By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Perhaps, it was only fitting that the second-longest hockey game in high school history was declared a tie. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Marquette battled to a 1-1 tie through eight overtimes (109 minutes) and were declared Michigan’s Division I co-state champions. The record of 11 overtimes was set in 1955 when Minneapolis South outlasted Thief River Falls, 3-2, in Minnesota.
Mike Peterson gave Marquette a 1-0 lead nine minutes into the second period. Tim Hooker tied it with just 1:32 left in regulation. St. Mary’s goalie Ryan Morley-Stockton had 58 saves – a new Michigan championship-game record – while his counterpart, Jon Nezich, had 33 saves.
More Hockey Notes
* In Minnesota, where hockey truly is king, Maplewood Hill-Murray stunned the No. 1- and 2-ranked teams to win the Class AA state championship. The Pioneers upset top-ranked Roseau, 6-2, in the semifinals – snapping a 42-game winning streak – before blanking No. 2 Edina, 3-0, in the finals. Roseau also lost to Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 5-1, in the third-place game.
In the title game, captain Ryan Furne scored Hill-Murray’s first two goals before a crowd of 18,689 to help the No. 5 Pioneers (27-3-1) finish with a 15-game winning streak. Goalie Joe Phillippi took care of the rest with 31 saves – 15 in the second period alone. Phillippi, who won the prestigious Brimsek Award, had 34 saves against Roseau. Super Roseau defenseman Aaron Ness was named Mr. Hockey.
* Minnesota’s Class A state title went to Mendota Heights St. Thomas Academy, which defeated Duluth Marshall, 5-1. St. Thomas (26-5) had lost to Marshall, 8-2, during the regular season and also had suffered a double-overtime loss to the same team in last year’s state semifinals. Christian Isackson and James Saintey each scored a pair of goals for the champs, while Kurt Altrichter made 13 saves.
* In New York, Massena turned the tables on Camillus West Genesee to post a 3-2 victory in triple-overtime and win the Division I state title. Mike Mailhot fired in the winning goal as Massena avenged a 3-0 regular-season defeat…Webster Thomas (25-4) won the Division II title with a 5-2 victory over Clayton Thousand Islands. Senior winger Brett Bannon scored two goals and junior defenseman Joe Amico had one goal and two assists. Goalie Matt Soliammo made 16 saves.
Boys Basketball Notes
* St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) broke a tie with Central (Cheyenne, Wyo.) by routing Trenton Catholic, 74-44, to win its national-record 25th (non-public B) state championship. Coach Bob Hurley’s unbeaten Friars still have the Tournament of Champions to hurdle before claiming their well-deserved national championship.
* They’ll be telling tall tales in Texas for many years about Willie Warren. The 6-foot-4 senior guard scored 15 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter to spark Fort Worth North Crowley to a 73-67 victory over Sugar Land Dulles. A crowd of 12,323 watched the University of Oklahoma recruit dazzle with eight assists and three steals as the Panthers won their first Class 5A crown. North Crowley (38-1) won its last 35 games.
* Two nationally-ranked teams engaged in a “white knuckler” during the Georgia Class AAAAA state finals. Norcross (29-2) emerged the champion with a hard-fought 57-54 victory over Marietta Wheeler (30-3) for its third title in a row. It marked the first three-peat in Georgia’s largest classification since Lanier turned the trick from 1938-40. Al-Farouq Aminu led the champs with 17 points and six blocks.
* Turning to Louisiana, Greg Monroe finally got that elusive state championship. The talented 6-10 Georgetown recruit had 27 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks and three steals while sparking Harvey Helen Cox (36-7) to a 75-51 victory over New Orleans O.P. Walker for its first-ever Class 4A state title. Calvin Thompson added 21 points and 10 rebounds.
* Records tumbled during the Oklahoma state finals. Keiton Page pumped in 54 points and dished out 13 assists as Pawnee raced past Oklahoma Christian, 95-79, for the Class 2A crown. He finished the tourney with 138 points and 369 during his career. This year he scored 1,287 points for a prolific 44.38 average.
