MaxWire National Blog

Covering High School Sports in America

Tag: California Southern Section Football

Apr. 19^th
Under Armour adds five to summer high school baseball showcase

Photo by Donn Parris
Grant Hockin of Damien is one of five players recently added to the roster for the 2013 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game.
Baseball Factory has added five players to the roster for the 2013 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game, which is set for August 24 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Dylan Cease of Milton (Ga.), Jack Flaherty of Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), Michael Gettys of Gainesville (Ga.), Grant Hockin of Damien (La Verne, Calif.) and Carson Sands of North Florida Christian (Tallahassee, Fla.) join nine other players who were previously selected for the summer showcase.

Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode
Dylan Cease, Milton
"Dylan, Jack, Michael, Grant and Carson have made a strong impression on our scouts and we are excited to see them perform at Wrigley Field this August. They are great additions to an already talented roster for the event in Chicago," said Steve Bernhardt, Executive VP of Baseball at Baseball Factory and Chairman of the selection committee for the Under Armour All-America Game.

These players join the first nine players announced to the roster in January including Brady Aiken of Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), Ryan Castellani of Brophy College Prep (Phoenix), Stone Garrett of George Ranch (Richmond, Texas), Jacob Gatewood of Clovis (Calif.), Nicholas Gordon of Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), Alex Jackson of Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), Gareth Morgan of North Toronto Collegiate, Canada, David Peterson of Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) and Touki Toussaint of Coral Springs Christian (Coral Springs, Fla.).

The players are selected by a committee of Baseball Factory scouts and will compete in an American vs. National team match-up. The Under Armour All-America Baseball Game is the culmination of a four-day baseball celebration, including a formal workout for Major League Baseball scouts and a home run derby.

Twelve-year MLB veteran and MLB Network analyst Bill Ripken will return as a team manager opposite former MLB player, manager and coach and current MLB Network analyst Larry Bowa, who will manage in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game for the third time. Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. will serve as the official game ambassador.
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By Staff ReportApr. 19^th, 2013, 03:32 PAdd a Comment
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Baseball
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Michael Gettys, Carson Sands, Ryan Castellani, Jacob Gatewood, Stone Garrett, Grant Hockin, Alex Jackson, Dylan Cease, Jack Flaherty, David Peterson
Apr. 18^th
2013 NFL Draft vignette: Khaled Holmes in high school

This NFL Draft special feature is brought to you by Speed Stick. Don't Sweat it, Handle it.

On the field, he was one of the top offensive linemen in the country.

Off the field, Khaled Holmes is articulate, well-spoken, and according to his high school coach, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) legend Bruce Rollinson, downright funny.

"What he had was an innate ability to lead, but what he probably had was one of the greatest senses of humor I've ever been around," Rollinson said.

The 6-foot-3 Holmes, who spent most of his high school career blocking for Matt Barkley, is expected to be drafted between the third and fourth rounds of 2013 NFL Draft.

That would be two or three rounds too late in Rollinson's eyes.

"I'm saying first round for Khaled because of the history of what he brings to the table and his intelligence," he said. "And again, if it's not first round...he'll go where he's told to go and he'll surprise everyone.

"Watch out for Khaled Holmes."
Photo by Kirby Lee
Khaled Holmes in his Mater Dei days.
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By Staff ReportApr. 18^th, 2013, 12:00 A1 Comment
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Football
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Mater Dei, Southern Section Football
Apr. 14^th
Richard Samudio belts his first 4 home runs - in one game

File photo by Steve Silva
Richard Samudio, San Pedro
Senior Richard Samudio never had hit a home run - until Saturday.

Once he got the "scent," however, Samudio belted an amazing four home runs as San Pedro (Calif.) routed Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.) 24-7 during pool play in the San Fernando Tournament.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound first baseman batted a perfect 6-for-6 and drove in eight runs. He collected two of his home runs - including a grand slam - during a nine-run seventh inning. Three of his team members also hit for the distance.

