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New Jersey softball pitcher Chelsea Howard strikes out 19 in perfect game

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A South Jersey softball pitcher threw a perfect game with 19 strikeouts Monday, according to The Press of Atlantic City.

Chelsea Howard led Lacey Township (Lanoka Harbor, N.J.) to a 9-0 victory against Southern Regional (Manahawkin) by recording all but two outs by strikeout.

She also had a big day at the plate — 2-for-3, home run, three runs batted in, three runs scored.


Barrington (Ill.), Westminster (Ga.) make moves in Super 25 girls spring soccer rankings

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Barrington (Ill.) and Westminster Schools (Atlanta) were the big movers in the USA TODAY Sports/National Soccer Coaches Association of America Super 25 for girls spring soccer.

Barrington moves up from No. 14 to No. 4; Westminster moves up from No. 15 to No. 5.

RELATED: Full Super 25 Spring Girls Soccer Rankings

Barrington’s move comes after a 3-2 victory against Naperville, which had been No. 4 in the Super 25. Naperville dropped to No. 7 with the loss. Barrington’s lone loss on a 16-1-0 season was a defeat at the hands of Naperville.

Westminster has been dominant in a 16-1-0 start and opened the postseason with a 10-0 victory against North Hall. The team plays Islands (Savannah, Ga.) on Tuesday.

The top three teams remain the same: Battlefield (Haymarket, Va.), Notre Dame de Sion (Kansas City) and Cheery Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.).

Newcomers this week: No. 13 Tulsa Union (Okla.), No. 15 Millard North (Omaha), No. 16 Patriot (Nokesville, Va.), No. 18 Whitewater (Fayetteville, Ga.), No. 19 St. Joseph’s Academy (St. Louis), No. 20 Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and No. 25 Vestavia Hill (Ala.).

2019's top football recruit picks Army Bowl, says being No. 1 is a mindset

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The No. 1 player in the Class of 2019 has committed to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Kayvon Thibodeaux, a defensive end from Dorsey (Los Angeles), announced his decision over the weekend. Thibodeaux is ranked No. 1 by Top247; the composite rankings have not been set because not all of the major recruiting sites have done rankings for the Class of 2019.

“I decided to go with the Army Bowl because it has great opportunities on a widespread basis,” Thibodeaux told USA TODAY High School Sports. “It also has players I know playing in it so it will be great to play against the best.”

Thibodeaux, listed at 6-5 and 235, has 25 reported offers, with the most recent coming from Texas last week. Among his offers are those from Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Florida State and USC.

“Being Number 1 is a mindset thing,” he said. “People see that I work hard and I have so much potential to do great things.

“I have also put up great numbers with odds against me being in the inner city and not having great facilities and not the best environment. I know how to carry myself and I am intelligent so it’s more than just stats alone.”

Thibodeaux becomes the fifth player to commit to the Army Bowl from the 2019 class. He joins:

  • Jadon Hazlewood, athletes, Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Ga.)
  • Dominick Blaylock, wide receiver, Walton (Marietta, Ga.)
  • J.T. Daniels, quarterback, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
  • Theo Wease, wide receiver, Allen (Texas)

Four-star tight end Malcolm Epps picking up basketball offers too

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Malcolm Epps is ranked as the No. 7 tight end in the Class of 2018, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Epps also averaged 14.9 points and 9.4 rebounds this winter for the Dekaney (Houston) basketball team, making him an intriguing two-sport prospect.

Epps, a former Alabama football commit, announced a top 10 for football in mid-April of Texas, Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Rice, Texas A&M, Florida and UCLA.

But in the last few days, two schools in Texas who made his list for football have offered him to play basketball.

He likely would attend a school on a football scholarship, but the prospect of playing both sports might be a way to keep him in his home state.

N.C. pitcher Gavin Williams hasn't given up a hit in three starts

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Gavin Williams, one of the nation’s top prep baseball pitchers, got ready for his senior season by throwing from a chair.

Williams, from Cape Fear (N.C.), had surgery March 1 to repair a torn meniscus and missed the first half of the season.

