Gahanna Lincoln won a district title in Ohio with a 56-46 victory against Groveport.
Among the highlight plays was this hammer dunk by Michigan State signee Nick Ward, a 6-8 power forward who is ranked as the No. 3 player in Ohio and the No. 12 power forward in the nation.
Cordarrian Richardson, ranked as the No. 5 running back in the Class of 2017, has committed to Clemson, his coach at Trezevant (Memphis), Teli White, told 247Sports.com.
In an interview with Tigernet.com during his weekend visit, he said, “The day was perfect. Everything about the visit was phenomenal.”
Richardson, ranked No. 85 overall in the Class of 2017 by the 247Sports Composite, is a four-star recruit who is 5-11, 225 and was named the Tennessee 2A Offensive Most Valuable Player. He ran for 342 yards on 41 carries in Trezevant’s 2A title game victory to give the school its first state title.
Clemson previously got a commitment from another four-star Tennessee prospect in wide receiver Amari Rodgers.
JK Dobbins (Photo: Jeremy Clark, 247Sports)
JK Dobbins of LaGrange, Texas, has not been to Columbus yet but that didn’t prevent 247Sports’ No. 2 all-purpose back from committing to Ohio State on Sunday.
Dobbins, a four-star prospect in the Class of 2017, ran for 2,741 yards and 35 touchdowns as a junior and 2,230 yards and 37 touchdowns as a sophomore.
He chose Ohio State over offers from Texas, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Florida State.
He plans to visit the Columbus either late this month or in early April.
“I just felt it in my heart, and if I feel it in my heart already, why wait? It was going to happen sooner or later, so I just went on and did it,” Dobbins told cleveland.com during a phone interview Sunday. “I have a pretty good relationship with the coaches and the staff, and I’ve always liked Ohio State and what they do. It just is what it is.”
Dobbins said the attention from the entire coaching staff “made me realize those guys really wanted me. Not many schools do that,” he told cleveland.com.
He is the 13th member of Ohio State’s recruiting class, which is rated No. 1 the nation.
Bergen Catholic’s Nick Suriano completed a perfect high school wrestling career Sunday.
Suriano became only the second athlete in New Jersey history to go undefeated and win four state titles. He equaled the record set by South Plainfield’s Anthony Ashnault from 2010 to ’13.
“I won it my freshman year when Anthony did it and I said, ‘That’s where I’m going to be.’ And that’s where I am,” Suriano said afterward, according to NJ.com.
RELATED: American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason Wrestling Teams
“I know what I am, I know what I’ve done, I know who I’ve beaten, I know what I’ve won. And no one’s won and beat the people that I have. I know I’m the best in my mind. I think I’m the best in the world and I’m going on to chase that status every day.”
Suriano, a Penn State signee, finished with a 159-0 record and 41-0 this season at 126 pounds, capped by a 3-1 victory against Ty Agaisse of Delbarton in the state final. As pointed out by NJ.com, Bergen Catholic faces many of the top teams around the nation and Suriano has been dominant with 69 pins, 21 technical falls and 33 major decisions in his four-year career. Amazingly, he has been taken down once in his career.
“I don’t know that we’ll see a career like his again in terms of domination, intensity and work ethic,” Bergen Catholic coach Dave Bell told NJ.com. “He’s a rare breed.”
Three Florida State commits and the nation’s No. 1 overall junior wide receiver prospect Trevon Grimew were among six players to receive invitations Sunday at The Nike Opening regional in South Florida.
The players advance to The Nike Opening Final in Oregon in July.
Organizers also named Most Valuable Players by position:
Jake Allen, the quarterback at St. Thomas Aquinas and a Florida commit, was the lone QB selected to advance in the Elite 11 event. Through three stops, four quarterbacks have received invitations.
Chino Hills (Calif.) is undefeated, ranked No. 1 in the Super 25 and has an offense that just doesn’t stop pushing the pace.
Handles like this from LaMelo Ball certainly helps keeps the ball moving as it did during a 105-83 rout of then-No. 6 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division final.
And remember, LaMelo is a 14-year-old freshman even though he already has committed to UCLA.
Chino Hills, the top seed, next faces Reedley Immanuel in the eight-team Open Division field to determine the state champion.
Out in California, top-ranked Chino Hills has scored more than 100 points in 17 games this season. Over the weekend in Indiana, a five-overtime playoff game ended with a final score of 43-40.
