Washington Post - More Students Take the Field

By Alan Goldenbach
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, September 24, 2009

Reporting on its data from the 2008-09 school year, the National Federation of State High School Associations says participation in high school sports, among boys and girls, increased to a new high -- the 20th consecutive year that number has risen. The federation lauded it as high school sports' ability to thrive in spite of the nation's struggling economy.

The survey showed that a greater percentage of high school students played a sport in 2008-09 (55.2 percent) than in 2007-08 (54.8 percent).

The sport with the biggest increase in participation from 2007-08 was swimming and diving, which saw a bump of 11.6 percent (289,060 overall). This might have been affected by Michael Phelps and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Lacrosse continued its ascent among teenagers, as high school participation increased 6.7 percent over the previous year.

Meanwhile, there was a decrease in the number of students playing boys' basketball (1.4 percent), girls' basketball (1.3 percent) and soccer (0.2 percent). Not surprisingly, football was the most popular sport, with 1,112,303 participants nationwide, nearly twice as many as the next most popular, track and field (558,007). Track and field supplanted basketball as the most popular girls' sport.

According to a source at Montgomery County public schools, however, sports participation in Montgomery dropped in 2008-09, down nearly 20 percent from 2007-08. A noticeable drop-off occurred in the winter and spring, once the economic downturn was clearly not a quick blip in the market. Furthermore, the source said the number of students who received a waiver of the county's $30 athletic participation fee tripled from the previous year.

ESPN OTL - Ginny Ehrlich, Executive Director, Alliance For A Healthier Generation On The Importance Of Youth Physical Fitness

Sports Illustrated: The impact of an Ohio school district's decision to cut sports

Andy Staples -INSIDE HIGH SCHOOL


GROVE CITY, Ohio, September 17, 2009 That first Friday at Grove City High was so quiet. Any other school year, the school's nationally acclaimed band would have ended the day by marching through the halls blasting the fight song. Any other school year, more than 11,000 would have gathered later that evening at the stadium behind the school to watch the Greyhounds -- better known as the Dawgs -- open their season. Any other school year, Friday would have meant something.

On Aug. 28, football players didn't come to school in their jerseys. Cheerleaders didn't wear their uniforms. The band didn't march, and the team didn't play. Exactly one hour after the final bell rang, the doors were locked. "Every day feels like a Tuesday," said Mike Mayers, the senior who thought he would start at quarterback this season. "Fridays are the days that everybody realizes things aren't the same."

Mayers no longer has a team because the South-Western City School Board (the district includes four high schools: Central Crossing, Grove City, Franklin Heights and Westland) took the unprecedented step of canceling all extra-curricular activities after voters failed to pass an operating levy Aug. 4. Now, the four high schools in Ohio's sixth-largest school district have no sports, no bands, no drama productions and no student council.

Friday doesn't matter anymore in the South-Western district, but Tuesday, Nov. 3, does. On that day district voters will go to the polls a fourth time to decide whether the district will receive the additional property tax dollars the school board insists it needs to bring back sports, clubs and busing for high school students.

The issue has turned neighbor against neighbor and caused shouting matches at school board meetings and on street corners. Those who oppose the levy argue that the district should find a more efficient way to spend the money it already has instead of asking for more tax dollars. The anti-levy crusaders appear to be the majority, evidenced by the fact that the levy already has been voted down three times. Those who support the levy warn that if the district doesn't offer a full program that includes a quality education and extra-curricular activities, parents will leave for another district that does. They also fear that another no vote will force the school board to slice into academic programs, which could trigger a mass exodus. That, they argue, would further erode the tax base and rob South-Western of many of its brightest students. To the pro-levy side, the Nov. 3 vote is nothing short of a referendum on the future of the community.

"This community is going to die," Grove City High football coach Matt Jordan said. "That's the big fear."

The situation in South-Western is extreme, but it isn't unusual. Across the nation, school districts are wrestling with a fundamental question. When money is tight, should taxpayers be funding high school sports? In Mount Vernon, N.Y., students, parents, coaches, teachers and community leaders raised nearly $1 million to fund the school district's sports program for the 2008-09 school year after voters twice declined to pass the district budget and forced the district into austerity mode. The budget was passed -- with funding for athletics -- for the current school year. In the East Side Union district in San Jose, Calif., sports were on the chopping block until this summer, when district officials reached an 11th-hour compromise to fund sports that included a $200 "donation" from each athlete.

What's happening at South-Western could happen almost anywhere in America, because South-Western could be almost anywhere in America. Its 127 square miles include rural areas with farms and rolling hills, tree-lined suburbs such as Grove City and urban areas within the Columbus city limits. According to district records, 52 percent of the district's 21,000 students receive either free or reduced lunch. South-Western also serves a large portion of the Columbus area's growing Somali population. That economic disparity was the reason the school board did not allow the schools to charge a participation fee to fund athletics this year. Board members worried that the district's lower-income students would be denied opportunities, so they elected to deny athletics to everyone.

On a Chamber of Commerce evening last week, the football field at Central Crossing High sat empty. The unlined grass was cut in neat rows with no cleat marks to break up the monotony. Over at Franklin Heights High, someone put a wreath on one of the locked gates shortly after school began. Now, the schools open one hour before the first bell and close one hour after the last one.

