By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Spencer McCorkel of Bryant, Ark., has acquired nicknames such as "Seabiscuit" and "Bumblebee," because he stands just 5-8 and weighs 142 pounds soaking wet. He's probably one of the most unlikely athletes ever to lead the nation in pole vaulting, but he did just that this spring with an outstanding 17-9 effort - which ranks No. 8 all-time. He scaled 17-0 16 times during his career, 10 times as a senior.
"When he takes off his shirt, he looks like Bruce Lee," points out Morry Sanders, his coach at the Arkansas Vault Club. The Bryant "mighty mite" can bench press 280 pounds and he has brilliant 4.3 speed in the 40-yard dash.
Four years earlier, however, McCorkel looked completely different. He stood just 5-2 and barely weighed 100 pounds. Playing free safety and wide receiver in eighth grade football, he broke his collarbone three times. He went out for track that spring, perhaps seeking a "less dangerous" sport.
His coach, Bart Reynolds, questioned whether he should even try the pole vault because he was too slow and had very little upper-body strength. "I wasn't fast enough to do anything else and it was the only thing I could do." McCorkel conceded, indicating there were no other events he felt he could master. "It was mainly how much confidence you have at that point. I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't that great at it. I just thought of it as more fun. I wasn't going to play football (in high school)."
McCorkel apparently was born fearless. His mother, Tammy, recalls, "He never has been scared of anything. He always faced things head-on and never thought there was anything he couldn't do. He rode his bike without training wheels when he was three."
Coach Sanders definitely was not convinced when McCorkel first came under his tutelage at the end of his eighth grade year. He noted, "He was a tiny little kid, kind of scrawny. The second day I had him (his best effort in eighth grade had been 10-9), he looked at me and said, `I just want to beat your record.'"(Sanders had jumped higher than any other Arkansas prep, 16-8, as a member of the Pearcy Lake Hamilton team.)
"He couldn't do anything very well," Sanders continued. "He couldn't even keep his trail leg straight. He was swerving down the runway side to side like a rattlesnake," he laughed. "I had girls who could jump higher than him. That just ate him up. From day one if anybody could have seen him, there would be no way they could have predicted how far he's come. He's still got that same type of determination."
McCorkel reached a respectable 13-9 as a freshman, but the next year he made quantum leaps as a Bryant High sophomore. His goal was to clear 15-0. He did that early and later soared 17-0 at the Magnet Cove Relays in Malvern to obliterate Sanders' state record. "It felt good," McCorkel said. "He's my coach and I guess that made it special. I was very surprised and never would have expected it so soon." Sanders added, "I loved it. That's why I do what I do. Who better to break a record than a kid you coach?"
He actually broke the mark when he cleared 16-8 ¬. "He was so emotional, crying in my arms like a baby," Sanders recalled. The bar then was set at 17-0 - with no one at the meet expecting him to make it - but he cleared it on his first attempt and didn't even rattle the bar.
Bryant coach Steve Oury became a believer during McCorkel's sophomore year after he produced his PR of 17-0 (as a junior he cleared 17-3 1/ 2). Oury says, "The progression was unbelievable in such a short time. At that point, I learned to not doubt him if he set a goal. This year he really stepped up and became a leader."
Adds Sanders, "He is a great role model for all the kids coming up. I've never heard the kid say one foul word. Granted, when he has a bad day, he just gets mad at himself."
The teenage sensation was no less effective indoors. He won the prestigious Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho twice. As a junior he cleared 17-3 and as a senior he won at 16-9.
McCorkel also has displayed great courage in a dangerous sport. He twice has broken poles and his left hand. The first time he received 14 stitches, the second time 17. The injuries cost him a chance to win a state championship both as a sophomore and senior.
"It affected me more my sophomore year," McCorkel pointed out. "An injury was the end of the world. It kind of broke my spirit. I've grown up a lot since my sophomore year. I knew I could come back (as a senior) and it wasn't going to affect me."
A member of First Southern Baptist Church in Bryant, McCorkel says his religious faith "is the most important thing in my life. My sophomore year I was real immature as a Christian. When it (the second broken hand) happened as a senior, I was able to look at it as `This is for a reason.' I had to look at it as `What can I get out of it?'"
Less than a month after his latest injury, he achieved his personal-record of 17-9. He was competing in a special meet at the Arkansas Vault Club against top competitors from several states. He started at 16-6, then cleared 17-0 and 17-9, both on his second attempt. He missed all three tries at 18-0.