Samudio told the Daily Breeze, "I never thought that was going to happen. After each one, I was just thinking, 'Hopefully I'll get another one' and I just took my hacks and hit some."

San Pedro coach Lefty Olguin added, "He's been hitting all year. He's a line-drive hitter. But I've personally in my 30 years of coaching never seen anyone hit four home runs."

*Junior shortstop Daniel Patzlaff hit four straight home runs over a two-game span against Huntington Beach (Calif.) - two in his final two trips to the plate as Fountain Valley (Calif.) posted a 12-11 win and two in his first two at-bats during a 9-8 win. The 5-9, 170-pounder had only one homer previously this year.

*Javier Alvarez pitched a perfect game as Lakewood (Calif.) blanked West Torrance (Torrance, Calif.) 7-0. He struck out eight and went to a 3-ball count just once.

*In softball, Brittaney Dahle struck out 21 batters as Wake Forest-Rolesville (Wake Forest, N.C.) nipped Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.) 2-1 in eight innings.

*Senior Katie Sutherland-Finch struck out 19 and yielded just one hit as Glencoe (Hillsboro, Ore.) blanked Century (Hillsboro, Ore.) 5-0. Just for good measure, she slammed a two-run homer and drove in four runs.

*Coach Jo Ann Byrd notched her 600th victory as Corona (Calif.) defeated Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 3-1.
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By Dave KriderApr. 14^th, 2013, 12:00 AAdd a Comment
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Baseball, California, California Baseball
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Daniel Patzlaff, Richard Samudio, Brittaney Dahle, Javier Alvarez, Wake Forest-Rolesville, Glencoe, San Pedro, Fountain Valley, Lakewood, Corona
Apr. 9^th
UConn's Breanna Stewart, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis: Former MaxPreps Players of the Year

File photo by James Conrad
UConn star Breanna Stewart was the MaxPreps National Player of the Year last season.
UConn women's basketball is an absolute juggernaut, and the Huskies proved that with their 93-60 blowout win over Louisville in the 2013 NCAA Division I title game Monday night in New Orleans.

A couple individual juggernauts also were in their usual dominant forms, as Breanna Stewart and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored almost half of UConn's points total.

File photo by Dennis Lee
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Mater Dei
It shouldn't come as a surprise: Each woman was named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year in their respective senior seasons.

Stewart was the game's most outstanding player with 23 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Just last year, she was leading Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.) to a No. 10 ranking in the final Xcellent 25 and posting 26.4 points, 14.2 rebounds, 4.1 blocks, 3.2 steals and 3.1 assists per game to earn National Player of the Year honors.

Mosqueda-Lewis contributed 18 points and nine rebounds against Louisville, and she was the National Player of the Year before Stewart. Playing for Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), she was also the Female Athlete of the Year for the 2010-11 school year. In leading the Monarchs to a second-straight national title, Mosqueda-Lewis contributed 22.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.6 assists per game.

Perhaps this bodes well for North Carolina: The 2013 National Player of the Year, Diamond DeShields of Norcross (Ga.), is headed to play for the Tar Heels next year.

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By Leland GordonApr. 9^th, 2013, 09:19 PAdd a Comment
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Girls Basketball
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Cicero-North Syracuse, Mater Dei, Southern Section Girls Basketball, Section 3 Girls Basketball
Apr. 9^th
National wrestling championship titles awarded over the weekend

Courtesy photo
Apple Valley (Minn.) star Mark Hall won a Cadet national title over the weekend.
The 24th annual National Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach, Va., drew a record 2,777 participants, according to Bobby Ferraro Jr., director for the sponsoring National High School Coaches Association.

Ferraro told MaxPreps, "We had virtually every college represented there and we did a lot of clinics. Unfortunately, I care more about the college coaches having to choose where to go (referring to two other major tournaments going on at the same time). We're trying to help kids get scholarships."