The decision to eliminate athletics has cost the district some of its coaches. While Jordan still teaches at Grove City, he serves as an assistant at North Pickerington High, 23 miles away. Other coaches simply have left. Mark Tremayne, the respected cross-country coach at Central Crossing, left to take a job at Hilliard Darby High.

Dozens of athletes also have left. Most are football players who don't have club or travel seasons like their basketball, baseball, soccer and volleyball counterparts. To keep getting recruited, football players have to play for a high school. One example is former Franklin Heights lineman Cody Evans, a 6-foot-3, 350-pound junior who is drawing interest from a number of Football Bowl Subdivison schools. Evans landed at Briggs High in Columbus.

Some former South-Western students have had to file for emancipation from their parents so they can live in other school districts. One coach said he knows a perfectly happy couple that has legally separated so the student can live with one parent in an apartment in another district.

Jordan Sturgell, a former Grove City High football player, didn't have to go to that extreme, but his parents did have to fill out paperwork for a guardianship change so Sturgell can live with his aunt and uncle and attend Teays Valley High and play his senior season. Sturgell has received interest from schools in Division II, Division III and the Football Championship Subdivision. Sturgell is one of four former South-Western students on the roster at Teays Valley. A fifth decided to return to Grove City after the team's first game. "I can't sit out from football," said Sturgell, who plays running back, receiver and safety.

"Football's my life. I love it." When Sturgell's new team opened the season Aug. 28 against Westfall, both starting quarterbacks were former Grove City players.

CONTINUE STORY. Read more.

2009 USA TODAY Super 25 preseason rankings

Here are the 2009 preseason USA TODAY Super 25 high school football rankings. The first regular-season rankings will appear Sept. 7. Teams who open their seasons before then will have their results updated below:

1. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale (1-0)
Returning starters:Four on offense, six on defense from 15-0 team. Result: Giovanni Bernard ran for 119 yards and two TDs in a 52-7 win Aug. 29 vs. Upper Arlington (Columbus, Ohio) at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Outlook:The defending USA TODAY Super 25 champion and Florida 5A champion lost QB Ryan Becker and WRs Duron Carter and Dwayne Difton, but will benefit from two speedy transfers. DB/WR LaMarcus Joyner, who has 4.34 speed in the 40 and is the No. 2 CB in the 2010 class according to Scout.com, transferred from Southwest Miami and junior WR Rashad Greene, who was third in Georgia in the 400 meters, moved from Westover (Augusta, Ga.). In addition, senior RBs Bernard (1,528 yards) and James White (960 yards) return. The teams lone weak spot might be offensive line; Brandon Linder is the only returning starter. The Raiders face a schedule that includes home games vs. No. 2 Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) on Oct. 2 and Cypress Bay (Weston, Fla.) on Nov. 13. Next: Sept. 11 vs. Boyd Anderson (Fort Lauderdale).

2. Byrnes, Duncan, S.C. (1-0)
Returning starters: Six on offense, five on defense from 14-1 team. Result: Chas Dodd threw for three TDs and Marcus Lattimore rushed for three in a 43-7 defeat of Central Gwinnett (Lawrenceville, Ga.) Aug. 28 in Suwanne, Ga. Outlook: The Rebels have plenty of talent back from their sixth state championship in eight seasons. On offense, the Rebels are led by two three-year starters, Rutgers-bound QB Dodd (2,397 passing yards and 18 passing TDs) and Lattimore (2,300 yards and 30 rushing TDs), the top-ranked RB by Scout.com and the No. 2 RB by Rivals.com. On defense, FSU commit Corey Miller and junior Brandon Willis anchor a formidable front line. The Rebels play at No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas on Oct. 2 and vs. Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) on Oct. 23. Next: Friday vs. Myrtle Beach.

3. Katy, Texas (1-0)
Returning starters: Four on offense, six on defense from 13-3 team. Result: Ended a 78-game regular-season winning streak for North Shore (Houston) with a 9-7 win on Aug. 29. Outlook: Katy's defense, which led it to a second consecutive state Division II title last season, returns largely intact, led by FS Sam Holl, who had 109 unassisted tackles. While QB Michael Stojkovic didn't get a lot of snaps last season, he will be handing off to RB Will Jeffery, who had 1,483 yards and 17 TDs and Vernon Jeffries, who had 627 yards last season. The schedule will be a challenge. Besides a home game Sept. 12 with Bellevue, Wash., two other schools in the Katy District, Cinco Ranch and Taylor (Katy), went three rounds in the playoffs. Next: Friday vs. The Woodlands (Houston).