However, not allowing a hit in 23.2 innings pitched is a pretty good way to make an impactful return. The 6-6 righthander has thrown consecutive no-hitters and is scheduled to pitch Thursday in the regular season finale.

“When I first came back, I didn’t think I would have been as ready as I was because all I could do was throw from a chair,” he told USA TODAY High School Sports. “I wasn’t able to throw any bullpens and work on my mechanics. But now I’m getting back in the grove of things by working on the things I need to.”

Gavin Williams (Photo: 247Sports)

Williams (3-0) had 11 strikeouts and walked three in a 2-0 victory against Jack Britt on April 26. That followed a 16-strikeout performance with two walks in a 2-0 victory against Scotland on April 19. He was pulled with a no-hitter going in his first start of the season.  Overall, he has 48 strikeouts on the season and is 3-0.

“At first it was hard to watch at the beginning of the season because it’s my senior year and I just wanted to play,” he said. “It got easier when I knew it would only be a couple weeks until I would be cleared and able to play.”

Williams hit 95 mph in his last outing, including 93 in the seventh inning, and has mixed in his off-speed pitches to keep hitters off-balance.

“The things that have been working the best for me are my fastball and curveball,” he said. “But going forward I need to still work on my change-up.”

Williams has been pitching in front of scouts at each outing and that group only figures to increase as he puts together strong outings.

Williams is an East Carolina signee who committed in September 2015, but also has been projected among the top 100 high school prospects eligible for the Major League Baseball draft in June.

For now, though, Williams, says, “I haven’t really thought that much about the draft.”

Norco (Calif.) remains No. 1 in Super 25 softball rankings

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Stability reigned in the latest USA TODAY Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Super 25.

MORE: See the full Super 25 rankings

Norco (Calif.) continues in the No. 1 spot and has won 38 of its last 39 games, including a pair of victories within the last week. The Cougars (27-0) have outscored opponents 191-36 this season.

There were no changes in the top 16 spots with 15 of the 16 teams going unbeaten. La Cueva (Albuquerque, N.M.) was idle.

Oakleaf (27-2), Donovan Catholic (16-0), Londonderry (7-0) and Moniteau (14-0) all moved up one place in positions 17-20, while No. 21 Stockdale (24-1) and No. 22 North Augusta (22-1-1) each advanced two spots.

Previously unranked Oshkosh North (13-2) of Wisconsin slides in as the new No. 23 team. Scott County from Kentucky fell to No. 24 and Hurricane (22-3) from West Virginia moved in at No. 25.

State rankings submitted by NFCA member coaches are used to compile the Super 25.

ALL-USA Watch: Aquira DeCosta starring in last year of Nike Girls EYBL

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The Cal Stars — traditionally one of the top programs on the Nike Girls EYBL circuit — are 5-0 after the first weekend of play and are averaging 71.8 points per game.

One of the reasons is Aquira DeCosta, a 6-3 wing who is ranked as the top player at her position and No. 5 player overall in the Class of 2018 by the espnW HoopGurlz rankings.

DeCosta averaged a team-high 14.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in EYBL play in Hampton, Va.

The next sessions don’t come until early July when 16 teams will play in Indianapolis and 16 will play in Louisville. The finals are July 9-12 in Chicago.

During the high school season, DeCosta plays for traditional California power St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.). She was selected to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason Girls Basketball Team in the fall.

Last summer, she played for the USA Basketball U17 World Championship Team  that won bronze and in 2015, she played on the U16 team that won bronze at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship

 

Aquira DeCosta (Photo: USA Basketball)

USA TODAY High School Sports caught up with DeCosta to talk EYBL, recruiting and more.

Q: What were your impressions of how you played last weekend?

A: This is my last summer playing EYBL ball so I really want to stand out throughout the whole summer. For this first weekend of EYBL, I feel like I did well at Boo Williams and even stood out to some. My rebounding — both offensively and defensively — scoring, and defense was on point, and as a team, we really turned some heads and shook a lot of people. I’m excited to see what’s to come for us in the future.