"Actually I was dead tired from jumping the previous three days," McCorkel confessed. "We did a lot of drills at the camp. I didn't expect to do that well. I was pretty shocked - it was amazing."
In mid-June he cleared 16-7 « against a strong headwind to win the prestigious Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C.
McCorkel, who also played soccer as a youngster, completed his high school career with a 3.5 grade point average and most enjoyed math. He may major in business when he enters the University of Arkansas this fall.
Famed Arkansas coach Dick Booth says, "I can't wait to get hold of him. He's a leader. He's had very good coaching, so there isn't a lot of fixing to do. He's a very workable kid and real excited about our off-season program (he just started serious weight lifting as a senior). Our job now is to get him consistent at 17-8, then you are going to 18-0."
Coach Sanders predicts, "He'll be one of the guys you see in the Olympics some day. I'm not sure about 2008, but be looking for him in 2012. He just defies gravity and proves people wrong."
Basketball Notes
* Three team champions were crowned during the annual week of basketball "orgy" in Las Vegas.
The Atlanta Celtics avenged a 14-point pool-play loss by beating southern California-based Pump N Run, 75-64, to win the 17-and-under division of the adidas Super 64. Delwan Graham, a rising 6-6 senior from Dunwoody, Ga., had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the champs. Rising South Atlanta junior Derrick Favors had 17 points. Dunwoody's Chris Singleton added 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Belmont Shore defeated Team Breakdown, 78-73, in overtime to win the Reebok Summer Championships Open Division. Brandon Jennings, a rising senior guard at Virginia powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. He finished with 23 points - including 11-of-11 from the free throw line - eight rebounds and seven assists. Leonard Washington was high scorer with 25 points. For the losers, Kenny Boynton and Eloy Vargas each scored 21 points, while Vargas also grabbed 17 rebounds.
The Main Event was won by the New York Gauchos, who defeated Team Texas, 101-86, to finish unbeaten in June and July. Chris Fouch and Kemba Walker, rising senior guards at New York City's Rice High, scored 23 and 19 points, respectively, for the champs. Willie Warren, a newcomer to Oak Hill, led the losers with 23 points.
Florida-based Brevard County Lady Ice outlasted the North Carolina Warriors, 97-86, to win the 18-and-under national AAU championship. Cocoa High's Tyesha Robinson paced the winners with 32 points.
* McNeese State hit the lottery when it received a commitment from 5-6 twins Caitlyn and Ashlyn Baggett. As juniors they led Iota, coached by their father, Stan, to a 43-0 record and Louisiana's Class 2A state championship. Caitlyn averaged 18.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 4.7 steals, while Ashlyn averaged 18.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.5 steals. They combined for 62 points in the state title game.
* The nation's No. 1 senior, Elena DelleDonne, has narrowed her college choices to Tennessee, Connecticut, Villanova and Middle Tennessee (where her brother, Gene, plays football). The 6-4 superstar is taking two months off this summer to rest and prepare for her final prep campaign.
* Kayci Ferriss could be heir-apparent to Delle Donne in three years. She is a 15-year-old rising sophomore at Smith County High in Carthage, Tenn. Her most interesting statistic is her height: 6-foot-8. Even as a freshman she was dominant, posting impressive averages of 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks. She has the skills of a much smaller player and already has the University of Tennessee at the top of her list.
Football Notes
* Host Hoover nipped Prattville, 33-32, in overtime in a battle of Alabama powers to win the National Select 7-on-7 Passing Tournament. Brandon Harris, a 6-4 transfer from Spain Park, caught the winning two-point conversion pass from Tyler Ray.
* The University of Miami has received commitments from two more local standouts. The biggest prize is 6-3, 295-pound defensive tackle Marcus Forston, who had 92 tackles, including 20 sacks, last year while leading Miami Northwestern to a 15-0 record and the Class 6A state title. He will join prep teammate Aldarius Johnson, a 6-3, 195-pound wide receiver, who runs a 4.4 40.
* One of the nation's premier offensive tackles, 6-8, 292-pound Tyler Love of Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.), has chosen the University of Alabama. Love bench presses 315 pounds and runs a 5.14 40.