4. Elder, Cincinnati (1-0)
Returning starters: Four on offense, seven on defense from 13-2 team. Result: Mike Miller threw for three TDs in a 49-28 win vs. No. 10 East St. Louis, Ill., on Aug. 29. Outlook: If the Panthers can go 3-0 after playing No. 10 East St. Louis (Ill.), No. 13 Colerain (Cincinnati) and Trinity (Louisville), they'll be very good. Elder, the state Division I runner-up to St. Ignatius (Cleveland), has to rebuild its offensive line but has plenty of skill players back, led by senior QB Miller, an all-state player who threw for 2,307 yards and 24 TDs. RB Adam Brown ran for 949 yards and 13 TDs, and Indiana recruit WR Tim O'Conner had 662 receiving yards and nine TD catches. Notre Dame-bound TE Alex Welch also averaged more than 15 yards a catch, but there's also plenty of inexperience on the offensive line. Defensively, the Panthers will be solid, led by DE Pete Bachman, who has given a commitment to Indiana. Next: Sunday vs. No. 13 Colerain (Cincinnati).

5. Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, N.J. (0-0)
Returning starters: Returning starters: Six on offense, eight on defense from 11-1 team. Result: Idle. Outlook: The three-time defending state Non-Public Division 4 champion has a solid defense returning to make up for the loss of QB Brett Knief and RB Dillon Romain. Vanderbilt-bound defensive tackle James Kittredge is one of six future Division I players on defense. The unit will be bolstered by junior LB/RB Paul Canevari and sophomore Darius Hamilton, son of former New York Giants DT Keith Hamilton. Junior QB Gary Nova will step into Knief's shoes and speedy RB Tony Jones will get plenty of carries. Big games include at home against No. 14 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) on Sept. 12 and a Sept. 25 game on ESPNU at No. 21 Prattville, Ala. Opens: Sept. 12 vs. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.).

6. Miami Northwestern (1-0)
Returning starters: Seven on offense and seven on defense from 13-2 team. Result: Defeated Norland (Miami) 38-7 on Aug. 27 as QB Teddy Bridgewater threw two first-half TD passes. Outlook: 2008 was a "down" year for the Bulls and they still were the state 6A runner-up. With Bridgewater, RB Corvin Lamb and WR Michaelee Harris all back, Northwestern's spread attack will be difficult to stop. Harris had 12 TD catches and 500 yards last season and Bridgewater passed for 18 TDs and 1,500 yards. Defensively, the Bulls secondary will be particularly tough, led by senior DBs Khalid Marshall and Khambrel McGee and senior DT Todd Chandler, a Miami recruit. Next: Friday at Carol City (Opa-Locka, Fla.).

7. Oaks Christian, Westlake Village, Calif. (0-0)
Returning starters: Eight on offense, six on defense from 14-0 team. Result: Idle. Outlook: With the sons of Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky and Will Smith, the Lions have plenty of star power, but there's substance behind the hype. Senior RB Malcolm Jones rushed for 26 TDs and 1,504 yards last season and is considered the No. 3 RB by Scout.com and the No. 7 athlete by Rivals.com. The defensive line is anchored by Cassius Marsh, a 6-5, 285-pound senior with 17 scholarship offers who had 55 tackles last season. In addition, QB Nick Montana, who has given a commitment to Washington, threw for 2,402 yards and 33 TDs last season and showed steady improvement in the spring and summer. Oaks Christian will be tested early at No. 24 Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) on Sept. 18. Opens: Friday at Alemany (Mission Hills).

8. Oscar Smith, Chesapeake, Va. (1-0)
Returning starters: Six on offense, five on defense from 15-0 team. Result: Phillip Sims threw for 265 yards and a TD and J.C. Coleman ran for two TDs in a 27-13 defeat of Venice, Fla., on Aug. 28. Outlook: The defending Division 6 champ has one of the top QBs in the country in senior Sims, an Alabama recruit who has passed for 7,785 yards and 84 TDs in his career. He'll be protected by a solid line, led by OT/DT Evan Hailes, G Corey Steward and OT Dontrell Holmes. Hailes, who has committed to Penn State, also anchors the defensive line. The Tigers also added a great deal of speed when RB Coleman transferred from Kings Fork. Next: Sept. 11 at Indian River (Chesapeake).

9. Centennial, Peoria, Ariz. (1-0)
Returning starters: Nine on offense, four on defense from 14-0 team. Result: Won 51-20 at McQueen (Reno) on Aug. 22 as RB Anthony Hughes rushed for 119 yards and a 1-yard TD and scored on a 70-yard TD off a screen pass. Outlook: The Coyotes are in a good position to go for their fourth consecutive state 5A-II title. They have a killer offensive line, led by three 300-pounders, Nick Rowland, Dylan Lusk and Junior Nieves, all three-year starters. Behind that group, it shouldn't be hard for senior QB Dan McFarland to exceed his totals of 1,900 yards and 20 TDs and for senior RB Hughes to run for more than his 900 yards and 13 TDs of a season ago. Plays 5A-I state runner-up Brophy College Prep on Sept. 17. Next: Friday at Chandler.

