Austin Collinsworth, Highlands
File photo by Wayne Litmer
The University of Notre Dame was nowhere on Austin Collinsworth’s radar until Brian Kelly was named head football coach.
An outstanding student (3.55 GPA with several advanced courses), he already had been accepted by the likes of Harvard and Stanford. He admits to having always liked Kelly and what he had done in building the University of Cincinnati into a national power. But there was no way he was going to Cincinnati.
“It was a little too close for me," Collinsworth said. "It’s 10 minutes to Cincinnati (from his northern Kentucky home). I want to get out of my backyard.”
Once Kelly switched allegiances, however, the Kentucky star was on a plane to South Bend, Ind. He visited for one day and with no hesitation became Kelly’s first recruit.
“It was just a great balance of everything – a great football program and great academics,” Collinsworth said. “They have the No. 2 business school in the country and I also liked the people. I want to be an entrepreneur”
He concedes that Kelly was the catalyst.
"He’s somebody who I can relate to and get along so well with," Collinsworth said. "He’s an intense person, which clicks with my personality. He can really turn average players into great players.”
Collinsworth never even was a Notre Dame fan.
“I grew up a Florida fan most of my life, because my dad (Cris, an 8-year NFL wide receiver and current NBC announcer) went to Florida,” he said. “I was supposed to go to their camp last summer, but I didn’t go. I wanted to get more of an academic route.”
Collinsworth will leave a legacy of unparalleled success at Highlands. During his three varsity campaigns, the Bluebirds posted a 44-1 record and won the Class 5A state title each year.
He also will be ranked as the most versatile player in school history, making All-State as a sophomore at defensive back, as a junior at wide receiver and as a senior at running back.
This year he ran for 1,502 yards and 23 touchdowns despite missing four games due to injuries and playing five games with a broken thumb. He won the Paul Hornung Award, symbol of the state’s No. 1 player.
“We have had a lot of great players, but he’s as good as anybody," Highlands coach Dale Mueller said. "He didn’t have a day that he wasn’t trying to get better. He’s also been such a great role model.
“He’s just relentless and competitive. He reminds me of Wes Welker (New England Patriots), the leading receiver in the NFL. He’s just so quick and aggressive – and a great blocker, too.”
The Fighting Irish probably will use Collinsworth as a slot receiver, which is a key position in Kelly’s offense.
The Highlands star doesn’t expect anything to be handed to him as a freshman.
“It’s something you’ve got to work for and take,” he acknowledges. “Nobody is going to give you that. I’m ready to work.”
* Oklahoma has received commitments from California standouts Tony Jefferson (6-0, 195), a senior safety from Chula Vista Eastlake, and Kenny Stills (6-1, 171), a wide receiver from Carlsbad La Costa Canyon.
* The Miami Hurricanes have received pledges from St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) senior tackles Brandon Linder (6-6, 290) and Jermaine Barton (6-7, 290).
* Pennsylvania’s record passer, Kyle Smith, completed just 4 of 9 attempts for 35 yards, but he scored the decisive touchdown to spark Lancaster Catholic to a 21-14 victory over Greensburg Central Catholic for its first-ever Class AA state title. He could be excused, however, because the non-stop snow came down so heavily that workers were shoveling the field in between plays.
* Traylon Shead pulled his hamstring in pre-game workouts, yet still ran 21 times for 144 yards and three touchdowns to lead Cayuga (Texas) to its first-ever Class A Division II state title with a 38-24 victory over Albany. He finished his brilliant career with a state-record 146 touchdowns and is second all-time with 10,291 rushing yards.
* Ty Detmer, a former Heisman Trophy winner and 14-year NFL quarterback, has been named head football coach at St. Andrew’s (Austin, Texas). It marks the first coaching job for the 42-year-old Detmer.
* After a 52-year career, 73-year-old Phil Teegarden has retired as head football coach at Memorial (Elkhart, Ind.). The Indiana Football Hall of Famer compiled a 261-178-3 record during his career at five schools.
Five-overtime thriller
In Louisiana, Baton Rouge Istrouma outlasted Geismar Dutchtown, 82-80, in a five-overtime thriller. Scott Burgess poured in a game-high 46 points, but it was in a losing cause.
* In Virginia, the Potomac Falls Panthers are striking at the 11th hour. Twice in an eight-day period they have scored winning baskets in the final second. Junior Lukas Mihailovich banked in a 50-foot shot at the buzzer to stun Stone Bridge, 111-108, in triple overtime. Another junior, Zack Curran, did the honors with a three-pointer from the corner with 0.9 seconds left to nip previously unbeaten Broad Run, 66-63.
