Krider's National Notebook

By Dave Krider

MaxPreps.com

Last week’s Texas state track meet was fabulous, indeed.

In Class 5A, Rowlett’s brilliant junior, Marquise Goodwin, won the long jump with a prodigious, nation-leading leap of 26-1 ½ and the triple jump with a superb 50-0 ½ effort.

Rowlett coach David Nanez told the Dallas Morning News, “I’ve never seen an athlete like him before and I’ll never see another one.” 

Goodwin won three other medals…Markus Henderson of Lewisville ran the nation’s fastest 200-meter dash in 20.8, while Southlake Carroll senior Colby Lowe turned in a sizzling double by winning the 1,600-meter run in a nation-leading 4:06.87 and the 3,200-meter run in 8:53.32.

In Class 4A, Victoria Jordan of Fort Worth Dunbar ran the 100-meter dash in a nation-leading 11.16, which is No. 5 all-time and just two ticks off Marion Jones’ top mark of 11.14 set in 1992….In Class A, Rochelle’s lone entry, junior Bonnie Richardson, scored 42 points to win the state team championship. The 5-foot-5 dynamo won the high jump and 200-meter dash, placed second in the long jump and 100-meter dash and was third in the discus. Richardson also plays tennis and basketball and claims she would “play football if my parents would let me.”

Track Notes

* Many other national season-bests were recorded around the nation. In Colorado, Buena Vista junior Mason Finley fired the discus 222-01, which not only is No. 1 this year but No. 3 all-time, during the Class 3A region meet. It also is a national junior-class record…In Melbourne, Florida, Tallahassee Godby senior Joe Franklin posted the No. 1 800-meter time of 1:48.97 during the RunningZone.Com All-Class Showdown…Easton, Pa., star Chanelle Price lowered her 800-meter run best to 2:03.20 during the New Balance Qualifying Challenge in New York City.

* A surprising performance came from Alaska where Anchorage Bartlett’s Jordan Clarke took over the nation’s top spot in the shot put with a heave of 67-10.75…This year’s best 400-meter dash time now belongs to Starkville (Miss.) junior Tavaris Tate, who was timed in a state-record 46.41 during the Class 5A finals...In North Carolina, Charlotte Butler’s Spencer Adams ran a nation-best 13.51 while winning the Class 4A 110-meter hurdles. Southeast Raleigh junior star Wayne Davis sprained his left ankle during long jump competition, but still finished second to Adams in 13.85.

* Turning to Georgia, Powder Springs McEachern senior William Wynne won the Class AAAAA 300-meter hurdles in a nation-leading 36.28, while Tyrone Sandy Creek senior Christian Taylor took over the triple jump lead at 52-06 during the Class AAA meet…Hernando junior Ricky Robertson high jumped a state-record 7-2 to win the Class 4A title during the Mississippi state finals…Glastonbury (Conn.) standout Donn Cabral won the mile run in a nation-leading 4:09.80 during the Hartford Public Invitational…The nation’s No. 1 pole vaulter, German exchange student Nico Weiler of Los Gatos (Calif.), plans to attend Harvard University.

Softball Notes

* Pembroke Pines Charter, which had been unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the nation, suffered a 5-2 loss to Naples during Florida’s Class 4A state championship game. Charter finished with a 30-1 record, while Naples won its record 10th state title and finished at 28-3…Mike Dunphy posted his 200th coaching victory in Massachusetts as East Bridgewater routed Hull, 15-0…In California, Scripps Ranch senior Rachel Brown set a San Diego Section record with 350 strikeouts this spring.

* Turning to New York, Jessie Stavola became the first Long Island pitcher to strike out 1,000 batters in a career. The East Hampton star has hurled six no-hitters this year…Another standout New York pitcher, Rochester Aquinas senior Bri Allen has tied a Section V record with seven no-hitters this spring…Shaker Heights junior Kathy Peter tied an Ohio state record by slamming a home run in six consecutive games…Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) pitcher Keilani Ricketts struck out 21 batters in 10 innings, but still suffered a 2-1 loss to Notre Dame-Belmont on a two-run homer by Kelly McDonald.

* Kimi Pohlman won Washington Class 2B state titles last year in the 100- and 200-meter dashes for Bear Creek, but gave up the chance to defend her titles this spring to play softball at Sammamish Eastlake because she has a softball scholarship to the University of Washington. She also has been a standout as a sweeper in soccer and a 5-8 post player in basketball where she paced the Seattle area with a 23.0 scoring average.

Basketball Notes

* Playing time encouraged Verdell Jones to choose Indiana University over offers from Minnesota, Arizona and Kentucky. The 6-4 standout averaged 17.7 points, 6.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds as a senior for Central in Champaign, Ill…Purdue University signed a “sleeper,” Beech Grove (Ind.) guard John Hart, who averaged 18.7 points as a senior and was Marion County Player of the Year. Purdue coach Matt Painter told the Indianapolis Star, “I stopped by Beech Grove for an open gym and could not believe that someone with this athleticism and skill was available.”