Neither extreme reflects what happened 75 years ago today in Colorado.
On March 7, 1941, Colorado schools Las Animas and La Junta played a 2-0 game — and needed overtime — in the lowest-scoring high school boys basketball game to go to OT, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations record book.
In case you are wondering, there have been three 1-0 regulation games with the most recent in 1930.
So what happened to lead to a 2-0 game in overtime? After all, to get there the teams had to play all of regulation without a point being scored.
According to an account of the game from United Press, neither team wanted to take any chances and focused on defense.
The La Junta coach figured his team’s only chance was to get Las Animas to come out of its tight zone. So he had his players bring the ball over halfcourt and continue passing in hopes that the Las Animas coach would eventually direct his players to come out of the zone. Except the Las Animas coach stayed in the zone and La Junta did not score.
On the other end, the stall by La Junta prevented Las Animas from getting many scoring chances, either.
The overtime period was three minutes and the stalemate was finally broken by Lloyd Caldwell for Las Animas. The tallest player on the court, he tipped in a missed shot from under the basket for what would be the game’s only score.
According to an account in the Bent County Democrat:
“The clock was the most important feature throughout most of the game, with fans watching the minutes and quarters tick away and wondering which of the two coaches would crack first. … As the minutes and quarters passed, the tension and excitement arose, and the action, when it did come, made up for everything which had been missing before.”
Its’ 2-0 victory secured, Las Animas won the southern Colorado district tournament and reached the Class B state final before losing to Edgewater, 36-21.
Justin Broiles (Photo: 247Sports)
Four-star cornerback Justin Broiles, ranked as the No. 2 recruit in Oklahoma, has committed to the Sooners to play in his home state.
Broiles, from John Marshall (Oklahoma City) chose Oklahoma two days after making an unofficial campus visit. He had 33 offers, including Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon, Michigan State, Oklahoma State.
He announced his decision on Twitter:
He is ranked as the No. 21 cornerback in the nation by the 247Sports Composite but No. 13 by Top 247.
USA TODAY Sports revealed its 2016 men’s college basketball All-America teams Monday, and three of the 15 players selected were American Family Insurance ALL-USA picks during their high school careers.
Tyler Ulis as a high schooler at Marian Catholic (Photo: Louisville Courier-Journal)
Perry Ellis in a 2010 photos at Wichita Heights High in Kansas. (Photo: The Wichita Eagle)
Ben Simmons (20) at the DICK’S Sporting Goods Nationals last April. (Photo: Andy Marlin, USA TODAY Sports)
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) quarterback Tate Martell (Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports)
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Bishop Gorman quarterback Tate Martell led 702 Elite, with many of his Gorman teammates, to a perfect record at the championship at the Pylon Elite 7v7 Las Vegas National over the weekend.
To many observers, he was simply the best player on the field among the more than 120 teams in the ninth through 11th grade division.
Martell committed to Texas A&M last August and at one point he briefly suggested he might try to finish up high school this summer in an attempt to get to campus even sooner after the Aggies saw Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray transfer. He later determined that was not feasible.
However, Martell caused a stir among the Aggie faithful when he told 247Sports that he was planning more visits. While again said, “Every time I’m there I just feel like I’m home,” he also said that he recently added a half-dozen offers and was looking to visit Auburn, LSU and Florida State. He also had been to USC for Junior Day.
With that backdrop, Martell was compelled to take to Twitter to calm the waters.
He then retweeted a massive number of tweets from fans and others who were looking to get #GigEmGang17 trending and who lauded him for helping to recruit other players to College Station.
Alterique Gilbert is a McDonald’s All American, a Jordan Brand Classic All-American and was part of another Georgia state championship team at No. 17 Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.).
After playing in the various all-star games, Gilbert is heading to Connecticut. He is a five-star point guard ranked No. 28 in the nation by ESPN.com and as the No. 2 player at his position.
Here is a look at some highlights from our friends at CourtsideFilms.com.
Jayson Tatum (Photo: Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, News-Leader)
Four players headed to Kentucky and two headed to Duke, Michigan State and UCLA were selected to the Naismith Trophy All-America teams released Tuesday for boys basketball.
The Kentucky contingent was led by first-team guard De’Aaron Fox (Cypress Lakes; Katy, Texas) with big man Bam Adebayo (High Point Christian; High Point, N.C.) and shooting guard Malik Monk (Bentonville, Ark.) on the second team and Wenyen Gabriel (Wilbraham & Monson in Massachusets).
