National Highlight Reel: Casey Cochran sets Connecticut passing record

By the time he graduates next spring, Casey Cochran may own every major passing record in Connecticut.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior quarterback completed 15 of 18 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns as Masuk (Monroe, Conn.) launched its season with a 49-14 rout of Oxford (Conn.). That gave him a state-record career passing total of 8,085 yards. The previous mark was 7,710 by Joe Della Vecchia of St. Joseph (Trumbull, Conn.) from 2008-10.

In his fourth year as a varsity starter, he already held the state record for career completions, which was 485 entering his final campaign. Cochran is happy, but doesn't want records to be placed ahead of victories for the Panthers, who now have a 14-game winning streak.

"In season I'm kind of taking it in stride and trying not to make it too big of a deal. After the season I'll sit back (and acknowledge) it's a great honor. I want to keep my head clear," Cochran said.



Cochran grew up in a football family. His father, Jack Cochran, is one of Connecticut's all-time great coaches, having worked at several different high schools and won eight state championships.

As a freshman Casey stepped in for an injured starter and led his father's New London (Conn.) team to the Class SS state title. The next year, his family moved to Monroe and he led the Panthers to a 9-1 record as a sophomore.

His junior year was perfect as he paced Masuk to a 13-0 record and the Class L state title. The Panthers were so powerful that their average winning margin was an astounding 49 points and their closest game was a 50-20 rout of four-time defending champion New Canaan (Conn.) in the state-title contest.

Cochran had obvious talent when he arrived at Masuk, though he was somewhat overweight.

Coach John Murphy pointed out, "We were excited. You could see the talent. But he was a little different kid. He had a big arm, but he was really heavier back then, 225 pounds. He had a good feel for the game, stepped in and did an amazing job. He had two games over 500 yards and a five-touchdown game as a sophomore."

As a junior, Cochran threw for more than 3,300 yards and 40 touchdowns. Besides the state title, his rewards included being named Gatorade State Player of the Year and the Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year.



Murphy doesn't hesitate when he calls his signal caller "truly the hardest-working kid I've ever come across. He is super smart (3.9 GPA and 1800 SAT)."

Cochran has made a commitment to the University of Connecticut, but he also considered Boston College and Ivy League schools Yale and Princeton.

The humble Masuk star likes to spread credit around for his success. He still watches film with his father, who taught him how to read defenses, the mental aspects and how to be a good team player. He also credits him for his leadership ability.

"Coach Murphy set me up in a great offense and taught me how to run an offense," he noted. "Our quarterback coach, Travis Meyer, taught me throwing mechanics and all the different mechanics that come with being a quarterback."

Complementing Cochran with several Division I wide receivers and an outstanding running back, the Panthers have the talent to repeat as state champions. Murphy concedes there is pressure on his team, particularly on Cochran, but he points out, "There's been pressure on him since he stepped into a starting role as a freshman. His name is as big as it gets. I really believe that this is going to be the best year he's ever had."

More football milestones for coaches and players (Continue reading){PAGEBREAK}ROBERT PAROLI, FRANK LENTI REACH MILESTONES

After starting the season with four losses, Robert Paroli finally notched his 400th career coaching victory as Seventy-First (Fayetteville, N.C.) defeated E.E. Smith (Fayetteville, N.C.), 24-14.



The Falcons had an 8-6 lead over Lumberton (N.C.) with just 30 seconds left the previous week, only to be stunned by a 35-yard field goal.

The 80-year-old in his 54th year of coaching now can set his sights on North Carolina's state record, which is 410 victories by Jack Holley.

Paroli told MaxPreps, "People find this difficult to believe, but I never discussed this with the kids or coaches. I've been asked so many times about getting 400. I haven't been able to get it out of my consciousness. It's a sense of accomplishment that only two of us in North Carolina have ever won that many."

