Nick Marshall ties Georgia touchdown record

Nick Marshall tied the Georgia state record for career touchdown passes last week, but he might be an even better basketball player. In middle school, his future appeared bright as a baseball pitcher, because he already was throwing more than 80 mph.

Last Friday the 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior quarterback completed 13 of 22 passes for 268 yards and six touchdowns as Wilcox County (Rochelle, Ga.) defeated Bacon County (Alma, Ga.), 47-16. That gave him 92 career touchdown passes, tying him with two others for the state record. He also averaged 25 yards on three carries.

"I really wasn't even thinking about it that way," Marshall said of his state record. "It was just another thing I had to get out of the way to get another (state) championship. It felt good. It was the first one for our school in history and I was a part of it."

Football coach Mark Ledford said, "It's a great accomplishment for Nick and the same for our program. It's a team record, too. We have a lot of good receivers coming through. It hasn't been unusual for him to throw to five or six different receivers in a game. He's been surrounded by some talented players."

Ledford saw great potential in Marshall as a freshman, but he proved himself as a sophomore when he led the Patriots to their first-ever undefeated regular-season.

"He doesn't take his eye off downfield and doesn't give up on his receivers until the last second," Ledford pointed out. "He's able to scramble and give himself some more time. He's gotten a good number of touchdown passes not designed to the one who caught it. He can throw 78-80 yards in the air. He's got the strongest arm I've ever seen on a high school player, but also is extremely accurate."

Marshall is expected to easily surpass the record this Friday when the Patriots (8-1) close out their regular season at home against Irwin County (Ocilla, Ga.). Then they are expected to have a long run in the Class A state playoffs.

Through nine games he has completed 98 of 186 passes for 1,915 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Boasting great quickness (4.46 seconds for 40 yards) and jumping ability (he high-jumped 6 feet, 4 inches as a freshman and has a 38-inch vertical jump), he also is a lock-down cornerback. He always draws the opponent's best wide receiver and has made four interceptions (returning two for touchdowns of 94 and 65 yards) this year – 11 during his career.

Marshall has committed to the University of Georgia for football and basketball, but said he wants to play defense – not offense

"I'm better suited for cornerback," he explained. "I'm kind of too short to play quarterback."

Look for him to leave his mark in basketball, too, when he heads to college. As a junior he averaged an impressive 28 points with a high game of 52 during the playoffs.

Basketball coach George Kennedy said, "He shoots jumpers six to eight feet behind the three-point line effortlessly. He makes everything look so easy. I've been in this business for 38 years and he is one of the most gifted athletes I've ever seen."

* Torrington (Conn.) junior running back Brendon Lytton (5-9, 175) scored a state-record nine touchdowns during a 61-28 rout of Wilby (Waterbury, Conn.). The three-sport athlete ran 42 times for 350 yards and eight touchdowns and also returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown.

* Show Low (Ariz.) senior quarterback Rathen Ricedorff (5-11, 155) completed 25 of 32 passes for 358 yards and four touchdowns during a 45-40 victory over Payson (Ariz.), giving him a state record with 96 career touchdown passes. He already holds state records for touchdown passes in a game (9) and a year (41).

* Spring Hill (Kan.) rushed for 739 yards – No. 6 in national high school history – during a 99-72 victory over Osawatomie (Kan.). The accomplishment was overshadowed by the death of Spring Hill player Nathan Stiles.

* Jacksonville (Texas) posted an incredible 84-81, 12-overtime victory against Nacogdoches (Texas) to not only set a national record for length of time, but it also set modern-day Texas state records for most points by two teams (165) and most points by a losing team (81). The combined-points record was 143 set in 2004. Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine is the official record keeper and its records go back to 1951.

* Boyle County (Danville, Ky.) senior linebacker Lamar Dawson made a school-record 32 tackles in a recent 28-13 victory over East Jessamine (Nicholasville, Ky.).

* Frank Lenti posted his career-record 300th coaching victory as Mount Carmel (Chicago) rolled past Bolingbrook (Ill.), 55-27.

* Ryle (Union, Ky.) upset Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.), 28-26, to snap a 37-game winning streak.

* Senior quarterback Sam Oliden kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired to give South Milwaukee (Wis.) a 26-23 victory over Pius XI (Milwaukee).

* Seamus McMorrow kicked a 51-yard field goal for his team's only points as St. Augustine (San Diego) bowed to Lincoln (San Diego), 27-3.

* Alex Randall rushed 26 times for 418 yards and five touchdowns but Hastings (Mich.) still bowed to Grand Rapids Christian (Mich.), 49-39.

* Tivy (Kerrville, Texas) senior quarterback Johnny Manziel (6-1, 190) passed for 332 yards, ran for 160 yards and accounted for eight touchdowns during a 56-24 victory over Bourne-Champion (Texas). One of his touchdowns was a 22-yard reception from offensive lineman Kyle Bernhard.

* Lexington (S.C.) junior Kevin Miller ran 27 times for 407 yards and five touchdowns during a 69-20 rout of Orangeburg-Wilkinson (S.C.). He played only midway through the third quarter.

