National Highlight Reel: Scot Davis retires with record 984 wrestling wins

Scot Davis of Owatonna (Minn.) retired recently as the No. 1 winner in high school wrestling history.

In 34 years at four high schools, Davis compiled a spectacular 984-149-4 record. No other coach has notched 800 wins. He posted an 886-124-1 record in 25 years at Owatonna and won state titles in Minnesota's largest classification during 1998 and 2005.

And the former president and publicity director of the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association can write, too. He received the distinguished Bob Dellinger Award from Amateur Wrestling News for being the "nation's outstanding writer of wrestling" in 1986.

The 60-year-old coach told MaxPreps that he built his program on numbers. His feeder youth program, for example, peaked with 250 members. He had great high school turnouts each year and scheduled as many matches as possible to get maximum exposure.



Davis once got 51 different wrestlers (14 weight classes) into varsity meets during a single season. Along the way, the Huskies set national records for most takedowns in dual meets in one season (1,465) and in one meet (97); most team victories in one season (60-1 record in 2004-05); and most wrestlers used in varsity meets in one season (51 in 2000).

Davis' individual accomplishments were equally impressive:

* USA team coach to Australia/Hawaii for Down Under Sports, 2010, 2011.
* Wrestling USA "Master of Wrestling" Award by Wrestling USA Magazine, 2009 (Dan Gable won the award this past season).
* USA Dream Team coach for 13th annual "Dream Team Classic," 2009.
* National Wrestling Coach of the Year by Wrestling USA Magazine, 2007.
* National High School Wrestling Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association, 1998.

Also among his proudest achievements was beating perennial national powerhouse Apple Valley (Minn.) three consecutive times in 2004 and 2005. One of those wins was the most watched and attended meet in Minnesota history - a 27-24 verdict before a crowd of 10,000 in the state semifinals.

The former Augsburg College All-American and team captain said humbly, "I am extremely proud of the great people that have helped build our wrestling program here at Owatonna. Several being nationally recognized demonstrates their great value to not only our program but wrestling in general. I have been truly blessed to be associated with these great people."

BASEBALL: BUNDY WINS NATIONAL HONORS
Owasso (Okla.) senior pitcher Dylan Bundy has been named Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder compiled an 11-0 record this year with a microscopic 0.20 ERA. He had 158 strikeouts and a meager five walks in 71 innings while leading the Rams to a 37-2 record. He also batted .467 with 11 home runs, 50 runs and 54 RBIs. The University of Texas signee had a 3.72 GPA, and was drafted fourth overall on Monday by the Baltimore Orioles.



* Isaac Smith of Madison Central (Richmond, Ky.) shocked everyone in the park when he stole home with two outs and two strikes on the batter in the fifth inning to provide the winning run during a 2-1 victory over Woodford County (Versailles, Ky.).  Madison Central coach Steve Roof told Mike Fields of the Lexington Herald-Leader, "When he took off my heart was fluttering and you could hear the crowd gasp." Smith, who is headed for Bradley University, said his daring feat best compared "to getting a shot of adrenaline at the hospital."

* Alex Fernandez, son of former major league pitcher Alex Fernandez, sparked Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) to its second consecutive Class 4A state title. In the 4-1 finale against Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), he hammered a three-run homer and was the winning pitcher. The University of Miami recruit posted a 10-0 mound record this year and batted .470.

* Still active after 40 years, Jefferson (Tampa, Fla.) coach Pop Cuesta was honored recently for his many years of service. Among the players he has produced were Fred McGriff (whom he cut as a sophomore because he was too small), Tino Martinez and Luis Gonzalez. Between them they have earned six World Series championship rings.

* Junior Kayden Porter helped Spanish Fork (Utah) win the Class 4A state title by belting three home runs during a 12-7 victory over Snow Canyon (St. George, Utah). His team then blanked Snow Canyon, 9-0, in the final game. Already committed to the University of North Carolina, he finished the year with a .570 batting average and 9-1 pitching record.

* Sean Keselica fired a two-hitter with 16 strikeouts as Voorhees (Glen Gardner, N.J.) nipped Somerville (N.J.), 1-0.

