By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Winning a state championship is the dream of every high school athlete. At Punahou High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, it’s a way of life.
The Buff 'n Blue win state championships like no other school in the country. Punahou won an amazing 17 state titles this year, and that’s not even out of the ordinary. The school is rapidly closing in on 400 all-time state championships and could get there in the next three seasons. It’s easy to see why Punahou ranks as MaxPreps No. 1 high school sports program in the United States for 2007-08.
Following is a list of the top 10 schools in the country with the best athletic programs for the 2007-08 school year. The list is based on a multitude of factors, including state championships won, state championship game appearances, section/division titles, national rankings, overall balance of the program and the number of scholarship athletes.
1. PUNAHOU BUFF 'n BLUE (Honolulu, Hawaii)
It’s been a good year for Punahou athletes, both past and present. While the Buff 'n Blue were racking up state championship after state championship this year, Punahou graduate Barack Obama was racking up state championships of another kind on his way to capturing the Democratic candidacy for the 2008 presidential race. The senator from Illinois undoubtedly learned a thing or two about winning while at Punahou as the Buff 'n Blue are the undisputed champions at being state champions. Punahou has won an astounding 368 state championships in the school’s existence including a remarkable 17 during the 2007-08 season.
Solid in boy boys and girls sports, the Buff 'n Blue won eight girls championships and nine boys titles this year. The spring was an especially good time of year as Punahou won state championships in nine of the 12 sports offered by the Hawaii High School Athletic Association.
Punahou also has talent that matches up with some of the top schools in the country. Manti Te’o, the state defensive player of the year last season in football, is considered one of the top linebackers in the country for the 2009 season. Meanwhile Daniel Chow, a three-time state champion in judo and wrestling, recently competed in the judo Olympic trials in Las Vegas.
2007-08 State Champions – girls cross country, boys air riflery, boys basketball, girls basketball, girls canoe paddling, boys swimming, girls swimming, boys wrestling, baseball, boys golf, girls golf, judo, boys tennis, girls tennis, girls track, boys track, girls water polo
Best Team – Water polo coach Ken Smith has won 32 titles with the boys team and 10 with the girls team (including one with the girls in 2008). Every Olympic water polo team since 1988 has reportedly had a Punahou player on the team.
Top Athletes – Manti Te’o, LB, State Defensive Player of the Year; Kameron Steinhoff, 6-4 F, State Boys Basketball Player of the Year; Shawn-Lei Kuehu, State Girls Basketball Player of the Year; Daniel Chow, 3-time state wrestling champion and three-time state judo champion; Alex Ching, state golf champion; Kristin Lim, state girls tennis champion;
Top Game – The Buff 'N Blue girls basketball team rallied from a 7-point deficit at halftime to top Iolani 46-41 for the school’s 10th state championship in girls basketball.
All-time State Championships- 368
Famous Alumni – Barack Obama, Democratic Presidential candidate; Norm Chow, assistant coach UCLA; Mark Tuinei, former Dallas Cowboy; Michelle Wie, professional golfer.
2. BISHOP MCGUINNESS FIGHTING IRISH (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
The Fighting Irish came on strong in the spring, winning five of their school-record eight state championships. Bishop McGuinness won state titles in baseball, boys golf, girls soccer, girls track and girls tennis in the spring and nearly added another state championship in boys track before eventually finishing second. Although Bishop McGuinness does not play in the largest classification in Oklahoma, its teams match up with many of the larger programs in the state. The football team finished the season ranked third in the state by MaxPreps and the basketball team is expected to be outstanding next season thanks to the return of 6-foot-10 center Daniel Orton, who is ranked as one of the top players in the country. Perhaps another great eight could be in store next year for Bishop McGuinness.
2007-08 State Champions – girls cross country, football, boys basketball, baseball, boys golf, girls soccer, girls track, girls tennis.
Other Top Teams – girls volleyball (state runner-up), boys track (second in state).
Best Team – Girls tennis, all four team members, singles players Peta Lancaster (32-0) and Katelyn Connelly (31-0) and doubles teams Lancaster and Whitney Ritchie (27-0) and Ashley Chiaf and Emily Conrad (32-0) went undefeated during the season with a 122-0 record.
Top Athletes – Daniel Orton, Jr, 6-10, C, ranked No. 2 center in the country; Gabe Moyer, all-state offensive lineman; Peta Lancaster, state girls tennis champion.
Top Game – The football team capped a second straight unbeaten season with a 14-9 win over Glenpool in the Class 4A championships. The Fighting Irish have won 28 straight games with 16 shutouts along the way.