* In Oklahoma’s Class 3A finale, over 500 people had to be turned away. The state’s career scoring leader, Rotnei Clarke, put on his own show with 35 points and eight rebounds as Claremore Verdigris defeated Sequoyah-Tahlequah, 62-51, for its first title before a capacity crowd of 13,000. Clarke shot 12-for-24 from the field, including 5-for-10 from three-point range.
* Wauwatosa East (26-1) staged a major upset in Wisconsin with a 58-56 overtime victory against Madison Memorial before a crowd of 14,000 in the Division I finale. The star of the game, however, was the losers’ 6-5 Jeronne Maymon, who had 33 points, 17 rebounds and shot 14-for-23 from the field.
* Moving to Nebraska, Fremont Archbishop Bergan (27-0) defeated Humphrey St. Francis, 56-43, to win the Class D-1 state title. Wes Eikmeier, a 6-3 Iowa State recruit, scored a tourney-record 43 points, giving him a record 107 for the entire tournament. He also tied the record with 16 field goals in one game.
* Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) defeated Montrose Christian Academy (Rockville, Md.), 59-48, in Charlotte, N.C., but the real winner was Samaritan’s Feet, which received donations of shoes (admission price) for homeless and needy children. Steve Smith and Stu Vetter coached in bare feet. Senior guard Brandon Jennings paced the winners with 33 points and 10 steals, while 6-6 junior Terrell Vinson had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the losers.
* Senior guard Sean Mosley scored 35 points as St. Frances defeated Mount St. Joseph, 66-61, to win the Baltimore (Md.) Catholic League championship. The University of Maryland signee now has 2,844 points, which ties him with Quintin Dailey for No. 2 in Maryland history…Brad Tinsley of Oregon City has moved into the No. 2 career scoring position – behind Kevin Love – in Oregon history…Bud Gardler has retired at Cardinal O’Hara (Philadelphia, Pa.) after compiling a 560-413 record in 39 years as a head coach.
* Frankenmuth senior guard Brad Redford has been named Mr. Basketball in Michigan. The Xavier University recruit, who is one of the greatest free throw shooters in high school history, is averaging 37 points entering this week’s state quarterfinals.
* The University of Texas has received a commitment from very promising 6-8 sophomore Tristan Thompson of St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.). He is a native of Ontario, Canada…Aaron Ross, a 6-7, 205-pound freshman who averaged 13 points and seven rebounds for Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.), has pledged to attend the University of Arkansas…Auburn University has received a commitment from Andre Malone, a 6-4 junior guard who averaged 22 points at North Clayton (College Park, Ga.).
* An unsigned senior, 6-1 Daniel West, has committed to the University of Tennessee. The quick 6-1 guard averaged 18 points, nine assists and seven steals this year at Saginaw, Mich….Mesa, Ariz., senior forward Aaron Fuller has committed to the University of Iowa. The 6-7 standout averaged 24.1 points and 11.6 rebounds and set a school record with a 46-point game.
Girls Basketball Notes
* Indianola Gentry defeated Yazoo County, 52-44, to win its 78th straight game and second consecutive Mississippi Class 4A state title…Wilmington Ursuline defeated city foe St. Elizabeth, 47-33, before a crowd of 4,300 to win a Delaware-record 13th state championship. Superstar Elena Delle Donne had 20 points and 10 rebounds as Ursuline closed with a 15-game winning streak.
* Moving to Michigan, Saginaw Nouvel routed Galesburg-Augusta, 73-42, to win its second consecutive Class C state title. Junior Jenny Ryan led the champs with a title-game-record 12 steals. Ryan, who has committed to the University of Michigan, also had 15 points and four assists. Nouvel (24-1) won its last 22 games.
* In Connecticut, Career-New Haven won the Class LL state title with a 71-66 victory over New Britain as University of Hartford recruit Illicia Mathis exploded for 40 points – including 17 in the fourth quarter. For New Britain, 5-7 junior Symone Roberts had 36 points, while sophomore Tyler Kimball contributed 17 points and 20 rebounds.
