By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
State and national football and basketball rankings face a major shakeup following a week abounding with stunning upsets, including the end of the nation’s two longest football winning streaks. It was the kind of week that gives lingering nightmares to people who do rankings. First, the football shockers:
* Texas powerhouse Euless Trinity was upset by Allen, 34-21, snapping a 27-game winning streak for the defending Class 5A-Division I state champions in the region final. Trinity had been ranked No. 1 in the nation in some polls. Allen (13-1), which had lost to Trinity, 24-14, during the regular season, was led by Tucker Carter (16-of-18 passing for 142 yards and two touchdowns) and Jeremiah Williams (26 carries for 180 yards).
* In Mississippi, Batesville South Panola proudly led the nation with an 89-game winning streak and was seeking its sixth consecutive state title until Meridian (14-1) eked out a 26-20 overtime victory before a crowd of 13,000 in the Class 5A championship game. Sophomore defensive lineman Jacoby Eason earned legendary status by stopping running back Nicholas Parker on fourth-and-one with 1:13 left in the fourth quarter. Then he solidified his status by sacking quarterback David Renfroe on third down from the seven in overtime and again on fourth down from the 20 to end the game.
* The nation’s second-longest winning streak also went up in smoke as Maryville was nipped, 10-7, by Hillsboro – which had lost twice – in Tennessee’s Class 4A state championship game. The Rebels has won their last 74 games, including four state titles. Maryville coach George Quarles has put together a phenomenal 127-3 record in his last 130 games.
* In Kentucky, nationally-ranked Louisville St. Xavier was upset by city foe Trinity, 28-21, in the Class 6A state semifinals before an estimated crowd of 10,000. The Tigers had been unbeaten, including a 30-6 rout of Trinity during the regular season. Tim Phillips, a 5-foot-5 dynamo, did the bulk of the damage by rushing for 182 yards and three touchdowns, enabling Trinity to go after its seventh title in the last eight years this weekend.
* Perhaps the biggest shocker, however, took place in Florida where Tampa Plant cut down previously unbeaten, nationally-ranked Seffner Armwood, 17-14, in the Class 4A regional finals. The long-time nemesis had beaten Plant in their last three meetings and Plant was playing without All-American quarterback Aaron Murray, who was injured early in the year after getting off to a brilliant start.
Sophomore Phillip Ely has stepped in for Murray and done an outstanding job. He threw touchdown passes of 39 and 26 yards to tight end Orson Charles, who also starred on defense. The defense, in fact, caused three turnovers, which resulted in 10 points. Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, whose son, Eric, plays for Plant, told the Tampa Tribune, “That was a great defensive game. I was more nervous at the end than I was in the Super Bowl.”
* The upset bug also bit the nation’s No. 1-ranked girls basketball team, St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.), which bowed to Kentwood (Covington, Wash.), 74-67, during the finals of the Nike Northwest Invitational in Beaverton, Ore. Nebraska signee Lindsey Moore, a 5-10 senior who was named MVP, paced the winners with 18 points and sophomore guard Kylie Huerta drilled four straight free throws in the final 20 seconds. Junior Chelsea Gray took game honors with 32 points for St. Mary’s. Moore scored 29 points – including 17-of-17 from the free throw line – during a 69-43 semifinal victory over Sacramento (Calif.).
Football Notes
* Kirby Moore, a 6-3 senior wide receiver, completed his brilliant career with national records for touchdown catches in a career (95) and one season (34). He also set Washington Class 2A title-game records with 14 catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns, but his Prosser team suffered a heartbreaking 35-34 double-overtime loss to Lynden. His 131 catches this year are No. 3 all-time…Arrowhead (Hartland, Wis.) kicker Jeff Budzien has made a commitment to Northwestern University. In his career, he kicked 22-of-33 field goal attempts, 171-of-174 extra point tries and 140 of his 186 kick-offs resulted in touchbacks.
* Chris LaPierre of Medford Shawnee set New Jersey one-season records with 272 points and 44 touchdowns. The 6-2, 210-pound senior will play lacrosse next year at the University of Virginia. The points record of 254 had stood since 1976, while the touchdown mark of 41 was set in 1950…Jesse Parker, who has won 309 games, resigned as head coach at Gilbert, Ariz., to help Campo Verde put together a football program when it opens in the fall.
* Unbeaten Rock Hill South Pointe – in only its third year of varsity football – defeated city foe Northwestern, 35-14, to win South Carolina’s Class AAAA-Division II state championship. The Cinderella story was authored by coach Bobby Carroll, who came from Northwestern four years ago to build the program with a bunch of ninth graders. South Pointe kicker Graham Tuttle kicked five straight extra points to set a state record with 78 (out of 82) this year.
Quarterback Stephon Gilmore was the triggerman, rushing 20 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns and passing for one touchdown. Northwestern coach Jimmy Wallace told the Rock Hill Herald that Gilmore is “a tremendous talent. He made some huge plays, some incredible plays tonight. It’s not hard to see why so many people call him the best player in the state.”
