By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
The up-and-coming sport of mixed martial arts took center stage Saturday night with former NCAA heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar knocking off legendary Randy Couture in the second round of Ultimate Fighting Challenge 91.
Lesnar is a rising star in the heavyweight division of UFC but he got his start on the wrestling mats at Webster High School in South Dakota. Webster is tied for the most Class B state championships (six) in South Dakota history but finished second during Lesnar’s senior year in 1996 despite the fact that he went 33-0 and captured a state title.
Lesnar went on to win the National Junior College Athletic Association championships in 1998 and won the NCAA heavyweight championship for the Minnesota Gophers in 2000. After a tryout in the NFL and a win over The Rock for the WWE title, Lesnar began training for mixed martial arts in 2004.
McConaughey, Lopez, Smith among Hollywood’s Most Handsome
Among the top 25 of Hollywood’s Most Handsome Men, as posted on Yahoo, you will find several actors with athletic backgrounds.
Will Smith came in at No. 23. His son Trey plays on the JV football team at Oaks Christian in Westlake Village. The varsity Lions completed a 10-0 season last week with a 62-8 win over Nordhoff.
Mario Lopez, meanwhile, is on the list at No. 15. The Chula Vista grad played wrestler A.C. Slater on Saved by the Bell in the 1990s, but he was also a high school wrestler himself, placing at the California state meet his senior year in 1990.
Matthew McConaughey makes the list at No. 24. Besides playing a coach in the movie We are Marshall, McConaughey is an avid supporter of the Texas Longhorns. His father reportedly played with the Green Bay Packers and McConaughey played football in high school at Longview High School. Longview is currently ranked No. 2 in the state of Texas in the MaxPreps/National Guard state rankings.
Burlington, Huntington make CDC health list
The city of Burlington, Vt., was deemed the healthiest city in the United States in a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meanwhile Huntington, W.Va., the home of the Marshall Thundering Herd, had the dubious distinction of being the unhealthiest city in America. However in football this year, Huntington had the healthier season, but just barely. The Highlanders posted a 1-9 record this year on the gridiron compared to 0-9 for Burlington. The other school in Huntington, Spring Valley, fared much better, going 7-4.
Huntington is known more for its basketball program, which won the Western Virginia state title in 2006 with O.J. Mayo. In 2007, without Mayo, the Highlanders had a less healthy 12-13 overall record, proving that more Mayo can be good for you (pun intended).
Burlington was much healthier in 2007, posting a 25-0 record in boys basketball. In fact, the Seahorses are 68-6 with two state titles over the last three seasons on the hardcourt.
Chris “Beanie” Wells soars over defenders
Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells caused a stir on YouTube this week with his spectacular run and hurdle over an Illinois defender. A Heisman Trophy candidate at the beginning of the season, Wells has missed time due to an injured foot early in the season.
Wells was a Parade All-American out of Garfield High School in Akron in 2005. He rushed for 2,134 yards and 27 touchdowns his senior season and was named the MVP of the Army All-American Bowl after scoring three touchdowns.
Brady Quinn looks for first win
Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn will make his second start of the season tonight against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
Quinn almost got a win over Denver in his first start last week, but fell 34-30. An Ohio native, Quinn was an All-American in high school at Dublin Coffman High School and in college at Notre Dame. At Dublin Coffman, Quinn threw for 2,200 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior and added 2,149 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior. At Notre Dame, he set 36 school records and won 29 games as a starter – the most in school history.
