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Midseason ALL-USA High School Softball Player of the Year candidates

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As high school softball teams reach midseason or shortly thereafter in some area, it’s time to look at midseason candidates for American Family Insurance ALL-USA High School Softball Player of the Year.

The honor will be determined in after state championships are decided and seasons end throughout the nation.

RELATED: ALL-USA High School Preseason Softball Team

This list is not exhaustive; someone not on it could be named the Player of the Year. After all, there’s still plenty of softball to come.

Click the gallery to see the candidates (stats are entering the week):


See what Clemson commit Xavier Thomas tweeted to top WRs recruits on draft night

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With Mike Williams’ selection by the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 7 overall in the NFL Draft on Thursday, Clemson had a wide receiver chosen in the first round for the third time in the last five years. The fact was noted by Clemson football’s Twitter feed.

It did not go unnoticed by Xavier Thomas, an IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) defensive end who is ranked as the No. 2 player in the Class of 2018.

Thomas is a Clemson commit. He took Clemson’s tweet and tagged Justyn Ross and Brennan Eagles. Ross from Central (Phenix City, Ala.) is ranked as the No. 5 wide receiver in the class. Eagles from Alief Taylor (Houston) is ranked as the No. 4 wide receiver in the class.

Ross has 21 reported offers and spent last weekend on an unofficial visit to Alabama for the spring game. Eagles announced in late February that he was shutting down his recruitment to focus on 10 schools. Clemson was not among them.

Here is Thomas’ tweet:

Virginia commit B.J. Mack to transfer to Oak Hill Academy

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B.J. Mack, a 6-8 sophomore committed to Virginia, is transferring from Charlotte (N.C.) Christian to Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.,) his father told The Charlotte Observer.

Mack, who will begin taking classes at Oak Hill in the fall, was invited to a tryout two weeks ago and was offered a spot afterward.

RELATED: B.J. Mack happy that he committed so early

“B.J. had dreams of trying to be the best basketball player he can be,” Brian Mack told The Observer, “and going to a prestigious school like Oak Hill gives him the best opportunity to do that.

“A very good friend of mine talked to me in these terms: if B.J. had a talent and that talent were mathematics and science and he had a chance to study at one of the best institutions in the country for that talent with some of the top instructors in the country, this would be a no-brainer.”

Oak Hill will be Mack’s third school in as many years. He was at Charlotte Catholic as a freshman and is currently finishing the school year at Charlotte Christian.

Arkansas pitcher throws perfect game with 19 strikeouts

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Bentonville (Ark.) is ranked No. 9 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Super 25 and is 23-1.

A lot of that success can be attributed to pitcher Maddy Prough, who added another entry on her list of successes with a perfect game Thursday with a school-record 19 strikeouts in a 1-0 victory against Rogers.

The previous school record was 18 by Faith Lund and her personal best was 16.

MORE: Calif. pitcher throws perfect game and hits for cycle in same game

The other two outs were recorded on a pop-out to third and a line drive up the middle caught by the second baseman.

Bentonville’s lone run came in the fifth inning as Megan Crownover drove in a runner from first.

NaLyssa Smith is ranked No. 3 in Class of 2018 but still feels #slepton

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NaLyssa Smith is ranked as the No. 3 player in the Class of 2018 by ESPN, but that hasn’t changed anything. Just look at her Twitter feed where this week she pinned this hashtag: #slepton.”

“I do feel I’m still slept on, even though coaches know me and have heard of me,” she said.

For a player who has been wowing observers since she was about 5 years old, it’s a unique statement, but also a clear indication that the work never stops, no matter where she is ranked.

Smith has multiple offers and said she is down to a top 9 and is taking visits. Her top four in no order: South Carolina, Louisville, Ohio State and Baylor.

A 6-foot-4 junior forward for East Central (Converse, Texas), Smith is playing this summer for the adidas-sponsored SA Finest program. The program’s Class of 2017 had double-digit scholarship players moving on to college.

Smith was a double-double machine for East Central.

“I am hoping to work on taking people off the dribble more and finish around the basket,” she said of her goals for the summer.

Smith got attention for dunking in a practice video last season, and immediately shut down those who said she was dunking on nine-foot rims by noting that she was dunking on nine-foot rims in eighth grade.

“I’m up there still, but I’m still trying to get a big one during AAU,” she said.

Watch NY Giants draft pick win HS state wrestling title in 9 seconds

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Dalvin Tomlinson was selected with the No. 55 pick by the New York Giants in the NFL Draft on Friday night. As good as a high school football player as he was for Henry County High (McDonough, Ga.), he might have been a wrestler.