Because it was cold and rainy, Paroli's wife of 58 years, Billie, stayed home for the record game. She hasn't missed many over the years, however, and her husband calls her "a great coach's wife."

Paroli credits his longevity to his son, Michael, who has been his assistant coach for the past 28 years and has passed up at least five head jobs to stay with his father.

"He's been a great blessing," Paroli said. "He should have been a head coach a long time ago. Michael has kept me going. He does it all. I always say my only regret is that I don't have another 54 years. It's been a great profession."



* Mount Carmel (Chicago) crushed St. Joseph (Westchester, Ill.), 62-8, to give coach Frank Lenti his state-record 307th career victory. Lenti has won nine state titles since taking over a losing program in 1984.

St. Joseph officials presented the veteran coach an engraved crystal trophy after the game.

Lenti, who turns 60 on Tuesday, told the Chicago Sun-Times, "I've really tried to not think about (the record). You know eventually it's going to happen. I didn't talk to the kids about it, because I didn't want it to be the focus. I wanted the focus to be on the ‘we' thing, not the ‘me' thing."

Mount Carmel's dominance has been due in great part to its veteran coaching staff. Lenti's brother, Dave, and Pete Kammholz have been on the staff for all of his 307 wins. Bill Nolan and Mark Antonietti also are long-term assistants.

* Junior quarterback Blake Gimbel completed 42 passes for a state-record 567 yards as Marshalltown (Iowa) raced to a 63-41 victory over East (Sioux City, Iowa). He also passed for 405 yards in the season opener.

* Colton Storla celebrated his 18th birthday by running for a school-record seven touchdowns as Marion (Iowa) routed Anamosa (Iowa), 58-35. He finished with 260 yards on 23 carries after being taken out midway through the third quarter.



* Jefferson (Dallas) ended a 36-game losing streak with a 19-16 victory over Diamond Hill-Jarvis (Fort Worth, Texas). The Patriots had been outscored 180-0 in their first three games.

* Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem, N.C.) outlasted Carver (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 87-52. The 139 combined points were just three short of the state record, which was set in 1930 when Windsor clobbered Creswell, 142-0.

* Lake Oswego (Ore.) defeated Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) 56-46 despite the outstanding effort of junior Max Browne, who completed 40 of 53 passes for a school-record 459 yards. Steven Long ran 28 times for 428 yards and seven touchdowns to pace the winners.

* Senior quarterback Maty Mauk passed for 469 yards and five touchdowns as Kenton (Ohio) defeated Shawnee (Lima, Ohio), 34-7.

* Jamie Sutcliffe made up for three earlier misses by booting a 40-yard field goal as time elapsed to give Thousand Oaks (Calif.) a 27-24 victory over Moorpark (Calif.).

* Defending Class 6A state champion Aloha (Beaverton, Ore.) lost for the first time in 15 games as Grant (Portland, Ore.) posted a convincing 51-27 victory. Senior Paris Penn passed for 315 yards and ran for 142 yards. The defense held junior sprint champion Thomas Tyner to 27 yards on 15 carries, although he did make two catches for 108 yards.



* Air Force recruit Garrett Owens kicked a 57-yard field goal to help Arroyo Grande (Calif.) defeat Templeton (Calif.), 45-17.

* Memphis East (Tenn.) senior Brian Kimbrow continues to tear up defenses. The Vanderbilt recruit ran for 441 yards and three touchdowns (77, 74 and 73 yards) to spark a 41-6 rout of Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.).

* Marion (Ark.) amassed 713 yards during an 82-51 victory over Greene County Tech (Paragould, Ark.). Marion's Tre Franklin averaged 13.8 yards per carry while scoring six times.

* Boerne-Champion (Boerne, Texas) outlasted Marble Falls (Texas), 35-29, in five overtimes.

* Senior quarterback Neal Burcham (6-2, 185) passed for 453 yards and four touchdowns as Greenbrier (Ark.) defeated Benton (Ark.), 42-35.

