By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Kama Bailey's final high school football game won't soon be forgotten. The Honolulu Damien Memorial senior ran for a Hawaii state-record 370 yards and scored five touchdowns (He had a 77-yard touchdown called back) in a 54-40 victory over Pac-5 at Aloha Stadium. The unofficial record had been 350 yards by Kahuku's Mark Atuaia 17 years ago.
In his last two games, the 5-9, 175-pounder amassed 687 yards and 10 touchdowns. He finished his senior year with 2,045 yards and 22 touchdowns in 10 games. During his career he had 3,907 yards and 37 touchdowns. He runs 40 yards in a swift 4.5 second and has a 3.5 GPA.
More Football Notes
* Hard-nosed quarterback Dan Kieffer (6-foot-2, 214) carried two would-be tacklers the final five yards to score the winning touchdown as Arrowhead (Hartland, Wis.) outlasted Milwaukee Marquette, 44-41, in double overtime during the state Division I quarterfinals. The Warhawks (12-0) wowed a standing-room crowd estimated at 6,000 by overcoming a 21-10 third-quarter deficit.
* In Texas, Cypress-Fairbanks nipped Cypress-Creek, 63-62, as Michael Zorn snared a 25-yard touchdown pass from Gavin West with 56 seconds left and Chris Patrick kicked the decisive extra point. Super running back Sam McGuffie paced the winners with 16 carries for 225 yards and four touchdowns. Jacob Thompson had a hand in all nine touchdowns for the losers. He completed 20-of-42 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns, while running 22 times for 198 yards and four touchdowns. The losers tried five onside kicks - recovering three - and actually held a 62-56 lead with 1:45 left.
* Summerville, S.C., senior A.J. Green is only the third receiver in high school history to reach the 5,000-yard mark. The 6-4 superstar raised his total to 5,029 yards last week during a 56-21 victory over Colleton County (Walterboro). The national record is 5,867 yards by Abram Booty of Evangel Christian (Shreveport, La.) from 1993-96.
* Corey Robinson continues to set passing records in Kentucky. Last week he passed for 442 yards and eight touchdowns as Paducah Lone Oak (10-0) routed West Paducah Heath, 59-13. He now has a state-record 67 touchdown passes this year, five more than Justin Burke threw for Lexington Catholic.
* Senior quarterback Dan Vandreumel set a Michigan single-season state record with his 38th touchdown pass. He completed 30-of-48 passes for 388 yards and four touchdowns as Dewitt lost to East Lansing, 42-35.Ansonia senior Alex Thomas broke the Connecticut career touchdown record with No. 102. He has run for 34 this year.
* Syracuse Westhill's Dale Ross broke the New York state record when he ran for 569 yards during a 55-14 victory over Marcellus. The previous record was 467 yards by Jason Gwaltney of North Babylon in 2003. The 5-10, 185-pounder also scored all eight touchdowns - one short of Gwaltney's state record.
* Nathan Pagan ran 31 times for 333 yards and six touchdowns as Newington (Conn.) defeated Maloney-Meriden, 47-28. One week earlier he had almost identical totals of 343 yards and six touchdowns.In Illinois, Chicago Mount Carmel's 5-8, 180-pound Tim Brown scored touchdowns on runs of 92 and 88 yards and an 86-yard kickoff return during a 34-0 triumph over Palatine.
* Kissimmee Osceola (9-0) emerged as a team to be reckoned with after ending Lakeland's Florida-record 53-game winning streak, 25-21, before an estimated crowd of 9,000. Quarterback T'Sharvan Bell leaped into the end zone from one yard to score the winning touchdown with 24.4 seconds left. They should meet again as Lakeland bids for its fourth consecutive Class 5A state title.
* Highly-ranked senior wide receiver Michael Floyd scored touchdowns on receptions of 52, 24 and seven yards and on a punt return - all in the first half - as Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) raced past Oakdale Tartan, 53-32.Charlotte Butler became the first North Carolina team to defeat city foe Independence (21-20) since 2000.Altus, Okla., senior quarterback Blake Stepanovich ended his record-setting career by completing 31-of-64 passes for 488 yards and three touchdowns during a 52-32 loss to Lawton MacArthur.
