Golfers Bernard, Talley find redemption

Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio) rising junior Michael Bernard became the youngest champion in the 104-year history of the Ohio Amateur Championship golf tournament by carding a 7-under-par-277 at the Kirtland Country Club in Willoughby, Ohio.

Arnold Palmer and Ben Curtis are among the past champions, but the youngest was Frank Stranahan, who won the first of his back-to-back titles in 1941 at age 19.

"The Ohio Amateur definitely is my biggest win by far," Bernard said. "I’m pretty proud. The last day went pretty much the way I wanted. I wanted to keep it down the middle and get pars."

"He is unflappable. He didn’t hit that many bad shots, but when he did, he came back with good shots," said Tim Rogers, who covered the Open for the Plain Dealer. "He made some shots you don’t see 16-year-old kids make. What really was amazing to me is that anything inside of 10 feet he made."

The 6-foot-1, 150-pounder, who started playing at age eight, said his strong points are his short game and putting. He gets good length on his tee and approach shots because he hits a low ball and gets a lot of roll.

Looking back to last fall’s high school season, Bernard can thank his worst round in three years for last week’s championship.

He carded an 83 in the district tourney and failed to qualify for the state meet. Making that day especially frustrating was the fact that in his first match of the season he had carded a sizzling 63.

Pushing himself throughout the winter, he practiced five days a week. When he fired a pair of 69s during recent U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying, he knew he was ready.

Though golf is his only varsity sport, Bernard is a well-rounded individual. He ranks No. 2 in a class of 520 with a 4.55 GPA in honors classes and has won two awards as a drummer in the Wayne band.

Talley sets 2 AJGA records

Emma Talley has a story somewhat similar to the one unfolded by Michael Bernard.

Last week the rising junior from Caldwell County (Princeton, Ky.) produced the most extraordinary performance of her career by setting two all-time records in the 33-year history of American Junior Golf Association tournaments.

The 5-8 standout carded a 54-hole total of 15-under-par-198 to win the Huntsville (Ala.) Junior by 22 strokes. The previous record for 54 holes was 200 and the previous largest winning margin was 18 strokes. In her final round she also shot a course-record 65 at The Ledges.

Talley told MaxPreps she decided to enter the tourney at the last minute and had to go through qualifications.

"I was really nervous because I hadn’t played an AJGA qualifier since I was 12," she said.

No problem – she shot a 66.

"My whole focus was just to stay out of trouble and keep the ball in play," she explained. "My putting really has come on. My irons game was the best it has been. Last week it definitely was my approach shot. I feel honored and blessed to beat that (54-hole) record."

The two-time Rolex Junior All-American now has six career AJGA victories to go with one Kentucky state championship, which she won as a freshman.

Last fall, as a sophomore, she captured her second Kentucky state title, but was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

After doing interviews for 45 minutes, she met with her father who asked her to re-check her scorecard. At that point she realized she had given herself one less stroke on the final hole and brought the oversight to tourney officials, who quickly gave the title to the runner-up.

"I learned a huge lesson. It takes me forever to sign my scorecard now. I’m over it. It was a good experience."

Talley carries a 4.0 GPA in honors classes and calls herself a "social bug."

* Tolver Dozier, a rising senior at Dothan (Dothan, Ala.), won the boys division of the Huntsville Junior in a three-hole playoff for his first AJGA victory. He birdied No. 16, 17 and 18 to force the playoff. His final score was an even-par 213.

Team Takeover wins title

Team Takeover, based in Washington, D.C., defeated the St. Louis Eagles, 70-62, to win the Elite Youth Basketball League championship during the Nike Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C. The inaugural tourney included 42 elite Nike teams and stretched over four months.

DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) rising junior guard James Robinson led the champs with 24 points. Benedictine (Richmond, Va.) senior Michael Gbinije, who has committed to Duke University, added 19 points. Senior guard Bradley Beal of Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) paced the losers with a game-high 26 points.

* Look for Jeffersontown (Louisville, Ky.) to bid for state and national ranking this winter with the addition of transfers Zack Price (6-10) and Tony Kimbro Jr. (6-6).

*Dwayne Polee is the new head basketball coach at his alma mater, Manual Arts (Los Angeles, Calif.).

*Chesterton (Chesterton, Ind.) center Mitch McGary (6-9) is transferring to Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) following a junior year plagued by injury and illness.