* Notre Dame-Green Pond (Easton, Pa.) snapped a 36-game losing streak with a 28-13 victory over Salisbury Township (Allentown, Pa.).

* St. James (La.) outlasted Plaquemine (La.), 34-32, in four overtimes on a 4-yard touchdown run and 2-point conversion by Shaquille Narcisse.

* Jameson Ballinger passed for 444 yards and six touchdowns and also caught a 35-yard touchdown pass as Santa Fe South (Oklahoma City) edged Cushing (Okla.), 46-40, with a 28-point fourth quarter.

* Jordan Vanover snared six passes for 306 yards and five touchdowns to spark Southwest Christian Academy (Moore, Okla.) to a 48-20 victory over Thackerville (Okla.).

BASKETBALL: PEREA CHOOSES INDIANA
LaLumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) junior Hanner Perea (6-8, 212) has chosen Indiana University over Baylor, according to the Indianapolis Star. The native of Colombia has a 7-4 wingspan and is very athletic.

* The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that highly regarded Rodney Hood, a 6-7 senior from Meridian (Miss.), has made a commitment to Mississippi State University.

* De La Salle (Chicago) senior Michael Shaw (6-8) has committed to the University of Illinois, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

* Oregon's winningest boys basketball coach, Mike Doherty, has been hired as head coach at Scappoose (Ore.). The 73-year-old Doherty, who resigned last spring at Oregon City, has won 825 games and three state titles.
 
* Madison Senior (Middletown, Ohio) senior Ally Malott (6-3) has committed to Dayton, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. She averaged 17.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists last year as Madison posted a 27-1 record and was Division III state runner-up.

* Ohio State University has received a commitment from 5-11 senior Raven Ferguson, who averaged 23.8 points last year for Africentric Early College (Columbus, Ohio), according to the Columbus Dispatch. She is a cousin to NBA standout O.J. Mayo.

* Kristen Gaffney, a 6-1 junior guard, has committed to Virginia Tech, according to VYPE. She averaged 26.6 points and set a state record as a sophomore while pacing Green Hope (Cary, N.C.) to a 31-0 record and the Class 4A state title.

* The University of Tennessee has received a commitment from 6-3 senior Isabelle Harrison of Hillsboro (Nashville, Tenn.), according to GoVolsXtra.com. She averaged 16.7 points and 11.1 rebounds as a junior and played on an undefeated Class AAA state champion as a sophomore.

BASEBALL: WWBA ENDS IN 3-3 TIE
Chet Lemon's Juice and the Dirtbags battled to a 3-3 tie in eight innings and by mutual agreement of the managers they shared the championship during the World Wood Bat Association national tournament in Jupiter, Fla. The annual tourney featured 85 teams that played more than 200 games in five days.

Roy Clark of the Washington Nationals told Perfect Game USA writer Jeff Dahn, "It's known in the scouting ranks as the No. 1 tournament in amateur baseball." The Toronto Blue Jays were represented by 34 scouts.

FTB Mizuno, based in Orlando, Fla., had the top position player, shortstop Francisco Lindor, and the top pitcher, Jose Fernandez, in the talent-laden field.

Lindor, a 5-11, 170-pound senior shortstop from Montverde Academy (Fla.), batted 8-for-19 with three doubles and two home runs in addition to playing great defense. He is the No. 3-ranked prospect in the nation by Perfect Game. Fernandez, who plays for Alonso (Tampa, Fla.), threw 10 shutout innings, allowing three hits, no walks and striking out 12 with his 97 mph fastball. He has committed to the University of South Florida.

SWIMMING: RECRUITS LIKE CAL
The University of California recently has landed several five-star recruits, according to Swimming World Magazine. The latest commitments have come from Eva Greene (McLean, Va.), Casey Mims (JSerra Catholic, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and Taylor Nanfria (San Ramon Valley, Danville, Calif.).

* Gillette (Wyo.) junior Shaya Schaedler set Class 4A state records while winning the 200-yard freestyle (1:51.53) and the 100-yard backstroke (55.96). She also swam the first leg on two record-setting relays as the Camels splashed to their record-tying sixth consecutive and 14th overall state championship.

POTPOURRI
* The nation's No. 1-ranked wrestler, Destin McCauley of Apple Valley (Minn.), has made a commitment to the University of Wisconsin, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. McCauley, who won his first state title as a seventh grader, has compiled a 237-7 record with four state titles. The state record is 262 victories. The 152-pounder also is a two-time national champion. In addition, his team is ranked No. 1 in the nation and is seeking its sixth consecutive Class AAA state title.

* Two of the nation's premier cross country runners, West Windsor-Plainsboro North (Plainsboro, N.J.) senior twins Jim and Joe Rosa, have committed to Stanford University, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

* Senior soccer goalie Brandon Johnstin has tied the Ohio state record with his 45th career shutout for Aquinas (Louisville, Ohio). He has a school-record 14 shutouts this year.