* Rod Wotton of St. Thomas Aquinas (Dover, N.H.) became the winningest coach in New England history with a 26-16 victory over Alstead Fall Mountain. It marked victory No. 323 in his 35th year of coaching. The record of 322 was held by Armondo Colombo of Brockton, Mass.Joe Hemphill of Wilmington St. Elizabeth became only the fifth coach in Delaware history to notch his 200th victory.
Football Recruiting Notes
* The University of Georgia has received a commitment from outstanding running back Dontavius Jackson of Heard County (Franklin, Ga.). Jackson has been forced to sit out his senior year due to a broken wrist in the opener, but as a junior he ran for 2,462 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging 9.97 yards per carry. Also joining the Bulldogs' very strong recruiting class is Sanders Commings, a wide receiver/defensive back from Westside (Augusta, Ga.).
* Louisville received a major commitment from 5-9, 190-pound Darius Ashley, a standout running back from national power St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio).Pledging to the University of Oregon is underrated running back Kenjon Barner, who has gained 1,957 yards and scored 27 touchdowns for Notre Dame (Riverside, Calif.).
Another talented California runner, 5-10, 186-pound speedster Ryan Bass of Corona Centennial, has made a commitment to the University of Arizona.One of Colorado's top linemen, Andrew Sampson (6-4, 285) of Aurora Overland, has made a commitment to Arizona State.
Swimming Notes
* Gary Hall Jr.'s "untouchable" 13-year-old Arizona state record of 20.30 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle finally was eclipsed. Adam Small, a senior from Tempe Corona del Sol, won the Class 5A-Division I race in 20.22 seconds. Other state records were set by Phoenix Brophy Prep senior Austen Thompson, 28.24 in the 500-yard freestyle; Mesa Dobson sophomore Traycie Swartz, 49.50 in the girls 500-yard freestyle; and Scottsdale Desert Mountain's 400-yard freestyle relay, which was clocked in 3:27.63. Small and Thompson both are committed to the University of Arizona.
* In Arizona's Class 5A-Division II state meet, Phoenix Pinnacle sophomore Ashley Evans won four gold medals and sparked her team to its first state championship. Evans won the 500-yard freestyle in a state-record 4:42.61, the 200-yard freestyle in a personal-best 1:48.13 and anchored the winning 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays. Tucson Rincon senior Bobby Koubratoff also captured four golds. He won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:41.09, the 500-yard freestyle in 4:37.35 and swam legs on the champion 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays.
* Sammamish Skyline sophomore Andie Taylor, who already has qualified for two events in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, broke an 18-year-old Washington state record when she won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:48.51 during Class 3A district competition.Seventh grader Chelsie Britt won the 100-yard butterfly in 55.22 seconds and placed eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke while leading Orlando Lake Highland Prep to third place in Florida's Class A state finals.
* West Des Moines Valley senior Alexa Mehesan became the first swimmer in Iowa history to win 12 state titles. The Michigan recruit set state records in the 50-yard freestyle (22.92) and 100-yard butterfly (54.57) while also swimming a leg on the record-setting 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relay teams.
* Anchorage East senior Meghan Cavanaugh tied Mia Costello's Alaska record by finishing her career with eight state championships - the maximum allowed under current rules. Cavanaugh also set state records by winning the 200-yard freestyle in 1:50.02 and the 100-yard butterfly in 55.59 seconds.
Cross Country Notes
* Defending Foot Locker national champion Kathy Kroeger won her third consecutive Class AAA Tennessee state championship with a time of 17:57.90. The Thompson Station Independence junior still is recovering from a stress fracture in her left leg. She won by over 43 seconds, but still was far off her winning time of last year.
* Worthington Kilbourne senior Claire Daniels completed an undefeated season by winning Ohio's Division I state championship in a record 17:10.51. She won by over 27 seconds while smashing the record of 17:15.3, which had stood for 15 years.Naperville Neuqua Valley ended Elmhurst York's string of five consecutive Illinois state titles by scoring 86 points to York's 105 in Class 3A. Neuqua senior Chris Derrick won the individual crown in 13:52, just missing the course record of 13:50 set by Lebanon's Craig Virgin in 1972.
