MitchMash: Kelvin Taylor on brink of yardage landmark, but not record

Glades Day (Belle Glade, Fla.) senior Kelvin Taylor needs only 151 yards Friday to surpass Ken Hall's magical career rushing total of 11,232 yards, a remarkable fact and feat – although not a national record.

Yes, Hall's total is the national standard that has stood for 59 years, but the difference here is that Taylor started carrying the ball as an eighth grader, a rule allowed for varsity sports by a handful of states, but not Texas and most of the union.

The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS), which tracks national records, doesn't recognize statistics before the ninth grade, and rightfully so. Everyone needs to be on the same playing field.

That said, Taylor, the son of former NFL standout Fred Taylor, still has a legitimate shot at breaking Hall's numbers even by those standards. According to the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Taylor has rushed for 9,498 yards since 2009 and he needs 1,735 more to break Hall's record.

If Glades Day – a six-time small-school state champion – advances to the state title game (a total of eight more games), he'd need to average roughly 217 yards per game.

Taylor continues to add to the career yards record for Florida, which recognizes his eighth-grade season of 1,584 yards.

Record trail
Earning a national record in the NFHS book – its now actually all compiled online here – takes great time and effort. Even after the accomplishment on the field.

John Gillis, the associate director of publications and communications of the NFHS, has been in charge of keeping national records for the past 19 years. He said the advent of the Internet has helped with gaining leads to national marks and updating the records faster. But the process to confirm and sign off is still slow and methodical and sometimes even incomplete if paperwork isn't completed.

"We take a lot of pride in the process," Gillis said. "It adds honor to the record when the process is completed."

Gillis said he and his staff of five either find and receive roughly 300 leads/applications per school year. Each is sent to the respective state association to affirm that the school of the potential record holder is in good standing and that no sportsmanship issues are tied to the mark.

Once confirmed, the application is sent to the school, which must verify the record with concrete proof – scoresheet, newspaper clip or video for example - and then it is sent back to its state association, which gives a final signature before sending back to NFHS.

Gillis said approximately 70 percent of the applications make it back to the NFHS office, which is located in Indianapolis.

"We don't have the time or manpower to follow up, so the onus is on the schools," Gillis said. "It's hard to know where the disconnect happens (on those not returned)."

There have been several over the years. MaxPreps staff writer Kevin Askeland listed 10 a year ago that weren't found in the online NFHS record book.

MaxPreps only recognizes the NFHS record book for national marks, so please folks, we highly encourage record keepers everywhere to submit applications to the NFHS by clicking here and then follow through with the process.

Manly in pink
When Art Trolio first started coaching football at Harrison (N.Y.) 27 years ago, the idea of boys wearing anything pink, let alone tied to their uniforms, was "unheard of."

Times and awareness – "thankfully," he said – have changed.

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, his Huskies - along with a majority of high school football teams across the country – accented their uniforms with pink during Friday's 42-7 win over Pearl River. What was unique was that Trolio and his five-man coaching staff wore matching pink shirts with the inscription: "Harrison Huskies. Let's Tackle It Together."

"If the kids were going to wear pink so were we," Trolio said. "My family hasn't personally been affected by breast cancer, but our program and moms of players definitely have the last couple of years. We have a great community here and we rally together for great causes such as this. Everyone is on board."

Trolio said he and his coaching staff received a lot of attention for the shirts. The boosters program not only had the shirts made but also raised more than $3,000 each of the last two years for the cause.

It's been a colorful season thus far for the Huskies, who are 5-0 and No. 25 in the state, according to the Freeman Computer Rankings. They are also No. 2 in the New York Class A state sportswriters rankings, and are after the program's third NYSPHSAA title since Trolio took over. "We have the capability to do so," Trolio said. "But we play in a very tough section."

Bleacher heroics
Heroes are normally born on the field on Friday nights in Texas, but according to the Austin Statesmen, a public address announcer, team trainer and Army lieutenant saved a life in the stands at a Vista Ridge (Cedar Park) game last month.

Mike Mullens, 64, whose grandson plays on the Vista Ridge junior varsity team, suffered a massive heart attack but was revived thanks to the quick and efficient work of the trio plus a very essential automated external defibrillator.

Jim MacKay, the team's PA announcer, raced down from his perch and gave Mullens chest compressions while Lt. Col. James Geracci added rescue breathing to the victim.

Vista Ridge head trainer Michael Henry heard the screams of Mullens' wife, ordered a student trainer to the school to retrieve the AED and upon his return, applied the proper treatment and shocked Mullens back to life.

"They brought my husband back from the grave," Donna Mullens told the newspaper.

Said MacKay, a Texas Air National Guard firefighter: "I knew it was serious. His eyes had rolled back. He'd lost his vitals, and he wasn't breathing."

Said a Leander School District administrator: "All three of those men were at the right place at the right time."

It helped that a Texas law was signed in 2007 to have an AED available at all athletic events.

You can contact Mitch Stephens by email at mstephens@maxpreps.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MitchMashMax.