* Eugene Smith is a hard-nosed dude. Despite getting sacked 10 times, he still threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns as Miramar (Fla.) edged Deerfield Beach, 34-30. Smith, who has committed to West Virginia, told the Miami Herald, “I got hit hard in the chest on the last play of the first half and got poked in the eye and they just kept pounding me. I have never played in so much pain, but we won. We won and that’s all that counts.”
* Turning to Oregon, Beaverton Southridge (12-2) defeated previously unbeaten Lake Oswego, 35-21, before a crowd of 15,714 to win its first Class 6A state title…In Oklahoma’s greatest rivalry, Tulsa Union (13-1) defeated Jenks, 34-20, before a crowd of 14,000 to win its fifth Class 6A state championship…Phillip Sims set a Virginia state playoff record with six touchdown passes as Chesapeake Oscar Smith (14-0) rolled past Osbourn, 54-24, to claim its first AAA-Division 6 state title. Tim Smith also set a state playoff record with four touchdown catches.
* In New Jersey, Wayne Hills handed Lakeland its first loss, 35-6, to win the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 championship. They closed the season with a 52-game winning streak – the state’s third-longest behind only Paulsboro (63) and Randolph (54)…In Kentucky, Casey Brockman fired six scoring passes as Bullitt East outlasted Calloway County during a 52-49 shootout in the Class 4A state semifinals.
* Punahou (Honolulu, Haw.) star Manti Te’o has won the first annual Dick Butkus Award, given to the nation’s No. 1 high school linebacker. He celebrated by helping Punahou defeat Leilehua, 38-7, to win its first Division I state championship. Senior Cayman Shutter supplied the offense by passing for 400 yards and two touchdowns.
* New Jersey’s winningest coach, Brick Township’s Warren Wolf, has retired with a 51-year record of 361-122-11. The 81-year-old legend started the Brick program in 1958. He had eight undefeated seasons, won six state titles and had a losing record only three times. He won the first state championship game played, 21-20, over Camden for the Group 4 crown in 1974. One of his most memorable victories came in 1970 against North Bergen and his former high school coach, Joe Coviello, who held the previous state record of 252 wins.
Wolf told the Newark Star-Ledger, “After we beat North Bergen, people knew who Brick Township was and people started moving here. We went from 26,000 to 90,000 people and I like to think football had a little something to do with the growth of Brick Township.” Wolf had very few Division I players, but he won consistently over the years, turning out many future coaches and principals. During his brilliant career, Wolf also has served as mayor and a member of the state General Assembly.
Boys Basketball Notes
* The Bill Keightley Marshall County Hoopfest in Benton, Ky., provided the first major collisions of nationally-ranked teams. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) may have struck the biggest blow by beating highly-touted Duncanville (Texas), 69-57, and Simeon (Chicago, Ill.), 58-52. Against Duncanville, center Keith “Tiny” Gallon injured his knee in the first five minutes following a dunk and missed the rest of the week. “I was surprised we survived the weekend,” coach Steve Smith told MaxPreps, adding that Gallon will have an MRI on Tuesday.
St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) also won twice in the Kentucky shootout. The Gray Bees defeated Provine (Jackson, Miss.), 72-56, as 6-9 junior Tristan Thompson collected 18 points and 10 rebounds. Thompson also scored 18 points during a 69-55 victory over Illinois’ No. 1 team, Chicago Whitney Young…Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) was the rage of the tournament with three outstanding guards. Avery Bradley scored 18 points in a 66-39 rout of towering Montverde Academy (Fla.)…The most impressive young team was Northland (Columbus, Ohio), which defeated Tennessee’s top team, Memphis White Station, 69-55, as juniors Jared Sullinger (6-9) and J.D. Weatherspoon (6-7) scored 23 and 21 points, respectively.
Kentucky’s top team, Georgetown Scott County, had Duncanville down 10 points with 2:09 left before falling, 77-71, in overtime before a packed house of 6,000. Junior transfers Chad Jackson (23 points) and Dakotah Euton (15 points, 15 rebounds and five steals) were outstanding for the Kentuckians. Julian Washburn, son of former North Carolina State standout Chris Washburn, paced Duncanville with 20 points. Oklahoma State signee Roger Franklin added 17 points and 13 rebounds.
* Indiana’s No. 1 team, Indianapolis Lawrence North, was upset by Terre Haute South, which drilled 11 3-pointers en route to a 50-44 victory. The following night, however, the tall Wildcats rebounded with an impressive 70-58 victory over the state’s No. 2 team, Marion, as 6-9 junior Dominique Ferguson and 6-9 senior Stephan Van Treese combined for 41 points and 17 rebounds. Senior sharpshooter Scott Wood drilled a game-high 33 points for Marion.
* One of the nation’s premier bigmen, 6-10 senior Ryan Kelly, amassed 38 points, 10 rebounds and a school-record 12 blocks as Ravenscroft (Raleigh, N.C.) defeated Durham Riverside, 76-64…Senior Eric Miles had a quadruple double (10 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals) as Wilson (Rochester, N.Y.) defeated Gates Chili, 59-46…John Jenkins, a 6-4 senior guard bound for Vanderbilt, poured in a school-record 55 points, but his Station Camp (Gallatin, Tenn.) team lost to David Lipscomb, 75-73, in double overtime. He is averaging 42.8 and shooting .600.