All-time State Championships – 63
3. ST THOMAS AQUINAS RAIDERS (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
St. Thomas Aquinas once said, “It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds.” The Raiders at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida have taken those words to heart as they once again have the top athletic program in the Sunshine State. Aquinas won the Dodge Sunshine Cup, rewarding the top all-around sports programs in the state. The Raiders also won the Broward County all-sports trophy for the 28th year in a row. The Raiders began the season with a state championship during football season, winning the 5A championship. They then concluded the year with a championship in boys track. Auburn-bound Philip Pierre Louis was a key figure on both teams and was awarded the Broward County Male Athlete of the Year honor.
2007-08 State Champions – Dodge Sunshine Cup winner, football, boys track, girls tennis
Other Top Teams – boys soccer (state runnerup), volleyball (regional champion), boys tennis (3rd in state), girls track (5th in state), boys lacrosse (16-1),
Best Team – The football team posted a 14-1 record with the only loss a 42-41 decision to Deerfield Beach in mid-season. Aquinas roared through the playoffs, defeating previously undefeated Osceola 35-20 in the 5A championship.
Top Athletes – Philip Pierre Louis, WR, all-state 5A football team, state champion in 200 meters; Andrew Datko, OL, all-state 5A football team.
Top Game – In the first football playoff game, the Raiders needed a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown by Louis and two field goals to defeat upstart Ely, which had a chance to win the game in the final minute but fell short of a first down inside the Aquinas 20.
All-time State Championships – 75
Famous Alumni – Michael Irvin, Chris Evert
4. TUPELO GOLDEN WAVE (Tupelo, Miss.)
It’s only appropriate that the home of the King would also be the king of high school sports in Mississippi. The alma mater of Elvis Presley, Tupelo, Miss., has won the all-sports trophy, handed out by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 16 times in the 21-year existence of the award. For a school that has won over 70 state championships, the 2007-08 was not the school’s best ever, as far as the amount of state championships won, but it was pretty close. The Golden Wave won six state titles and came close to winning two others. Tupelo showed its dominance in cross country, where it easily outdistanced the competition, winning the state meet by over 80 points in both the boys and girls races. Tupelo nearly added a state baseball and boys track championship in the spring, but fell just short. The baseball team fell to Ocean Springs in the finals by identical 5-4 scores while the track team finished second. At one time, the baseball team had rattled off 25 straight wins to start the season.
2007-08 State Champions – boys bowling, boys cross country, girls cross country, girls golf, boys swimming, tennis.
Other Top Teams – Baseball (2nd in state), boys soccer (state semifinalist), boys track (2nd in state)
Best Team – The cross country program was simply dominant this year, both the boys and girls teams. The girls had the top three finishers at the state meet and five of the top 12 to score a remarkable 25 points. Harrison Central was a distant second with 113 points. The boys were even more dominant. Tupelo finished with the top four finishers and seven of the top nine (only the top five score points). Tupelo scored 17 points, outdistancing second place Madison Central by 85 points. The Golden Wave has won seven straight boys cross country championships.
Top Athletes – Max Holman, boys cross country state champion; Katherine Steinman, girls cross country state champion; Ken Davis, RB, all-state football team; Gardner Richey, OF, all-state baseball team; Jacob Gafford, Denny’s All-American bowler.
Top Game – At the Great American Cross Country Festival in Hoover, Ala., Tupelo received a first-place finish by Holman to capture first place in the invitational seeded races.
Famous Alumni – Elvis Presley; Jarious Jackson, Denver Broncos
5. BISHOP GORMAN GAELS (Las Vegas, Nev.)
When it comes to winning state championships in Nevada, don’t bet against Bishop Gorman. The Gaels captured five Nevada state championships during the year, including impressive efforts by the football and girls basketball teams, but it was the performance of the baseball team that puts Bishop Gorman so high on this list. The Gaels posted 41 wins, the second highest total in the country, and had only three losses, two of them by a single run. Bishop Gorman had a team batting average of .418 with 61 home runs and 131 doubles. Two players were selected in the Major League Baseball draft and another, junior Jeff Malm, was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year.
2007-08 State Champions – Football, baseball, girls tennis, boys soccer, girls basketball
Best Team – The baseball team posted a 41-3 record, scoring a phenomenal 530 runs on the season while winning the state 4A championship. The Gaels finished the year ranked near the top of the MaxPreps national rankings and had two players chosen in the Major League Baseball draft.
Top Athletes – Jeff Malm, Gatorade State Baseball Player of the Year; John Rickard, selected in Major League Baseball draft; Donn Roach, selected in Major League Baseball draft; Keola Antolin, RB, Southwest League offensive player of the year; Justin Chaisson, Southwest League defensive player of the year.
Top Game – The Gaels rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie and top Green Valley for the Nevada 4A baseball championship.
