By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
For the second week in a row, a national high school football record was broken, this time by Prosser (Wash.) senior wide receiver Kirby Moore, who has been named MaxPreps National Player of the Week. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder snared three touchdown passes during a 48-17 rout of Ephrata to give him 85 during his brilliant four-year career. The previous record of 83 was established by Abram Booty (Evangel Christian, Shreveport, La.) from 1993-96.
Moore, who has 24 scoring catches this fall, spent his freshman and sophomore years snaring passes from his brother, Kellen, and the last two from Jordan Durbin in the Mustangs’ high-octane offense. Kirby recently rejected the likes of Stanford, Washington and Washington State in favor of joining his brother next year at Boise State. He has helped Prosser to a 9-0 record and No. 1 state ranking in Class 2A.
Though just a junior, Dylan Favre has set a Mississippi state record with 43 touchdown passes this year. The 6-0, 180-pounder fired five scoring strikes over the weekend to lead Bay St. Louis St. Stanislaus to a 42-28 victory over Poplarville. The previous record was 42. The nephew of Brett Favre has 79 during his career and should have a great shot at the state career record of 104.
Several teams also have gotten into the record act. In Illinois, Huntley outlasted Batavia, 70-63, to set a state playoff game record for combined scoring. Huntley also set an all-time state record with 702 rushing yards. Batavia quarterback Jordan Coffey threw for 435 yards and the teams combined for 1,358 yards of total offense…In Alabama, Hubbertville defeated Vina, 76-52, to break a combined-points state record that had stood since 1925. On that occasion Langdale massacred Milltown, 125-0.
More Football Notes
* Friendly (Fort Washington, Md.) defensive end Vinny Holder is one tough dude. On Oct. 16, he was stabbed 37 times by a former classmate outside of the school following a volleyball game. He had to be taken by helicopter to a hospital trauma center where he stayed for four nights. He was treated for a punctured lung and 98 staples were inserted to close his wounds.
Sixteen days after he was injured, the 6-1, 200-pound senior played in a 29-0 loss to Brandywine Gwynn Park. “I’m blessed,” he told the Washington Post. “I don’t think I’m supposed to be here right now. God gave me a second chance.”
* Turning to Texas, safety Xavier Daniels intercepted five passes as Giddings defeated Smithville, 35-7…In Charlotte, N.C., junior corner back Damon Magazu had four interceptions – running his season total to 10 – to help Providence edge Myers Park, 28-21…In Georgia, Jason Wynn also made four interceptions as Clarkston defeated Towers, 20-14. He has nine for the year…Friendswood (Texas) senior Jacob Karam passed for 426 yards and seven touchdowns during a 49-28 victory over Freeport Brazosport.
* Bryce Brown’s outstanding career ended with a 44-26 loss to Wichita Southeast. The Wichita East senior running back – ranked No. 1 in the country at his position – rushed for 1,872 yards this year and 6,809 for his career…Ryan Fisher carried 49 times for 443 yards and five touchdowns as Eudora (Kan.) defeated Baldwin, 35-28…In California, Usua Amanam scored on a 90-yard interception return, 62-yard punt return, 37-yard run and 20-yard reception as San Jose Bellarmine College Prep defeated Archbishop Mitty, 34-10.
* Switching to Mississippi, unbeaten Taylorsville routed Enterprise-Clarke, 62-39, as 6-4 junior quarterback Dominique Sullivan fired seven touchdown passes – five to wide receiver Billy Hamilton. Sullivan completed 17-of-21 passes for 366 yards…In Honolulu, Hawaii, Jeremy Higgins completed 29-of-43 passes for 485 yards and six touchdowns as St. Louis rolled past Kamehameha, 55-28. He also scored on a 19-yard run.