If there was a star in such a huge field, it had to be B.j. Clagon from Toms River South (N.J.). He defeated Justin Arthur of Huntington (W. Va.) 10-6 to win the 145-pound title and become just the third four-time champion in the history of the event.

Named Most Outstanding Wrestler in the Junior event was 138-pound champion Renaldo Rodriguez of Cheektowaga (N.Y.).

Corbin Allen, the 145-pound winner from Hanover, Va., was named MOW in the sophomore class, while freshman honors went to 113-pound champion Kyle Norstrem of Brandon, Fla.

Team champions were: Senior - New Jersey with 191 points; Junior - New York with 154.5 points; Sophomore - New Jersey with 136 points; and Freshman - New York with 208.5 points.

* The Cliff Keen/USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals were held in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Thirty-two individual champions were crowned in the Cadet and Junior Divisions, but no Most Outstanding Wrestler awards were made. The meet drew approximately 2,500 entries.

In the Junior Division, Clayton Ream and Adam Coon were the lone wrestlers who successfully defended their titles, according to Jason Bryant, editor of Amateur Wrestling News.

Coon, a four-time state champion from Fowlerville (Mich.), uphleld his ranking as the nation's No. 1 heavyweight. Ream, who is from Holt (Wentzville, Mo.), captured the title at 152 pounds.

Sensational freshman Aaron Pico from St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) went 6-0 and picked up bonus points in every round to win the title at 138 pounds. He is ranked No. 1 in the country at 132 pounds.

Among the impressive winners in the Cadet Division was three-time state champion Mark Hall from Apple Valley (Minn.), who captured the championship at 160 pounds.
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By Dave KriderApr. 9^th, 2013, 10:17 AAdd a Comment
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Wrestling
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B.j. Clagon, Toms River South, Fowlerville, Apple Valley, Holt, Huntington, St. John Bosco, Cheektowaga, Section 6 Wrestling, Southern Section Wrestling
Apr. 7^th
Kaitlyn Merritt sets national sophomore pole vault record

Photo by Craig Morley
Shea Martinez, Davis
The star-studded Arcadia (Calif.) Invitational track & field meet produced its usual outstanding performances over the weekend, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Perhaps the most impressive effort was by Kaitlyn Merritt of Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), who set a meet and girls national sophomore record by clearing 13 feet, 8 inches in the pole vault.

Another youngster, freshman Courtney Corrin of Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), won the girls long jump with a superb career effort of 20 feet, 2 1/4 inches, which leads the nation this spring.

Though just a junior, Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley (Calif.) captured her third 3200-meter run championship at Arcadia in 10:08.76.

The Los Angeles Daily News reported that Baxter, who never has lost in the 3200, "was hoping to get under 10 (minutes ... It didn't feel like we went out fast enough. It seemed like everyone was being conservative and saving themselves for the end. If I could do it over, I definitely would have run the race faster the first 1600."

California defending state 100- and 200-meter champion Khalfani Muhammad of Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) captured the 100 in 10.46 seconds and was second in the 200. He lost the 200 to Elijah Mitchell of Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.), 21.21 to 21.40.

Double wins went to Shea Martinez of Davis (Kaysville, Utah), who ran the girls 800 in 2:09.26 and the mile in 4:52.39.

The Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) boys captured three relays titles during the two-day affair.

Randall Cunningham of Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) won the high jump at 7-1. He is the son of the former NFL quarterback of the same name.
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By Dave KriderApr. 7^th, 2013, 12:00 AAdd a Comment
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Track & Field, Girls Track & Field
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Santa Margarita, Roosevelt, Notre Dame, Bishop Gorman, Davis, Simi Valley, Redondo Union, Harvard-Westlake, Southern Section Football, Southern Section Girls Track & Field
Mar. 31^st
Courtney Mirabella throws 217 pitches in 16-inning victory

File photo by Vincent Pugliese
Phillip Bickford, Oaks Christian
Courtney Mirabella threw an amazing 217 pitches while sparking Braden River (Bradenton, Fla.) to a tense 1-0 softball victory in 16 innings against George Jenkins (Lakeland, Fla.). The 5-foot-5 senior right-hander struck out 20, walked one and scattered 12 hits. The North Carolina State University recruit threw 165 pitches for strikes.