10. East St. Louis, Ill. (0-1)
Returning starters: 10. Result: Lost 49-28 to then-No. 4 Elder (Cincinnati) at University of Cincinnati. Sept. 5 at Middletown, Ohio. Outlook: The defending 7A state champion Flyers lost two big-time receivers in Terry Hawthorne (Illinois) and Kraig Appleton (Wisconsin), but have plenty of offensive talent returning. In their careers, QB Detchauz Wray has thrown for 68 TDs and 5,100 yards, WR Keante Minor has 800 yards receiving and RB Courtney Molton has rushed for 3,000 yards and 37 TDs. RB/DB Darius Stewart, who transferred from McCuer North (Florissant, Mo.), ran for 1,000 yards last season. Another player, Chris Murphy, nephew of former NFL player Dennis Stallings, had 1,000 all-purpose yards last season. Next: Saturday at Middletown, Ohio.span >

11. Camden County, Kingsland, Ga. (0-1)
Returning starters: Four on offense and four on defense from a 15-0 team. Result: Lost 14-10 to Grayson (Loganville) on Aug. 22 as Grayson allowed only 45 rushing yards. Outlook: With Ean Days and Aundre Johnson back at RB, the defending state 5A champion Wildcats should be solid. The pair rushed for 1,476 yards and 16 TDs. They'll be aided by a solid offensive line. Defensively, DE Matt Jackson and NG Jeremiah Booth anchor the unit, along with Johnson at LB. The secondary is athletic but not seasoned. The Wildcats host perennial Alabama toughie Hoover on Sept. 11. Next: Friday vs. First Coast (Jacksonville, Fla.).

12. Allen, Texas (0-1)
Returning starters: Six on offense, two on defense from 15-1 team. Result: Lost 28-25 at Longview on Aug. 28. Longview's McCray rushed for 108 yards, including 107 in the second half, and ran for a 21-yard TD. Outlook: While the defending 5A champion lost plenty of starters, it has two all-state players returning in QB Matt Brown and OL Cedric Ogbuehi. Brown rushed for 1,134 yards and 14 TDs and passed for 14 yards and 1,966 and 29 TDs. When Brown was injured last season, QB Tucker Carter also saw plenty of playing time. In addition, Ogbuehi anchors a solid offensive line that includes four other returning senior starters: Luke Burleson, Taylor Pearson, Richard Greer and Matthew Peacock. Defense and a difficult schedule that includes Plano, Rockwall, Trinity (Euless) and Plano West will be the big question marks for the Eagles. Next: Friday vs. Monterrey Tech (Mexico).

13. Colerain, Cincinnati (0-1)
Returning starters: Seven on offense, five on defense from 11-2 team. Result: Lost 16-0 on Aug. 28 to St. Xavier (Cincinnati). Outlook: The Cardinals have plenty of muscle to flex in their flexbone option with starting QB Greg Tabar and 1,000-yard rushers Trayion Durham and Tyler Williams returning. Tabar, a senior, has committed to Cincinnati. Durham and Williams, both juniors, combined for 2,301 yards and 25 TDs on the ground. Colerain's defense might be its best ever, led by linebackers Tyon Dixon, who has committed to Louisville and Cincinnati recruit Jarrett Grace. The secondary is also solid with JoVanta Harrison, Chris Dukes and Darius Godfrey all returning. Next: Sunday at No. 4 Elder (Cincinnati).

14. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (0-0)
Returning starters: Five on offense, six on defense from 12-2 team. Result: Idle. Outlook: The Spartans lost only one in-state game last season, and that was in the state championship. Though starting QB Blake Wayne and RB Kylan Butler graduated, the running game will be solid, with RB Terron Ward (708 yards and 10 TDs) returning, along with a talented offensive line led by senior Ts Chris Lawrence and Tom Hickel. Lawrence will combine at DT with DE Dylan Wynn and linebacker Blake Renaud on De La Salle's 4-4 defense. The Spartans play one of the toughest schedules in the country with a game at No. 5 Don Bosco (Ramsey, N.J.) on Sept. 12 and a home game against Lakeland, Fla., on Oct. 2. Opens: Friday vs. Serra (San Mateo).

15. Stony Point, Round Rock, Texas (1-0)
Returning starters: Five on offense, six on defense from 13-2 team. Result: Jinad Johnson rushed for 110 yards and TDs of 10 and 2 yards and QB Aaryn Sharp rushed for 103 yards and passed for 77 in a 29-0 defeat Aug. 28 of Alamo Heights (San Antonio). Outlook: Reached the state semifinals for the first time last season, only eight years after fielding its first varsity team. This year, the team will have to replace starting QB Nyk McKissic (now at Jackson State) and RB Glasco Martin (now at Baylor), but a solid defense should give the offense time to get going. Stony Point also won the state's 7-on-7 title over the summer. Junior QB Sharp looks to take over the team's spread attack. The team's secondary, with CB Kevin White, who has committed to Utah, and FS Desmond Martin, who has committed to Texas Tech, will be particularly strong. Next: Thursday vs. Connally (Pflugerville).

16. Lowndes, Valdosta, Ga. (1-0)
Returning starters: Seven on offense, five on defense from 12-1 team. Result: Lowndes set a school record for points in a 75-14 defeat of Woodland (Stockbridge) Aug. 28 as Troy Braswell rushed for 101 yards and four TDs. Outlook: While the Vikings must replace QB Greg Reid and most of their secondary, the have plenty of experience, including 15 players who saw playing time. Khary Franklin and Tyler Hunter, who return at RB, combined for more than 4,500 yards last season. Lowndes will be tough against the run, led by senior LBs Telvin Smith and Michael Copeland and linemen Ed Christian and Jordan Black, all seniors. Tough games include region foe Northside (Warner Robins), which won a state title in 2007, and 2008 state runner-up Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee). Next: Friday vs. Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee).