* The University of Notre Dame picked up a pair of talented recruits over the weekend. Their first junior commitment came from offensive tackle Steven Elmer (6-6, 300) of Midland, Mich. The 15th senior recruit is Chris Brown (6-2, 185), a swift wide receiver, who caught 52 passes for 1,105 yards and 16 touchdowns last year for Hanahan (S.C.).



* Mount Carmel (Chicago) defensive tackle Vontrell Williams (6-2, 270) used the MaxPreps/Tom Lemming television show to announce that he will attend the University of Illinois.

* Vanderbilt University has landed another blue chipper, four-star wide receiver Andre McDonald, according to the Star-Tribune. The 6-2, 200-pounder had 64 catches for 1,144 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior at Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.).

* Batavia (Ill.) defensive back Jon Gray had three interceptions during a 35-13 victory over Bartlett (Ill.).

Continue reading for more sports {PAGEBREAK}BECCA GREENWELL OUT FOR BASKETBALL SEASON

One of the nation's top five juniors, Becca Greenwell, has been sidelined for the year by a torn ACL in her right knee. She was injured while playing for the USA during the FIBA 3-on-3 Youth Championships in Rimini, Italy.
The 6-foot-1 star led her state in scoring as a sophomore with a glossy 32.6 average for Owensboro Catholic (Ky.). She already has played in 131 varsity games and scored 2,821 points. She is considering Duke, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Florida, Georgia and Notre Dame, according to Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier-Journal.

* According to the Raleigh News & Observer, Kristen Gaffney has made a commitment to Vanderbilt University over North Carolina, Notre Dame and North Carolina State. The 6-1 scoring machine averaged 31 points and 9.1 rebounds as a junior for Green Hope (Cary, N.C.) after scoring a state sophomore-record 831 points (26.6 average) the previous year.



* On the boys side, Jaysean Paige has transferred from Jamestown (N.Y.) to Perry County Central (Hazard, Ky.). The 6-2 Paige averaged 25.8 points, eight rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals as a junior while being named Western New York Player of the Year.

* Loyola (Los Angeles) has a budding 7-footer, according to Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times. He is 6-11 Thomas Welsh, who is just a sophomore. He has grown nine inches since eighth grade and wears a size 17 shoe.

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}FUTSUM ZEINASELLASSIE RUNS 14:36.2 5K

North Central (Indianapolis) senior star Futsum Zeinasellassie ran the nation's fastest 5K this year with a blazing 14 minutes, 36.2 seconds clocking to set a meet and course record during the Blue Division of the fifth annual Flashrock Invitational in Carmel, Ind. It also was the personal-best clocking for the two-time state champion.

* Reagan (San Antonio) senior Daniel Vertiz also cracked the 15-minute barrier when he won the Boys Gold Division of the USTA Romo Classic in San Antonio in 14:48.5.

* Kamiakin (Kennewick, Wash.) senior Anthony Armstrong won the New Balance Festival of Champions in Oregon City, Ore., with a clocking of 15:00.4.



POTPOURRI
* Loveland (Colo.) nipped four-time Class 5A defending state softball champion Legacy (Broomfield, Colo.), 2-1, to snap a 70-game unbeaten (69-0-1) streak. Cassidy Smith pitched a seven-hitter to make Anna Gerhard's first-inning two-run homer stand up.

* Edina (Minn.) junior hockey forward Louie Nanne has made a commitment to the University of Minnesota, according to the Star-Tribune. Nanne, who had 13 goals and 16 assists as a sophomore, is the son of Marty Nanne and grandson of Lou Nanne, who both played professional hockey.

* The Millville (N.J.) girls field hockey team nipped Middle Township (Cape May Court House, N.J.) 1-0 to hand Claudia McCarthy her 500th victory in her 41st year of coaching.

* In boys soccer, Shawnee (Lima, Ohio) blanked Kenton (Ohio), 4-0, to give coach Dick Hagen his 300th victory.