* Jordan Sachs scored a tournament-record 47 points as La Habra (Calif.) defeated Foothill, 71-65, in overtime during the first round of the Porac Coyote Classic at Buena Park…Elite junior guard Brandon Knight scored 45 points to spark Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) to a 70-66 victory over Center of Life Academy…Rudy Carey, who has won eight state titles in Colorado, coached his 600th victory as Denver East beat Heritage, 79-63…In Florida, Miami Monsignor Pace coach Mark Lieberman notched his 300th victory, 77-51, over Belen Jesuit. He has won four state titles.
Girls Basketball Notes
* Point guard Danni Jackson had a career-high 33 points - along with six steals and four assists - to spark Forest Park (Woodbridge, Va.) to a 55-47 victory over Alexandria T.C. Williams. For the losers, All-American Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, who has signed with North Carolina, had 17 points and 17 rebounds…Brittney Griner is up to her old tricks, blocking 18 shots as Nimitz (Houston, Texas) routed Elsik, 62-33, in the championship game of the Aldine ISD Invitational. For good measure, the 6-8 superstar also had 23 points and 16 rebounds.
* Indiana Class 2A power Indianapolis Heritage Christian hopes to make national inroads following a 66-64 overtime victory against Illinois power Chicago Whitney Young. Kelly Faris scored 19 points and Claire Freeman 18 for the winners, but game honors went to Young’s Ashlee Anderson with 24…Dawnn Maye made 14 steals, in addition to getting 13 points and 10 assists, as Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) routed Northeast, 73-11…Junior Tara Caples had 14 blocks to go with 13 points and 16 rebounds as Spencerport (N.Y.) recorded a 54-26 victory over Webster Schroeder.
* Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.) has a freshman to watch, Lauren Holiday, who is the sister of former boys star Jrue Holiday. All Lauren did in her debut was to collect a highly impressive 26 points, 20 rebounds and 11 steals during a 63-45 victory over Pasadena Westridge. Pretty soon, they might be asking, “Jrue who?”…Windward (Los Angeles, Calif.) has another freshman phenom, 6-foot-6 Imani Stafford. Her mother is Pam McGee, who won two NCAA titles at Southern California and an Olympic gold medal. Her father is Rev. Kevin Stafford, a former assistant coach with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Cross Country Notes
* North Central (Spokane, Wash.) won the boys division of the Nike Cross Nationals – symbolic of the No. 1 team in the nation – in Portland, Ore., by a 134-151 margin over York (Elmhurst, Ill.). Their top five runners, in order, were Andrew Kimpel, Leon Dean, Jeffrey Howard, Benjamin Johnston and Alexander Avila. The individual champion was Reed Connor of The Woodlands (Texas) in a course-record 15:13.6.
The national girls champion for the third straight year was Fayetteville-Manlius (Manlius, N.Y.), which easily defeated runner-up Saugus (Calif.), 66-130. The champions’ top five runners, in order, included Courtney Chapman, Meaghan Anklin, Hannah Luber, Mackenzie Carter and Molly Malone. The individual winner was Greenhill (Addison, Texas) sophomore Chelsey Sveinsson in a course-record 17:26.9.
* The Western Regional also was held over the weekend, to complete qualifying for this weekend’s Foot Locker national individual event to be held in San Diego. To no surprise, the girls winner – for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year – was Jordan Hasay from Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) in 18:02. Chris Schwartz of Bakersfield Foothill, who was seventh in the California state meet, captured the boys title in 15:38.
* Barstow (Calif.) coach Jim Duarte has retired after winning four consecutive (and six of the last eight) Division III state championships. The 60-year-old Duarte, who is a 1966 Barstow graduate, took over the program in 1994 and is leaving behind one of the state’s premier dynasties.
Potpourri
* Perennial powerhouse Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) won the nation’s premier wrestling tournament – the Ironman at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio – with 282.5 points. Graham (St. Paris, Ohio) was a distant runner-up with 234 points. Graham’s David Taylor defeated Joe Waltko of North Allegheny (Wexford, Pa.), 16-3, to win the 135-pound class and earn Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. The Iowa State recruit is the first ever to win the Ironman four straight years. As usual, the 3,000-seat gymnasium was sold out for every session.
* The USA Under-14 national baseball team routed Guatemala, 11-0, to win the gold medal in the COPABE Pan Am “A” Qualifier in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The Americans won all six games, running their international winning streak to 21. They outscored their opponents by an incredible 102-1 margin. Adding insult to injury, Jimmy Wallace (San Jose, Calif.) struck out nine and pitched a perfect game in the finale. Albert Almora (Hialeah, Fla.) slammed his third home run of the tournament.
* One of the nation’s premier junior golfers, Austin Cody of Pinewood Prep (Summerville, S.C.), has made a commitment to Duke University. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American was highly recruited and chose the Blue Devils over Georgia Tech and South Carolina.