* Glendale Mountain Ridge senior Nadya Bishton defeated twin sister Nastia, to win her second consecutive Arizona Class 5A-Division I state championship. And she did it by slicing 43 seconds off her own state record with a clocking of 17:28.25. Nastia was runner-up in 17:30.40.
* The Portland Jesuit girls placed their top five runners under 19:30 as they won a record-tying sixth consecutive Class 6A state championship. In Class 5A Central Point Crater's girls set a state-meet record of just 16 points. Crater's top five runners were separated by only 15 seconds.Flower Mound, Texas, coach Andrew Cook had qualified for the U.S. Olympic marathon trials last weekend in New York, but passed it up to coach his team in a high school Region I meet.
Basketball Notes
* Duke has received a blue-chip commitment from 6-4 senior Elliot Williams, who averaged 25 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists last year for St. George's (Collierville, Tenn.).Another blue-chipper, 7-foot senior Tyler Zeller of Washington, Ind., declared for North Carolina. Zeller, whose brother, Luke plays for Notre Dame, averaged 18.3 points and 9.5 rebounds last year.
* J'Mison Morgan, a 6-11, 255-pound senior from South Oak Cliff (Dallas, Texas), has made a commitment to LSU.The University of Iowa has received a commitment from one of the best inside players in Iowa, 6-1 Tia Mays of Des Moines East. She averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks while shooting 63 percent from the field as a junior and will be starting for the fourth year.
* Mobile, Ala., should be a hot spot for basketball this winter. DeMarcus Cousins, a 6-10 junior standout, has moved from the Birmingham area and will team with 6-6 Nick Williams to make LeFlore a powerhouse.The Prichard Vigor girls team will unveil an exciting freshman in 5-foot-1 speedster Aundra Adams, who averaged an eye-popping 30 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as an eighth grader.
Volleyball Notes
* No. 1-ranked Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) defeated another highly-ranked team, Redondo Union, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14, 25-17, in a headliner to raise its record to 30-0. Sophomore Falyn Fonoimoana led the way with 22 kills and four blocks, while senior Lane Carico added 13 kills, 10 digs and three blocks.
* Turning to Hawaii, Honolulu Kamehameha won its third consecutive state championship with a 25-18, 25-19 sweep of city foe Iolani. The nationally-ranked champs, who finished with a glossy 44-2 record, were led by senior Kanani Herring, who had 13 kills and 13 digs while earning MVP honors.
* In Indiana, Muncie Burris won the Class 2A title with a 25-16, 26-24, 25-23 victory over Brownstown Central. It was the 19th state championship for legendary coach Steve Shondell. The Owls, who finished with a 37-3 record, have won their last 75 matches in state-tournament competition.
Potpourri
* Dallas Highland Park's streak of 114 consecutive tennis victories came to a screeching halt with a 10-7 loss to New Braunfels in Texas' Class 4A finale. Highland Park (21-1) had won the last four state championships. Its nine seniors posted a 93-1 record.In South Carolina, Mt. Pleasant Wando (23-0) ran its tennis winning streak to 62 matches with a 6-0 victory against Mauldin to notch its fourth consecutive Class 4A state championship.
* Barrington (25-2) nipped Naperville Neuqua Valley, 2-1, in three overtimes to capture the Illinois Class AA state soccer championship before a crowd estimated at close to 7,000.Lawrence senior Mallory West captured her third Kansas gymnastics all-around state championship in four years with a score of 37.050.
* Indian Trail Porter Ridge junior Courtney Gunter, already a two-time Class 1A/2A/3A North Carolina state golf champion, has made a commitment to the University of North Carolina. This year she shot 74-71-145 to win by 11 strokes.El Capitan (Lakeside, Calif.) baseball pitcher Kevin Morton has chosen Stanford over Harvard and Oregon. The 5-11, 160-pound right-hander, who carries a glossy 4.5 GPA, compiled an 8-3 record with a 2.59 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 73 innings as a junior.