All-Time State Championships – 75
Famous Alumni – Grey Ruegamer, New York Giants
6. POLY JACKRABBITS (Long Beach, Calif.)
Long Beach Poly has long been known as the school that has produced more NFL players than any school in the country. However it’s the girls athletic teams at Poly that put the Jackrabbits in the top 10 sports programs in the country. Poly captured the California Division 1 state championship game for the third year in a row and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the MaxPreps national girls basketball rankings. Meanwhile the girls track team regularly produces some of the top talent in the country and this year won its 10th California state championship. How strong was the Poly girls track team this year? Consider that Poly junior Jasmine Joseph, who won the California state meet in the 400 last year, was only second on her team in that event this year, finishing behind freshman teammate Akawkaw Ndipagbor, who had some of the best times in the nation this year in that event.
And yes, the football team had another spectacular season. Poly captured first place in the Southern Section’s Pac-5 Division, which ranks among the country’s toughest section championships to win. The Jackrabbits return the bulk of the offensive talent from last year’s 13-1 team, and the girls basketball and track teams were also loaded with underclassmen. Look for Poly to make a return to this list in 2009.
2007-08 State Champions – Girls basketball, girls track.
Other Top Teams – Pac-5 champion in football.
Best Team – The Jackrabbit girls basketball team captured the California Division 1 state championship for the third straight season – defeating Berkeley in all three of those wins – and finished the year at 31-2. Led by MaxPreps state player of the year Jasmine Dixon, Poly finished the season ranked No. 2 in the country by MaxPreps.
Top Athletes – Jasmine Dixon, MaxPreps girls basketball state player of the year; Jurrell Casey, MaxPreps All-American defensive lineman; Vaughn Telemaque, MaxPreps All-American defensive back; Akawkaw Ndipagbor, state girls 400-meter champion; Tara Richmond, state girls high jump champion; Joey Hughes, national best in 400 meters.
Top Game – The Poly football team defeated Crespi 13-3 in the championship game of the Pac-5 Division – arguably the toughest division in the country – to complete a 13-1 season. Melvin Richardson rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Famous Alumni – Billy Jean King, Snoop Dogg, Cameron Diaz, Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies; Milton Bradley, Texas Rangers; Tony Gwynn, Willie McGinest, Cleveland Browns
7. DON BOSCO PREP IRONMEN (Ramsey, N.J.)
Winning a state championship in football and baseball during the same school year is not a particularly rare feat. Three other schools on this list were able to do just that. What sets the Don Bosco Prep Ironmen apart from the rest is that it was able to go undefeated in both sports, a rare feat indeed. It wasn’t easy, however. Don Bosco had to face an undefeated St. Peter’s Prep in the Non-Public state championship game, but won by a surprisingly easy score of 42-14. In baseball, many of Don Bosco’s games were even close. The Ironmen averaged nearly 12 runs a game and scored over 20 runs twice. However the Ironmen showed their true mettle in the playoffs, winning 10 straight games for the title, including a pair of one-run victories over Seton Hall Prep (3-2) and Christian Brothers Academy (5-4) in the final two games.
2007-08 State Champions – football, baseball, boys cross country
Other teams – wrestling (state runner-up), boys track - Spring (third at state meet), boys track – Winter (second at state),
Best Team – It’s not easy to go undefeated in baseball, but Don Bosco managed to do just that in winning the Non-Public championship in New Jersey. The Ironmen completed a 33-0 season and topped Christian Brothers 5-4 in the finals. The Ironmen became the first team in Bergen County to complete an undefeated season since 1950.
Top Athletes – Nick Mistretta, all-state offensive lineman; Alexander DiSanzo, all-state defensive back; Eric Pfisterer, selected by Reds in Major League Baseball draft; Michael Dennhardt, selected by Mariners in Major League Baseball draft.
Top Game – The Ironmen completed an undefeated 12-0 football season with a 42-14 win over previously undefeated St. Peter’s Prep.
Famous Alumni – Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers; Matt Simms, University of Louisville (Phil Simms’ son).
8. FAYETTEVILLE BULLDOGS (Fayetteville, Ark.)
If not for a few twists of fate, the Bulldogs might have been much higher on this list. Fayetteville won three state titles, including the school’s first-ever crown in football and its third straight in baseball, but the Bulldogs nearly came close to winning four more, finishing second in boys golf and boys track and second in softball and girls volleyball. Fayetteville is accustomed to winning state titles, having accumulated close to 60 in school history.
2007-08 State Champions – football, baseball, girls golf
Other Top Teams – boys golf (2nd in state), softball (2nd in state), boys track (2nd in state), volleyball (2nd in state).
Best Team – The Fayetteville baseball team won its third straight Arkansas 7A state championship with a 7-2 victory over Har-Ber of Springdale. Taylor Shaddy was named the tournament MVP for the second year in a row after going 5 1/3 innings and finishing the year with a 9-0 record. The Bulldogs finished the season 30-3 and became just the second team in state history to win three straight state baseball titles.