* Pistol Pete Maravich dazzled the basketball world with his ball-handling wizardry and shooting brilliance and now we have a miniature female version in Shoni Schimmel of Hermiston, Ore. The flashy 5-9 sophomore point guard poured in 31 points, drilling 5-of-8 from three-point range, during an 83-64 victory over Wilsonville in the Class 5A state semifinals. Hermiston lost the state-title game, 67-58, to unbeaten Portland Jefferson, but Schimmel had 16 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Stay tuned!
* Kentucky is loaded with outstanding basketball players this year. University of Arkansas recruit Ceira Ricketts, who has been somewhat overlooked, stated her case with a quadruple-double (21 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals) as Fairdale defeated Louisville Pleasure Ridge Park, 64-43, in the Sixth Region Tournament. The 5-9 senior has had four career quadruple-doubles.
* Kellie Watson, a 6-2 guard from Ionia, has been named Miss Basketball in Michigan. Watson, a Notre Dame signee, scored 1,529 points in her career for a 19.1 average. Another Notre Dame recruit, Erica Solomon of Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day, was second in the voting…Ohio’s Miss Basketball honor went to University of Tennessee signee Amber Gray, a 6-1 forward who is averaging 18.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals for West Chester Lakota West.
* In West Virginia, Jolysa Brown was named State Player of the Year. The 6-1 senior averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals for perennial power Hinton Summers County…Iowa’s Miss Basketball is Jennifer Jorgensen of Burnside Southeast Webster-Grand. The 5-11 forward led the state in scoring (30.4) and assists (8.9) and finished No. 2 in Iowa history with 2,708 points.
Football Notes
* Mississippi’s Mr. Football, Darius “Tig” Barksdale, has signed with Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan. Barksdale, who ran for over 2,900 yards and 35 touchdowns for Class 5A state champion Batesville South Panola, previously had committed to the University of Mississippi…North Carolina has received a commitment from junior David Collins, a 6-7, 325-pound offensive tackle from East Forsyth (Kernersville, N.C.).
* Junior quarterback Russell Shepard of Cypress Ridge (Houston, Texas) has committed to LSU. Last fall the 6-2, 185-pounder ran for 1,525 yards and 18 touchdowns and passed for 794 yards and seven touchdowns…Another Texan, 6-0, 185-pound Garland Naaman Forest junior running back Jonathon Miller, has chosen the University of Oklahoma. Last fall he ran for 1,984 yards and 25 touchdowns.
* The University of Florida has received a commitment from a defensive tackle with great statistics. Gary Brown (6-3, 275) made 114 tackles and 26 sacks as a junior at West Gadsden in Greensboro, Fla…In-state running back Larry Caper has chosen Michigan State. The 5-11, 210-pounder ran for 1,473 yards (9.2 average) as a junior at Battle Creek Central.
* Penn Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) now has two head coaches following the promotion of assistant Ron Graham. Neil Gordon, who was fired, still officially is the head coach until his contract expires on June 30 and he is not going to leave quietly. After all, he had a great record the past 21 years and a lot of talent is returning for 2008…Forty-one players from 27 high schools and 12 states will represent the USA against Japan in the GE Global Challenge Bowl on Saturday, March 22, in Kawasaki, Japan. The game is expected to draw a crowd of 15,000 and will be on Japanese national television.
Wrestling Notes
* Easton, Pa., senior superstar Jordan Oliver completed a perfect 40-0 season by defeating Blue Mountain’s Josh Kindig, 4-2, to win the 130-pound Class AAA state championship. It marked only the fourth time in Pennsylvania history that a wrestler three-peated…In California, another superstar, Jason Welch of Walnut Creek Las Lomas, concluded his brilliant career with 132 consecutive victories and his third state title at 162 pounds.
* Scott Winston made history in New Jersey by becoming the first wrestler with more than 100 victories to not lose a match during his career. The Jackson senior won his third state title at 152 pounds and finished with a four-year record of 137-0. The Rutgers University recruit was named the state tournament’s most outstanding wrestler this year and last year (when he won at 145).