* Several long winning streaks also ended over the weekend. In Alabama, Leroy snapped Sweet Water’s 36-game winning streak, 28-21, while extending its own winning streak to 20 games. Despite being sacked six times, Leroy’s Clint Moseley completed 21-of-29 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third. Leroy is ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, while Sweet Water is No. 1 in Class A…In Florida, Miami Central nipped city foe Northwestern, 27-25, ending its record 37-game Dade County winning streak…An amazing nine-man winning streak ended at 76 games in Minnesota when Stephen-Argyle was nipped by Kittson County Central, 7-0.
* Oklahoma University president David Boren was a strong finisher in convincing outstanding tight end Gabe Ikard to make a recent commitment to the Sooners. The 6-3, 240-pounder from Bishop McGuinness (Oklahoma City, Okla.) also considered Oklahoma State, Stanford and Notre Dame…An outstanding defensive end, 6-5, 265-pound Craig Drummond of Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.), has made a commitment to the University of Illinois.
* Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) quarterback Tajh Boyd celebrated a 77-0 rout of Denbigh by making a commitment to the University of Tennessee. Boyd, who is rated the state’s top signal caller, has thrown for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns despite missing two and one-half games due to a knee injury…Hibriten (Lenoir, N.C.) senior receiver Darius Lipford (6-2, 203) has made a commitment to Duke where he also may play basketball. A great all-around athlete, he placed second in the state long jump as a junior.
* Pennsylvania has lost one of its best – and most colorful – coaches with the retirement of 68-year-old Don Yannessa at Ambridge. During his 37 years at three schools, he compiled a 249-137-7 record and won four Western Pennsylvania titles at Aliquippa. He still is the record holder for coaching victories at Aliquippa and Pittsburgh Baldwin. He told veteran Pittsburgh sportswriter Mike White, “I know the score of every game I ever played in or coached. I really do.”
White noted that Yannessa instituted fireworks at Aliquippa games and had the Indian mascot wave a flaming spear into the air as he rode a horse onto the field before each game. Famous for wearing sunglasses at practice, Yannessa played a coach in the Tom Cruise movie, “All The Right Moves.” He had three lines in the movie, but still gets checks in the mail whenever it is shown on television. “Sometimes they’re 20-some bucks,” he said of the checks. “The last one I got was for $1.29.” Thus is the life of a Hollywood “extra.”
* Western Pennsylvania lost another fine coach when Moon Area mentor Mark Capuano announced his retirement. He set the Moon Area record by winning 143 games (108 losses) during his 24-year tenure…Butch Simpson became Delaware’s first football coach to notch 250 victories when Newark defeated Christiana, 22-6. He has a 250-88-7 record in 32 years…In Ohio, Tom Crosby won his 200th game as Cincinnati Mariemont rolled past Deer Park, 34-6.
Cross Country Notes
* Chuck Koeppen retired in style while leading Carmel to its 11th boys and 11th girls Indiana state championships in Terre Haute. The boys won, 100-110, over Fort Wayne Carroll, while the girls won, 55-160, over Lake Central. The 62-year-old Koeppen also won one track title during his 37-year tenure….Fishers senior Drew Shields won the Indiana boys individual title in 15:20.3. Indianapolis North Central freshman sensation Futsum Zeinasellassie placed second in 15:25.4, but lost an estimated 10 seconds early in the race when he had to stop and re-tie his shoe.
* Rochester junior Megan Goethals set an all-time Michigan all-class, all-course, state-meet record when she won the girls Division I state championship in 17:11 …Former Foot Locker national champion Kathy Kroeger (Thompson Station Independence) became Tennessee’s first four-time state champion when she claimed the Class AAA title in 17:08, 91 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Kroeger lists Duke, Rice and Stanford as her top college choices at this time.
* Perseverance finally paid off for Warroad (Minn.) senior Moses Heppner. He qualified for the state meet six times and finally won it in his senior year, capturing the Class A title in 16:08. He told the Pioneer Press, “That was unbelievable. I never would have dreamed it. Insane. I’ve never felt like this. This might be life-changing for me.”…Minnesota’s large-school boys state title was won by a sophomore – Moorhead’s Lukas Gemar in 15:23.1 – for the first time in 30 years.
