By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Cameron Peck and Victoria Tanco were named Rolex Junior Players of the Year today by the American Junior Golf Association. The coveted national awards were initiated in 1978 and past winners have included the likes of Tiger Woods and Paula Creamer.
Peck, age 17, attends Timberline High School in Lacey, Wash., and is the first winner (boy or girl) from the Pacific Northwest. He finished No. 1 in the national Polo Golf Rankings after posting four major tournament victories in 2008, including the U.S. Junior Amateur. He has made a commitment to Texas A&M University.
Tanco, age 14, is the second-youngest girl to win the award. After moving to the United States this year from Buenos Aires, Argentina, she recorded three major victories and finished on top of the girls Polo Golf Rankings. She currently is a sophomore at the David Leadbetter Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
Football Notes
* Rose Bud (Ark.) senior wide receiver J.D. Felice (5-foot-10, 165) set a national record with 421 receiving yards and is tied for No. 5 with 24 catches (five touchdowns) following a 64-55 loss to England. The previous record was 414 yards by Jasper Lee of Delta (Mer Rouge, La.) in 2000. He also ran for one touchdown…In another big Arkansas effort, Pierre Vaughn completed 18-of-24 passes for 415 yards and seven touchdowns as Nashville routed Waldron, 52-13….Jeremiah Sirles, a 6-8, 300-pound senior tackle from Bear Creek (Lakewood, Colo.) has made a commitment to the University of Nebraska.
* Turning to San Jose, Calif., Leland won a wild 82-53 shootout against Piedmont Hills. It was the highest-scoring game in Central Coast Section history and also No. 4 in state history. Leland’s Will Boring led the way by completing 9-of-10 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns and running for an additional four touchdowns…Aurora Christian quarterback Jordan Roberts has broken the Illinois state record for career passing yards (8,308).
* Senior Philippe Panico kicked a school-record 58-yard field goal and Mike DiChiara fired a record six touchdown passes as Buckingham, Browne & Nichols (Cambridge, Mass.) rolled past Middlesex, 57-6…In South Carolina, Luke Sirgo completed 17-of-24 passes for 401 yards and six touchdowns as Hilton Head Christian Academy defeated Colleton Prep, 48-21…In Pennsylvania, unbeaten Greensburg Central Catholic defeated Jeannette, 28-14, to snap a 24-game winning streak.
* Turning to Texas, Jerry Lopez completed 33-of-41 passes for 453 yards and seven touchdowns as Laredo Alexander routed Eagle Pass Winn, 51-6. Earlier this year, however, he was even more prolific against Laredo Martin as he completed 46-of-63 passes for 591 yards and eight touchdowns…In another Texas matchup, Highland Park nipped Royse City, 46-43, despite a 500-yard effort (291 passing and 209 rushing) by the losers’ senior quarterback, Richard Morrison, who also accounted for six touchdowns.
* Brett Favre’s nephew, Dylan Favre, passed for 459 yards and five touchdowns as St. Stanislaus (Bay St. Louis, Miss.) blanked Pearl River Central, 42-0. Favre now has 38 touchdown passes this year, just four short of the state record…Another outstanding effort was recorded in Mississippi when Chad Bumphis stepped in for injured quarterback Chris Garrett and sparked Tupelo to a 41-0 victory over DeSoto Central. The talented wide receiver passed for 172 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 126 yards and two more touchdowns.
* Moving to Missouri, senior T.J. Moe completed 23-of-33 passes for 571 yards and six touchdowns and also ran for two touchdowns, but his Fort Zumwalt West team still suffered a 56-55 loss to Jefferson City. His top receiver, senior Brennan Longwell, had 13 catches for 340 yards and four touchdowns. ..In Iowa, Mason City’s Noah Huisman set a Class 4A state record with 18 receptions during a 51-38 loss to Waukee. In another Iowa game, Kyle Denning passed for 452 yards and five touchdowns as Cedar Falls NU rolled past North Butler, 47-21.
* In San Diego, Calif., Patrick Henry nipped Scripps Ranch, 47-45, on quarterback Kevin Farley’s one-yard keeper with no time remaining. Robert Forcier starred in a losing effort as he passed for 476 yards, including touchdowns of 74 and 73 yards to Todd Herrod…In the San Jose area, Kyle Cool definitely lived up to his name by completing 20-of-27 passes for 408 yards and five touchdowns and running for two more scores as Branham defeated Independence, 48-34.