17. Cedar Hill, Texas (1-0)
Returning starters: Seven on offense, five on defense from 12-2 team. Result: Defeated Desoto 44-41 Aug. 29 as Mason Hayes rushed for 140 yards and QB Driphus Jackson ran for a TD and passed for two TDs. Sept. 4 vs. Wichita Falls Rider. Outlook: The Longhorns have one of the top backs in the state in Ben Malena, a 5-9 speedster who rushed for 2,202 yards and 35 TDs last season. QB Jackson had 1,350 yards passing and 789 yards rushing last year as a sophomore. Adam Shead, a 6-5, 300-pound guard, anchors the offensive line that includes two-year starter RG Ricky Gonzales, who is 6-0, 270. On defense, LB Aaron Benson, who has committed to Texas, led the team with 155 tackles while LB Randall Smith had 88 tackles last season. Also, DE Josh Parks, a starter as a sophomore, returns after missing his junior year because of injury and the Longhorns gain with the transfer of DT Larryjr Moore from DeSoto. Next: Sept. 12 at Trinity (Euless).

18. Union, Tulsa (0-0)
Returning starters: Seven on offense, six on defense from 13-1 team. Outlook: The Redskins won the 6A title last season and return with an experienced team, though one minus RB Jeremy Smith (1,664 yards and 30 TDs last season) and WR Tracy Moore (1,023 yards receiving and 15 TDs), both now at Oklahoma State. QB Chase Boyce threw for 2,300 yards and 23 TDs and can count on throwing to WRs Thomas and James Roberson. Dalton Duckett and Alec Henry are the only returning starters on the offensive line. The Redskins' secondary is one strength of their defense, led by leading tackler Luke Snider (86 tackles) and Jacob Rice. Union will get tested early by opening at home vs. improving Broken Arrow and a game at archrival Jenks in the second week. Opens: Friday vs. Broken Arrow.

19. Maine South, Park Ridge, Ill. (1-0)
Returning starters: Three on offense, three on defense from 14-0 team. Result: Defeated Schaumburg 64-35 on Aug. 28 as QB Tyler Benz passed for 232 yards and TDs of 23 and 48 yards and ran for three TDs and Matt Perez rushed for 117 yards and four TDs. Outlook: The defending state 8A champ should be solid again despite losing QB Charlie Goro to Vanderbilt and eight other offensive starters. The Hawks will count heavily on Benz, at QB/OLB RB/LB Perez, who had 2,600 all-purpose yards and 31 TDs last season. Maine South also has a good-sized offensive line, anchored by T Victor Nelson, who is 6-7, 300 pounds. Next: Friday vs. Wheaton-Warrenville South (Wheaton).

20. Liberty, Bethlehem, Pa. (0-0)
Returning starters: Six on offense, six on defense from 15-1 team. Result: Idle. Outlook:Anthony Gonzalez (1,580 yards and 12 TDs passing and 1,670 yards and 24 TDs rushing) led the Hurricanes to the state 4A title and is back at QB to run a spread attack. He might be the best two-way player in the country. He had 96 tackles at CB last season. If the Hurricanes can open up 2-0, they will be in good shape, but they must get past North Penn (Lansdale) and Parkland (Bethlehem). Defense is led by DE Dontae Holmes, LB Rashad Knight and LB Drew Persa. Opens: Friday at North Penn (Lansdale).

21. Prattville, Ala. (0-1)
Returning starters: Seven on offense, six on defense from 13-1 team. Result: Lost 14-11 vs. North Gwinnett (Lawrenceville) on Aug. 29. Outlook: Three-time defending 6A champ has won 30 in a row in-state. Senior QB Sam Gibson, an LSU recruit, returns after throwing for 1,083 yards and 11 TDs in the regular season while rushing for 480 yards and eight TDs. Another key returnee is junior WR Cornelius Fenderson. The defense is led by DB Nick Perry, who had 37 tackles and four interceptions. The Lions will play a home game Sept. 25 vs. No. 5 Don Bosco (Ramsey, N.J.). Next: Thursday vs. Robert E. Lee (Montgomery).

22. Madison Central, Madison, Miss. (2-0)
Returning starters: Nine on offense, seven on defense from 12-2 team. Result: Won 28-16 at Hattiesburg as Joe Price ran for TDs of 62 and 15 yards on Aug. 21. QB Peyton Johnson passed for 191 yards and a 48-yard TD and ran for two 1-yard TDs, all in the first half of a 43-28 defeat of Melrose (Memphis) on Aug. 28. Outook: The Jaguars return with most of their starters back. Senior QB Johnson leads an option attack. DEs Carlton Martin and Bryon Bennett pace the defense. Martin, a state champion powerlifter, played DT last season but will be able to utilize his quickness more at DE this season. Next: Friday vs. Provine (Jackson).