* Bennington Mount Anthony won its 20th consecutive Vermont state wrestling title, which is second only in prep history to the 24 won by Paulsboro, N.J. Scott Legacy was named Vermont coach of the year for the sixth time. Since 1989, the Patriots have compiled a glossy 331-14-2 record. They also have won the New England Championships six times and finished second on six other occasions.
* The California High School Wrestling Coaches Association has given its first annual “Inspirational Wrestler of the Year Award” to Cullen Fitzgibbons, a senior at Los Alamitos. Fitzgibbons, who has Down syndrome and was winless in 28 career matches, was given a standing ovation when he received the award at the state tournament…Bill Jacoutot of Spencerport, N.Y., was named Wrestling Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. He has a record of 335-28-1.
Baseball Notes
* Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.) blanked Nova (Davie, Fla.), 3-0, to win the prestigious ninth annual LaGrange (Ga.) Invitational. MVP honors went to the champs’ Chase Hawkins, a pitcher-first baseman.
* The key game came in the second round when Stephens County (Toccoa, Ga.) nipped American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 6-4, before an estimated 60 Major League scouts. Winning pitcher Ethan Martin (6-4, 215) averaged 97 miles per hour – with seven pitches at 99 – in a dazzling performance. He allowed four hits, four walks (three in the last inning) and struck out 12. American Heritage, which has seven Division I signees, left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning.
* Major League scouts also flocked to Orange, Calif., to take a close look at another fire-balling pitcher, Gerrit Cole of Orange Lutheran. Cole pitched the first seven innings – striking out 13 (eight in a row) and allowing just two hits – but Lutheran had to go 10 innings before nipping Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro, 1-0, to win the prestigious Newport Elks Tournament. Aaron Gates’ two-out double drove in Robby Vaughn to end a great pitching duel, which saw Tesoro’s Evan Finkenberg match Cole’s seven zeroes.
* Turning to Alabama, Irvington Bryant’s Blake Hanson belted a pair of three-run homers during a 10-6 victory over Pascagoula (Miss.) in the opener of a doubleheader. He then hit a grand-slam in the nightcap, but Bryant lost that one, 8-7, in eight innings. He drove in 12 runs during the twinbill.
* Valencia, Calif., has a superb freshman prospect in 6-0, 165-pound Christian Lopes, who is batting over .500 and can throw 90 miles per hour….Switching to Arizona, Glendale Cactus coach Mike Tirella recently notched his 200th career coaching victory.
Gymnastics Notes
* Shawn Johnson is back on top in world gymnastics. The sensational sophomore from Valley Southwoods (West Des Moines, Iowa) won all-around with 61.700 during the four-nation competition in Jesolo, Italy. Italy’s Vanessa Ferrari, who won the 2006 world all-around title, was second to Johnson in the senior women’s division with 60.100. Johnson also won vault (15,200), balance beam (16.200) and floor exercise (15.000).
The USA, which won both senior and junior team titles, also received a strong performance from Samantha Peszek, a sophomore at Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.), who placed third in senior all-around with 59.050. In the junior division, Americans Jordyn Wieber (DeWitt, Mich.) and Rebecca Bross (Plano, Texas) placed first and second in all-around with respective scores of 60.900 and 60.500.
Tennis Notes
* Mike Kypriss recently won his 1,000th match as a high school tennis coach in Miami, Fla. He coached 17 years at Killian and now is in his 10th year at Dr. Krop. He has won seven girls and five boys state championships. He has sent over 100 players to college on scholarships and two players into pro tennis. Current University of Miami women’s coach Paige Yaroshuk also played for him.
* After winning the Tennessee Class AAA state doubles title as freshmen and sophomores, Allison Hodges and M.C. Hooker appeared ready to add a couple more before graduation at Germantown Houston. However, Hooker has transferred to Germantown High and it appears they will be going head-to-head against each other at No. 1 singles for the next two years.
Potpourri
* The Arizona Interscholastic Association is going to hire a private investigator to make sure member schools are not violating state rules. Every coach will have to take part in a coaching education program aimed particularly at off-campus coaches. The state also wants to place time limits on freshman and JV baseball and softball games, but is leaving the final decision up to the state’s various conferences.