Fox was joined on the first team by Duke-bound shooting guard Jayson Tatum (Chaminade Prep; St. Louis), UCLA-bound do everything star Lonzo Ball (Chino Hills, Calif.), Michigan State-bound small forward Miles Bridges (Huntington Prep; Huntington, W.Va.). Josh Jackson from Prolific Prep (Napa. Calif.) was selected to the first team as well. He remains uncommitted and is down to Kansas, Arizona and Michigan State.
Only two underclassmen were selected to the first three teams: DeAndre Ayton from Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix and Michael Porter Jr. from Father Tolton in Columbia, Mo.
FIRST TEAM
| Name | High School | Class |
| Lonzo Ball | Chino Hills (Calif.) | Senior |
| Miles Bridges | Huntington Prep (W.Va.) | Senior |
| De’Aaron Fox | Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas) | Senior |
| Josh Jackson | Napa Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) | Senior |
| Jayson Tatum | Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) | Senior |
SECOND TEAM
| Name | High School | Class |
| Bam Adebayo | High Point Christian (N.C.) | Senior |
| Markelle Fultz | DeMatha Catholic (Upper Marlboro, Md.) | Senior |
| Frank Jackson | Lone Peak (Alpine, Utah) | Senior |
| TJ Leaf | Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) | Senior |
| Malik Monk | Bentonville (Ark.) | Senior |
THIRD TEAM
| Name | High School | Class |
| DeAndre Ayton | Hillcrest Academy (Phoenix, Ariz.) | Junior |
| Wenyen Gabriel | Wilbraham & Monson (Mass.) | Senior |
| Alterique Gilbert | Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) | Senior |
| Josh Langford | Madison Academy (Ala.) | Senior |
| Michael Porter | Father Tolton Catholic (Columbia, Mo.) | Junior |
HONORABLE MENTION
| Name | High School | Class |
| Rawle Alkins | Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) | Senior |
| Jarrett Allen | Stephens Episcopal (Austin, Texas) | Senior |
| Udoka Azubike | Potter’s House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.) | Senior |
| Mohamed Bamba | Westown School (West Chester, Pa.) | Junior |
| Marques Bolden | DeSoto (Texas) | Senior |
| Tony Bradley | Bartow (Fla.) | Senior |
| Wendall Carter | Pace Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) | Junior |
| Trevon Duval | Advanced Prep International (Dallas, Texas) | Junior |
| Terrance Ferguson | Advanced Prep International (Dallas, Texas) | Senior |
| Kyle Guy | Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) | Senior |
| Mustapha Heron | Sacred Heart (West Haven, Conn.) | Senior |
| Dewan Huell | Norland (Miami, Fla.) | Senior |
| Jonathan Isaac | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) | Senior |
| V.J. King | Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) | Senior |
| Kevin Knox | Tampa Catholic (Fla.) | Junior |
National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Md., has been removed from the list of approved non-member schools by the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association after the organization found eligibility violations in the No. 7-ranked girls basketball program, according to The Washington Post.
The removal from the approved non-member schools list applies to all sports for the remainder of the school year.
The Post reports that the MPSSAA said National Christian was using two players enrolled at another charter school this season. The players attend Chesapeake Math and IT Academy in Laurel, Md. One of the players is an eighth-grader, which also would violate the MPSSAA eligibility standards.
National Christian intends to appeal the ruling. “The two girls that are attending another school, their school didn’t have basketball and our assumption was they didn’t have a varsity team this year,” athletic director Trevor Brown told The Post. “We have a letter from their principal stating that they were allowed to play at National Christian Academy.”
For now, four wins against teams within the D.C. district — Georgetown Visitation, Wilson, Bell and Richard Wright — are deemed as forfeits.
Coming off consecutive South Carolina Class AAAA title game appearances, including the championship in 2014, Wando (Mount Pleasant) sits atop the USA TODAY High School Sports/National Soccer Coaches Association Super 25 for spring boys soccer.
Wando, which finished 25-2 last spring, is already off to a 6-0 start. Among those wins was a 1-0 win against J.L. Mann (Greenville), the team that beat Wando by the same score in the state title game in 2015. Mann is ranked No. 17 in the preseason.
Dalton (Ga.), last year’s top spring team in the rankings, is No. 2 and is 2-0-1, with the tie coming against Fort Payne, Ala.