Q: What are you trying to work on during the EYBL season?

A: Throughout the EYBL season, I am really focused on working on my shooting in the mid-range area and beyond the perimeter as well. I want to be more consistent in that so it can really increase my game and take it to another level.

Q: How is playing EYBL or travel ball different than your high school season?

A: Playing EYBL ball is more competitive than playing high school ball. In high school — especially for my team — we have a handful of games where they aren’t competitive at all and are easy games to just blow the other team out. In EYBL, every game you play is going to be a battle regardless and that’s what I love about it. I’m the type to really show my capabilities in the toughest games so EYBL really benefits me even more.

Q: What’s the latest on your recruiting?

A: I’ve been really looking at the ones who are on my five right now — Baylor, Tennessee, Louisville, South Carolina, and Cal. But I am still keeping a few programs in the back of my head to just see how my relationship goes with them and to see how I bond with each of those programs I am looking at. But as of right now, things are going really well and I’m blessed to be able to be in such a position with the recruiting process.

Meet the nation's leader in strikeouts, averaging 2.3 per inning

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The totals jump off the page – 144 strikeouts in 64.1 innings. That’s an average of 2.3 per inning.

The totals belong to Dakota Bennett from Brewer High (Somerville, Ala.).

The 144 strikeouts are believed to lead the nation.

He finished 6-1 with a 0.54 ERA, having allowed 14 hits and 14 walks.

“He is a 6-2 lefty that throws a lot of strikes, locates well, hides the ball well, works quick, usually throws mid-upper 80’s, has a lot of movement, reads hitters well, and thinks ahead in the count,” coach Tony Drinkard said. “Basically, he does all the things you have to do as a pitcher to have that many strikeouts.”

Bennett signed with Arkansas in November, a month after committing. He had been an Alabama commit but reopened his recruiting following a coaching change.

Bennett had 101 strikeouts in 56 innings and went 6-1 with a 1.88 ERA as a junior and had 65 strikeouts in 49.1 innings with a 0.99 ERA as a sophomore.

“He did make a pretty big jump between his junior and senior year, but he has been good for his age and grade level since he first started pitching,” Drinkard said. “I remember seeing him pitch at age 10 and knew he was going to be good.”

Drinkard also said that Bennett could have been a basketball player.

“He is a very good athlete,” he said. “He could have played college basketball if that’s what he had wanted to do. They say he can dunk it about any way he wants to.

“He is very competitive and likes challenges. He plays relaxed, has fun, but yet stays focused.”


Findlay Prep leads with four alums still in NBA playoffs

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Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) is the high school with the most alums still in the NBA playoffs, according to Jamie Shaw of the Phenom Hoops Recruiting Service.

Here are the four players, including three who were named to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Basketball Teams while at Findlay):

  • Kelly Oubre, Washington Wizards (he was named ALL-USA First Team in 2014)
  • Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics (he was named ALL-USA First Team in 2009)
  • Cory Joseph, Toronto Raptors (he was named ALL-USA Second Team in 2010)

Chino Hills (Calif.) has a new boys basketball coach

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Dennis Latimore, a former player at Arizona and Notre Dame, has been named the new boys basketball coach at Chino Hills (Calif.), according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

He will be the program’s third coach in three years and takes over after the school split with Stephan Gilling, who was dropped after one season following a public feud with LaVar Ball, father of the team’s star players, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball. Chino Hills went 30-3 in Gilling’s lone season after he replaced Steve Baik, who took the coaching job at Fairfax.

Given the Ball family, the Chino Hills’ opening was among the most watched high school jobs in the nation. No word yet on how Lattimore plans to deal with the Big Baller CEO or how said CEO feels about the new coach.

Gilling was not a teacher at the school. School policy is to open coaching position to teachers first and then go outside of the school if a suitable coach is not found on campus.

Latimore, who has a bachelor’s degree in English from Notre Dame and a master’s in Urban Education from Loyola Marymount, teaches English at the school. He was hired by the district in January.

