Photo by Steve Douglas
Stevie Douglas
Stevie Douglas of Clinton, La., is a true rarity – a home-schooled football player who will attend a major college on a scholarship. Though he admits he never was sure it ever would happen, Douglas committed earlier this summer to the University of Memphis.
"The only way to get a scholarship is through exposure. Going to camps is what made it happen for me," Douglas told MaxPreps.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior quarterback originally thought he would have to play his final year at a public school to prove he could perform at a high level.
The Louisiana state legislature passed a bill which will allow home-schooled athletes to play at a public school, but he elected to return to his old team, the Baton Rouge Christian Patriots. In just two quarters last week he had a total offense over 200 yards.
* Chugiak (Eagle River, Alaska) running back Greg Ghramm carried 27 times for 282 yards and three touchdowns during a 27-14 victory over Eagle River.
* Jim McCall intercepted three passes – scoring on a 68-yard return and a 41-yard reception – to lead Palmer (Palmer, Alaska) to a 46-0 rout of Lathrop.
* West Allegheny (Imperial, Pa.) senior running back Mike Caputo has made a commitment to the University of Wisconsin, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 6-1, 195-pounder ran 350 times last year for 2,615 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also led with 89 tackles, 16 for losses.
Connie Mack champs crowned
The Midland Redskins of Cincinnati, Ohio, nipped the D-Bat Mustangs of Dallas, Texas, 4-3, to win the Connie Mack World Series for the 12th time in Farmington, N.M.
Searcy (Searcy, Ark.) senior Dillon Howard (6-4, 210) pitched a three-hitter and struck out six to win the final game and earn MVP honors. He also won the opener.
* San Gabriel Arsenal of West Covina, Calif., won the Mickey Mantle World Series in McKinney, Texas. Claremont (Claremont, Calif.) junior Kenny Chapman (6-2, 170) was 2-0 on the mound and batted .380 to earn MVP honors.
* Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.) senior catcher Tyler Marlette (5-10, 195) belted a two-run homer into the second deck to earn MVP honors as the East defeated the West, 5-3, during the eighth annual Aflac All-American Baseball Classic at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif.
Right-handed pitchers Robert Stephenson (Alhambra, Martinez, Calif.) and Archie Bradley (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and lefty Henry Owens (Edison, Huntington Beach, Calif.) were impressive for the West.
For the East, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) infielder Francisco Lindor won the home run derby with four home runs and left-handed pitcher Daniel Norris (Science Hill, Johnson City, Tenn.) was named Aflac National High School Player of the Year.
Bross wins Visa title
Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas, scored 120.300 points to win her first senior women’s all-around title during the annual Visa Gymnastics Championships in Hartford, Conn. She also won uneven bars (30.050) and balance beam (30.900).
Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif. Totaled 116.450 points to capture the junior women’s crown for the second straight year. She was the balance beam champion with 29.900 points.
Julie Zetlin of Bethesda, Md., won the senior girls all-around with 202.425 points, while Rebecca Sereda of Staten Island, N.Y., captured the junior girls title with 196.675 points.
Sam Mikulak of Corona del Mar, Calif., won the junior men’s all-round title for ages 16-18 with 86.500 points.
Virginia lands star
Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) senior guard Bria Smith has made a commitment to the University of Virginia, according to the New York Post. The 5-9 standout, who led Christ the King to New York’s Class AA state title as a junior, is one of the nation’s premier players.
* Mt. Alvernia (Pittsburgh, Pa.) girls basketball coach De Porucznik is retiring following an outstanding 48-year career during which she won over 800 games. She will remain as athletic director.
* Warsaw (Warsaw, Ind.) senior guard Nic Moore has made a commitment to Illinois State University, according to the South Bend Tribune. The 5-9 senior guard averaged 21.2 points last year while pacing the Tigers to Class 4A state runner-up honors.
* The Orange County Register reports that 6-11 senior Kyle Caudill has made a commitment to Boston College. He averaged 17.5 points and 12 rebounds last year for Brea Olinda (Brea, Calif.).
* Kentucky’s No. 1-ranked sophomore, 6-4 Darryl Hicks, has transferred to Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) and will have to sit out this year, according to Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier-Journal. He averaged 13.5 points as a freshman for Shelby County (Shelbyville, Ky.).
* Peter Jurkin of United Faith Christian Academy (Charlotte, N.C.), a 7-foot junior, committed to Indiana University during CBS College Sports' broadcast of the adidas Nations event in Chicago.
Cook wins diving title
Kassidy Cook, who was featured recently in Sports Illustrated, won the women’s senior one-meter title with 299.65 points during the AT&T National Diving Championships in College Station, Texas. The 15-year-old sophomore, who attends The Woodlands (The Woodlands, Texas), also was the high-point woman.
* Despite 33 stitches in his left leg (from earlier in the summer), North Allegheny (Wexford, Pa.) senior Connor Kuremsky won the one-meter (476.46 points) and three-meter (471.00 points) events during the Junior & Age Group National Diving Championships in Tucson, Ariz. He also is a three-time Pennsylvania Class AAA state champion.
* Recent Torrance (Torrance, Calif.) graduate Vladimir Morozov continues to star before he heads for the University of Southern California. He set records of 55.46 in the 100-meter backstroke and 49.06 in the 100-meter freestyle during the annual Speedo Junior National Swimming Championships in Irvine, Calif. He also won the 50-meter freestyle in 22.13.
8th grader sets record
New Albany (New Albany, Ohio) eighth grader Karrington Winters won the 400-meter race in 55.54 and the 800-meter race in 2:11.30 during the AAU Junior Olympics in Norfolk, Va. Steve Blackledge of the Columbus Dispatch noted that it was only the second time she ever ran the 800 and she broke the national age-group record by 3.13 seconds.
* Cleveland Heights (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) track coach Claude Holland has retired after a 35-year career. He won two state titles and was named Nike National High School Coach of the Year in 2008.
Potpourri
* The USA junior national softball team defeated Canada, 3-1, to win the 18-under Pan American Championships in Bogota, Columbia. The game, which ended at 3:15 a.m. due to previous rain delays, gave the U.S. its third consecutive gold medal and stretched its winning streak to 27 games.
* Even though goalie Stephen Michalek (Glastonbury, Conn.) stopped 23 of 24 shots, the U.S. Under-18 Select team was nipped by Canada, 1-0, during the championship game of the Ivan Hinka Memorial Hockey Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia.
* Juliet Vongphoumy of Providence, R.I., shot 3-under-par 213 to win the Apawamis Junior golf title in Rye, N.Y., and tie the AJGA record with her third consecutive tournament title.
* Morgan Park Academy (Chicago, Ill.) sophomore Jerricka Boone will be unable to defend her Illinois state tennis title due to surgery on her right wrist which will sideline her for the entire season.