Paul VI Catholic coach Scott Allen leads his team during an early season practice (Rafael Suanes, USA TODAY Sports)

Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) won its 11th consecutive Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I girls’ championship with a 70-49 victory against St. Anne’s-Belfield in Richmond.

“Eleven,” Paul VI coach Scott Allen told The Washington Post. “It’s pretty crazy.”

Paul VI opened up the margin in the second half after leading by six at halftime. According to The Post account, Mikalya Vaughn had 10 of her 17 points in the third quarter and Amira Collins had eight of her 16 in the fourth quarter. Vaughn is 6-3 and Collins is 6-3.

Paul VI finishes 32-2 with both losses coming to St. John’s (Washington, D.C.).

Paul VI was the No. 1 team in the Preseason Super 25 and is No. 3 this week behind Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and St. John’s.

Gable Stevenson (Photo: John Engler, Engler Images Photography)

Gable Stevenson from Apple Valley (Minn.) won his third consecutive state championship with a pin in 10 seconds of Brandon Frankfurth of Anoka.

Stevenson, who weighs about 245 pounds, was competing in the Class 3A 285-pound division.

“A heavyweight pinning somebody so quick really doesn’t happen,” Steveson told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Normally a heavyweight goes to triple-overtime, 0-0 match. So me going out there and putting on a show for the crowd, I think they really like it.”

Stevenson was among five midseason candidates for American Family Insurance ALL-USA Wrestler of the Year.

Three more invitations for the 2018 Under Armour All-America Game were earned Saturday when the Under Armour All-America Camp Series came to Miami.

• Gurvan Hall, from Palm Beach Lakes (Fla.), is a defensive back with 27 reported offers and ranked among the top 20 safeties. He showcased his skills and both safety and cornerback during the camp to earn the invitation.
• Robert Hicks, a former Auburn commit from Miami Central, is moving from defensive end to outside linebacker and observers noted that his athleticism was able to make up for his lack of experience.
• Elijah Moore, from St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), is an efficient receiver who is precise in his route running. Moore also recently was selected to The Opening Finals.

Two players earned invitations to the Future 50 camp:

• Tecory Couch, a 2019 cornerback from Chaminade Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.)
• Dontae Lucas, a 2019 offensive lineman from Miami High.

No. 9 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) won the CIF Southern Section Open Division championship Saturday night with a 70-55 victory against No. 11 Mater Dei (Santa Ana).

Montgomery (27-2) trailed 51-48 during the fourth quarter, but tied the score on three free throws by Oregon State signee Ethan Thompson. He then tore the house down with a dunk on Mater Dei’s 7-2 Bol Bol for a 53-48 advantage.

The lead grew to 62-51 on a pair of three-pointers and a three-point play by David Singleton.

Thompson, who scored 23, finished the game with a 360 dunk as seen above. Singleton had 21.

“We played with a lot of heart,” Bishop Montgomery coach Doug Mitchell told The Los Angeles Times. “We hit a cold spell where we couldn’t get any shots to go down, but the guys kept playing through it.”

Pairings for the State Open Division Southern Regionals come out Sunday and Montgomery will be the No. 1 seed.

Macklemore (Photo: John Salangsang, Associated Press)

Washington-born singer and songwriter Macklemore took to Twitter on Sunday to congratulate the No. 1-ranked Nathan Hale (Seattle) basketball team on winning the 3A state title.

Macklemore has been following the team and was in attendance for a nationally televised game against Metro League rival Garfield earlier this season.

Hale beat Garfield for the fourth time on Saturday to clinch the school’s first state basketball title.

The 2018 Under Armour All-America Game picked up commitments from three stars from three-time Super 25 champion Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) — quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, tight end Brevin Jordan and running back Kirby Bennett.

The players referenced “starting a new tradition” after Gorman had four players, including quarterback Tate Martell, participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this year.

USC commit Palaie Goateote, ranked as the No. 1 inside linebacker in the nation, has committed to the Army Bowl.

Thompson-Robinson is ranked as the No. 2 player in Nevada, Jordan is No. 3 and Bennett is No. 5 after transferring from Allen, Texas.

St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) won its second consecutive D.C. State Athletic Association championship with a 63-51 victory against Georgetown Visitation.

St. John’s, ranked No. 2 in the Super 25, closed the game with a 15-1 run to pull away after the teams had split the title games over the last two years.

Visitation led 50-48 in the fourth quarter before St. John’s took the lead on a three-pointer by Aisha Sheppard and surged to victory.

Malu Tshitenge-Mutombo, the championship MVP, had 17 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes of action.

Sammy Watson set the national high school record in the 1,000 meters (Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)

Sammy Watson of Rush-Henrietta (Henrietta, N.Y.) broke her own national high school record in her fourth-place finish in the finals of the 1,000 meters at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.