* Sam McGuffie of Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas) has made a commitment to the University of Michigan. One of the nation's leading running backs, the 5-11, 190-pounder, who runs a superb 4.28 40, carried 354 times as a junior for a school-record 3,126 yards and 44 touchdowns.
* UCLA has received a commitment from one of the nation's finest kickers, Jeff Locke. The 6-1, 185-pounder from Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Ariz.) drilled 7-of-11 field goals (long of 43 yards), did not miss a PAT and put 83 percent of his kick-offs into the end zone as a junior. He also averaged 43.3 yards per punt - with a long of 65 yards - and has a superb hang time.
* Outstanding tight end Blake Ayles of California power Orange Lutheran says he will attend Southern California. As a junior the 6-4, 235-pounder made 43 catches for 617 yards.
* Notre Dame's outstanding 2008 recruiting class has added Steve Filer, a 6-4, 225-pound linebacker from Chicago Mount Carmel. The Fighting Irish could be headed for a top-ranked recruiting class come next February.
* Gary Douglass, a running back from Hillside (Durham, N.C.), has committed to Maryland. The 6-0, 183-pounder ran for 1,792 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior.One of North Carolina's top defensive backs, Eddie Whitley, says he will attend Virginia Tech. As a junior the 6-1, 185-pounder had 115 tackles, six interceptions and three blocked kicks for Butler High.
Tennis Notes
* Unseeded Clint Bowles of Tampa, Fla., routed No. 6 seed Bradley Klahn of Poway, Calif., 6-0, 6-2, to win the Boys 18 National Clay Court Championships in Delray Beach, Fla. Bowles, headed for Florida State, eliminated five seeded players. The boys 16 title went to No. 1 seed Tennys Sandgren of Gallatin, Tenn., who celebrated his 16th birthday with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Denis Kudla of Fairfax, Va. He did not lose a set in seven matches.
* The girls 18 title went to No. 17 seed Courtney Clayton (Plantation) with a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 triumph over Lauren Embree (Marco Island) during an all-Florida final in Memphis, Tenn. No. 5 seed Brooke Bolender, a rising sophomore at the Evert Tennis Academy, defeated unseeded rising freshman Sloane Stephens of Boca Raton, Fla., 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, to capture the girls 16 crown at Virginia Beach, Va.
Volleyball Notes
* Japan outlasted the U.S. Women's Junior National Team, 25-16, 14-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-23, to win the bronze medal during the FIVB under-20 Junior World Championships in Thailand. Alix Klineman, reigning National Player of the Year, led the Americans with 31 kills.
Klineman, who is Stanford-bound, led California power Manhattan Beach Mira Costa to the national prep championship last fall and Mira Costa again will be outstanding with the transfer of Stevi Robinson from Stockdale and the return of such standouts as Lane Carico, Lauren Law and 6-4 Falyn Fonoimoana, a rising sophomore. Fonoimoana and Carico teamed to place ninth in the 37-team (representing 27 countries) FIVB under-19 Championships in Poland.
* Southern California boys swept all four high school-age titles during the Junior Olympics in Atlanta. The unseeded Riptides South Bay Volleyball Club defeated a team from Puerto Rico behind Mira Costa setter Bryce Miller to win the 15-and-under open division. Balboa won the 16-and-under title with 6-7 Newport Beach Corona del Mar junior Dylan Davis earning MVP honors. Palmdale's Tanner Nua was MVP as SMBC Black captured the 17-and-under championship. Murphy Troy earned MVP while leading HP Orange to the 18-and-under title.
* Barnstable should be the volleyball power again this year in Massachusetts. Barnstable was 25-0 last year and is on a 99-match winning streak. The state record is 107, held by Case. Barnstable could break the record when it meets Dartmouth on Sept. 26.
Baseball Notes
* West Bend West routed New Holstein, 11-1, in five innings to win Wisconsin's 43rd annual summer state championship. The Spartans finished with a 34-1 record and 16-game winning streak as they captured their third state title - but first since 1984. The champs, who averaged 9.3 runs this year, set a state-tourney record with 15 doubles in three games. It could be more of the same next year because the champs will graduate just one senior starter.
* Top-ranked Manchester West Delaware blanked No. 3 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 8-0, to win its first-ever Class 3A state title in Iowa. B.J. Hermsen, who fired a no-hitter earlier in the week, gave up just two hits with 16 strikeouts and no walks in 14 innings of state tourney pitching. The Hawks finished the season with 74 home runs - second in Iowa history.