Tomlinson, who played defensive line at Alabama, went 49-0 as a senior and 169-2 in his high school career. He is the first wrestler in state history to win three career state heavyweight titles.

And how did he cap it off – pinning his opponent in the Class AAA state championship match in nine seconds. Yes, nine seconds.

In football, he had 119 tackles as a senior with 12 sacks and 28 tackles for loss. He was ranked as the No. 22 defensive tackle in the Class of 2012 by 247Sports.

In high school, he was listed as 6-3 and 270 pounds. He also played the trumpet and the snare drum and had 3.9 grade point average.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is latest from Long Beach Poly to USC to NFL

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The amazing football trifecta of Long Beach Poly to USC to the NFL continued Friday night.

Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 62 in the NFL Draft, he became the 19th player to take that path, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Among that group are linebacker Willie McGinest, defensive back Mark Carrier,

Smith-Schuster, the youngest player in the draft at age 20, watched the draft with his family in Southern California.

 

“JuJu’s senior year he looked like an NFL safety, like the day he graduated he already looked like an NFL safety,” current Poly coach Antonio Pierce told the Orange County Register.

Nike EYBL: Team Penny's Jordan Johnson with crazy game-winner

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Team Penny’s Jordan Johnson hit a game-winner with 1.4 seconds left to beat Team CP3 on Friday night as the second weekend of Nike EYBL action got underway.

Johnson, a 6-foot guard from Memphis Central, finished with nine points in the 69-68 victory.

In five games on the circuit so far, he is averaging 10.8 points and shooting 58.9% from the field.

 


Three former ALL-USA football players drafted on Day 3 of NFL Draft

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More former American Family Insurance ALL-USA football players heard their names called Saturday in the fourth through seventh round of the NFL Draft. Here are those picks:

RELATED: Six former ALL-USA players chosen in Round 1 

MORE: Eight former ALL-USA players selected in Round 2-3

FOURTH ROUND

No. 108, Green Bay, Vince Biegel, OLB  –  Wisconsin – Lincoln (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.)  – ALL-USA First Team, 2011: Biegel is Wisconsin through and through from state player of the year in high school to 40 starts for the Badgers and now the Packers. He finished with 19 1/2 career sacks for Wisconsin.

No. 137, Indianapolis, Zach Banner, OT  – USC – Lakes (Lakewood, Wash.) – ALL-USA First Team, 2010 and 2011: The son of Lincoln Kennedy, he follows his father into the NFL and will be served with helping to protect Andrew Luck. At 6-8 and 353, he was among the biggest players in the draft.

SEVENTH ROUND

No. 247, Green Bay, Malachi Dupre, WR  – LSU – John Curtis Christian (River Ridge, La.) – ALL-USA First Team, 2013: Dupre decided not to return for his senior season at LSU and then head to sweat it out until the seventh round. He had thought he was worthy of a Day 2 pick based on his 4.46 at LSU’s Pro Day. For his college career, he caught 98 passes for 1,609 yards and 14 touchdowns.

 

VIDEO: Top plays from Nike EYBL: Indiana, Day 2

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Courtesy of ItsOvertime.com, here are the top 10 plays from Day 2 of the Nike EYBL Session 2 in Westfield, Ind.:

RELATED: Here are the top plays from Day 1

Flo Thamba (Team United)

Alex Lomax/Ryan Boyce (Team Penny)

Kofi  Cockburn (NY Rens)

Emmitt Williams (E1T1)

Bol Bol (Cal Supreme)

Jairus Hamilton (Georgia Stars)

Keion Brooks (Spiece Indy Heat)

Coby White (Team CP3)

RJ Barrett (U Play Canada)

Taeshon Cherry (Oakland Soldiers)

Oregon leads weekend recruiting winners with six commits

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On the heels of more spring games, more college programs landed college commitments.

Oregon 

The Ducks had a strong contingent of prospects on hand for its spring game and got several commitments Saturday and Sunday.

Dawson Jaramillo, ranked as the No. 4 player in the state of Oregon, committed. A four-star offensive tackle from Lake Oswego, Jaramillo is 6-5, 295 and the No. 15 offensive tackle in the Class of 2018.

Adrian Jackson, ranked as the No. 1 player in Colorado and the No. 7 outside linebacker in the nation, also committed to the Ducks. Jackson from Mullen (Denver) chose Oregon from among 13 offers.