Norman North (Norman, Okla.) is ranked No. 3, followed by Snohomish (Wash.) and Langley (McLean, Va.) to round out the Top 5.
In all, 13 states play spring soccer for boys: South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alaska and Washington.
Georgia leads with six teams, including three in the top 10. Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia each had three teams.
Eight teams were in the final rankings last season.
PRESEASON SUPER 25 BOYS SOCCER – SPRING
Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1. Wando (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) 12 6-0-0
2. Dalton (Ga.) 1 2-0-1
3. Norman North (Norman, Okla.) 4 2-0-0
4. Snohomish (Wash.) 7 0-0-0
5. Langley (McLean, Va.) NR 0-0-0
6. Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.) NR 0-0-0
7. Chattahoochee (Johns Creek, Ga.) NR 6-0-0
8. Union (Tulsa, Okla.) NR 2-0-0
9. River Bluff (Lexington, S.C.) NR 6-0-0
10. Johnson (Gainesville, Ga.) NR 7-0-0
11. J.W. Robinson (Fairfax. Va.) NR 0-0-0
12. Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) NR 0-0-0
13. McIntosh (Peachtree City, Ga.) NR 7-0-0
14. Central Valley (Spokane Valley, Wash.) 14 0-0-0
15. Mills Godwin (Henrico, Va.) NR 0-0-0
16. Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.) NR 4-0-1
17. J.L. Mann (Greenville, S.C.) 6 3-1-0
18. Broken Arrow (Okla.) NR 0-0-0
18. Linn-Mar (Marion, Iowa) 11 0-0-0
20. Lakeside (Atlanta) NR 5-0-0
Each week USA TODAY High School Sports and National Soccer Coaches Association of America will release Super 25 Regional Boys Spring Soccer Rankings. Rankings are based on results from the 2015 season, quality of players and strength of schedule. Regions are determined by the NCSAA.
MORE: Super 25 Preseason Boys Soccer – Spring Rankings
REGION I (South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia)
| Rank | School | W-L-T |
| 1 | Wando (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) | 6-0-0 |
| 2 | Langley (McLean, Va.) | 0-0-0 |
| 3 | River Bluff (Lexington, S.C.) | 6-0-0 |
| 4 | J.W. Robinson (Fairfax, Va.) | 0-0-0 |
| 5 | Mills Godwin (Henrico, Va.) | 0-0-0 |
| 6 | J.L. Mann (Greenville, S.C.) | 3-1-0 |
| 7 | Jamestown (Williamsburg, Va.) | 0-0-0 |
| 8 | Mauldin (Mauldin, S.C.) | 6-1-0 |
| 9 | Washington-Lee (Arlington, Va.) | 0-0-0 |
| 10 | Wade Hampton (Greenville, S.C.) | 7-0-0 |
REGION II (Alabama, Georgia)
| Rank | School | W-L-T |
| 1 | Dalton (Dalton, Ga.) | 2-0-1 |
| 2 | Chattahoochee (Johns Creek, Ga.) | 6-0-0 |
| 3 | Johnson (Gainesville, Ga.) | 7-0-0 |
| 4 | McIntosh (Peachtree City, Ga.) | 5-0-0 |
| 5 | Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.) | 4-0-1 |
| 6 | Lakeside (Atlanta, Ga.) | 5-0-0 |
| 7 | Sequoyah (Canton, Ga.) | 7-0-0 |
| 8 | Whitewater (Fayetteville, Ga.) | 6-0-0 |
| 9 | Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) | 4-1-0 |
| 10 | North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) | 5-1-0 |
| 10 | Greenbrier (Evans, Ga.) | 4-0-0 |
| 10 | Johns Creek (Johns Creek, Ga.) | 5-1-0 |
REGION III (Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming)
| Rank | School | W-L-T |
| 1 | Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.) | 0-0-0 |
| 2 | Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) | 0-0-0 |
| 3 | Linn-Mar (Marion, Iowa) | 0-0-0 |
| 4 | Alta (Sandy, Utah) | 0-0-0 |
| 5 | Brighton (Salt Lake City, Utah) | 0-0-0 |
| 6 | Millard West (Omaha, Neb.) | 0-0-0 |
| 7 | Iowa City (Iowa City, Iowa) | 0-0-0 |
| 8 | Skyline (Salt Lake City, Utah) | 0-0-0 |