Latimore previously coached at View Park for two years, including a run to the 2014 CIF Division 5 Los Angeles City Section title and the Southern California Regional final. His teams went 23-32 overall.

New Chino Hills coach says he hasn't met LaVar Ball, wants positive relationships

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Dennis Latimore, the new boys basketball coach at Chino Hills (Calif.), says he hasn’t met LaVar Ball, but he’s looking forward to positive relationships with the parents of all his players.

In his first interview since being named coach Thursday night, Latimore told The Los Angeles Times, “I’ve never met Mr. Ball or any of the parents of the team, but I’m looking forward to meeting them all. I feel I have had some pretty good relationships with parents throughout my teaching and coaching. I try to always be positive and optimistic.”

Latimore, an English teacher at Chino Hills, replaces Stephan Gilling, who was dismissed after a 30-3 season. Gilling is not an employee of the school district. He and LaVar Ball feuded throughout the season and that feud became public after the team was eliminated from the playoffs.

LiAngelo Ball moves on to UCLA, but LaMelo Ball is expected to be the Huskies’ star next season along with Onyeka Okongwu. Both will be juniors.

“Without a doubt, it’s a high-profile job,” Latimore told The Times. “The administration and I have been in communication that we want to have uniform decision making and philosophy.”

Latimore, a former player at Arizona and Notre Dame, had a brief meeting with his players Friday to introduce himself and talk about expectations.

“My goal as a coach is not to get in the way of their success,” he said.

BallIsLife All-American Game: Isaiah Washington goes full 'Jelly' in scrimmage

Kayvon Thibodeaux, No. 1 player in 2019, transfers to Oaks Christian (Calif.)

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Earlier this week, Kayvon Thibodeaux told USA TODAY High School Sports that he has become the No. 1 player in the Class of 2019 despite “the odds against me being in the inner city and not having great facilities and not the best environment.”

Thibodeaux is efforting to better that situation as he announced on Twitter that he was leaving Dorsey High (Los Angeles) for Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.).

Thibodeux, a defensive end already selected for the 2019 Army All-American Bowl, has almost 30 reported offers.

He had 17 sacks as a sophomore and helped Dorsey reach the Division I title game in the Los Angeles City Section.

 

Mass. softball pitcher Lia Nocella fires perfect game with 19 strikeouts

VIDEO: Larry Fitzgerald on the transition from prep to college football

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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was the guest speaker at the azcentral.com Sports Awards.

In the video below, he reflects on the transition from high school football to college football.


Weekend recruiting winners: UCLA gets safety; BC and Wisconsin add QBs

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With college football spring games around the nation having wrapped up, the pace of commits has slowed slightly. Here is our weekly spring look at weekend winners on the trail with prospects in the Class of 2018:

UCLA

The Bruins added another physical player to their secondary in four-star safety Stephen Blaylock from St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). He is the fourth DB among UCLA’s nine commits for the Class of 2018. Blaylock, listed at 6-foot and 175 pounds, is a big hitter who sees the field well.

WISCONSIN

The Badgers added their second quarterback commit for 2018 in Chase Wolf from St. Xavier (Cincinnati). Wisconsin got a December pledge from Ben Bryant from Lyons Township (La Grange, Ill.)

Wisconsin had planned to take two quarterbacks in this cycle.

Wolf visited Wisconsin in late November. The Badgers were the second program to offer him, but others followed.

“I’m gonna be honest, before the Wisconsin (visit) it was between South Carolina and Boston College,” Wolf told Gannett partner Cincinnatti.com. “I kind of put Wisconsin on the backburner but after the visit, I was blown away and I knew right away.”

In the final three games of the regular season and the Bombers’ playoff opener against Fairfield, Wolf completed 97 of 152 passes for 847 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions.

BOSTON COLLEGE

The Eagles added their second quarterback commit in the last two weeks with 6-5 pro-style prospect Matt Valecce of Fordham Prep (Bronx, N.Y.).

Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) John Langan chose BC last week. The Eagles also were in on Wolf, but when he picked Wisconsin, the opportunity opened for Valeece.

