Many tears fell in Iowa following Johnston’s 5-0 victory over Waukee in the Class 4A state championship softball game.
Freshman Abbey Wilmes pitched a steady seven-hitter to get the victory over a team coached by her mother, Andrea Wilmes. It was the fourth straight victory for underdog Johnston (29-13) over a ranked team. Abbey’s eighth grade sister, Bailey, also was on the championship team.
Though allowing just four hits, Waukee (35-9) stranded eight runners and made four errors.
In the Class 3A title game, Clear Creek-Amana blanked Carlisle, 3-0, to become Iowa’s first unbeaten champion (45-0) since 1977. Moriah Morrissey pitched a four-hitter – despite nursing a pulled muscle in her rib cage – to get the victory. The Clippers outscored their opponents by a whopping 349-25 margin, including 33-0 during six tourney games.
Spieth wins Junior Amateur
Jordan Spieth defeated Jay Hwang of San Diego, Calif., 4 and 3, in the 36-hole finale to win the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship in Bedminster, N.J.
The 15-year-old Spieth, who will be a junior at Jesuit in Dallas, Texas, also won the Texas Class 5A state title by one shot in May and the HP Byron Nelson Junior Championship by 11 shots in July. The victory qualified him to compete in the U.S. Amateur Aug. 24-30 in Tulsa, Okla.
Rodeo champs crowned
Jessie Kirkes (Carlsbad, N.M.) was crowned All-Around Cowgirl during the annual National High School Finals Rodeo in Farmington, N.M. Holding fourth place on the final day, she won the title with a fifth in pole bending and an eighth in goat tying.
Wyoming’s A.J. Fuchs was crowned All-Around Cowboy on the final-day strength of two short-go events – team roping and boys cutting.
Each champion received many prizes, including a college scholarship. Overall, top entries were awarded $150,000 in scholarships.
The tourney drew 1,500 entries from the U.S., Canada and Australia and an estimated 7,000 fans. It takes 450 volunteers and 1,400 head of livestock to stage the extravaganza, which organizers claim to be the world’s largest rodeo.
Twins share wrestling award
Twins Dylan and Andrew Alton shared the Outstanding Wrestler Award during the Junior National Freestyle Tournament in Fargo, N.D. They will be seniors this fall at Central Mountain (Mill Hall, Pa.) and already have committed to Penn State University.
Andrew won the national championship at 140 pounds, while Dylan captured the 145-pound title. They also were champions last year. Their individual brilliance helped Pennsylvania win the team championship.
Baillio is No. 3 shot putter
Hayden Baillio, a recent graduate of Whitesboro (Texas), heaved the shot put 75 feet, 4.75 inches during the Games of Texas in San Antonio to take the national lead this year.
The University of Texas signee also ranks No. 3 all-time as an individual, although Texas legend Michael Carter has nine of the top 10 throws. Baillio, who broke his personal record by over three feet, had four other throws beyond 71 feet.
Cy-Fair girls take title
Cy-Fair Shock Nike defeated the Philadelphia Belles, 70-64, to win the U.S. Junior Nationals Gold Division during girls basketball action in District Heights, Md.
Six-foot-three Chiney Ogwumike paced the champs with 20 points. Ariel Edwards paced the Belles with 19 points. Bria Smith scored 13 points during the semifinals when the Belles stunned the nation’s top-ranked team, Boo Williams, 55-46.
Leta Andrews honored again
Granbury (Texas) girls basketball coach Leta Andrews has been named to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, based in Knoxville, Tenn. She previously has been enshrined in the National High School Hall of Fame and the Texas Hall of Fame.
Andrews will be inducted on June 12, 2010 with Rebecca Lobo, Teresa Edwards, Teresa Weatherspoon, Chris Weller and Gloria Ray.
The 72-year-old marvel holds the national record for most victories (1,312) and soon will enter her 48th year of coaching.
She told MaxPreps, “I am very blessed, shocked, surprised, elated and it makes me very happy. This has inspired me to keep on keeping on. I walk four miles every day and my health is good. I still want to do it.”
Ohio, Pennsylvnia teams shine
Philadelphia-based Team Final defeated Nike Baltimore Elite, 69-51, during the ESPN-Rise Super Showcase basketball games played Sunday at Disney World. Unheralded guard Tyreek Duren sparked the winners with 19 points and four steals. Premier junior Michael Gilchrist added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Will Barton paced the losers with 26 points and seven rebounds.
Gilchrist emerged from the Nike Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C., one week earlier as the nation’s top-ranked junior, even though Team Final lost the title game, 62-53, to All-Ohio Red. He had 19 points and seven rebounds in the finale. Jared Sullinger paced the champs with 19 points and 21 rebounds.
In the second game, All-Ohio Red outscored CP3 of North Carolina, 89-80, as Aaron Craft scored 20 points and Jared Sullinger had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Reggie Bullock led the losers with 30 points and 10 rebounds.
McAdoo sidelined
James McAdoo, one of the nation’s top juniors, will be sidelined close to five months following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
The 6-foot-8, 210-pounder was injured while grabbing a rebound as the USA Under-16 basketball team was posting a gold-medal victory in the title game of the FIBA Americas Championships in Argentina.
McAdoo averaged 16.6 points and 8.6 rebounds for the USA team. The son of Ronnie McAdoo, he will be a junior at Norfolk (Va.) Christian.
Japanese players shine
The USA/World team nipped Pennsylvania, 4-3, to win the week-long 15th annual International Baseball Invitational in Freeport, Pa. Five Japanese players joined with Americans on the winning team.
In fact, shortstop Yudai Yamada hit a two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the seventh inning to drive in fellow countryman Yoshihisa Hashimoto with the winning run.
Football notes
Undefeated Miami Northwestern, under the banner of Vapor Trail, defeated Team Super Speed (DeSoto, Texas), 34-23, to win the second annual Nike 7ON Football Tournament in Beaverton, Ore.
Junior quarterback Teddy Bridgewater completed 25-of-37 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder, who threw no interceptions, was named MVP.
Michael Harris was his top receiver with seven catches for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
* Mack Brown, a highly-coveted running back from Martin Luther King (Lithonia, Ga.), has made a commitment to the University of Florida. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder averaged an impressive 9.8 yards per carry as a junior while gaining 1,702 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns. He runs 40 yards in a sizzling 4.39 seconds and has a vertical leap of 33.5 inches.