Kenya Yancy scored the lone run on a hit to right field by Hannah Loyer in the bottom of the 16th inning.

*Freshman Sarah Cornell made a highly impressive softball debut by striking out 20 of 21 batters to lead Clarke (Westbury, N.Y.) to a 9-0 victory over Farmingdale (N.Y.). A ground ball to the shortstop in the fourth inning provided the only other out.

*Switching to baseball, Bryce Keller struck out 20 and scattered three hits as Port Washington (N.Y.) posted a 4-0 win over Herricks (New Hyde Park, N.Y.).

*Quartz Hill (Calif.) routed Eastside (Lancaster, Calif.) 11-0 behind a three-run homer and 15 strikeouts by Ty Boyles.

*Cal State Fullerton signee Phillip Bickford struck out 16, allowed one hit and walked none in six innings while hurling Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) to a 13-1 victory over Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.). Los Angeles Times sportswriter Eric Sondheimer reported that Bickford's fastball was clocked as high as 97 MPH.
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By Dave KriderMar. 31^st, 2013, 12:00 AAdd a Comment
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Baseball, Softball
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Ty Boyles, Courtney Mirabella, Kenya Yancy, Hannah Loyer, Phillip Bickford, Oaks Christian, Braden River, Clarke, Quartz Hill, Port Washington
Mar. 20^th
Matt Barkley's number to be retired at Mater Dei

Seems like just yesterday — okay, perhaps a few days before that — that I made a 450-mile trek down Highway 5 to do a one-on-one with Matt Barkley at Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).

File photo by Louis Lopez
Matt Barkley at Mater Dei in 2008
Thursday they are retiring his No. 5 on the Orange County campus.

That didn't take long. He's not even in the NFL yet, though he's expected to be one of the top two quarterbacks taken in the NFL draft next month — most have him in the top 10. Four CBSsports.com experts all have him going inside the top eight.

Barkley's prep career was certainly decorated. He was the Gatorade National Player of the Year (all sports) his junior year and, perhaps most impressive to me, a four-year starter at a perennial national power.

I don't often do straight Q&As with prep athletes — but after our talk in the summer of 2008, I thought it was warranted. Might be worth taking a look from 4 1/2 years ago — not exactly yesterday. Also check out a piece we did on him after winning the Gatorade award.

Mater Dei is also going retire the jerseys of former standout receiver Thomas Duarte, MacKenzie Barr (water polo) and Jon Walters (water polo).
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By Mitch StephensMar. 20^th, 2013, 11:32 AAdd a Comment
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Football, California, California Football
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Mater Dei, Southern Section Football
Mar. 16^th
Chad Kanoff rejects Vanderbilt scholarship for Princeton

File photo by Nicholas Koza
Chad Kanoff, Harvard-Westlake
Chad Kanoff made a rather shocking decision this week when he elected to attend Princeton University, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The outstanding quarterback from Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) had committed to play football at Vanderbilt in May and signed in February.

In a new release from the school, Kanoff said, "Vanderbilt is a great school, with a strong football program, and a terrific coaching staff, and I'm grateful for the opportunity that was offered to me. However, after thoroughly thinking it through, I believe that Princeton is the best fit for me as a student-athlete."

