The Philadelphia 76ers had their annual fan event down on the Jersey Shore called Beach Bash.
This little guy tried to work his crossover dribble on the center Joel Embiid, and the big guy was having none of it.
JoJo says No No. ☝
️
( Sorry lil guy.
)https://t.co/XWfD1j4x2y
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) August 27, 2016
Have a day, Robert Guerra.
Guerra scored nine touchdowns, including the game-winner in double overtime, as Robert Vela High (Edinburg, Texas) beat East Victoria 63-62. The final TD came on a fake field goal.
The nine TDs are two shy of the state record and tied for third-most in state history. He is the first player to have nine since 2008. Pilot Point’s Jiggs Ray holds the Texas mark with 11 set in 1937; Spur’s Jim Hahn had 10 in 1930.
According to the school’s Twitter feed, he had 359 yards on 33 carries. He had seven TDs on the ground. He had three catches for 70 yards and two touchdown receptions.
He had Vela’s scores in each of the overtimes. East Victoria scored on its turn in the second OT, but a bad snap led to a missed PAT.
“That’s a heck of a ball player,” East quarterback Bailey Zappe told the Advocate. “He’s going to take them far this season, he’s just a great football player.”
A week after a disappointing preseason kickoff classic loss, American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) opened its season with a 17-14 victory at Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.).
The game, part of the GEICO ESPN High School Kickoff, was the first one for new Heritage coach Patrick Surtain.
Colquitt, which had its 30-game winning streak snapped last week by Mill Creek, is 0-2 for the first time since the 2010 season.
American Heritage (1-0) jumped out to a 17-0 lead on a pair of Jason Brown touchdown passes and a field goal, but Colquitt rallied behind its ground attack in the third quarter.
Freshman Daijun Edwards scored on a 29-yard run and Ty Leggett went in from 10 yards to cut the Heritage lead to 17-14.
Colquitt had a chance to tie midway through the fourth quarter but missed a 39-yard field goal. It was the Packers’ third missed field goal of the game.
Heritage then tried to close out the game. Brown converted on a fourth-and-1 with 3:46 remaining, but the drive stalled after a holding penalty.
Heritage punted and was able to pin Colquitt inside its own 5. A sack of Colquitt QB Jay Saunders put the Packers at the 1 and they were unable to move the ball.
Brown, a Harvard, commit finished with 12 for 20 for 126 yards passing and added 80 yards rushing on nine carries.
Bishop Gorman running back Baggio Ali Walsh (7) runs away from Cedar Hill free safety Josh Newman for a TD (Photo: Tim Heitman, USA TODAY Sports)
Biaggio Ali Walsh dedicated his senior season to the memory of his grandfather, Muhammad Ali. He opened with a fitting tribute to “The Greatest.”
Ali Walsh, the reigning ALL-USA Nevada Player of the Year, again showed he’s a star with three touchdowns, including runs of 54 and 77 yards, to lead No. 3 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) to a 44-14 victory against No. 5 Cedar Hill (Texas) on Saturday in the GEICO ESPN High School Kickoff.
Ali Walsh, a Cal commit, finished with 198 yards on 18 carries, an average of more than 11 yards per carry before leaving the game with a tweaked ankle after the outcome was decided.
Gorman finished with 507 yards in total offense and 25 first downs to 250 yards and eight first downs for Cedar Hill thanks to a Gorman defense anchored by Ohio State commit defensive lineman Haskell Garrett, linebacker Palaie Gaoteote and defensive backs Bubba Bolden and Alex Perry.
The win was the 40th consecutive for Gorman, the two-time defending Super 25 champion. With losses by No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) and No. 2 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) will be among the teams in consideration for the top spot when the new Super 25 rankings come out Monday.
MORE: No. 4 IMG Academy downs No.2 Grayson behind Kellen Mond
MORE: No. 6 Booker T. Washington upends No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas
Given the high interest in the game, an additional 2,500 seats were added and the fire marshall turned away other fans, according to the ESPN broadcast team.
The game featured its fair share of penalties and chippy play as the sides have been exchanging trash talk since the spring that only intensified in the days leading up to the game.
Some of that trash talk centered around Gorman quarterback Tate Martell, an Ohio State commit who finished off Cedar Hill with three rushing touchdowns in the second half. Martell had runs of 13, 34 and 49 yards as Gorman opened up a 44-14 lead.
He finished 10 for 22 for 135 yards in the air and 148 yards on the ground on 18 carries.
Gorman led 17-7 at halftime but Cedar Hill tightened the gap to 17-14 on a 72-yard run off a fake punt by Marquise Foreman. Foreman, who had one yard rushing to that point in the game, but made at least six player miss on his way to the end zone.
Less than two minutes later, Ali Walsh scored on a 77-yard run.
After a Gorman interception, Martell scored less than a minute later for a 30-14 lead and the game was essentially over.
Gorman scored on its next four possessions after Cedar Hill to within 17-14.
