By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Two national high school records were set last week. The most sensational one was established by recent South Lake (Fla.) superstar Jeff Demps, who ran 100 meters in 10.1 seconds (wind-legal) during the quarterfinals of the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. The University of Florida signee lined up beside world record holder Tyson Gay (9.77) in his heat. Unfortunately, he placed eighth (10.34) in his semifinal heat and did not qualify.
Rising senior Conor McCullough set the other national record during the U.S. Youth Outdoor Championships in Charlotte, N.C. The Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.) star fired the 12-pound hammer a prodigious 260 feet. The previous record (255-11) was held by Walter Henning, who now stars for LSU.
Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) totaled 8,430 points to win the Nike Web Nationals boys track championship for the second year in a row. The national girls title went to Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.) with 8,005 points. A&M Consolidated (College Station, Texas) had won the girls crown the previous three years.
A phenomenal spring earned German Fernandez, a recent graduate of Riverbank, Calif., the Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year award. His most recent feats include setting national records in the two-mile and 3,000-meter runs. The Oklahoma State signee also recorded some tremendous times in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.
Football Notes
* Oklahoma power Jenks just got a little more powerful with the transfer of rising junior quarterback Beau Marslan. Over the past two years at several schools, the 6-2, 205-pounder had a combined 4,065 yards and 45 touchdowns passing, plus 685 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing…Maryland power Hyattsville DeMatha Catholic also picked up a talented rising junior transfer – Jeff Knox, who ran for 1,243 yards and 15 touchdowns last fall for Pennsylvania state champion Pittsburgh Central Catholic.
* One of the premier safeties in the class of 2009, Devonte Holloman, is transferring from Independence (Charlotte, N.C.) to South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.)….Delbert Tengan has resigned as head football and basketball coach at St. Louis (Honolulu, Haw.). His five-year football record was 48-11 with one state championship. He coached basketball for 10 years and his teams twice finished second in the state tourney.
* Recent Champlin Park (Minn.) graduate Sam Maresh underwent open heart surgery last week at Mayo Clinic. The standout middle linebacker was undergoing a routine physical exam prior to entering the University of Minnesota to play football when it was discovered that he had been born with an abnormal aortic valve, which prevents his heart from effectively pumping blood.
* The University of Cincinnati is making great inroads with its recruiting, especially in Indiana where former Cincinnati Colerain coach Kerry Coombs is working his magic. Rising senior Hoosiers who made commitments last week were Indianapolis Pike safety Dakotah Tyler (6-0, 190), Indianapolis Pike offensive lineman Andre Cureton (6-5, 290), Whiteland linebacker Mitch Meador (6-3, 230), Columbus East linebacker Will Saddler (6-5, 225) and Indianapolis Ben Davis defensive lineman Jordan Stepp (6-0, 286).
* The University of Mississippi received a pledge from rising senior Clayton Moore of Louisville, Miss. The 6-2, 205-pounder accounted for a total offense last fall of 3,847 yards and 40 touchdowns…Tulane couldn’t be happier to receive a commitment from rising senior linebacker Cody Ledford (6-0, 215), who had 184 tackles (30 for losses) last fall at North Florida Christian (Tallahassee, Fla.).
* Nick Zachery, who runs 100 meters in 10.84 seconds, has made a commitment to Indiana University. The 6-0, 200-pounder had a very impressive junior year for Indiana’s Class A state champion, Sheridan. He rushed for 2,182 yards and 42 touchdowns. He also passed for 835 yards and five touchdowns and intercepted seven passes…North Carolina State has received a pledge from rising senior James Washington (5-10, 170), who rushed for 1,760 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall for Boone (Orlando, Fla.).
* Versatile Ashton Glaser has made a commitment to the University of Missouri. As a junior, the 6-2, 205-pounder passed for 2,495 yards and 22 touchdowns, while running for another 758 yards and 12 touchdowns at Springdale, Ark…Central (Louisville, Ky.) defensive lineman Mister Cobble has chosen the University of Kentucky. The 6-0, 280-pounder made 125 tackles last year for the Class 3A state champs.
* Duke University has received a commitment from rising senior quarterback Sean Schroeder of Dana Hills (Dana Point, Calif.). Schroeder’s forte is accuracy: He completed 66.6 percent of his passes as a junior and 62.3 percent as a sophomore…Justin Renfrow, a 6-6, 260-pound rising senior from Penn Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.), has chosen the University of Virginia…The University of Pittsburgh has been given a pledge by rising senior defensive end Jack Lippert (6-3, 243) of Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, Pa.).
* Two rising juniors also have made recent commitments. Elusive Dillon Baxter of Mission Bay (San Diego, Calif.) has chosen the University of Southern California. Last year the 6-0, 195-pounder ran for 775 yards and six touchdowns and had another 706 yards and nine touchdowns as a receiver…Sterlin Phifer, who has rushed for over 1,000 yards each of the past two years at Landstown (Virginia Beach, Va.), has chosen Boston College.
Basketball Notes
* Eddie Martin dropped a bombshell in Georgia when he left powerhouse Norcross for the head coaching job at Greater Atlanta Christian. The 52-year-old Martin guided Norcross to three consecutive Class AAAAA state titles and put together a dominating 170-18 record in six years. His 25-year record is 520-198…Norcross had applications from throughout the country, interviewed 10 persons and finally promoted assistant Jesse McMillan.