According to MaxPreps statistics, the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder finished his senior year by completing 227 of 371 passes for 3,421 yards and 38 touchdowns. He had only eight interceptions. He twice threw six touchdown passes and his high game was 448 yards.
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By Dave KriderMar. 16^th, 2013, 12:00 AAdd a Comment
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Football, California, California Football
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Chad Kanoff, Harvard-Westlake, Southern Section Football
Mar. 16^th
Saturday National Rundown: Olympic caps unbeaten season with North Carolina state title

File photo by Fabian Radulescu
Deriece Parks scored 19 points to lead Olympic to its first basketball state title Saturday at UNC's Dean Dome.
Olympic (Charlotte) is 86-4 over the past three seasons under head coach Ty Baumgardner and has been featured in MaxPreps.com's national rankings each of the last two years.

Despite all that success, the Trojans had yet to break through and win a state title. In fact, the school had never won a state title in anything outside of slow pitch softball, which the North Carolina High School Athletic Association no longer sponsors.

Olympic's state championship drought ended Saturday with a 56-53 win over Broughton (Raleigh) in the Class 4A state title game. The game was played in the Dean E. Smith Center (better known as the Dean Dome) on the University of North Carolina campus.

Senior guard Deriece Parks led the Trojans with 19 points as they finished a perfect 30-0 on the season. Olympic entered the game ranked No. 4 nationally by MaxPreps.

Junior guard C.J. Jackson added 17 points for the new state champions.

The loss for Broughton added to a tough day for North Carolina State head coach Mark Gottfried, who saw his team eliminated from the ACC Tournament by Miami earlier in the day. Gottfried's son, Cameron, is a promising junior guard for Broughton.

Other nationally-ranked teams in action

* No. 10 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) will play for its third California state title in a row next weekend after dismantling No. 3 Etiwanda 60-37. The Monarchs will meet up with Aaron Gordon and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) in the CIF Open Division state championship game.

* No. 6 Simeon (Chicago) put an exclamation point on a special run by beating Stevenson (Lincolnshire) 58-40 to capture its fourth Illinois Class 4A state title in a row. Jabari Parker, often the center of attention for the Wolverines, finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. Simeon (30-3) went 117-15 in Parker's four years with the program including 92-6 over the past three years. The school was also once home to Bulls star Derrick Rose and has won seven state titles overall.

* No. 16 Chester advanced to Pennsylvania's Class AAAA semifinals with a 55-42 win over Great Valley (Malvern). The Clippers led by just one early in the third quarter but gradually pulled away for their 15th victory in a row by 10 or more points. Bidding for its third state title in as many years, Chester will meet St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) in the semifinals.

* The backcourt combination of Jahmel Taylor and Namon Wright was too much for No. 17 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) as Pacific Hills (Los Angeles) emerged with a 73-69 in California's Division IV state semifinals. Taylor, a Washington commitment, poured in 20 points while Wright added 20.

* No. 19 Morgan Park (Chicago) capped a dominant state tournament run by beating Cahokia 63-48 in the Illinois Class 3A title game. The Mustangs, who finished the season 33-3, won state tournament games by margins of 67 and 63 points and won all seven contests by an average margin of 38 points per game.

* In 2010, Lincoln Gahanna played spoiler against an unbeaten Northland (Columbus) team led by then-senior Jared Sullinger. History did not repeat itself Saturday as another undefeated Northland (28-0) team overcame a halftime deficit for a 62-53 win, advancing to Ohio's Division I final four. Armani Towns led the victorious Vikings with 20 points and seven boards.

* No. 25 Carmel will play for its second Indiana Class 4A state championship in a row after dismantling Merrillville 66-36. The Greyhounds (25-2) received 22 points apiece from senior guards James Crowley and Michael Volovic. Carmel will meet up with a hot Indianapolis Cathedral squad next Saturday for the title.
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By Jason HickmanMar. 16^th, 2013, 12:00 AAdd a Comment
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California, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California Basketball, Illinois Basketball, Indiana Basketball, North Carolina Basketball, Ohio Basketball, Pennsylvania Basketball
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Jahmel Taylor, Michael Volovic, Deriece Parks, C.J. Jackson, Namon Wright, Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon, Armani Towns, James Crowley, Stevenson