23. St. Bonaventure, Ventura, Calif. (0-0)
Returning starters: Seven on offense, seven on defense from 14-1 team. Result: Idle. Outlook: The Seraphs have won two consecutive state Div. III titles and should be fine again, even without All-USA RB Patrick Hall. QB Logan Meyer is back after passing for 2,311 yards and 24 TDs and Devon Blackledge is back after rushing for 1,189 yards and 17 TDs last year as a junior. They'll have a solid line to work behind, led by Southern Cal recruit Giovanni DiPoalo and sophomore David Barajas. LB Dylan Davis returns to lead a defense that allowed 7.7 points a game over the past seven games of the season. Tough games include Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) on Sept. 11 and Crespi (Anaheim) on Sept. 25. Opens: Friday at St. John Bosco (Bellflower).

24. Skyline, Sammamish, Wash. (0-0)
Returning starters: Nine on offense, eight on defense from 14-0 team. Result: Idle. Outlook: In two seasons as Skyline's starting QB, Jake Heaps has two state titles and no losses. The Brigham Young recruit threw for 2,910 yards and 38 TDs last year and has WR Kasen Williams, a state high jump champion, to throw to again. Tough games include a home matchup with No. 7 Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) on Sept. 18. Opens: Saturday vs. Jesuit (Portland).

25. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (0-0)
Returning starters: Seven on offense and seven on defense from 10-2 team. Result: Idle. Outlook: The Stags graduated 10 players who signed college letters-of-intent, but there's plenty left in the pipeline. DeMatha has won six consecutive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference titles. RB Marcus Coker, who rushed for 1,174 yards and 18 TDs, returns and can count on running behind OL Arie Kouandjio, a top recruit who is 6-6 and 315. Pitt recruit Jeff Knox could play at WR and RB. Big games include Sept. 12 at Gilman (Baltimore). Opens: Saturday at Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro).

USAToday - Two California coaches open up season with 344 career wins

By Jim Halley, USA TODAY

Football coaches Bob Ladouceur and Marijon Ancich each have had longtime success at California Catholic high schools after becoming head coaches in their 20s. They also share a disdain for the number that joins them — a state-record 344 wins.

Ladouceur, 55, has coached for the last 30 years at De La Salle (Concord), which is No. 14 in the USA TODAY Super 25 rankings. His Spartans went 12-2 last season, including a loss in the state title game. It looked as if Ladouceur would take the record this season, but Ancich, 68, came out of retirement last winter after four years to return to St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs).

"I'm not even thinking about that," Ladouceur says of the mark. "I'm thinking about Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) and how we're going to move the ball on them Friday. For me, I've won enough games. Maybe when I was starting out, I was thinking, we've got to win some games around here. When I came upon 100 or 200 or 300 wins, I thought that was kind of neat, but it really wasn't a huge motivator for me."

Ancich said he came out of retirement after four years to revitalize St. Paul, which went 4-6 last season. The Swordsmen play La Mirada on Friday in their opener.

"The record never really was a factor," Ancich says. "It's just the principle of the thing, the challenge of trying to get a small school to compete. We're the smallest male population in the state to be playing the guys we're playing against — Crespi (Encino), Bishop Amat (La Puenta) and St. John Bosco (Bellflower). Just in a short few years, the structure of the program went under tremendous changes. We have to restructure everything."

De La Salle and St. Paul have never met. Both credit their success to relying on discipline and year-round conditioning. They are tied for 12th in wins nationally among active coaches, but Ladouceur's winning percentage of 94% leads active coaches nationally. Ancich's winning percentage is 73.6%.

"When I started out, we were hitting the weights really hard, year-round," Ladouceur says. "Winning is an outcome of a lot of things you do right. A lot of it is discipline and accountability."

Ancich says being better conditioned and disciplined was the only way his teams could beat deeper, more talented teams.

"The hardest thing is reinstating the rules and regulations of being on time, being at practice and that kind of stuff," Ancich says.

USAToday - High school football hero replays tackle of armed girl

By Chris Joyner, USA TODAY

September 3, 2009 - Kaleb Eulls is used to hearing cheers for his heroics on the football field, but the Yazoo County, Miss., high school senior's quick thinking Tuesday morning on a school bus has earned him a different kind of acclaim.

Eulls, 18, tackled and disarmed a 14-year-old girl who had pulled a .380 semiautomatic handgun from her bag and was threatening students and demanding the driver pull over, County Sheriff Tommy Vaughn said. Vaughn, who has reviewed the incident on the bus security camera, said the courage Eulls showed was incredible.

"Even though he was raised right, what put him in the thought to go above and beyond like that, I don't know," Vaughn said. Kaleb's mother, Ora Eulls, said Wednesday, "I'm thanking God today that he is still here and everything turned out all right. "He told me last night that it really just dawned on him last night what happened. It was just a reaction," she said.

Vaughn said the girl, who is being held in the county youth detention center, said she was the victim of bullies. She has been charged with possession of a firearm on school property and 22 counts each of attempted aggravated assault and kidnapping. USA TODAY does not publish the names of minors charged with crimes.

Because the crime was committed with a gun and the girl is over 13, she meets the criteria to be charged as an adult, Yazoo County District Attorney James Powell said.