Four-star defensive back Isaiah Bolden also committed. Bolden, a former Florida State commit from Wesley Chapel (Zephyrhills, Fla.), is ranked as the No. 18 cornerback in the class.

Three-star tight end Spencer Webb also joined the Ducks on Saturday. Webb, who is 6-5 and 235, had seen a surge in his recruiting with 17 offers. Ranked as the No. 63 tight end in the class, he is from Christian Brothers (Sacramento, Calif.).

On Sunday, four-star running back Jamal Elliott from Hillside (N.C.) added his name to the list. He is ranked as the No. 11 running back in the class.

Four-star Steve Stephens, the highest-ranked of Oregon’s weekend commits, announced his choice Sunday as well. Stephens, from Edison (Fresno, Calif.), is ranked as the No. 7 safety, No. 10 player in California regardless of position and No. 78 player overall. He chose Oregon from among 13 reported offers.

Baylor

Three-star wide receiver Mark Milton committed to the Bears. Milton is 6-1 and 175 from Clear Brook (Friendswood, Texas). He chose Baylor from among eight offers.

Safety JT Woods from Cibolo Steele (Texas) committed Sunday afternoon. One of the nation’s top hurdlers, Woods is 6-3 and 175. Baylor was his lone Power 5 conference offer.

Boston College

The Eagles landed New Jersey quarterback Johnny Langan, a 6-3 pro-style passer from Bergen Catholic (Oradell).

Langan threw for nearly 2,000 yards last season with 19 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran for four scores.

Texas A&M

Seth Small, the No. 7 kicker and No. 2 punter in the nation by Kohl’s Kicking, committed to the Aggies. The school could be in need of specialists soon and Small, from Katy (Texas), provides someone who can do both. He is Texas A&M’s first commitment since December.

Minnesota

New coach P.J. Fleck continues to add commits with three-star Mariano Sori-Marin, an outside linebacker from Providence Catholic (New Lennox, Ill.). He had eight offers, including several in the Ivy League.

 

Micah Parsons, No. 3 overall player, leads five invitees to Opening Final

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Five players from four state were invited to The Opening Finals after Sunday’s regional event at the New York Jets’ practice facility in New Jersey.

The Opening Finals are in July at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore.

  • Micah Parsons, the No. 3 player overall in the Class of 2018. A defensive tackle from Harrisburg (Pa.), he recently decommitted from Penn State.
  • Justin Shorter, a Penn State commit wide receiver from South Brunswick, N.J. He is ranked as the No. 3 player in New Jersey and the No. 16 receiver overall by the 247Sports Composite.
  • Jeremy Ruckert, a tight end from Lindenhurst, N.Y., who is ranked as the No. 2 tight end in the nation and the No. 1 player overall in New York.
  • Jayson Ademilola, a Notre Dame commit defensive tackle from St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.). He is ranked as the No. 6 player in New Jersey and No. 21 defensive tackle in the nation.
  • PJ Mustipher, a defensive tackle from MdDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.). He is ranked as the No. 9 defensive tackle and No. 5 player in Maryland.

Chino Hills (Calif.) basketball coach posts video in response to firing

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Stephen Gilling was let go as the Chino Hills (Calif.) boys basketball coach after one season with a 30-3 record, though the Huskies fell earlier than expected in the CIF state playoffs.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Chino Hills apparently split with Gilling on Thursday. The program helped put LaVar Ball’s three sons Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo on the map.

Gilling, in his first public comments, posted a video.

Here is the text of his message:

“Hello everyone, I just wanted to make this video. Something short and sweet. I didn’t want to talk to any reporters and stuff like that. As of yesterday, I was relieved of my duties at Chino Hills High School. Feeling relieved about it. And I just want to give a shoutout to the players. Good luck to you guys. I know you have a lot of success coming to you in the future. I’m praying for you and God bless.”

LaVar Ball took multiple shots at Gilling via public channels during the season, including direct broadsides such as “Gilling can’t coach,” and, “My boys don’t want to play for him.”

Gilling told For The Win of an incident at an event in Las Vegas when he felt LaVar Ball undermined him, telling at players from the stands to play defense differently than Gilling was instructing.

“I’m just trying to be positive,” Gilling said. “I’m not all that worried about what he’s saying, but I want to let the people know that it was tough throughout the whole year, starting with that one game.

“It was that much harder to bring the guys together after that game. Other than that, I’m fine. I came into this position ready to coach and do what I do. I’m still ready to continue coaching in the future for sure.”

Read more from For The Win

Four members of Detroit Cass Tech secondary get NFL opportunity

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The Detroit Cass Tech football team went 12-2 in 2012, eventually winning the Michigan state championship.