Golf Notes
* A USA foursome finished third during The Nation's Cup competition in Evian les Bains, France. The Americans totaled 438 strokes, trailing only Japan (428) and Spain (436). Justin Thomas (Goshen, Ky.) led the Americans with 72-70-142. Jordan Speith (Dallas, Texas) carded 75-75-150, Erynn Lee (Silverdale, Wash.) 74-73-147, and Grace Na (Oakland, Calif.) 74-78-152.
* Cory Whitsett, a rising sophomore at Houston Memorial, defeated fellow Texan Anthony Paolucci, 8 and 7, to win the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif., won the girls title with a 4 and 3 triumph over Ayaka Kaneko of Honolulu. At age 14, Park is the fourth youngest to win her division.
Wrestling Notes
* Illinois entry Mike Nowry (98 pounds) and Ohio star David Taylor (105) were the only wrestlers to win Greco-Roman and freestyle titles during the ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. Taylor, a rising junior at St. Paris, Ohio, also was a double national champion last year.
Of eight returning champions, only two repeated. Two of them met in the freestyle finals because they both are in the same weight class this year. Mike Mangrum, a rising senior at Riverside (Auburn, Wash.), defeated New Jersey entry Kellen Russell for the 140-pound title. Last year Mangrum won at 125, while Russell triumphed at 130. Mangrum and Missouri entry Dom Bradley (285) were the lone repeat champs. Illinois earned the team title with 50 points - three more than Iowa and New Jersey.
Soccer Notes
* The Terryville Fire (E-NY) nipped Arsenal FC (CA-S), 1-0, to win the U.S. Youth Soccer under-18 national boys championship in Frisco, Texas. Arsenal, which had won the last three national titles, lost twice to the Fire after going undefeated for almost four years. The champs' Tom Booth was named MVP, while Gerson Mayen of the losers was the No. 1 goalie.
* The national 18-under girls champion was Michigan's Bloomfield Force, which edged Slammers FC (CA-S), 6-5, on penalty kicks. The champs' Laura Heyboor earned MVP honors, while teammate Jill Fliestra was the No. 1 goalie.
* The 17-under boys national champion was Andromeda 90 (N-TX), which edged FC Milwaukee, 4-2, on penalty kicks. The winners took home both awards, with Stewart Brown being named MVP and Mark Essary top goalie.
* The Eagles SC (CA-S) slipped past Dallas Texans 90 Red (N-TX), 3-2, to capture the under-17 girls national title. Emily Cressy was named MVP for the second year in a row as she scored two goals to help the Eagles repeat as national champs. The losers' Courtney Smith won the goalie award.
Track Notes
* Rising senior Victoria Jordan, who did not run for Dunbar (Fort Worth, Texas) during the recent outdoor season, won four gold medals during the 41st USATF Junior Olympics in Walnut, Calif. She captured the 100-meter dash in 11.36 seconds, the 200 in 22.84 and ran a leg on two victorious relays.
Rising junior Wayne Davis of Southeast Raleigh (Raleigh, N.C.) continues to flash greatness as he set an intermediate boys (ages 15-16) record by winning the 110-meter hurdles in 13.74 seconds. Howard Shepard of Skyline (Dallas, Texas) set another intermediate record with a blazing 1:50.51 triumph in the 800-meter run. The 1,500-meter record fell to Oregon entry Nathan Mathabane, who won in 3:54.02, while Arizona entry William Clay established a triple jump record of 49-10.5. Another intermediate record fell to Illinois entry Daniel Block, who threw the discus 179-1.
Californian Elias Gedyon, a rising freshman, broke the youth boys (ages 13-14) record with a sizzling 4:05.25 in the 1,500-meter run, just 0:53 off the national record. The youth boys javelin record now belongs to Devin Bogert with a 180-7 effort. The youth girls javelin record was shattered by rising freshman Hannah Carson (Chandler, Ariz.), who improved her previous best by almost 20 feet with a monster toss of 173-7, which is No. 4 all-time.
Jordan Stray of Centralia, Wash., won the hammer throw at 221-11 to set a record in the young men's division (ages 17-18).Though he didn't set a record, Illinois entry Vernon George added an amazing 17 inches to his personal best with an outstanding long jump championship leap of 24-9 in the young men's division.