TCU

The Horned Frogs bolstered their offensive line with three-star center John Lanz from Guyer (Denton, Texas).

Lanz, who is nearly 6-4 and weighs 294, is ranked as the No. 12 center in the class.

Other commits of note:

  • Baylor: Three-star defensive tackle Joshua Landry from Lamar (Houston)
  • South Carolina: Three-star outside linebacker Ernest Jones from Wake County (Waycross, Ga.)
  • Oregon State: Three-star safety Halid Djibril from Cathedral (Los Angeles.

 

 

BallIsLife All-American Game: Ira Lee soars over three player for dunk

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Arizona signee Ira Lee finished runner-up in the slam dunk contest at the BallIsLife All-American Game on Saturday in Long Beach, Calif., but he posted a perfect score along the way.

That came when he dunked over three of his fellow All-Americans whom all measured taller than 6-feet-4.

UCLA signee Jaylen Hands won the contest.

California swim coach dies in car crash on way to championship meet

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A swim coach in California died in a car crash on the way to the Moore League championship that his team would win for a state record 45th consecutive year.

Latham Bell, an assistant coach at Wilson High and an elementary school teacher in Long Beach, crashed into a restaurant on his way to the meet, police told the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Bell, 53, lost control of the car and careened into the patio of a restaurant, injuring three, including a woman who was trapped under the car.

A cause of death has not been determined. According to the report, it was not clear if that cause was the medical emergency or the crash.

“Latham had a booming voice and a huge heart that he dedicated to the Wilson aquatics community,” Wilson water polo coach Jeff Nesmith told the Press-Telegram.

Ed Orgeron's first LSU commit, Caden Sterns, flips to Texas

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The first LSU commit following Ed Orgeron having the interim tag removed is no longer committed to the Tigers.

Caden Sterns, a four-star defensive back from Cibolo Steele in Texas, flipped to Texas on Sunday night. Sterns is ranked as the No. 4 safety in the Class of 2018, the No. 39 overall player and the No. 5 player in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Sterns had taken an unofficial visit to Texas on Saturday.

Texas coaches impressed Sterns over the last month and he wrote on Twitter that while LSU was his dream school, he “shared the same love for The University of Texas all my life. Growing up in Texas, being a Texas boy, and dreaming of becoming a Longhorn.”

Sterns was one of four players from The Nike Opening Regional in Dallas to earn an invitation to The Opening Final in July in Oregon.

At the time, he explained why he had picked LSU after spending time on campus.

“Growing up, it’s always been my dream school, no doubt,” Sterns told USA TODAY High School Sports in March . “It feels like home, the way they do things there, the tradition, especially with DBU (it being defensive back university). The education there is very good. It just felt right.”

Innovator of A-11 offense returns to high school coaching

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Kurt Bryan, who gained fame for his innovative yet short-lived A-11 offense, has returned to high school football coaching, according to Prep2Prep.com.

Bryan returns after a six-year hiatus from the game as the head coach at Arroyo High (San Lorenzo, Calif.). He stepped down as coach at Piedmont in 2010, having spent 25 years in the profession at that point.

The A-11 offense was short-lived because the National Federation banned the formation in 2009, two years after Bryan and offensive coordinator Steve Humphries created it. The premise was that all 11 players wore eligible numbers, allowing them to shift on and off the line of scrimmage.

Bryan said Arroyo will run what he called “the super spread.”

“I’m really excited about coaching again. I missed the game terribly,” Bryan told Prep2Prep.com. “We are going to be fun to watch. We will be running our base A-11 plays, along with aspects of the fly offense and read-pass-option (RPO) stuff.”

Arroyo has not reached the postseason since 2010 and is coming off a four-win season.

“I will never leave Arroyo for another high school job,” Bryan said. “I didn’t have to coach again. I wanted to coach again, and I am just real excited about this opportunity and what we will be able to accomplish here.”

Also of note from the Prep2Prep story: He promises that every player who is eligible, physically able to play, and attends all practices, will receive playing time in the game.

 

 

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