Watson finished in 2 minutes, 40.72 seconds on Sunday. Charlene Lipsey won the race in 2:37.97.

Her Sunday time broke the record she set Saturday in preliminaries of 2:43.18 by 2.46 seconds.

Before Watson’s big weekend, Sarah Bowman (now Brown) held the national high school record of 2:43.43. She set the time in 2005.

Watson didn’t compete in the New York State Championships due to a scheduling conflict with the USATF races.

The standout senior also holds the national high school records in the 600 meter (1:27.13) and the 800 meter (2:01.78) — all of which she set this indoor season.

Contributing: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

North Central (Powers, Mich.) finished its third consecutive undefeated regular season and ran the nation’s longest active boys basketball winning streak to 75 games with an 89-52 victory against Bark River-Harris on Saturday.

The streak moved to 76 games as North Central opened district play with a 72-44 victory against Carney-Nadeau on Monday.

The school eclipsed the state record for consecutive wins when it won its 66th game in a row in late January. The previous mark was set by Chassell, another Upper Peninsula school, from February 1956 to November 1958.

North Central has not lost since a state Class D quarterfinal in 2014.

North Central has just 112 students but has won consecutive state Class D boys basketball titles and eight-man football titles the past two years.

Nathan Hale forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) stands with other starters at the bench in the final seconds of the second half of the Washington state boys’ 3A high school basketball championship against Garfield (Photo: Ted S. Warren, Associated Press)

Nathan Hale (Seattle) remains in the top spot in the Super 25 Computer boys basketball rankings, but there was a shuffling behind the Raiders.

Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), which had been No. 3, moved up a spot to No. 2, followed by Chino Hills (Calif.), which had been No. 4.

RELATED: Full computer rankings searchable by state

Champlin Park (Minn.) is up a spot to No. 4 and Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) fell from No. 2 to No. 5 after losing to Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) in the Southern Section Open Division final. Bishop Montgomery, which jumped five spots last week to No. 9, moves up two more to No. 7.

IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) remains at No. 6. Montverde Academy (Fla.) is No. 8 after Bishop Montgomery. Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) is No. 9, followed by Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.).

Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) moves down a spot and starts the second 10, followed by La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), Memphis East (Tenn.), Grand Rapids Christian (Mich.) and The Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.).

Apple Valley (Minn.) checks in at No. 16, with Damien (La Verne, Calif.), Klein Forest (Houston), McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Maple Grove (Minn.) rounding out the top 20.

The final five are Lakeville North (Minn.), Skyline (Dallas), Jonesboro (Ark.), Evanston (Ill.) and Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.).

The Super 25 Computer Boys Basketball rankings are provided by Ken Massey. The five regions mirror those used in the Expert Rankings — Northeast, Midwest, South, Frontier and Pacific.

The number after each school indicates where it is ranked overall nationally, according to the computer.

MORE: Computer rankings searchable by state

EAST
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine

1. Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia), 9
2. Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.), 15
3. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), 25
4. St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, N.J.), 30
5. Archbishop Wood (Philadelphia), 32
6. Rock Creek Christian (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 39
7. Linden (N.J.), 41
8. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 60
9. Henry Wise (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 62
10. Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore), 74

SOUTH
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and Louisiana

1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 6
2. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 8
3. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 10
4. Memphis East (Tenn.), 13
5. McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 19
6. Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.), 26
7. Brentwood Academy (Tenn.), 27
8. Hamilton Heights Christian (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 42
9. Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 44
10. Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.), 46

MIDWEST
Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota

1. Champlin Park (Minn.), 4
2. La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), 12
3. Grand Rapids Christian (Mich.), 14
4. Apple Valley (Minn.), 16
5. Maple Grove (Minn.), 20
6. Lakeville North (Lakeville, Minn.), 21
7. Evanston (Ill.), 24
8. Oshkosh North (Wis.), 28
9. Edwardsville (Ill.), 35
10. Simeon (Chicago), 37

FRONTIER
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming

1. Klein Forest (Houston), 18
2. Skyline (Dallas), 22
3. Jonesboro (Ark.), 23
4. Cy Falls (Houston), 33
5. Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), 52
6. Wagner (San Antonio), 54
7. Houston Math Science and Tech (Houston), 56
8. Chatfield (Littleton, Colo.), 61
9. Lone Peak (Highland, Utah), 63
10. George Washington (Denver), 64

PACIFIC
California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Hawaii, Oregon, Alaska

1. Nathan Hale (Seattle), 1
2. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 2
3. Chino Hills (Calif.), 3
4. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 5
5. Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.), 7
6. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 11
7. Damien (La Verne, Calif.), 17
8. Birmingham (Van Nuys, Calif.), 29
9. Shadow Mountain (Phoenix), 31
10. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), 34

Connecticut’s Katie Lou Samuelson makes one of her 10 three-pointers against South Florida during the first half of the AAC Tournament championship game.
(Photo: David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports)

Katie Lou Samuelson, the 2015 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Player of the Year, unleashed a record-setting shooting performance Monday in the American Athletic Conference tournament final.

