By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
Track and Field: Two-Sport Stars Shine
A correlation between success on the football field and success in track and field is not a new concept, but the relationship seems to be particularly strong this spring.
In addition to Jamere Holland, whose season has been well-documented by Quick Hits this spring, no less than 11 dual-sport stars have posted national top five marks, as noted by Jim Spier, director of the National Scholastic Sports Foundation.
The list begins with Richmond, Calif., sprinter Jahvid Best, who has recorded a wind-aided 100 meter time of 10.39, and the nation's third-best 200 meter time at 21.38. Best, a junior, put that speed to work for Salesian High in the fall by rushing for 1,439 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Staying with the burners, senior Rodney Glass of Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks (Calif.) owns the nation's third-best 100 meter time at 10.38, and like Best, was ultra-productive on the gridiron. Glass, an Arizona State signee, cruised to 2,113 rushing yards and racked up 34 scores on the ground during his final gridiron campaign.
Fellow Southern Californians Bryshon Nellum and Travon Patterson, teammates at Long Beach Poly High in football and track, have shined in the 200 and 400 meter events. Just a junior, Nellum is emerging as one of the best long sprinters in the country, posting a wind-aided 20.99 in the 200, and a national-best 46.20 in the 400. Patterson signed with USC in February, and has run a 21.42 in the 200 this spring.
Darius Savage of Morse High in San Diego is California's best combo-athlete in the throwing events. Savage, a future UCLA Bruin, boasts the best mark nationally in the discus, posting a 206-4 at the Arcadia Invitational. At 6-4, 320 pounds, the San Diego product seems to be a lock to be a productive offensive or defensive lineman - if a run at the Olympics doesn't interfere.
But California isn't the only state producing two-sport standouts. Texas has four prominent football players performing at an elite level.
After capturing the USA Today football national title with Southlake Carroll in the fall, Clint Renfro continued his stellar senior year by posting a 36.8 in the 300 meter hurdles two weeks ago, No. 2 nationally. Renfro will compete in both sports at Texas Christian University.
Terrell Reese of Pflugerville (high jump), Adron Tennell of Irving (long jump), and Malcolm Williams of Grand Prairie (long jump, triple jump) give Texas a trio of elite competitors in the jumps, and all will play football for members of the Stoops Family next season. Reese, a 6-4, 190-pound wide receiver, is headed to Arizona to play for Mike Stoops, while Tennell and Williams will move on to Oklahoma to suit up for Bob Stoops' Sooners.
On to Alabama, where McGill-Toolen High School junior Phelon Jones uncorked the nation's top triple jump mark earlier this season at 50-4.5. Jones is already committed to play football for the Miami Hurricanes, where he is projected as a lockdown cornerback.
Finally, in the Northwest corner of the country, Cameron Elisara of Spokane, Wash., was the anchor for Ferris High's defensive line last fall, and is now staking his claim as one of the nation's best shot putters. Elisara owns a mark of 62-5 in the shot put, fifth-best in the country, and fielded offers from football powers like Louisiana State, Nebraska, and California before deciding to cast his lot with Tyrone Willingham and the Washington Huskies.
Volleyball: National Player of the Year Picks Penn State
Megan Hodge, the 2005-2006 Gatorade National Player of the Year in volleyball, signed with Penn State University last week, highlighting the college level's late signing period.
Hodge, a 6-3 outside and middle hitter, played for Riverside High in Durham, N.C., and is widely considered to be the best volleyball player in state history. Her signature capped an impressive recruiting effort by longtime Nittany Lion head coach Russ Rose, including Gatorade Players of the Year from four different states.
Joining Hodge in State College next season will be Blair Brown (Leesburg, Va.), Alisha Glass (Lake Leelanau, Mich.), and Jessica Yanz (Naperville, Ill.). In addition, to Hodge, the nation's top high school player, Brown, Glass, and Yanz were all tabbed as top 25 players nationally by PrepVolleyball.com, and earned Gatorade honors in their respective states.
Hodge's parents, Michael and Carmen, were both members of the Virgin Islands' national volleyball teams. The North Carolina standout is almost as unstoppable in the classroom as she is on the court, boasting a 4.5 grade point average.
Track and Field: Florida Sprinter Bursts on the Scene
With the attention given to California sprinter Jamere Holland in recent weeks, it would be a slight not to mention an early nominee for track and field's breakthrough performer of the 2006 season.
Sophomore Harry Adams of Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., began the month of April with a bang, clocking the nation's fastest times in both the 100 and 200 meters April 1 at the Broward County Athletic Association Championships.
Adams posted a 10.33 in the 100, and followed with a 21.05 in the 200. Both marks gave the Floridian a slight edge over Holland, No. 2 nationally in both events (10.36 - 100, 21.09 - 200).
Making Adams' story even more remarkable is that 2006 marks his first season competing at the high school level. As a freshman, Adams sat out while he concentrated on academics. With that in order, the sophomore speedster is on track to become the Sunshine State's next national-class sprinter.
Jason Hickman: jason@maxpreps.com
Questions? Comments? Be heard! Use the MaxPreps Response Feature, located below the story.