Top Athletes – Blake McDonald, all-state quarterback; Gionni Harris, all-state wide receiver; James Bornhoft, all-state linebacker; Taylor Shaddy, two-time state tournament MVP; Christian Allen, all-state baseball
Top Game – Incredibly, a 6-5 loss to Har-Ber may have been the most important game of the season for the Fayetteville baseball team. After winning 24 games in a row, the Bulldogs lost in the second game of a doubleheader to Springdale Har-Ber. At the time, coach Vance Arnold admitted, “This may send a message to some of the kids who are struggling at the plate that they’ve got to step it up.” The Bulldogs went on to win the state championship, defeating Har-Ber 7-2 in the finals.
All-time State Championships – 57
Famous Alumni – Ron Brewer, Utah Jazz; Michael Brisiel, Houston Texans
9. CARROLL DRAGONS (Southlake, Texas)
It may seem strange to find the Dragons on this list considering that they didn’t win a state football championship for the first time in four years. But Carroll produced three state champions, all in girls sports, and reached the 5A championship game in baseball before falling to the nation’s No. 1 team, Plano West, by a score of 10-8.
The football team also figured into the rankings. Consider that Carroll’s only two losses were to Miami Northwestern, ranked No. 1 in the country by some ranking services, and Abilene, when Carroll played the final three quarters without two-time All-American Riley Dodge.
The Dragons’ girls program, however, is the reason why Carroll made the top 10. The three state championships were more than any other 5A school in the state of Texas. No other schools won more than one.
2007-08 State Champions – Girls cross country, girls soccer, girls golf
Other Teams – Boys cross country (second in state), football (regional finalist), baseball (state runner-up).
Best Team – The girls soccer team captured the Texas 5A state championship with four straight shutouts in the playoffs. The Dragons finished the year 25-4-4.
Top Athletes – Riley Dodge, quarterback, MaxPreps All-American; Blake Cantu, wide receiver, all-Dallas area team; Tre Newton, running back, all-state team; Ross Stripling, pitcher, all-state candidate; Tara Upshaw, girls cross country; Jessica Harper, cross country; Ally Hunter, defender, all-state soccer; Lani Huntley, defender, all-state soccer; Nikki Crocco, midfield, all-state soccer; Lexis Learmonth, midfield, all-state soccer.
Top Game – The Dragons fought through three close games with Amarillo in the Region 1 semifinals, winning the first game 3-2, falling in the second 1-2, and winning the final game 6-5 to advance to the region finals against Flower Mound.
Famous Alumni – Kris Brown, Houston Texans; Scott Chandler, San Diego Chargers
10. ARCHBISHOP MITTY MONARCHS (San Jose, Calif.)
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the Monarchs had two of the best teams in the country that didn’t win a state title. Both the boys basketball and the girls volleyball teams found themselves ranked among the top teams in the country all season long by MaxPreps.
Unfortunately for the Monarchs, two better teams happened to be from the same state. In volleyball, Mitty finished the season ranked No. 2 in the country behind No. 1 Mira Costa, which defeated the Monarchs in the California Division 2 championship game. Meanwhile the boys basketball team fell to Mater Dei of Santa Ana in the Division 2 state finals. Mater Dei ended the season ranked No. 9 in the national rankings while Mitty dropped to No. 37.
While both the boys basketball and volleyball teams dominated at the section level with each winning Central Coast Section titles, the lone state championship team for the Monarchs was a team that didn’t even win a league championship. Of course the league champion in the West Catholic Athletic League was Sacred Heart Cathedral, which finished the year ranked No. 1 in the country. Mitty, meanwhile, bounced back to win all of its state playoff games and win the fourth girls basketball state championship in school history, its second in a row.
2007-08 State Champions – Girls basketball
Other Top Teams – Boys basketball (state runner-up), volleyball (state runner-up), softball (section champion), baseball (section runnerup), girls tennis (section runnerup).
Best Team – Oddly enough, Mitty’s best team was not its state championship girls basketball team. The honor goes to the girls volleyball team which finished the season ranked second in the nation with a 36-4 record. Of the Monarchs’ four losses, three were to Mira Costa, the No. 1 team in the country.
Top Athletes – Lainey Gera, libero, AVCA All-American; Amanda Gil, middle blocker, AVCA All-American; Collin Chiverton, forward, MaxPreps boys basketball all-state team; Drew Gordon, forward, MaxPreps boys basketball all-state honorable mention; Hannah Stevens, guard, All-Bay Area girls basketball.
Top Game – The Mitty girls’ basketball team didn’t win a league or section championship, but it won four straight games in the state playoffs, capped by a 59-49 win over Mira Costa – the same school it lost to in the state volleyball championships.
Famous Alumni – Kerri Walsh, Olympic volleyball player; Brandi Chastain, Olympic soccer player