Cedar Hill QB Avery Davis, a Notre Dame commit, was 19 of 33 for 158 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Tate Martell leaps over Cedar Hill cornerback Caleb Lawton (2) (Photo: Tim Heitman, USA TODAY Sports)
The top six teams in last week’s Super 25 squared off in three intense matchups this weekend:
As we review the games in advance of the release Monday of the latest Super 25 football rankings, we want to know what you think? Take the poll below as to who should be the new No. 1.
RELATED: How the Super 25 fared
Sam Ehlinger injured both knees against Katy (Photo: File)
Texas quarterback commit Sam Ehlinger told the Austin American Statesman that he injured both knees during Austin Westlake’s thrilling 32-29 victory against defending state champion Katy on Friday night.
Ehlinger finished 18 for 30 for 256 yards with one touchdown passing and ran for another 63 yards in the win.
Ehlinger texted to the newspaper that he “tore medial meniscus in (his) left knee and lateral meniscus in (his) right knee” but is not expected to need surgery. The injury appeared to happen in the second quarter, but he played a dynamic second half.
The QB said he wasn’t sure how long he would be out and even suggested that he could play this week. “Might be good by next Friday,” he texted.
Richard LeCounte III (Photo: 247Sports)
Georgia five-star commit Richard LeCounte III opened his season by scoring four touchdowns — three different ways.
An American Family Insurance Preseason ALL-USA selection, LeCounte from Liberty County (Hinesville, Ga.) scored the game’s first touchdown on a 27-yard pass from Jaalon Frazier in Liberty’s 53-13 victory against Bradwell Institute. He later added another receiving TD and finished with three catches for 71 yards.
He also had a 74-yard kickoff return and a 65-yard punt return.
MORE: Preseason ALL-USA Football: Defense unveiled
Oh, and add in a rush for 12 yards and even a pass attempt.
LeCounte is ranked as the nation’s No. 1 safety recruit in the Class of 2017 by the 247Sports Composite rankings and the No. 24 player overall. He committed to Georgia in December and was new Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart’s first commit.
Marcus Minor (Photo: 247Sports)
Maryland has reeled in another high-end recruit from DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.).
Fourstar offensive tackle Marcus Minor committed to the Terps during a broadcast of SportsNet Central on CSN Mid-Atlantic.
Minor, 6-4, 287, is ranked among the top 30 tackles in the Class of 2017 by the 247Sports Composite rankings and is listed as the No. 5 recruit in the state of Maryland.
RELATED: DeMatha opens with rout of Oscar Smith (Va.)
Minor chose Maryland from among 26 reported offers.
He will join other DeMatha products including Terrance Davis, DJ Turner, Tino Ellis and Lorenzo Harrison when he arrives in College Park.
Wylie East running back Eno Benjamin (Photo: Twitter)
Wylie East (Wylie, Texas) entered the season without a clear-cut No. 1 quarterback. Before the season, coach Joe Lepsis told the Dallas Morning News that he was looking at some options.
In a 24-21 victory against Rockwall-Heather, it turned out that Wylie East’s option was to have Iowa commit running back Eno Benjamin throw the ball when it was absolutely required.
Benjamin completed the only two passes that Wylie East attempted, going 2-for-2 for 37 yards. Benjamin is now 4-for-5 in his career as a passer for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receiver Tarik Black from Cheshire Academy (Conn.) wanted to test his hand strength so he tried to replicate a drill he said he saw used by the Green Bay Packers and Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers.
According to the tweet below, Black had the JUGS machine working at 70 mph and he stood right next to it and grabbed the footballs coming out. Impressive.
Black is ranked as the No. 17 wide receiver recruit in the Class of 2017 by the 247Sports Composite rankings and has 31 reported offers.
Saw the packers do it and @JabrillPeppers do it so I had to try it out
#70mph
pic.twitter.com/2RLh2TJ3CK
— Tarik Black (@LetmeRockk_) August 29, 2016
Florida commit Elijah Blades had a 99-yard kickoff return and an 80-yard interception return (complete with front flip into the end zone) for Muir (Pasadena, Calif.) in a 49-12 win against Compton.
Compton scored first and Blades answered right back. Each team had a touchdown within the first minute of the game.
Perhaps the topper, though, was that Blades took out his phone at halftime and retweeted a video of his kickoff return to his 3,400 followers with this message, “And it’s halftime now … I TOLD YALL IM NOT JOKING THIS YEAR.”
And it's halftime right now
I TOLD YALL IM NOT JOKING THIS YEAR 4️⃣
https://t.co/8tL3joGFf5
— ELIJAH – BLADES SZN™ (@savageszniv) August 27, 2016
As noted in the video highlights above from D1Bound, Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.) beat Serra 34-12 over the weekend.
If the players in white look as if they are wearing pants that seems a little small, it’s because they are.
As noted by Los Angeles Times high school sports guru Eric Sondheimer, Narbonne got new pants in the offseason but the pants did not cover the players’ knees. The result was four penalties for equipment infractions.
The pants need to cover the knees so players can wear the mandated knee pads and be deemed properly equipped.
Palaie Gaoteote (Photo: 247Sports)
Bishop Gorman junior Palaie Gaoteote was already considered one of the best linebackers in the nation regardless of class before his stellar play in the Gaels’ nationally televised victory against Cedar Hill (Texas) on Saturday.
