By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
Baseball: Chaparral Continuing Desert Dynasty
In baseball circles, Scottsdale, Ariz., is best known as the spring training home of the San Francisco Giants. But locally, the Cactus League plays second fiddle to the city's top baseball team, the Chaparral High School Firebirds.
Chaparral, No. 1 in the current MaxPreps Arizona baseball rankings, is off to an 18-3-1 record in 2006, and continuing the tradition of one of the state's mightiest dynasties.
The Firebirds are seeking their fourth-straight state championship, and seventh overall, after capturing titles in 1994, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2005. Almost equally impressive is Chaparral's streak of 13-consecutive regional crowns dating back to 1993.
Under head coach Jerry Dawson, who had guided the program since 1974 and compiled 669 victories, Chaparral has produced 29 players who have gone on to play at the collegiate level since the turn of the century. Chicago White Sox catcher Paul Konerko is the most notable of Dawson's prot‚g‚s that have reached the Major League level.
But back to 2006, where Chaparral has posted eight shutouts in 18 victories and is being paced by college signees Adam Bailey (Arizona State), Cory Bannister (Stanford), Charles Brewer (UCLA), Jason Jarvis (San Diego), and Kyle Williams (Arizona State).
The Firebirds have plenty of offensive firepower, as well, averaging nearly eight runs per game, including 42 in their last four outings alone.
Chaparral even has a touch of celebrity on its roster. Kyle Williams, the Firebirds' second basemen, is the son of White Sox General Manager Ken Williams, who played six seasons in the Major Leagues for the White Sox, Tigers, Blue Jays, and Expos. Dawson's lineup also features Vince Coleman, Jr., the son of the former St. Louis Cardinal/New York Met speedster of the same name. The elder Coleman is No. 6 on baseball's all-time stolen base list with 752.
The 2005 Chaparral roster included Austin Yount, who is now at Stanford and the nephew of Hall of Famer Robin Yount.
Track and Field: SoCal Sprinters Highlight Arcadia Invitational
Southern California sprinters Jamere Holland (Taft) and Bryshon Nellum (Long Beach Poly) made strong statements at the 39th Arcadia Invitational last weekend.
Holland posted a personal best of 10.36 in winning the 100 meter, and 21.09 to comfortably conquer the field in the 200 meter. Despite being one of the nation's premier high school sprinters, Holland has garnered more attention for his efforts on the gridiron, signing a National Letter of Intent to play for Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans in February.
Nellum, just a junior, and also a standout football player, established a new meet record in the 400 meter with a time of 46.20. Nellum bested Baylor-bound senior J.T. Scheuerman of Colorado, who raced to the third-best mark in meet history with a 46.24. Nellum also helped the Jackrabbits win the 4x100 meter and 4x400 meter relays.
On the girls' side, junior Kenyanna Wilson of Peoria, Ariz., topped a loaded field to win the 100 meter with a time of 11.48. In the 400 meter, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., junior Sa'de Williams won her showdown with Deerfield Beach, Fla., sophomore Brittany Jones, clocking a time of 53.52. Jones tumbled to the track with 60 meters remaining, spoiling what was shaping up to be a thrilling finish.
Basketball: Connecticut Gets Moore
The University of Connecticut has been a factory for top-notch women's basketball talent over the past decade, producing names like Svetlana Abrosimova, Sue Bird, Rebecca Lobo, and Diana Taurasi.
Georgia junior Maya Moore may be the next in a long line of stars to take the court for Geno Auriemma, announcing Monday that she will attend Connecticut over Duke, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Moore, a first team MaxPreps All-American regarded by some as the top high school player in the country regardless of class, averaged 23.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 5.4 steals, and 4.6 assists per game this season. The versatile six-footer has led Collins Hill High in Suwanee, Ga., to a 94-3 record over the past three seasons.
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