Samuelson, now at Connecticut, was 10-for 10 from beyond the three-point line, which is a Division I record for most consecutive made 3-point baskets. Her 40 points in the 100-44 win against South Florida is also a tournament record.

Equally impressive, perhaps, is that Samuelson did all this while playing just 28 total minutes, and only eight in the second half.

One person not particularly surprised by Samuelson’s performance was her high school coach at Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Kevin Kiernan.

“A great performance especially in a conference championship game,” Kiernan said. “Nothing Lou does shooting-wise will ever surprise me, but last night was special. 10-for-10 is amazing!”

USA TODAY High School Sports is unveiling the American Family Insurance ALL-USA High School Preseason Softball Team for 2016-17. Players were selected based on high school performance, level of competition and strength of schedule.

The team has five pitchers, two catchers, six infielders, three outfielders and four utility players. There are also five honorable mention selections.

MORE: Five more names to watch

California boasts nine of the 25 selections, led by shortstop Bri Perez from Alhambra (Martinez, Calif.), rated as the No. 1 player in the Class of 2017 by FloSoftball.com. Kentucky, New Jersey and Texas all have two players on the team, while Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia and Wisconsin each have one.

Note that more than a half dozen states, including Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma, play high school softball in the fall. Players who have already completed their 2016-17 seasons are not recognized on this list but are eligible for inclusion on the year-end ALL-USA High School Softball Team.

LOOKBACK:  2016 ALL-USA High School Preseason Softball Team

SUPER 25: Preseason softball rankings for this season

Click the photo gallery below to see the preseason team:

USA TODAY High School Sports is unveiling the American Family Insurance ALL-USA High School Preseason Softball Team for 2016-17. Players were selected based on high school performance, level of competition and strength of schedule.

MORE:  ALL-USA High School Preseason Softball Team

LOOKBACK:  2016 ALL-USA High School Preseason Softball

SUPER 25: Preseason Softball Rankings

Click the photo gallery below to see the five more players to watch:

Riverdale senior Anastasia Hayes (Photo: DNJ.com)

Tennessee signees Anastasia Hayes and Evina Westbrook lead the Naismith Trophy High School Girls All-America team released Wednesday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

The Lady Vols were the only program with two first-team selections.

Hayes is a senior point guard for Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), which is ranked No. 1 in the Super 25 Expert rankings. Westbrook is a senior guard for South Salem (Salem, Ore.).

Megan Walker, a UConn signee who just passed 2,000 career points, also was named to the first team. Walker from Monacan (Chesterfield, Va.) is considered the No. 1 player in the Class of 2017.

Rellah Booth, a Texas signee from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), and Dana Evans, a point guard from West Side (Gary, Ind.) who is signed with Louisville, round out the first team.

In all, the Naismith Trophy selected three teams and 14 honorable mentions.

The first two teams were all seniors and two juniors were named to the third team.

Clovis West has taken over the top spot in the latest Super 25 Computer rankings. (Photo: Nick Baker, The Clovis Roundup)

Clovis West (Calif.), winners of 14 consecutive games, have moved into the top spot of the latest Super 25 Computer girls basketball rankings.

RELATED: Full computer rankings searchable by state

The previous No. 1, Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), dropped to No. 3, one spot behind Centennial (Las Vegas). Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) and St. John’s College (Washington D.C.) round out the top five.

Miami Country Day dropped a spot to No. 6, followed by Duncanville (Texas), Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Grandview (Aurora, Colo.) and Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.).

St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) starts the second 10, followed by Mesquite (Gilbert, Ariz.), Long Beach (Calif.) Poly, Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), and Fayetteville (Ark).

Butler (Louisville) comes in at No. 16, then Monacan (Chesterfield, Va.), Seton Catholic (Chandler, Ariz.), Edwardsville (Ill.), and Timberview (Arlington, Texas).

Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.) starts the final five, followed by Amarillo (Texas), Norcross (Ga.), Homestead (Fort Wayne, Ind.), and Etiwanda (Calif.).

The Super 25 Computer Girls Basketball rankings are provided by Ken Massey. The five regions mirror those used in the Expert Rankings — East, South, Midwest, Frontier and Pacific.

The number after each school indicates where it is ranked overall nationally, according to the computer.

