National Highlight Reel: Cody Marvel stars in emergency switch

Cody Marvel has a new position and a new nickname following a sensational emergency performance that sparked D'Evelyn (Denver) to a 42-20 football victory over Conifer (Colo.).

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound junior started the game at safety, but suddenly found himself at quarterback just two minutes into the second quarter when starter Caleb Flack took a hard hit on his helmet and was sidelined for precautionary reasons.

All he did was complete 14 of 21 passes for 276 yards and five touchdowns. Though listed as a backup quarterback, he had only about six snaps during the past week of practice. In fact, he had no reps at the position as a sophomore and played possibly 10 minutes of mop-up duty as a freshman.

After his amazing performance, he was dubbed "Captain Marvel" – in honor of the DC Comics superhero of the same name - by veteran Denver Post sportswriter Neil Devlin. The nickname caught on the very next day with students and teachers.



Marvel revealed that as of Wednesday's practice he wasn't even assured of the backup quarterback position.

"I was completely surprised," he said of his unexpected role. "It was pretty nerve wracking."

His first two plays were runs — then it was time to get back to what the Jaguars do best: Throw the ball.

"We tried to simplify (the offense)," coach Jeremy Bennett said. "He came to me and said, ‘Let's open it up and let it go.' He understands our system and didn't miss a beat. He has a really high football IQ. He made Conifer pay. He chewed them up."

After a pass interference call, Marvel's next three passes went for touchdowns.

"It really gave me a lot of confidence after that," Marvel said. "We have really good receivers. They went over the top and got them."



He also credited his offensive line with keeping him sack free. In fact, he was forced out of the pocket just once.

Bennett said he had confidence in Marvel because he is an outstanding all-around athlete with good speed. He batted well better than .300 as the starting centerfielder in baseball and can reverse-jam a basketball.

"For a little, skinny dude, he never stops amazing me," Bennett praised. "He's a great safety and a big hitter. If you saw the kid, you wouldn't think he was a great athlete, but he is a great athlete."

Marvel is expected to be the starting signal caller again this week against Palisade (Colo.), but once the 6-2, 215-pound Flack is cleared he undoubtedly will reclaim his position because he is one of the top three senior quarterbacks in the state. Last year he passed for 3,069 yards and 39 touchdowns.

The good news is that whenever the Jaguars get in trouble, they always have Captain Marvel waiting in the wings.

* Patrick Towles' stock rose greatly after he outdueled more highly ranked quarterback Zeke Pike to spark Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.) to a lopsided 61-13 victory over Dixie Heights (Edgewood, Ky.). The 6-6, 235-pound Towles, who has made a commitment to the University of Kentucky, drilled 19 of 29 passes for 397 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one interception and twice ran for 1-yard scores before sitting out most of the second half. Pike (6-5, 225), who has committed to Auburn, completed just 13 of 25 passes for 107 yards and threw two interceptions. He also sat out most of the second half.



* Zach Howell, a 6-1, 160-pound junior, passed for 529 yards as Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) defeated Christ Prep Academy (Kansas City, Kan.), 26-13. Another junior, wide receiver Prestyn Atherton (5-11, 170), had 251 receiving yards.

* Montwood (El Paso, Texas) nipped Mayfield (Las Cruces, N.M.) 49-48 in overtime behind 417 passing yards by Angel Garcia.

* Shanley (Fargo, N.D.) lost to Fargo North (N.D.) 12-6, ending a 20-game winning streak for the two-time Class 2A defending state champs.

* Rondreas Truesdale rushed for 347 yards and seven touchdowns to spark Indian Land (Fort Mill, S.C.) to a 48-39 victory over Blacksburg (S.C.).

* Gaffney (S.C.) defeated Greenwood (S.C.) 47-21 behind the all-around brilliance of Joey Copeland, who completed a school-record 99-yard touchdown pass. He finished with 21-for-26 for 391 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for two scores.

* Ecorse (Mich.) routed Westside Christian Academy (Detroit), 51-16, as Kyle Dinkins completed 17 of 20 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns.



* Green River (Wyo.) defeated Douglas (Wyo.) 32-15 to snap a historic 30-game winning streak for the three-time defending Class 3A state champions.

* Braden Corpus rushed for 353 yards and five touchdowns as Borah (Boise, Idaho) defeated Rocky Mountain (Meridian, Idaho), 41-28.

* Six-foot-4 sophomore Anthony Lazard returned interceptions for three touchdowns – two in one quarter – to spark Urbandale (Iowa) to a 54-8 rout of Hoover (Des Moines, Iowa).

* Flower Mound (Texas) rolled to a 44-36 victory over Boyd (McKinney, Texas) behind the passing of Marshall Williams (437 yards and four touchdowns).

* Bendle (Burton, Mich.) overcame 403 passing yards by Erick Layton to hand Hamady (Flint, Mich.) a 46-38 setback.