Eulls, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound quarterback and defensive end for Yazoo County High School, said he was asleep when the girl boarded the bus. When she pulled out the gun, one of Eulls' three younger sisters — Kimberly Clark, 16; Ashley Dortch, 14; and Bobbie Dortch, 12, who were among the 23 people on the bus — shook him awake, he said. Eulls said he tried to get the girl's attention.

"I kept my distance for a second, she kind of glanced away or blinked and I got to her," he said.

"I just basically thought about all the lives that were in danger. It all happened in about five minutes. I'm thankful that it turned out the way it did." Eulls said the girl was shouting about people "picking on her" and throwing paper at her. If she was being bullied on the bus, he said he had not seen it happen on the morning bus rides. "I really didn't know her too well," he said.
School officials said they do not know what prompted the student to board the school bus this week with a pistol.

Assistant Superintendant Mickey Rivers said she did not approach her teachers about the bullying and that she had just transferred into the school. "Every one of her teachers said she just sat in class and never talked to anybody," he said. In investigating Tuesday's incident, Rivers said one of the girl's cousins said someone threw paper at her as she exited the bus Monday evening, but it did not appear to anger her. "Her cousin said she even turned around and grinned," he said. Yazoo County School Superintendent Jack Nicholson said he was "extremely proud" of Eulls. "He's a fine young man, he's a good athlete, and he's a good person," he said. "No one knows how they will act in scenarios like that." Nicholson also praised the bus driver, Katie Boddy, for trying to calm the girl while bringing the bus to a stop. "Her reactions were just textbook, " he said.

Yazoo County High School head football coach Matt Williams said Eulls' teammates at Tuesday's practice were calling him "Superman" and "Hancock," the reckless superhero portrayed by Will Smith in the movie of the same name.

"I've known Kaleb since he was a seventh-grader, and to see him grow up into the man he is now, is just humbling to me, " Williams said.

Assistant Superintendent Mickey Rivers said the girl's teachers say she did not approach them about being bullied. Rivers said the girl transferred to Yazoo County this year. Eulls has verbally committed to play for the Mississippi State University football team next fall, his mother says.

Joyner reports for The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger

USAToday - At some schools, budget cuts put the kibosh on sports

By Marlen Garcia, USA Today

September 2, 2009 - Instead of gearing up to run cross country for Grove City High School in Ohio, Andy Bennett is training for a marathon.

It will give the 16-year-old some consolation because sports programs and clubs at his school have been shut down. An hour after the last bell each afternoon, it's lights out at the school.

Bennett and his classmates won't have homecoming, prom or a student government — activities that, like sports, are fixtures in American high schools but no longer exist at Grove City because of a financial crisis.

That's the plight of all students who attend South-Western City Schools, which serves part of Columbus and nearby towns and is Ohio's sixth-largest school district. The district has been in dire financial straits for years and is being squeezed further by the economic downturn. By canceling activities, the district cut $2.5 million in expenses, district spokeswoman Sandy Nekoloff says.

"I thought it was the worst thing in the world," Bennett says of the school board's decision to cancel activities after a proposed property tax hike was rejected by voters in August, the third time it failed.

In this district, no one has been spared, not even Grove City High's marching band. "There's no football games. There's nowhere for the marching band to march," Nekoloff says.

High schools across the USA are reporting that the recession has led to similar financial difficulties for extracurricular programs, forcing cost-cutting that is particularly painful now, as fall sports seasons open. From Hawaii to Rhode Island, school systems are trimming compensation for coaches, eliminating transportation, adding or increasing athletic fees for students, holding fundraising drives, cutting back on night games to save electricity costs and dropping some sports and related events altogether.

In Nevada, this "is going to be the worst year financially for school districts in history — and 2010-11 is going to be worse," says Eddie Bonine, executive director of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association. "We may be told to do more next year." In Michigan, Jamie Gent, athletics director at Haslett High near Lansing, says, "There's no money, period. We're coming to a stage in the next three years that if things don't get better, (it could damage) sports altogether. Who do you pick? What stays? What sport doesn't stay?"

Bennett says he was close to transferring to a school outside his district so he could earn his third varsity letter in cross country. His parents were willing to pay more than $3,000 for him to attend an out-of-district public school or private school, he says.

He knows of other families who are paying steep tuition so their teens can play sports. Such a move from Grove City would have been difficult academically and socially, Bennett says. He is a top student taking Advanced Placement courses and didn't want to hurt his chances of getting into his dream college, the Air Force Academy. "I've been in the Grove City public system forever," he says. "Switching to another school with no friends was not very appealing."
Some athletes may miss out

The mood at school is grim, others say. "We're going to have all these idle hands," says Drew Eschbach, who was the cross country coach. Top-tier athletes will be OK, Eschbach says, because they will transfer to schools with better-funded programs or form their own clubs. He says he worries about average athletes who will miss out on the collegiality and sense of belonging that a team or club can provide.

Some in the community have accused school system officials of canceling activities to strong-arm residents into passing a tax increase. Nekoloff says activities were canceled after other cuts failed to help solve the financial problems. "We've had $22 million in reductions and more than 330 positions reduced over the past three years," she says. Residents will vote on a scaled-back property tax increase in November. The district estimates the new proposal would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $18.89 a month in property taxes. The median household income for the area was $54,965 in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

District officials are studying a pay-to-play model, which increasingly has been used across the country. Nekoloff says if South-Western's proposed tax increase passes, the board could bring back activities under this system and students would share costs with the district. At most schools, pay-to-play fees cover a portion of a team's expenses and school districts kick in the rest. But those amounts can be disproportionate, as is the case at Brighton High School in Michigan.

