California's NFL connection; No. 1 soccer team goes down; Speed City, USA.
By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
Football: Jackrabbits, Spartans Continue to Produce
The football programs at De La Salle and Long Beach Poly have been linked since they met in a pair of high-profile showdowns in 2001 and 2002, both won by De La Salle.
Over the weekend, the connection between the two California schools became one of the untold stories of the NFL Draft.
Six players from the two perennial powerhouses were drafted - Maurice Drew, Kevin Simon, and Demetrius Williams of De La Salle, and Darnell Bing, Winston Justice, and Marcedes Lewis from Long Beach Poly.
Lewis, who played at the college level for UCLA, was the highest pick in the group at No. 28 to Jacksonville, while Simon, who played at Tennessee, was the last to go at No. 250 to Washington.
De La Salle's Drew scored four touchdowns in the 2001 game against Long Beach Poly, a team that featured all three of the Jackrabbits' 2006 NFL Draft picks. De La Salle won that game 29-15 in a contest that was possibly the most heavily-covered and highly-anticipated high school football game in California history.
Producing NFL talent is nothing new for either school. Long Beach Poly has developed more professional football players than any other high school in the United States, pumping out names like Mark Carrier, Willie McGinest, Leonard Russell, and Omar Stoutmire.
Amani Toomer and D.J. Williams are the two most prominent De La Salle standouts to play in the NFL.
Boys Soccer: No. 1 Goes Down
The Snohomish High (Wash.) soccer team entered the weekend with a perfect record (13-0), the No. 1 national ranking - according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll - and in the driver's seat to capture a division title.
The Panthers had looked worthy of their lofty national stature all season, blanking opponents in seven of their first 12 games, and outscoring opposition 69-6 in those contests.
That all changed Saturday night when division rival and national No. 11 Lake Stevens routed Snohomish 3-1 to end the Panthers' hope of a perfect season.
The Vikings used two goals from senior midfielder Kyle Warrington and one in the seventh minute by senior Eric Guenther to jump on Snohomish early and control the match.
Lake Stevens followed Saturday's win with a 4-2 win over Monroe Tuesday and should make a leap in the national rankings when they are released again May 9. The Vikings are 14-2 and have showed flashes of dominance in their own right this season, outscoring opponents 61-11. One of their two losses came against Snohomish in a 2-1 decision March 29.
The quest for Washington's Class 4A state tournament should be a competitive one, as four of the top 20 teams in the country (Snohomish, Lake Stevens, No. 15 Inglemoor of Seattle, and No. 17 Auburn) will be eyeing the title.
One note on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll - it takes into account only teams that are in-season. Teams in states that play winter or fall soccer, like traditionally strong states California, Florida, and Texas, are included in a separate poll.
Track & Field: Speed to Burn
Looking for the fastest city in America? How about Dallas, where no fewer than 36 boys from the city and surrounding metro area have run 10.82 or better in the 100 meter this spring.
Colt Davis of Aubrey has posted the best time this season at 10.44, with three other sprinters clocking sub-10.6 times.
The girls aren't too bad, either, with 31 posting times of 12.23 or better in the 100 meter. Victoria Jordan's 11.38 is not only the best time this season in the Dallas-area, but the entire country, as well. The Fort Worth Dunbar speedster is also one of the nation's best in the 200 meter and a candidate to compete for the United States at the World Juniors in Beijing, China this August.
Before We Go: The Gulliver (Miami, Fla.) girls' water polo team capped its fifth-straight undefeated season Saturday with a 13-4 win over Winter Park, capturing its sixth-consecutive state title in the process. Dating back to 2001, the Raiders have won 166-straight contests.Crescenta Valley High (La Crescenta, Calif.) freshman Baillie Kirker has belted an unofficial, freshmen state-record 12 home runs in her rookie campaign with the Falcon softball team. University City High (San Diego) slugger Lisa Dodd owns the overall state record with 17 dingers in 2003, according to Cal-Hi Sports. Kirker and Crescenta Valley jumped 31 spots in the most recent release of the MaxPreps California Softball Rankings.The Oregonian reported today that second team MaxPreps All-American Kevin Love of Lake Oswego has narrowed his choices to national runner-up UCLA and North Carolina. Love is a junior and considered to be the best basketball player in state history.
Jason Hickman: jason@maxpreps.com
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