By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
1. The Bell Tolls. There’s no messing around anymore on college football commitments. The Blue Chip kids today don’t show any yellow caution. One of the country’s top Class of 2009 linebackers Dorian Bell (Gateway High, Monroeville, Pa.) announced just a couple hours ago that he’s going to sign at Ohio State, joining another Keystone State star, Terrelle Pryor (Jeannette), the nation’s No. 1 recruit from 2008 and MaxPreps 2007 Player of the Year who signed earlier this month. Bell (see video), a 6-foot-1, 215-pounder, had 131 tackles and 12 sacks last season.
2. Wood to South Bend. Rated as high as No. 3 overall nationally from the class of 2009, running back Cierre Wood (Santa Clara, Calif.) picked Notre Dame Saturday during the school’s ballyhooed Blue-Gold game. The 6-foot, 195-pounder chose the Irish over nearby UCLA and will join another Ventura County standout, quarterback Jimmy Clausen in the fabled program. Wood (see video), who rushed for 2,612 yards and 42 touchdowns last season, told Derry Eads of the Ventura County Star that Notre Dame’s academics, history and an opportunity to play right away were major factors on why he picked the Irish. He’s certainly not gravy-training onto a national championship contender. The Irish were 3-9 last year, weren’t invited to a bowl game for the second time in four years and have lost nine straight bowl games.
3. Jennings Redeems at Jordan. MaxPreps National Player of the Year Brandon Jennings (Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va.) wanted the McDonald’s All-American Game assist record and didn’t get it. His West squad didn’t get the win either. Well, Jennings (see video) erased that minor setback Saturday by dishing out 14 assists, leading his Blue team to a 124-114 win over the White squad in the 2008 Jordan Brand Game at Madison Square Garden in N.Y. Scotty Hopson had 21 points and Demar DeRozan 17 for the winners, who trailed by 19 in the first half. Memphis-bound Tyreke Evans (American Christian, Aston, Pa.), the McDonald’s MVP, led all scorers with 23 points for the White.
4. Going the distance. Anna Jelmini not only uncorked the fourth longest discus toss in U.S. history on Saturday but she was victorious in the battle for cross-training. Where many coaches frown on participating in multiple sports, Jelmini, a junior at Shafter High near Bakersfield has come off the basketball floor popping. She was one of just four athletes to win multiple events at the nationally regarded Arcadia Invitational two weeks ago and on Saturday at the Bill Kearney Invitational in Salinas she set sail with a throw of 183 feet, 11 inches, breaking the Central Section mark of 178-0 set in 2002 by Bakersfield’s Rachel Varner. Three of her six throws sailed over 180 feet. Her previous best coming into the meet was a national 2008 best 175-8. She also won the shot put on Saturday with a mark of 44-6½.
5. “Bombs Away.” That might be a typical pitch for a 3-point shooter on the basketball court, but around Minneapolis backstops, that’s what backers of Academy of Holy Angels (Richfield, Minn.) yell every time Joe Loftus comes to the plate. The strong 6-3, 205-pound third basemen started the season with 22 career homer, one more than Joe Mauer hit at nearby Cretin-Derham Hall. Of those 22, his coach claims 17 of them went more than 400 feet as told in this terrific story in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Loftus is eye-balling the state record of 32 set by Josh Mathson of Babbitt-Embarrass/Tower-Soudan from 1999 to 2004. By the way, we’re pretty sure Mathson’s school is the only in America with the word “Embarrass” in it.
National High 5 is a regular MaxPreps feature, highlighting top national high school news, game stories or human interest pieces from around the web. If we miss something, please e-mail us at sspiewak@maxpreps.com and/or mstephens@maxpreps.com.