* David Lira threw an amazing 141 pitches as San Fernando (Calif.) edged El Camino Real (Woodland Hills, Calif.), 2-1, in 10 innings. He scattered three hits and struck out 10. Jose Reyes, who doubled in the winning run, later pitched the Tigers to an 8-6 victory over perennial power Chatsworth (Calif.) at Dodger Stadium to win their first City Section Division I crown since 1991. Reyes, who also had two hits, was named MVP.



* Parker Snare notched his 500th coaching victory when North Hunterdon (Annandale, N.J.) defeated Montgomery (Skillman, N.J.), 11-9.

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}SOFTBALL: LORIMOR PERFECT WITH 21 STRIKEOUTS
Fremont-Mills (Tabor, Iowa) senior Mindy Lorimor struck out all 21 batters during an 8-0, perfect-game victory over Nishnabotna (Hamburg, Iowa). She also had a similar effort in 2009 against Farragut (Iowa). Though no national records are kept in this category, MaxPreps believes at least two others have turned the feat: Michelle Granger of Valencia (Placentia, Calif.) and Dallas Escobedo of St. Mary's (Phoenix). There may be others, but this is a rare feat nonetheless.

* Senior pitcher Alexa Larkin struck out 15 and allowed only two hits as Latrobe (Pa.) defeated Seneca Valley (Harmony, Pa.), 5-3, to win the WPIAL Class AAAA championship.

* Germantown (Wis.) blanked East (Wauwatosa, Wis.), 3-0, as Hannah Klebesadel struck out 16 and yielded just one hit.

BASKETBALL: BLACKMON TO STAY AT LUERS
After becoming head boys basketball coach at his alma mater, Marion (Ind.), James Blackmon has decided to remain at Bishop Luers (Fort Wayne, Ind.). A superstar player at Marion, Blackmon was hired on May 11. However, last week he decided that family ties were too strong in Fort Wayne and elected to keep his current job.
His wife, Sailaja, is a doctor in Fort Wayne and his three sons – who appear to be a budding basketball franchise – did not want to move. James Blackmon Jr. is one of the nation's premier freshmen and already committed to Indiana University. Another son, Vijay, is ranked among the nation's elite seventh graders by Hoop Scoop publisher Clark Francis and Jalen is in second grade.

* Six-foot-4 D.J. Fenner is transferring from Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) to O'Dea (Seattle), according to the Seattle Times. Fenner, who is the son of former Seattle Seahawks running back Derrick Fenner, averaged 18 points as a freshman at Seattle Prep before going east.



Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}TRACK: BURKE SETS OHIO HIGH JUMP RECORD
Medina (Ohio) senior Taylor Burke set a state high jump record by clearing 6 feet, 1¼ inches for her third consecutive Division I state championship. That height also is the best in the nation this spring and was a great 18th birthday present. Burke, who has a 3.6 GPA, will attend the University of Florida where she will high jump and play goalie in soccer.

* Ward Melville (East Setauket, N.Y.) senior Mary Beth Anselmini set a national 2,000-meter steeplechase record with a clocking of 6 minutes, 33.01 seconds at Port Jefferson (N.Y.).

* Woodbridge (Va.) senior Isaiah Simmons broke a state meet record that had stood since 1978 when he threw the discus 194-7 to win the Class AAA title for the second year in a row. The University of Miami recruit also holds the overall state record of 196-8.

GOLF: VOLD'S ACE WORTH $5,000
Coon Rapids (Minn.) senior Andrew Vold won $5,000 for making a hole in one during a fundraiser at Majestic Oaks in Ham Lake, Minn. He then was declared ineligible for the rest of the year – not for taking the cash but for participating in a non-sanctioned event during the high school season.

* Thirteen-year-old Brad Dalke of McKinney, Texas, shot 5-under-par 211 to win the Thunderbird International Junior in Scottsdale, Ariz. That made him the third-youngest boys champion in AJGA history. The girls title went to Karen Chung of Livingston, N.J., with a 7-under-par 209.