Among the reasons for that success: a defensive backfield with all four members now potentially in the NFL.

  • Delano Hill was selected in the third round by the Seattle Seahawks with the No. 95 overall pick. Hill was projected as a fifth- or sixth-round pick. But he ran really fast at the NFL scouting combine as one of the top five safeties and that opened more doors, especially considering he proved his run-stopping ability with the Wolverines. “Running that 4.47 40 at the combine certainly got everybody’s attention,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said on the telecast.
  • Jourdan Lewis from Michigan was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 92 pick. Lewis was arrested in March on misdemeanor domestic violence charges. Lewis has said he will be exonerated. A trial is scheduled for July.
  • DaQuan Pace, who went to Eastern Michigan, was invited to the Cincinnati Bengals mini-camp after going undrafted. Pace, the school’s career leader in pass breakups with 28, had 50 tackles last season and a team-high three interceptions.
  • DeJuan Rogers, who went to Toledo, was invited to the Chicago Bears mini-camp. A two-time All-MAC safety, he had 94 tackles last season and was a team captain.

 

ALL-USA First Team wrestler Jarod Verkleeren picks Penn State

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Jarod Verkleeren, a member of the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Wrestling First Team, has committed to Penn State.

Verkleeren, a 145-pounder from Hempfield Area (Greensburg, Pa.), had signed with Iowa State but was granted his release in March.

He missed four weeks with a knee injury but he returned as strong as ever and claimed the Pennsylvania Class AAA state title. The runner-up at the Cadet National Championships last summer, Verkleeren was 29-1 on the season with his only loss at 152 pounds against Second Team All-American Cameron Coy.


ALL-USA Watch: Texas runner Sam Worley joins exclusive club

Four-star safety commits to Oakland Raiders ... and then Oregon

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Oregon had a big football recruiting weekend with six commits in the Class of 2018 on the heels of its spring game.

Among them was four-star Steve Stephens, the highest-ranked of Oregon’s weekend commits. Stephens, from Edison (Fresno, Calif.), is ranked as the No. 7 safety, No. 10 player in California regardless of position and No. 78 player overall. He chose Oregon from among 13 reported offers.

But before he chose Oregon by donning a hat during a passing game event, he put on the hat of another team: the Oakland Raiders.

Clearly, Stephens has a good sense of humor …

VIDEO: Scottie Lewis continues to show he's a special guard

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Scottie Lewis, the No. 1 shooting guard in the Class of 2019, is stringing together highlight plays on the Under Armour Association circuit for Team Rio.

But Lewis is showing an understanding of the game and maturity beyond his years.

Lewis, from the Ranney School in New Jersey, has 18 reported offers and has an unofficial visit planned to Kentucky this week. Lewis will visit UK with fellow sophomore high school and AAU teammate Brian Antoine, ranked as the top combo guard.

See Lewis’ highlights from this weekend in Indianapolis

Houston (Tenn.) surges into Top 5 of Super 25 spring boys soccer rankings

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Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) outscored its last three opponents 19-1 and surged into the USA TODAY Sports/National Soccer Coaches Association of America Super 25 for boys spring soccer.

The Mustangs, now 12-0-1, have won 11 consecutive games after a tie in the second game of the season and is ranked No. 5.

RELATED: Full Super 25 Rankings

The top four teams remain the same: Wando (Mount Pleasant, S.C.), Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee, Ga.), Dalton (Ga.) and McIntosh (Peachtree City, Ga.).

Edmond North (Okla.) jumped from No. 18 to No. 7 and Archbishop McCarthy (Everett, Wash.) moved from No. 16 to No. 8.

Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) enters the Super 25 at No. 10 among newcomers. Battlefield (Haymarket, Va.) is No. 13, Westside (Omaha, Neb.) is No. 15, Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville) is No. 17, Patriot (Nokesville, Va.) is No. 19, Carrollton (Ga.) is No. 20, Tulsa Union (Okla.) is No. 21, Todd Beamer (Federal Way, Wash.) is no. 23 and Mercer Island (Wash.) is No. 25.

VIDEO: 'Jelly' Fam comes to Under Armour Association stop in Indy

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Jahvon Quinerly, ranked as the No. 7 point guard in the Class of 2018, continues to show out during the Under Armour Association summer circuit.

Quinerly, from Hudson Catholic in New Jersey, led SportsU to a 4-0 record at the second session in Indianapolis.

Here are his highlights via HoopDiamonds:

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