* Sophomore guard Deondre Haynes scored 53 points as Calera (Ala.) routed Bibb County, 106-78.
* In Florida, T.J. Sapp, a 6-3 junior guard, scored a game-high 20 points and held All-American guard Brandon Knight to 16 points as Oakland Park Northeast upset nationally-ranked Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest, 55-51.
* Ridgeway upset White Station, 111-93, in a Memphis (Tenn.) shootout. Ridgeway shot a sizzling 59 percent from the field and put five players in double figures. White Station lost despite shooting 52 percent and getting a game-high 45 points from senior guard Joe Jackson.
* In Michigan, Ferndale Academy of Oak Park rolled past Eaton Academy, 86-46, as 6-4 senior Cimorone Porter exploded for 47 points and 28 rebounds.
* Cheatham County (Ashland City, Tenn.) snapped a 35-game losing streak with a 73-68 victory over Aaron Academy.
* Ames (Iowa) senior forward Harrison Barnes has been named 2009 National High School Athlete of the Year by the Sporting News.
* St. Gerard Catholic (San Antonio, Texas) coach Wayne Dickey, age 57, posted his 800th victory, 65-44, against The Winston School.
* Maury (Norfolk, Va.) coach Jack Baker posted his 600th victory, 71-55, over Churchland. Present to honor the 58-year-old coach were his wife, Mendee, three-year-old twins, Derek and Sophie, and his 87-year-old mother, Francis Baker.
Freshman scores 48 points
Mumford (Detroit, Mich.) freshman Raven Bankston poured in 48 points during a 78-63 victory over Detroit Henry Ford.
* Madison Williams had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 11 blocks as unbeaten Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) defeated Dearborn Edsel Ford, 62-46.
* Scot Furman recorded his 300th coaching victory as Michigan Center (Mich.) edged Addison, 55-52.
* Brea Olinda (Brea, Calif.) ended a 34-game winning streak with a 58-47 victory over Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh, Pa.) in Chandler, Ariz.
* Heritage Christian (Indianapolis, Ind.) star Liz Stratman, a 6-2 junior, has given a commitment to Xavier University.
McMullan wins “Beast”
Wyoming Seminary College Prep (Kingston, Pa.) senior heavyweight wrestler Mike McMullan nipped Bobby Telford, 4-3, to earn Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at the Beast of the East Tournament in Newark, Del. Telford (St. Mark’s, Wilmington, Del.) had won 59 straight matches and was ranked No. 1 in the nation by WIN Magazine.
McMullan, who has signed with Northwestern University, has a 16-0 record this year. He also won the heavyweight title at the prestigious Ironman the previous week.
No. 1-ranked Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) won the team title for the 11th consecutive year.
The tourney included 101 teams, with three others unable to come due to 17 inches of snow in the area.
* Poway (Calif.) edged Easton (Pa.), 143.5-142, to win the Tournament of Champions in Reno (Nev.). Victor Lopez (103 pounds) was Poway’s lone individual champion. The Most Outstanding Wrestler was Ronnie Balfour of Union (Tulsa, Okla.), who won six matches at 160 pounds.
Vena sets national record
Morristown (N.J.) star Nick Vena set a national junior-class indoor shot put record with a winning toss of 67 feet, 8 ¼ inches, during the 25th Gardiner Relays at Drew University (Madison, N.J.). The previous record was 67 feet.
Two days earlier, Vena won the Jack O’Leary Lid Lifter at Drew University with an effort of 66 feet, 9 ¼ inches.
Heisman winners named
Seniors Malia Cali (Hammond, La.) and Kyle Pollock (Wiggins, Colo.) have won the 2009 Wendy’s High School Heisman Awards, which are based on excellence in athletics, academics and community service. Both are No. 1 in their class scholastically.
Cali was a four-time state cross country champion and also earned her school’s MVP awards in soccer and track.
Pollock (6-2, 240) twice has placed second in the state wrestling tournament as a heavyweight. He also was a standout football lineman and discus thrower in track. He will attend Stanford.
Peters chooses Texas
Junior left-hander Dillon Peters has made a commitment to the University of Texas.
As a sophomore at Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.), Peters compiled a 10-1 pitching record with 112 strikeouts and a 0.99 ERA. He also batted .495 and drove in 33 runs. As a freshman he had a 7-0 record with a 0.46 ERA.