* Gilbert’s Jesse Parker became the winningest football coach in Arizona history after picking up No. 309 with a 21-0 triumph over city foe Highland. Among his gifts was a big kiss from his wife, Latsy, who donated a kidney three years ago so he wouldn’t have to be on constant dialysis. In 2001 he had two knees replaced. He truly has persevered and earned every honor.
Cross Country Notes
* The 61st Mt. San Antonio College Invitational – the largest cross country meet in the nation – produced some brilliant performances Saturday in Walnut, Calif. From a team standpoint, Saugus, Calif., was awesome. The nationally-ranked Saugus girls won the sweepstakes title for the third straight year with a record team time of 88 minutes, 18 seconds over the 2.94-mile course. Dana Hills (Dana Point, Calif.) captured the major boys race with 91 points and the third-fastest team time in meet history.
Individual sweepstakes races provided even more spectacular results. Rocketing out of Alaska, Kodiak senior Trevor Dunbar overcame near 90-degree heat and a talent-laden field to win the boys race in 14:41. Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) senior Jordan Hasay made her first meet of the year memorable by winning her fourth consecutive girls sweepstakes race in an outstanding 16:27 – the No. 2 girls time in meet history.
A pair of sophomores won individual titles during the team sweepstakes races. Spectacular Elias Gedyon of Los Angeles Loyola captured the boys title in a sophomore course-record 14:48. The girls title went to Saugus standout Kaylin Mahoney in 17:13…In Georgia, Taylor Lord of Chapel Hill (Ga.) won the Douglas County Championships in an outstanding time of 14:43.96.
Basketball Notes
* National Player of the Year candidate Xavier Henry of Putnam City (Oklahoma City, Okla.) suffered a fractured cheekbone in an automobile crash. The 6-6 senior swingman has narrowed his college choice to Memphis and Kansas…Daniel Bejarano has made a commitment to the University of Texas. The 6-6 junior averaged 22 points and 9.8 rebounds last year for North (Phoenix, Ariz.). As a freshman, he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds…St. Joseph’s University has received a pledge from 6-9 senior David Bruce, who averaged 14.8 points and 10 rebounds last year for Linden (N.J.).
* The University of California has received a pledge from 6-10 Bak Bak, a native of Sudan who plays for Village Christian (Sun Valley, Calif.). He also has a 6-11 brother who is just 10 years old…Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) junior Baye Moussa Keita (6-11) has made a commitment to Syracuse University… Michigan State has received a commitment from 6-7 junior Russell Byrd, an outstanding three-point shooter who averaged 14 points last year for Blackhawk Christian (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
* On the girls side, the University of Kentucky has received a commitment from one of its state’s premier players, Adia Mathies, who averaged 17.3 points and 11.4 rebounds as a junior for Louisville Iroquois. The 5-9 forward has started for the varsity since she was in sixth grade and has more than 2,500 career points…The University of Maryland has received commitments from Essence Townsend, a 6-6 senior from Paterson Catholic (N.J.), and 6-0 junior Alyssa Thomas, who averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds last year for Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, Pa.).
* Lakeesa Daniel, who will play her senior year at Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), has made a pledge to Wake Forest. The 6-4 standout averaged 16.5 points and 10.4 rebounds last year at Northwest Halifax (Littleton, N.C.)…Angela Misa has made a commitment to Oregon State. The 6-2 senior averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds last year at Vista (Calif.), but will play her final season at JSerra Catholic.
Potpourri
* Alex Domijan (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and Beatrice Capra (Ellicott City, Md.) won championships during the ITF Pan-American B1 Closed Tennis Tournament in Tulsa, Okla. Domijan defeated No. 4 seed Ryan Lipman, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to capture the boys title. Capra defeated top-seeded Pamela Montez of Mexico, 7-6, 6-2, in the girls finale.
* Blue Springs (31-0) became the first softball team in Missouri history to win the Class 4 state championship with a perfect record following a 7-1 rout of Parkway South. Freshman pitcher Kelsey Kessler fired a three-hitter with nine strikeouts and drove in four runs.
* Coventry has won its last 62 volleyball matches and is the two-time defending Class S state champion in Connecticut. Recently the Patriots handed Southington its first loss in 16 outings, 25-19, 25-12, 25-23…Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Ky.) has won its last 81 field hockey games…Kalani (Honolulu, Hawaii) soccer star Tani Costa will miss the under-17 World Cup due to a stress fracture in her left ankle. She has made a commitment to Penn State.