Illinois senior allows 14 runs but still prevails; California softball pitcher one of nation's best and most inspiring; Memphis sophomore basketball player emerges from obscurity.
My name is on this folks, but legendary Hall of Fame prep writer and MaxPreps colleague Dave Krider led me to all of these stories.
1. Rubber Arm
Great story – and even better written – about Northridge Prep (Ill.) pitcher Matt O’Connor, who threw 180 pitches, gave up 14 runs and still won a playoff game, 15-14 over Driscoll in a Class 2A regional semifinal game last week. In arguably the understatement of the prep season his coach said afterward: “He had a pretty big pitch count. It takes good stuff physically and mentally to do that.”
2. Courageous Hurler
Absolute fantastic feature on one of the most courageous and outstanding softball pitchers in the country who plays for one of the nation’s top teams, Norco (Calif.). Stanford-bound hurler Teagan Gerhart, one of three triplets on the team, is a name people will be talking about for many years to come. And it’s not only because she entered this week 25-2 with 283 strikeouts, 14 walks and a 0.37 ERA.
One of three triplets on the team, Teagan Gerhart set herself apart with a 0.37 ERA and a remarkable story.
Photo by John Downey
3. Who is this guy?
Remember the classic scene from “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” when the duo was getting chased by a mysterious group of lawmen? “Who are those guys anyway?” Sundance (Robert Redford) kept saying. Well, that’s what everyone was wondering about one individual, Chris Jones, a 5-foot-9 guard from Memphis (Tenn.) who lit up the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions showcase last week in North Carolina. He scored 50 and 41 in back-to-back games and few knew who the kid was, something unprecedented in this age of over-exposure. Jones, who just completed his sophomore season, attends Melrose High School.
4. State Records Fall
Many consider Oregon the Mecca for track and field. So when state records fall in the Oregon state meets, track connoisseurs everywhere take note. In the state’s 5A boys meet, Greshman junior Sam Crouser set a javelin mark of 231 feet, 1 inch. The girls 6A and 5A meets showed off the two greatest sprinters in state history with Summit junior Kellie Schueler winning the 5A 100 (state record 11.78), 200 (23.94) and the 400 (54.60) and Benson senior Kayla Smith taking the 6A 100 (11.84) and 200 (24.01).
5. Replacing a Legend
After 27 seasons, 702 victories and three state titles, Duncanville (Texas) boys basketball coach Phil McNeely retired and last week his successor was named. Eric McDade, who had the same position at Mansfield Timberview, beat out seven other finalists for the job .
National High 5 is a regular feature highlighting the top high school sports news and features on the Net. Let us know if there are some interesting reads that we’ve missed. E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