| 9 | Lehi (Lehi, Utah) | 0-0-0 |
| 10 | Cheyenne Central (Cheyenne, Wyo) | 0-0-0 |
REGION IV (Arkansas, Oklahoma)
| Rank | School | W-L-T |
| 1 | Norman North (Norman, Okla.) | 2-0-0 |
| 2 | Union (Tulsa, Okla.) | 2-0-0 |
| 3 | Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) | 0-0-0 |
| 4 | Bentonville (Bentonville, Ark.) | 0-0-0 |
| 5 | Jenks (Jenks, Okla,) | 0-0-0 |
| 6 | Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) | 2-0-0 |
| 7 | Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City, Okla.) | 1-0-0 |
| 8 | East Central (Tulsa, Okla.) | 2-0-0 |
| 9 | Springdale (Springdale, Ark.) | 0-0-0 |
| 10 | Central Catholic (Little Rock, Ark.) | 0-0-0 |
REGION V (Alaska, California, Washington)
| Rank | School | W-L-T |
| 1 | Snohomish (Snohomish, Wash.) | 0-0-0 |
| 2 | Central Valley (Spokane Valley, Wash.) | 0-0-0 |
| 3 | Inglemoor (Kenwood, Wash.) | 0-0-0 |
| 4 | Interlake (Bellevue, Wash.) | 0-0-0 |
| 5 | Archbishop Murphy (Everett, Wash.) | 0-0-0 |
| 6 | Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) | 0-0-0 |
| 7 | Tahoma (Covington, Wash.) | 0-0-0 |
| 8 | Glacier Peak (Snohomish, Wash.) | 0-0-0 |
| 9 | South Anchorage (Anchorage, Alaska) | 0-0-0 |
| 10 | Ballard (Seattle, Wash.) | 0-0-0 |
New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.), which finished No. 1 in the nation last spring, opens the 2016 season as the No. 1 team in the USA TODAY High School Sports/National Soccer Coaches Association Super 25 for spring girls soccer.
The Trevians went 27-1 last season, closing the season with 10 consecutive victories, and repeated as state Class 3A champion.
Providence (Charlotte) is off to a 3-0 start and opens the season at No. 2, followed by the Marist School (Atlanta). St. Teresa’s Academy (Kansas City, Mo.) and Grandview (Auroro, Colo.) round out the top 5.
In all, eight teams from the final rankings are in the preseason list. Eleven states are represented with Georgia leading the way with five teams.
There are 21 states that play girls soccer in the spring: Delaware, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Alaska, California, Colorado and Wyoming.
SUPER 25 PRESEASON GIRLS SPRING SOCCER
Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1. New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.) 1 0-0-0
2. Providence (Charlotte, N.C.) NR 3-0-0
3. Marist School (Atlanta) NR 6-0-1
4. St. Teresa’s Academy (Kansas City, Mo.) 12 0-0-0
5. Grandview (Aurora, Colo.) 8 0-0-0
6. Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.) NR 6-0-0
7. Leesville Road (Raleigh, N.C.) NR 2-0-0
8. Waubonsie Valley (Aurora, Ill.) NR 0-0-0
9. Union (Tulsa, Okla.) NR 0-0-0
10. Broomfield (Colo.) 17 0-0-0
11. McIntosh (Peachtree City, Ga.) NR 4-0-0
12. Broad Run (Ashburn, Va.) 6 0-0-0
13. Grandville (Mich.) NR 0-0-0
14. Millard West (Omaha, Neb.) NR 0-0-0
15. Franklin (Elk Grove, Calif.) 5 0-0-0
16. Padua Academy (Wilmington, Del.) 11 0-0-0
17. St. Joseph Academy (St. Louis) 20 0-0-0
18. East Kentwood (Kentwood, Mich.) NR 0-0-0
19. Westminster Schools (Atlanta) NR 4-1-0
20. Loudoun County (Leesburg, Va.) RV 0-0-0
There’s plenty of scoring in 7 on 7 football and that means there are plenty of touchdown celebrations too. So why not dueling back flips?
Tyjon Lindsey, the wide receiver recruit from Centennial (Corona, Calif.), sets the stage with the first flip after a TD for ProWay Training.
Then, Marcus Hayes of Lutheran High in Rockford, Ill., did his version for Midwest Boom. Hayes recently committed to Western Michigan.