* Westerly (R.I.) senior Andrew Springer made his first year of cross country pay off in a big way by winning the boys state title in a course-record 15:14.05…Millburn junior Tyler Udland won New Jersey’s Essex County Championships in a sizzling course-record 14:58…Another talented New Jersey runner, Lanie Thompson of Glen Gardner Voorhees, has made a commitment to the University of Oregon.
Volleyball Notes
* Bailey Webster, ranked No. 1 in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com, has made a commitment to the University of Texas. The 6-3 outside hitter from St. Paul’s (Brooklandville, Md.) has tremendous leaping ability (she can touch 10 feet, 8 inches). Sixty percent of her hits go for kills and she averages seven kills per game. She also helped the USA Junior National Team win the gold medal during the NORECA World Championships in Mexico.
* The Kentucky state tournament again was highly competitive as nationally-ranked Louisville Mercy (40-1) defeated city foe Sacred Heart, 27-25, 25-18, for its fifth championship. MVP Casey Garvey had 27assists and Kelsey Anderson had 10 kills before a sold-out, tourney-record crowd of 2,557…In the semifinals, Mercy ousted Newport Central Catholic, 25-21, 25-20, sending losing coach Jenny Mertle into retirement with an even 700 victories.
* In Alabama, No. 2-ranked Daphne Bayside Academy outlasted No. 1-ranked Madison, 25-15, 18-25, 25-18, 16-25, 17-15, to win a record seventh consecutive state championship. Bayside, which has won 17 overall state titles, moved to Class 3A this year after winning six straight 2A crowns. Bayside junior Savannah Simmons earned 3A tourney MVP honors with 22 kills, 12 blocks and three aces in the finale.
* Moving to Maine, Cumberland Center Greely won its sixth consecutive state title with a 25-17, 25-20, 25-18 victory over previously unbeaten Mount Desert Island. The Rangers (17-0) have lost only one match in the past six years…Cindy Henry has retired as coach at Lake Mary, Fla., after compiling a 535-348 record during the past 31 years.
Basketball Notes
* One of the nation’s premier point guards, 6-3 senior Abdul Gaddy of Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.), has made a commitment to the University of Washington. Gaddy, who averaged 23 points as a junior, had committed to Arizona before coach Lute Olson’s retirement…The University of Arkansas has received a commitment from 6-11 senior Anthony Borden of West Memphis (Ark.)…Clark County (Ky.) has beefed up an already strong team with the transfer of highly-regarded 6-8 sophomore Vinny Zollo from McClain (Greenfield, Ohio).
* California’s Fontana Miller also lost an outstanding player when Chloe Wells moved to Apex, N.C. The 5-7 junior averaged 17.5 points, 5.7 assists and 4.8 steals as a sophomore and 16 points as a freshman…Parkway Academy (Miramar, Fla.) senior Erica Wheeler (5-7) has made a commitment to Rutgers University. She averaged 21.8 points and 8.0 assists for last year’s Class 3A state champs…Lincoln (Dallas, Texas) senior Kimetria Hayden (5-11) has made a commitment to Baylor University. She averaged 17.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists last year for the Class 4A state champs.
Soccer Notes
* East Kentwood nipped Livonia Stevenson, 1-0, in overtime to win Michigan’s Division I state championship. Senior Bung Jin Lee scored the only goal to give goalie Mike Sweers his 22nd shutout this year. East Kentwood (23-1-3) allowed just six goals in 27 games…New Jersey has a bright freshman prospect, Bayonne’s Lisa Rovatsos, who has scored 37 goals in her first 20 games.