* Rising junior guard Andre Dawkins (6-5), who averaged 22.4 points last year at Atlantic Shores Christian (Chesapeake, Va.), has made a commitment to Duke University…Western Michigan University has been given a pledge by 6-10 rising senior Shayne Whittington of Lawrence, Mich…Manny Atkins (6-6, 195), who averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds as a junior at Tucker (Stone Mountain, Ga.), has chosen Virginia Tech.
* Omari Lawrence is transferring from St. Raymond’s (Bronx, N.Y.) to South Kent (Conn.). The 6-3 guard averaged 18.2 points as a junior…The University of Tennessee has received a commitment from 6-3 Faith Dupree, who averaged 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks as a junior for hometown Knoxville Webb.
Softball Notes
* Jennifer Jorgensen is the new Queen of Steals. The senior with the fleet feet plays for Southeast Webster-Grand (Burnside, Iowa) and already has set a national record for stolen bases with her season still in progress. At last report she had 54 steals this season and she will finish with over 300 for the past four years. The listed national record is 246.
Going back to eighth grade (which does not count in national records), Jorgensen has 363 career varsity steals and has been thrown out just 12 times for an astounding success rate of 96.8 percent. Three times she has stolen over 80 bases. Ironically, she will attend college (Pacific) on a basketball scholarship. She scored 2,708 points in her career – No. 2 in Iowa history.
Baseball Notes
* In just one season, Texas transfer Cameron Perkins has become Indiana’s all-time leading hitter with an amazing .723 batting average for Indianapolis Southport. The 6-5 junior third baseman – now being compared to Jasper great Scott Rolen – led the state with 60 hits and 20 doubles and finished third with 56 RBIs. He also has a 3.97 GPA. Southport fans hardly can wait to see what he does for an encore as a senior.
* Pitcher-center fielder Jeffrey Pickering, who led Nitro to the Class AAA state title, has been named West Virginia’s Baseball Player of the Year. The 6-3, 190-pound left-hander, who has signed with West Virginia University, batted .448 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 48 RBIs and 34 stolen bases. He also was 11-1 on the mound.
Potpourri
* TCA-CA 18 3rd Degree BL outlasted Imi Ike 18, 25-14, 25-16, 24-26, 29-31, 15-12, to win the 18 Open Division title during the 29th USA Junior Olympic Girls Volleyball Championships in Dallas, Texas. The winner’s Lilla Frederick was named MVP…A5 Mizuno 181 Bob won the 18 National Division crown with a 22-25, 25-20, 15-12 victory over Amarillo Elite 181 behind the play of MVP Courtney Fletcher…In the 18 American Division, Main Beach 18 Gold topped T-Atlantis Black Sheep, 25-19, 25-18 behind the efforts of MVP Karissa Cook.
* Nelson Vick (Grafton, Wis.) may be the first-ever unseeded player to win the boys 18 singles crown at the USTA Midwest Closed Tennis Tournament, which was held this year in Indianapolis, Ind. Vick defeated another unseeded player, Peter Kobelt (New Albany, Ohio), 6-4, 7-5, in the finals…No. 2 seed Emina Bektas, a rising sophomore at Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.), captured the girls 18 crown with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Courtney Dolehide (Hinsdale, Ill.).
* Brinson Paolini is the first high school golfer to win the Virginia State Amateur since 1930. The rising senior at Virginia Beach Cox defeated 44-year-old ophthalmologist Roger Newsom, 1-up, for the title. Newsom told the Virginian Pilot that the long-hitting, 5-10, 140-pounder has “a perfect swing. He can’t improve on that swing.”
* Inspirational Dustin Carter will wrestle at Mount St. Joseph College. The recent graduate of Hillsboro (Ohio) compiled an amazing 40-4 record as a senior at 103 pounds. Carter, who had most of his four limbs amputated when he was five years old due to a rare blood disease, will wrestle at 125 pounds (lowest weight) in college.
* Shattuck-St. Mary’s (Faribault, Minn.) senior hockey star David Carle missed his high school graduation so he could attend the NHL Combine in Toronto, Canada. Expected to be drafted in the second or third round, he went through a routine physical exam, only to discover that he had a rare thickening of the heart muscle that could lead to cardiac arrest. It apparently ended his hockey career, but probably saved his life. The Tampa Bay Lightning made him a sentimental pick in the final round.
* With some talented football and basketball players returning for the 2008-09 school year, officials at Spruce High in Dallas, Texas, were devastated to learn that varsity sports have been eliminated for the upcoming year. The reason: Spruce is expected to be on the state’s academically unacceptable list for the fourth year in a row. Incoming sophomores and juniors will be reassigned to Madison and Lincoln. Spruce will be open only to incoming freshmen and seniors who wish to remain for graduation.
* Corinne Showalter, a rising senior from Riverview (Sarasota, Fla.), has made a commitment to the University of Florida. She is rated a six-star recruit by Swimming World Magazine with outstanding times in the 500-yard freestyle (4:41.91), 400-meter freestyle (4:13.62) and 800-meter freestyle (8:40.49).