* Tommy Benson fired six touchdown passes – four to Joel Hopkins – and finished with 388 yards as Becker (Minn.) defeated Buffalo (Minn.), 42-33.



* Five-time Division 3 reigning state champion East Grand Rapids (Grand Rapids, Mich.) saw its 34-game winning streak broken with a 30-22 loss to Holland (Mich.).

* He's only a sophomore, but Will Grier already is being recruited by the likes of Georgia, Florida, Duke and Virginia. The 6-3, 185-pound quarterback completed 26 of 35 passes last week for 478 yards and six touchdowns as Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.) routed Trinity Christian (Fayetteville, N.C.), 62-34.

* Charlotte Latin (Charlotte, N.C.) star Paul Griggs (6-0, 195), who has committed to Purdue University, set a Mecklenburg County record when he kicked a 57-yard field goal during a 23-0 victory over North Cross (Roanoke, Va.).

* Junior quarterback Robbie Harpring ran for a 2-point conversion to give Lakota East (Liberty Township, Ohio) a 38-37 victory over Winton Woods (Cincinnati) in a four-overtime thriller.

* Two-time defending Class 2A state champion Scio (Ore.) lost its first game in 29 outings, a 28-6 setback to Dayton (Ore.).

* Junior Cooper Bateman passed for 477 yards and five touchdowns to spark Cottonwood (Salt Lake City) to a 49-37 victory over Brighton (Salt Lake City). Inoke Lotueluel had 11 catches for 241 yards and three touchdowns.



* In his second start at free safety, Anthony DeCamillo made four interceptions to lead Chagrin Falls (Ohio) to a 27-10 victory over Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (Chardon, Ohio).

* Kyle Tack completed 18 of 25 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns while running 14 times for 134 yards and four touchdowns to spark Merrill (Mich.) to a 70-48 victory over Valley Christian (Saginaw, Mich.). The 5-9, 170-pound senior also accounted for eight touchdowns in his previous outing.

* Dallas Jesuit rolled past Strake Jesuit (Houston) 51-14 behind the passing of Jack Brezette (18 of 23 for 375 yards, five touchdowns).

* Webb City (Mo.) set a state record by blanking Willard (Mo.) 41-0 for its 73rd consecutive regular-season victory.

* The nation's No. 1 player, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, helped draw a crowd of 21,124 to the University of Arkansas, but his Hillcrest (Springfield, Mo.) team lost to Rogers Heritage (Ark.), 37-20. Green-Beckham, who has Arkansas on his short list of colleges, made seven catches for 142 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

* Brody Rosenberg passed for 404 yards to lead Elkhart Memorial (Ind.) to a 17-10 victory over Goshen (Ind.).



* Phil Molina kicked a 53-yard field goal with 1:22 remaining to give River Ridge (New Port Richey, Fla.) a dramatic 17-14 victory over Fivay (Hudson, Fla.).


Continue reading for more sports{PAGEBREAK}BASKETBALL: DEJUAN MARRERO PICKS DEPAUL
DeJuan Marrero has made a commitment to DePaul University, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The 6-5 standout averaged an impressive 22.2 points and 15.4 rebounds as a junior at Bowman Academy (Gary, Ind.).
 
* ZagsBlog reports that Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) junior Deonte Burton (6-4, 236) has made a commitment to Marquette University.

* Valparaiso University's first-year head coach Bryce Drew has received a commitment from 6-5 junior swingman Clay Yeo, who averaged 16 points, four rebounds and 2.5 assists last year for Triton (Bourbon, Ind.), which was Class A state-runner-up in two of the last three years. Michigan and Xavier also had shown interest, according to the South Bend Tribune.

* Hales Franciscan (Chicago) has lost talented brothers Aaric Armstead (senior), Adam Armstead (junior) and Austin (freshman) Armstead, who are transferring to Bullard (Fresno, Calif.). Their father, Phil Armstead, told the Chicago Sun-Times, "There is a growing safety issue in the city. The violence has gotten too close. The boys are going to experience something entirely different in California."

* Former NBA star Kenny Anderson has been named head basketball coach at Posnack Hebrew Day (Plantation, Fla.). Anderson, age 40, already lives near the school of 120 students.

* On the girls side, St. John's University has received a commitment from Manchester (Conn.) junior guard Ashley Perez, according to the Hartford Courant. She led the state in scoring last year with a 24.2 average and already holds her school's career scoring record with 1,436 points.



POTPOURRI
* Gavin Hall, a junior from Pittsford, N.Y., shot 3-under-par 211 to win the Junior PLAYERS Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Senior Jonathan Garrick of Atherton, Calif., was one shot back at 212.

* Swimming World Magazine has named the Hershey (Pa.) boys swim team as its national champion for 2010-11. Its star, David Nolan, also was named Male National High School Swimmer of the Year. Carmel (Ind.) and Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.) tied for national girls honors.