* In New Jersey boys soccer, Newark St. Benedict’s coach Rick Jacobs picked up his 500th victory by beating Hun, 2-1. On Sunday St. Benedict’s (20-1-0) blanked Lawrenceville, 2-0, to win its 20th straight Prep A championship. In his 24th season, Jacobs has compiled a remarkable record of 501-25-13. He also has coached 11 undefeated teams and guided his school through a phenomenal unbeaten stretch of 131 games from 1998-2002.
Baseball Notes
* The California-based ABD Bulldogs defeated Cangelosi Baseball of Illinois, 7-1, to win the prestigious World Wood Bat Association Fall Championships in Jupiter, Fla. The five-day tournament – which included 80 teams, 1,600 players (76 of the top 100 seniors and 31 of the top 50 juniors) and 450 pro scouts – was billed as the “greatest collection of high school talent ever assembled in one event.”
Cangelosi center fielder Mark Payton was named MVP for his outstanding defense, hitting role in the middle of the lineup and leadership on the tourney’s Cinderella team. The 5-8, 160-pound left-handed hitter from Orland Park (Ill.) physically reminded fans of team owner-director John Cangelosi, a former major league outfielder. For the champs, who had five Aflac All-Americans, right-handed pitcher Ian McCarthy pitched three scoreless innings (fourth, fifth and sixth) and center fielder Anthony Hutting collected a pair of hits.
Garrett Gould (Wichita, Kan.), who starred for the Texas Scout Team Yankees, was named Most Valuable Pitcher. Gould pitched eight scoreless innings and gained one victory. The right-hander allowed one hit, one walk and struck out 18…San Gabriel Valley Arsenal right-hander Dylan Covey (6-2, 195) pitched a one-hitter (wind-blown triple) with 17 strikeouts and five walks during a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals Scout Team. Covey, who attends Maranatha in Pasadena, Calif., was throwing 94 miles per hour throughout the game. He was ranked No. 34 in the junior class, but “without a doubt he’ll jump into the top 10,” according to Allan Simpson, who is national director of Perfect Game Crosschecker.
Field Hockey Notes
* In Maine, triplets Makayla, Mallory and Megan Hancock helped Skowhegan (17-1) nip Scarborough, 2-1, in the second sudden-death overtime to win its 11th overall and eighth consecutive Class A state championship. Makayla assisted on Mallory’s winning goal and Megan starred as the winning goalie.
* In Kentucky, Louisville Sacred Heart edged Collegiate, 2-1, to capture its third consecutive state championship. Sacred Heart proved the right to the nation’s No. 1 ranking as it completed a 29-0 season with an 83-match winning streak…In Pennsylvania, Villa Maria defeated Christopher Dock, 3-1, to present coach Maurene Polley her 500th victory.
Potpourri
* Tucson Catalina Foothills won its ninth consecutive Arizona Class 4A-Division I state swimming championship behind senior superstar Herbie Behm, who set a 50-yard freestyle state record of 19.84 in the preliminaries. He later won the 50- and 100-yard freestyle titles and contributed to a pair of relay victories. He also holds the New Mexico state record in the 50 free (20.67), which he set as a sophomore. ..Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.) two-time section swimmer of the year Jessica Schmitt has made a commitment to the University of Southern California.
* East Brunswick upset Millburn, 3-2, to snap a 98-match girls tennis winning streak in New Jersey. The state record is 104…The Plantation American Heritage girls golf team captured its third Florida Class A state golf title in the past four years with an outstanding score of 581 – No. 2 in state history. The Patriots also set a single-round state record of 281 and won the title by 22 strokes. In addition, they had the individual medalist, senior Lindy Duncan, who carded 135, which is No. 3 in state history.
* In Colorado, Colorado Springs Doherty senior Brittnee Martinez, who had been competing only at the club level for three years, won the Class 5A state gymnastics all-around crown with a score of 38.950, which tied for No. 2 in state meet history. Three-time defending champion Hannah Bower of Loveland, who was competing in only her second meet due to two ankle injuries, finished second with 38.750.