The No. 1-ranked outside linebacker in the Class of 2018, Gaoteote got an unexpected message Sunday before the team returned to Las Vegas — an invitation to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January 2018.
He accepted Sunday night and dedicated his selection to his father and grandfather who are both combat veterans and used the hashtag #Armybrat.
Asked if he thought his play against Cedar Hill helped him get the invitation, given the timing, he responded via direct message, “Yessss, it did big time.”
Thanks to his play, Top247 has moved him to the No. 10 player overall in the Class of 2018.
He had 92 tackles, including 13.5 for loss, and three sacks last season for Gorman.
Jayden Hardaway, the son of Penny Hardaway, played for his dad during the Nike EYBL season, helping the team reach the Peach Jam Final Four. He was bigger and stronger than he was at Peach Jam in 2015.
He also will play for dad at Memphis East for his senior season after transferring from Palmetto in the Orlando area.
Jayden, a 6-4 guard, has the ability to get hot quickly and can also get into the lane.
Notice that he also wears his dad’s signature No. 1 jersey.
Here are summer highlights from our friends at HoopJourney.com.
Matt Logan led Corona Centennial to a 14-1 record last season (Photo: Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports)
Four players who transferred to Centennial (Corona, Calif.) were ruled ineligible for the season by the CIF-Southern Section before the team’s 56-49 victory against then-No.22 Chandler (Ariz.) on Saturday.
Clearly dissatisfied with the ruling, Centennial coach Matt Logan sent the four players out to midfield for the pregame coin toss, according to the Press-Enterprise.
The players — Sione Piutau, Semisi Pahulu, Liahona Pahulu and Siani Malere — all transferred from Upland, and Logan said all moved into the Corona area. Upland challenged the transfers.
The players can appeal.
According to the Press-Enterprise, Piutau and Semisi Pahulu were slated to be starting linebackers at Centennial after they were the top two tacklers for Upland last season. Malere was planned to start on the offensive line. Liahona Pahulu, a junior who is the lone underclassmen of the four, is listed as defensive lineman.
Centennial faces IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) in the Honor Bowl this week in California.
The Coral Glades (Fla.) High School football team will honor former player Nick Garcia with helmet decals and his number painted on the field this season.
Garcia was killed in a drunk driving accident in August about five minutes from his home. Conan Acevedo, 40, was charged in the incident in which police say he ran through a red light.
Garcia intended to study international business in college.
Coral Glades beat Inlet Grove 56-0 in the opener.
Amari Rodgers (Photo: 247 Sports)
Clemson wide receiver commit Amari Rodgers has flipped from the U.S. Army All-American Bowl to the Under Armour All-America Game, he announced Monday on Twitter.
Rodgers from Catholic High in Knoxville, Tenn., had committed to the Army Bowl in February after a breakout junior season.
Rodgers is ranked as the No. 14 wide receiver in the Class of 2017 and the No 7 player in Tennessee in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The Under Armour game is Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla.
#IWILL
pic.twitter.com/R1Tl18xMwc
— Amari Rodgers3️⃣ (@arodgers_3) August 29, 2016
How is this for a heavy workload?
Geno Hess of Peoria (Ill.) had a whopping 64 carries in a 70-63 come-from-behind victory against Normal West, according to MaxPreps. In a back-and-forth game, the sides combined for 58 points in the fourth quarter.
The 64 carries equal the second-most in a game nationally. Daniel Quinn of Sand Creek (Colorado Springs) also had 64 carries in 2014. The record belongs to Russell Gunter of Straughn (Andalusia, Ala.) with 72 in 1986.
Hess finished with 574 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.
His yardage is No. 2 in state history, according to the Illinois High School Association record book. The record is 593 yards by Chicago Austin’s DeAndre Hooper in 1996.
“He hit the holes hard and really trusted his offensive line,” Peoria coach Tim Thornton told the Bloomington Pantagraph.
Cameron Dollar (Photo: 247 Sports)
Cameron Dollar, a wide receiver at East Lincoln (Denver, N.C.) set a national record Friday with seven touchdowns in the first half — seven.
According to The Charlotte Observer, Dollar’s seven receiving touchdowns in a game is No. 2 in history, but the seven in a half is a national mark.
The seven receiving TDs also break the North Carolina record of six set by Mario Raley of Independence High (Charlotte). You can see the scoring plays in the video directly below, starting at the 34 second mark.
Dollar, a Charlotte commit, got those TDs on nine receptions overall for 299 yards in a 69-0 win against Christ The King. The receiving yardage is No. 5 in state history.
Marcus Graham threw all seven TDs passes, which is tied for third in North Carolina public school history. He was 9-for-10 passing in the game for 299 yards — all to Dollar.
With action getting underway this weekend for eight team in the Super 25 Preseason football rankings, it’s time to vote for the Super 25 Game of the Week. USA TODAY High School Sports will have fan voting to select the top game from the Super 25 schedule each week during the season.
RELATED: Super 25 Expert Rankings
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I TOLD YALL IM NOT JOKING THIS YEAR 4️⃣