* Greenville (Greenville, Ga.) shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell (6-6) has committed to the University of Georgia, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Rated No. 66 in the Class of 2011 by MaxPreps, he averaged 29.7 points as a junior and was named Georgia’s Class A Player of the Year.

Hunter Cole named MVP

South Carolina-based Diamond Devils Blue defeated FTB Mizuno, 2-1, to win the World Wood Bat Association 17U national baseball  championship in Marietta, Ga. It is the largest age-group tournament (216 teams) in baseball history, according to Perfect Game USA. The champs posted an 11-0 record over a seven-day period.

Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) third baseman Hunter Cole was named MVP. The 6-1, 185-pound senior, who has committed to the University of Georgia, batted 13-for-27 with three home runs, 11 runs and 10 RBI. Senior Patrick Andrews of Hilton Head Christian Academy (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) won the title game and was named Most Valuable Pitcher.

* Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas) pitcher Mark Blackmar was named Class 5A Player of the Year by the Texas Sports Writers Association over No. 2 Major League draft selection Jameson Taillon of The Woodlands.

Blackmar compiled a 15-1 record with a 0.80 ERA while pitching Carroll (37-7) to the 5A state title. He also batted .478, hitting seven home runs and driving in 50. Though drafted in the 34th round by the Kansas City Royals, he will play this fall at Temple College.

* Desert Ridge (Mesa, Ariz.) pitcher Scott Hoffman has made a commitment to Arizona State University, according to the Arizona Republic. As a junior, the 6-4 standout posted a 13-0 record with a 1.80 ERA and batted .485 for the Class 5A-Division I state champions. He also was named Arizona’s Big School Player of the Year.

* The Tulsa World reports that the University of Oklahoma has received a commitment from Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) pitcher Mason Hope. As a junior, Hope posted a 9-2 record with a 1.31 ERA. He also had offers from such schools as LSU, Alabama and Tennessee.

*Central (Naperville, Ill.) baseball coach Bill Seiple announced in the Chicago Sun-Times that he will retire following the 2011 campaign. Seiple has a 690-333 record in 29 years, winning state titles in 2006 and 2010. This year’s team was 38-4 and won its last 18 games.

Unknown Hoops wins tourney

The Unknown Hoops defeated Oklahoma Ndns II, 57-36, to win the girls division during the eighth annual Native American Basketball Invitational in Phoenix, Ariz. Window Rock (Fort Defiance, Ariz.) senior guard Ashley Mitchell scored 25 points in the finale to earn MVP honors.

Jordan Woods scored 19 points to lead Cheyenne/Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma to a 60-49 victory over Hoopa Wolfpack of California in the boys championship game.

* The Jacksonville, Fla., Lady Rams defeated Memphis Elite, 68-62, to win the AAU 16U girls basketball national championship. Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.) junior guards Brittany Roundtree and MVP Antoinette Bannister, who both have committed to the University of North Carolina, each scored 19 points for the champs.

* Highly-rated Steele (Cibolo, Texas) freshman point guard McKenzie Calvert has committed to Baylor University, according to the Waco Tribune.

Williams wins four golds

Kell (Marietta, Ga.) freshman sensation Kendell Williams won four gold medals during the AAU Club Nationals in Orlando, Fla. She won the 100-meter hurdles in a meet-record 13.94 seconds, the 400-meter hurdles in 1:01.91, the long jump with a record leap of 19-6.75 and ran a leg on The Heat’s champion intermediate 4x400 relay team.

* Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.) senior sprinter Jovonte Slater has committed to the University of Southern California, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise. Slater, who helped his school win the inaugural Nike Track & Field Nationals last spring, listed UCLA and Stanford as his next choices.

Potpourri

* Brendan McLaughlin is transferring from Avon Grove (West Grove, Pa.) to Cardinal O’Hara (Springfield, Pa.), according to the Harrisburg Patriot-News. Last fall the 6-0, 205-pound fullback ran for 1,260 yards, scored 14 touchdowns and made 54 tackles while sparking Avon Grove to the best record (11-2) in its football history.

* Michigan-based Vardar Premier Youth Soccer Club defeated Washington’s Crossfire Premier, 3-1, to win the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s 18U title at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

* California-based Corona Angels Gold defeated American Athletics, 7-3, to win the Champions Cup 18U softball crown in Irvine, Calif. The Angels, who were second at the Canadian Open to the Worth Firecrackers, outscored their opponents, 94-22, while posting a 12-0 record.