* Several other seniors have signed recently. Taylor Darby of Mission Hills (San Marcos, Calif.) has signed with Pepperdine. The 6-8 Darby averaged 20.3 points…Texas Tech has inked 6-6 Jaye Crockett, who averaged 20.4 points and 10.4 rebounds for Clovis (N.M.)…Jack Trotter (6-9, 295), who averaged 24.1 points and 13.6 rebounds for Campolindo (Moraga, Calif.), will walk on at Stanford.

* Several juniors also have made recent commitments. Texas A&M has heard from 6-5 Naji Hibbert, who averaged 17 points and 6.0 rebounds for DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)…Madisonville North Hopkins star Jon Hood, 6-6, who is favored to be named Kentucky’s 2009 Mr. Basketball, has chosen the University of Kentucky…Zeke Marshall of McKeesport (Pa.) surprised many big-name colleges by making a commitment to the University of Akron. He stands 7-feet and has a 7-4 wingspan. The University of Kentucky continues to lock up the young ones. The latest commitment comes from 6-8, 220-pound Vinny Zollo, who averaged 13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks as a freshman at McClain (Greenfield, Ohio).

* Marilyn Coddens has retired as girls basketball coach at South Bend Washington after compiling a 245-75 record in 14 years – including one Class 4A state title and two runner-up finishes over the past three years. She will assume the athletic director position, but is leaving the cupboard far from bare because junior guard Skylar Diggins will return as a National Player of the Year candidate.

* Just one day after he was named New York Daily News Girls Coach of the Year, Dom Cecala was fired by Archbishop Molloy (Queens, N.Y.). Molloy posted an 11-3 record after Cecala was elevated to head coach in mid-January…In Colorado, Broomfield Legacy has hired Connecticut Sun guard Jamie Carey as girls head coach and Dave Lawrence, who has won two state titles at different schools, as boys head coach.

Baseball Notes

* Tucson Catalina senior shortstop Shaun Cooper, a University of Arizona recruit, tied the Arizona state record with the 37th home run of his career….Turning to Virginia, Coby Cowgill struck out 21 and allowed just two hits as Norfolk Maury defeated city foe Granby, 4-1, in 10 innings…Central Islip (N.Y.) ended a 40-game losing streak dating to May of 2006 with a 3-2 victory over Commack. Michael Cruz was the hero with a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning.

* Huntington (W.Va.) coach Toby Holbrook has retired after winning 751 games during a 44-year career…Hal Knowles also has retired at St. Brendan (Miami, Fla.) after winning 441 games and one Class 3A state title in 32 years…Harrison (Ohio) coach Dave Bader has announced his retirement. He has won over 500 games during a 30-year period…Madeira (Cincinnati, Ohio) coach Jack Kuzniczci recently posted his 300th victory.

Football Notes

* Mission Viejo (Calif.) quarterback Allan Bridgford has made a commitment to the University of California. The 6-3, 213-pounder passed for 2,508 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior…The University of Louisville has received a commitment from linebacker Mike Privott (6-0, 233), who made 126 tackles and five sacks as a junior for Lake Taylor (Norfolk, Va.).

* Cornerback Darrell Givens has switched his commitment from Ohio State to Penn State. The 5-11, 174-pounder had 82 tackles, four forced fumbles and three interceptions as a junior for Lackey (Indian Head, Md.). The athletic Givens runs 40 yards in a swift 4.46 seconds and has an excellent 36-inch vertical jump.

Tennis Notes

* Brandon eighth grader Kechinye Didia defeated two-time defending champion Catherine Holliday of Tupelo, 6-2, 6-4, to win Mississippi’s Class 5A state title. Holliday, a junior, had beaten Didia in last year’s state semifinals. Didia avenged her only regular-season loss by beating Northwest Rankin’s Allison Hartman, 6-4, 6-1, in the semifinals. Then the 14-year-old phenom headed home to play her trumpet in Brandon’s band concert.

* A native of Spain is Hawaii’s new state singles tennis champion. Fernando Aguirregomezcorta, a sophomore exchange student at Hilo St. Joseph, defeated Punahou sophomore Doug Ho, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, for the title. However, Punahou still won its 18th consecutive boys title and sixth consecutive girls title.

Golf Notes

* Kennesaw Harrison senior James White set a Georgia state record by shooting 12-under-par 132 to win the Class AAAAA state championship. He won by 11 shots, helping his team to a record 21-shot victory. The Georgia Tech signee, who carded a 61 in a summer tournament, also was state champion as a sophomore.

* Houston Memorial’s highly-regarded sophomore, Cory Whitsett, captured the Texas Class 5A state title by shooting 3-under-par 141 for 36 holes. Whitsett also won the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur last summer.

Potpourri

* Yucaipa (Calif.) swimmers Karl Krug, Trevor Hoyt, Clint Johnson and Michael Perry set a national public school record by winning the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:23.04 during the Southern Section Division I finals at Long Beach. The record was 1:23.15.

* Bolstered by three senior transfers, Edmond Memorial nipped Norman North, 1-0, in a shootout to win Oklahoma’s Class 6A boys state soccer championship and complete a perfect 15-0 campaign.

* Bel Air John Carroll defeated McDonogh, 11-6, to win its second consecutive Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference lacrosse championship. The Patriots, who never trailed, completed a perfect 18-0 campaign.