Here is the video from our friends at #D1Bound
Chino Hills head coach Steve Baik talks to his players during a break in the action at Spalding Hoophall Classic (Photo: David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports)
Chino Hills (Calif.) boys basketball coach Steve Baik and St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.) girls basketball coach Tom Gonsalves were named the Naismith High School Coaches of the Year on Wednesday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Baik led Chino Hills to the No. 1 ranking in the Super 25, a 31-0 record and the school’s first CIF Southern Section Open Division championship. Chino Hills topped 100 points in 17 games this season and outscored the opposition in the Southern Section playoffs by an average margin of 34.5 points per game.
RELATED: Naismith boys All-America teams
RELATED: Naismith girls All-America teams
“I am truly humbled and incredibly honored to be selected for the prestigious Naismith Award,” Baik said in a statement. “This award is really about all of the amazing people in my life that have given me so much, from my wife and sons, who have sacrificed so much for me to pour into my players, to all of my past and present coaches and players, who have given their very best effort on the court.”
St. Mary’s coach Tom Gonsalves (File photo)
Gonsalves has led St. Mary’s to 57 consecutive victories, including a 27-0 record this season another section championship.
“Receiving the Naismith Award for being the top girl’s high school coach in the country is a very humbling experience for me,” Gonsalves said in a statement. “I take coaching very seriously and have spent my adult life working to perfect my craft. My level of passion and work ethic has enabled me to enjoy tremendous successes, like winning this prestigious award.”
The winners were decided by a select group of journalists around the nation based on outstanding coaching performances during the 2015-2016 high school basketball season.
“Both of these men model the very best in high school coaching,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Through strong leadership and steady guidance, they have coached their teams to great success and have had a lasting positive impact on the young men and women on their teams.”
Blair Academy remains No. 1 in Super 25 wrestling (Photo: Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY Sports )
Four of the top seven teams in the USA TODAY High School Sports/National High School Coaches Association Super 25 wrestling rankings closed out the 2015-2016 season in style last weekend.
In Ohio, No. 3 Graham (St. Paris) captured the Division II individual tournament state championship with five state champs. No. 7 St. Edward (Lakewood) captured two individual titles on its way to the Division I title and Delta won the Division III title with four champs. The D-III title moves Delta into this week’s Super 25 at No. 25, the only new team in the rankings this week.
RELATED: Complete Super 25 rankings for this week
In New Jersey, for the second consecutive year, No. 4 Bergen Catholic (Oradell) had four state champs, including Nick Suriano, who became just the second New Jersey wrestler to finish his career with four state championships and not lose a match in his career. Suriano was a perfect 159-0 during his four years.
In California, No. 6 Buchanan (Clovis) ended No. 9 Clovis High’s run of five straight CIF titles. Buchanan had 10 medalists.
Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) remains No. 1.
The curtain falls on the season this weekend for team competition with the Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Championships.
The final rankings will be released next Wednesday.
Oak Hill Academy forward Braxton Key (Photo: Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader)
In a season of 40-plus games, close contests are bound to happen, even for one of the nation’s premiere programs.
No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) needed overtime Tuesday night to beat Mountain Mission (Grundy, Va.), 73-72, before a large crowd. Matt Coleman’s two free throws with 15.9 seconds left provided the winning margin, according to an account in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.
RELATED: Super 25 Expert rankings
Mountain Mission, which upgraded its program three years ago, had a chance to tie but only made one of two free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining. Coleman had gone to the line after making a steal with 18 seconds remaining after Mountain Mission attempted to hold the ball for the final shot.
Mountain Mission had a six-point lead in regulation and led by four with 1:33 remaining in overtime. Oak Hill cranked up its defensive pressure in the fourth quarter.
“We did what we could,” Mountain Mission coach Pawel Mrozik told The Daily Telegraph. “We made some mistakes, but that’s just part of the game, we’re going to make those. I’m extremely proud of our team and what we’ve done today. We showed tremendous heart, effort and intensity and we played with confidence.”
RELATED: Who made the DICK’S Nationals?
Mountain Mission’s star is Polish 6-11 forward Maciej Bender, who scored 21 points in his last game for the school before heading to West Virginia.
Oak Hill is 41-1 with one regular season game remaining before heading to New York for the DICK’s Nationals. The field for DICK’s was announced Wednesday.
Oak Hill won its fourth game of the season and has won 37 games consecutively since.