Brighton offers 32 sports and fields 98 teams, enviable by any school's standards. But the district funds only 38% of the athletic department's nearly $1.5 million in expenditures; the other 62% is self-generated through fundraisers and fees, athletics director John Thompson says. Athletes pay $175 a sport, although the fee for a third sport is waived. Students also pay transportation fees ranging from $30 to $70 a sport. Fees are waived for those with financial hardship.

"We've started chipping away at the model that existed when I was a kid," Thompson says. "Unfortunately, one day sports will be out there for people who have money. We can say we'll take care of those without money, but I can tell you it will be the kids with talent. The average kid is going to get left behind. That whole development factor, they're going to miss out on it."

Contributing: Geoff Kimmerly of the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal; Chris Gabel of the Reno Gazette-Journal

NYT - In Hawaii, High School Sports Are Far From Paradise

By Dave Caldwell

PHILADELPHIA — August 31, 2009. Shane Victorino, the Phillies’ All-Star center fielder, is a long way from Maui, where he grew up, but he still tries his best to keep up with what is going on at home.

About a month ago, he said, he read a newspaper article online that hit him hard. The Hawaii High School Athletic Association, walloped by recent state budget cuts, had pleaded for financial help from private citizens and corporations. The fledgling fund-raising drive was called Save Our Sports, or S.O.S., and two banks, two foundations and the head of the association had pledged a total of $430,000.

Victorino, 28, called his father, Mike, a city councilman living in Wailuku, a town near the sugarcane fields that cover Maui’s arid central plain, and asked him more about the situation. Then Victorino, an Eagle Scout who was once a multisport star at St. Anthony High School on Maui, told the association’s chairman, Keith Amemiya, that he would send a check for $10,000.

At last count, officials had collected more than $700,000 of their $1.2 million goal, helping the association keep sports seasons going and avoid the prospect of forcing students to pay to play.

“It was almost like an obligation to do that,” Victorino said before a recent Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park. “It tells me something. In Hawaiian culture, everybody’s got each other’s back. I’m not saying that doesn’t happen anywhere else, but it is true in Hawaii. Family is No. 1.”

A year after the association narrowly avoided a cut in state financing, it watched the state government slash $2.4 million this summer of the $6.7 million it had budgeted for athletic programs covering about 25,000 students statewide.

Hawaii has no top-level professional sports teams and limited college offerings beyond the University of Hawaii, so high school sports carry greater significance for many. Residents identify themselves by high school alma mater. Everyone knows President Obama attended Punahou School in Honolulu.

But water, and the travel required to cross it, complicate matters for an organization overseeing statewide competition for 95 schools.

“On Lanai and Molokai, every game is really an away game,” Amemiya said in a telephone interview from his office in Honolulu. With a slight chuckle, he added, “You can’t drive there, or your bus will sink.”

Victorino said St. Anthony, a private school, could fly to most away games, but he knew he was lucky. The Maui Interscholastic League includes two high schools on Lanai and Molokai, and getting from those islands to Maui is expensive, complicated and time consuming.

Camie Kimball, the athletic director at Molokai High School, a public school with about 330 students in grades 9 through 12, said sports teams usually must ride a ferry to Maui. The ride takes about 1 hour 45 minutes each way, and Kimball said the round-trip fare ran from $80 to $105 per student.

When a team arrives in Lahaina, Maui, players wait until a coach catches a cab ride to fetch a bus kept nearby at Lahainaluna High School.

For a tournament in August on Oahu, the Molokai girls’ volleyball team slept at a nearby high school and cooked meals in the cafeteria.

“There’s not a whole lot to do on this island,” Kimball said in a telephone interview from her office on Molokai. “We don’t even have a movie theater anymore. We don’t have a whole lot of industry.”

Molokai’s unemployment rate topped 16 percent in July, and Kimball said several athletes at the high school would probably have had to drop out had they been required to pay fees. Amemiya and his wife, Bonny, donated $30,000 to the S.O.S. fund in July, including $15,000 for Molokai High School to cover interisland travel costs.

“When times are tough here, people pitch in, especially for sports — and this is gender-neutral,” said Jack Tsui, a former president at First Hawaiian Bank who is now with the Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation, which pledged $200,000 to the drive. “I’m really not overly surprised. I thought people in the state would help out.”

They have, Amemiya said, often with $20 checks. But Amemiya said tourists had contributed to the S.O.S. fund after learning about it. The drive ends in October, and Amemiya said he thought the goal would be met.

“This is a need-to-have,” Mufi Hannemann, the mayor of Honolulu, said in a telephone interview. “Sports is not a nice-to-have, it’s a need-to-have. The importance of the issue is sky-high. People here get it about the value of sports.”

For his part, Victorino said he could not imagine instituting a fee for sports. “You shouldn’t have to pay to play as a kid,” he said.