SUPER 25 COMPUTER: Full rankings searachable by state

EAST
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine

1. Saint John’s (Washington, D.C.), 5
2. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), 11
3. Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.), 21
4. McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.), 27
5. St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.), 38
6. Ursuline Academy (Wilmington, Del.), 39
7. National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Md.), 44
8. Manasquan (N.J.), 48
9. St. John Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.), 63
10. Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.), 65

SOUTH
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and Louisiana

1. Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 3
2. Miami Country Day (Fla.), 6
3. Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 8
4. Hamilton Heights Christian (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 14
5. Monacan (Richmond, Va.), 17
6. Norcross (Ga.), 23
7. Saint Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.), 32
8. Bradley Central (Cleveland, Tenn.), 35
9. McEachern (Ga.), 45
10. Holy Innocents (Atlanta), 49

MIDWEST
Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota

1. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 10
2. Butler (Louisville), 16
3. Edwardsville (Ill.), 19
4. Homestead (Fort Wayne, Ind.), 24
5. Strafford (Mo.), 28
6. Elk River (Minn.), 30
7. North Central (Indianapolis), 31
8. Male (Louisville), 36
9. Lombard-Montini (Lombard, Ill.), 43
10. Lincoln Christian (Neb.), 46

FRONTIER
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming

1. Duncanville (Texas), 7
2. Grandview (Aurora, Colo.), 9
3. Fayetteville (Ark.), 15
4. Timberview (Arlington, Texas), 20
5. Amarillo (Texas), 22
6. Canyon (Texas), 26
7. North Little Rock (Ark.), 34
8. Argyle (Texas), 42
9. Little Rock Central (Ark.), 47
10. Clear Springs (Texas), 58

PACIFIC
California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Hawaii, Oregon, Alaska

1. Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.), 1
2. Centennial (Las Vegas), 2
3. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose), 4
4. Mesquite (Gilbert, Ariz.), 12
5. Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 13
6. Seton Catholic (Chandler, Ariz.), 18
7. Etiwanda (Calif.), 25
8. Mission Hills (San Marcos, Calif.), 29
9. Windward (Los Angeles), 33
10. Harvard-Westlake (Hollywood, Calif.), 37

DeAndre Ayton left) and Mo Bamba battle during the City of Palms (Photo: (Photo: Kinfay Moroti, The News-Press)

Washington signee Michael Porter Jr., Arizona signee DeAndre Ayton and Duke pledge Wendell Carter lead the 2017 Naismith High School Boys’ All-American team announced Wednesday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

Porter is a small forward from Seattle’s Nathan Hale, the No. 1 team in the Super 25 expert rankings, while Ayton is a senior center out of Phoenix’s Hillcrest Academy and Carter is a power forward at Atlanta’s Pace Academy.

Rounding out the all-senior first team are Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) senior center Mohamed Bamba from Harlem, N.Y., and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) senior point guard Trevon Duval from Wilmington, Del.

In all, the Naismith Trophy selected three teams with 15 honorable mentions. There are two Duke commits in the first three teams, with Gary Trent Jr. out of Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) making the third team.

The first team is made up of all seniors, while the second team has two juniors. The third team has a junior and one sophomore.

South Torrance (Calif.) baseball star Jesse Esphorst was killed Tuesday night in a three-car accident that has left his father in intensive care and one driver facing a vehicular manslaughter charge.

Police are searching for the identity of a second driver, who fled the scene, according to the Daily Breeze.

Esphorst and his father were returning from dinner when two cars sped through a red light and hit them, the paper reports. Jesse had earlier helped South Torrance to a 13-3 win, contributing a home run.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Esphorst, a 16-year-old sophomore, was considered one of the top players in the area.

On Wednesday, mourners gathered at the baseball field.

“It’s incredibly tragic,” coach Grady Sain said, according to the Times. “The school has counselors in place. We’re really allowing the students to go through the grieving process. We’ve opened up the baseball field as a place to congregate and do what they need to do. Right now, the school is grieving.”

A fund has been set up to help the Esphorst family. Jesse’s younger brother, Cody, has been battling cancer and other illnesses for years.

A report released this week by the Lewisville (Texas) school district says that Hebron (Carrolton, Texas) girls soccer coach Eric Ramirez helped plan ‘kidnappings’ as part of a hazing ritual.

At the very least, according to the report, Ramirez knew the events were going on and did nothing to stop them. The report was detailed in a thorough story published Wednesday by the Dallas Morning News.

Here are a few details of the kidnapping, from the Morning News:

On Dec. 8, the girls were collected from their homes and had their mouths duct-taped, their eyes covered with panties and their hands bound behind their backs with zip ties or tape, according to the district.

The girls were driven to a park by their teammates, who strapped them together with plastic wrap and sprayed them with silly string and water during the first cold snap of the winter, the district said.

Ramirez, who was fired from his coaching position and reassigned, denies knowing about the incidents. He has since alleged that he is being discriminated against because of his ethnicity, noting that white coaches had been involved in similar events and not disciplined as harshly.

Former players and parents are divided on Ramirez, though more than 1,500 people have signed an online petition asking that he be reinstated.