason: senior prom conflict. Not theirs but that of Dos Pueblos.

    As first reported by the Los Angeles Times' Eric Sondheimer, the Aztecs accepted Dos Pueblos request to change the Saturday night start time, something they definitely didn't have to do.

    Anaheim and Goleta are 120 miles apart and the Dos Pueblos players would have missed all the festivities. A dozen seniors are a part of Dos Pueblos' team.

    "It was a classy move by Esperanza to help us out, and we really appreciate it," Dos Pueblos Athletic Director Dan Feldhaus told Sondheimer.
  • Nobody has found a way to stop the Greenwood (Bowling Green, Ky.) softball team on its way into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association record books.

    Photo courtesy of raleyslone.com

    Raley Slone, Greenwood

    According to the Bowling Green Daily News, the Gators' 1-0 triumph over Christian County on Tuesday was the 31st in a row, breaking the mark of 30 set by Reidland in 2000.

    They added to the legacy with a 5-2 victory over Central Hardin on Thursday. That extended the record to 32, and the Gators have two more shots Saturday to add to it, as they have scheduled games against Daviess County and Oldham County.

    In the record-setting win, Raley Slone knocked in the only run with a third-inning single and Brittany Graham threw a two-hitter for the Gators, who are ranked No. 16 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Softball Rankings and 56th nationally in the Freeman Rankings.
  • Bob Ladouceur is looking relaxed these days, comfortable with his new role as De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) running backs coach.

    Photo by Dennis Lee

    Bob Ladouceur

    He might be taking on some new and bigger responsibilities: Helping out with the San Francisco 49ers.

    According to a report from Matt Maiocco of csnbayarea.com, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh reached out to the Hall of Fame coach who compiled 399 wins and at least eight mythical national championships before stepping down in January.

    See a slideshow of Ladouceur through the years

    Ladouceur is still a big part of the De La Salle program and will coach the varsity running backs this season and be on the sideline for every game. He stepped down from his head coaching duties in January after the Spartans won their fourth straight California Open Division Bowl Game title.

    According to the report, Harbaugh asked Ladouceur about possibly helping the 49ers in a consultant capacity concerning "team dynamics."

    Ladouceur, 58, has been at all the De La Salle spring practices and workouts and is fitting in perfectly with his new role, said new head coach Justin Alumbaugh, who is also one of the legendary coach's best friends. De La Salle figures to battle for another mythical national crown in 2013.

    "He's still my mentor, he still sits two feet away and every day before we walk out to the field he gives me another tid-bit to think about," Alumbaugh said Thursday after workouts. "I think he's happy in his new role. He seems a more spry. This is a well-earned change in roles. I think he's enjoying and embracing it and seems a lot less wound up."

    Calls to Ladouceur have not yet been returned.
  • Photo by James Conrad

    Pusch Ridge Christian Academy is giving back to its local community.

    May is a busy time for high school seniors. Prom, graduation and the college selection fill the calendars of 17 and 18-year-olds around the country.

    Football players at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy (Tucson, Ariz.) carved out some time recently to give back to the community in a unique way: the team organized a week-long camp for orphans in the community.

    News 4 Tucson first reported the story.

    Senior Grayson Barghols enjoyed the experience, saying it was a "terrific opportunity" to work with children who were less fortunate but still shared the same interest and goals.

    "A lot of kids my age take for granted all the opportunities they have. We're really blessed, we have a lot of things in our lives, and we don't recognize that a lot of people don't have those same opportunities," Barghols said.

    Pusch Ridge Christian finished 6-4 in 2012, and has 27 varsity letterwinners returning.

  • Throwing a perfect game is never easy, but Michael Strem sure made it look that way.

    File photo by Scott Dinn

    Michael Strem, St. Francis

    According to the Mercury News, the St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) senior threw the first perfect game in school history in a 2-0 victory over Monta Vista in the first round of the California Central Coast Section Division I playoffs on Wednesday.

    Strem needed only 66 pitches — 48 strikes — to complete the 7-inning perfect game. The low pitch count is even more impressive given the fact that Strem struck out eight Matador batters.

    As brilliant as Strem was, the game was tied until the sixth inning, when a Mark Cardinalli single drove in the only runs of the game.

    Monta Vista's Peter Stern was brilliant in the loss, allowing three hits with eight strikeouts.

    St. Francis moves on to play Valley Christian (San Jose) or Wilcox (Santa Clara) in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
  • Photo by James Conrad

    Taryn Griffey will join her brother Trey at the University of Arizona.

    Taryn Griffey, the daughter of former Mariners and Reds center field Ken Griffey Jr., has committed to Arizona according to multiple reports.

    The 5-foot-6 Griffey is a point guard on the Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) girls basketball team.

    As a sophomore, she averaged 16.5 points, seven rebounds, and five assists per game, earning Class 8A Player of the Year honors and guiding Dr. Phillips to a state title.

    Griffey missed her junior season after tearing her ACL.

    "She's fine. She did it playing basketball at the school, but that's all I know about it … it was an impact injury," Griffey Jr. told the Orlando Sentinel shortly after the injury occurred in October. "She's fine … upset, yeah, but ready to keep moving. I've prepared all my kids to know that the possibility of getting injured is a part of playing sports."

    Without Griffey, Dr. Phillips didn't miss a beat, capturing another state title and winning the National High School Invitational championship.

    She joins her brother Trey, a wide receiver for the Wildcats.

  • A lot of things go through a pole vaulter's mind as he prepares for an attempt, but most likely, "Is my pole going to snap?" isn't one of them.

    But that's exactly what happened to Quinn Cassidy of Punahou (Honolulu) in Saturday's Island Movers State Track and Field Championships. Everything looked routine until Cassidy was about to push himself over the bar — then the pole refused to cooperate.

    Despite an awkward landing Cassidy was not injured and was able to finish the event in second place with a vault of 14-0, according to the Maui News.

    Watch the unexpected development below.