Wednesday, December 14, 2011

High School Rudy Award and Insperium Soccer Awards take Centerstage on Thursday night's NHCSA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Join me tonight on the NHSCA Sports Hour when I'll be joined by Byron Jenson, director of the Insperium Awards to talk about the finalists for this year's High School Rudy Awards and the brand-new Insperium Soccer Awards.

Twelve finalists in each sport were announced earlier this week, and Jenson and I will talk about all of their incredible stories.

Both awards, which will each hand-out $25,000 in scholarship money, spotlight inspiration student-athletes, who may not be the #1 player on their team, but they have "the four 'c's" of character, courage, contribution and commitment.

Click here to view the 12 finalists for the High School Rudy Awards.

Click here to view the 12 finalists for the Insperium Soccer Awards.

Click here to listen to the show LIVE starting at 6PM Eastern Time on the Artist First Radio Network.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Nike National Cross Country Championships

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

The Nike National Cross Country Championships are not an officially sanctioned high school event, but for the past eight years they've served as a way to crown national champions in the sport.

The teams don't complete as "true" representatives of their schools, but the bottom line is...these are the high school teams, and when you look at XCnation.com's latest rankings you can see that the event in Portland, Oregon, really was able to determine who is the best boys' and girls' cross country team in the nation this year.

Coming into the meeting, XCnation.com had Southlake Carroll (Texas) and Christian Brothers Academy (New Jersey) ranked #1 and #2 respectively.  Both schools were looking to cap perfect seasons.

On the girls' side of the equation, five-time national champ Fayetteville-Manlius (New York) was primed to make it six in a row.

The boys' race was extremely close with Christian Brothers Academy nipping Southlake Carroll 91-95 for the victory.  CBA's point total was a meet record and the 16:00 time was a course record at Portland Meadows Race Track.

The national championship is the first for legendary head coach Tom Heath, whose team was competing in its fifth national meet.  Heath has an CBA is currently on a national-record 315 meet win streak, and his school has won 17 New Jersey Meet of Champions titles.

Futsum Zeinasellassie of North Central High School (Indiana) won the boys' individual crown with a time of 15:03, which broke the course record by seven seconds.

The Fayetteville-Manlius girls won their sixth straight national title by beating-out their in-state rival Saratoga Springs.  XCnation.com has the two schools ranked #1 and #2 respectively.

Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley High School in California won the meet with a time of 17:38.

Next-up the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego next Saturday.

Here's a look at the latest individual rankings from XCnation.com:

Boys
1. Edward Cheserek, St. Benedict's Prep (NJ)
2. Futsum Zeinasellassie, North Central HS (IN)
3. Jack Leingang, Bismark HS (ND)
4. Darren Fahy, La Costa Canyon HS (CA)
5. Anthony Armstrong, Kamiakin HS (WA)

Girls
1. Julie Macedo, Tatnall (DE)
2. Molly Seidel, University Lake School (WI)
3. Carrie Verdon, Campolindo HS (CA)
4. Grace Tinkey, First Presbyterian Day School (GA)
5. Jill Fanning, Fayetteville-Manlius HS (NY)

**Note: CBA head coach Tom Heath and Southlake Carroll head coach Justin Leonard have both appeared on the NHSCA Sports Hour this season.


Click here to listen to interview with Tom Heath.

Click here to listen to interview with Justin Leonard.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Eastern HS Field Hockey Team Wins Another New Jersey Tournament of Championships Title

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

While New Jersey still doesn't crown overall state champs in football, it does have a cool concept for other sports.

It's called the Tournament of Champions where respective group champs meet to decide an overall state champ in sports such as basketball, soccer, cross country and field hockey.

Sunday, Eastern High School's Danyle Heilig, who was a guest on the November 17th NHSCA Sports Hour, led her school to its four T of C title, which comes on-top of the school's 13th straight Group 4 championship.

Eastern (27-0) beat West Essex (23-2) 5-2 i the T of C championship game.  Eastern was led by freshman Austyn Cuneo, who had a goal and an assist.  The goal was her 69th this season, which tied the state record held by Eastern grad Kelsey Mitchell in 2009 and  Michelle Vuzzuso of West Essex in 1994.

Since taking over Eastern (Voorhees, New Jersey) in 1999, Heilig has never failed to win a group championship.  Earlier this year, Heilig won her 300th game.

The Vikings 13 straight state titles is a national record.  The school also had a 153-game  game unbeaten streak that is also a national record.



Click here to listen to my interview with Coach Heilig on November 17th.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

October GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Edward Cheserek, a junior cross country runner at St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey, is the October GTM Sportswear Athlete of the Month.

At the Passaic Coaches Invitational on September 24th, Cheserek not only won the boys 5K race, he won by nearly two minutes.  With a time of 14 minutes, 53 seconds, Cheserek not only broke the Garret Mountain course record, he shattered it by 22 seconds.

Ranked No. 1 nationally in the preseason by xcnation.com, Cheserek finished second in the Nike Cross Nationals last year, two seconds behind last year’s NHSCA National High School Senior Athlete of the Year, Lukas Verzbicas.

Cheserek came to the United States 15 months ago after spending most of his formative years at the Stadi Za Maisha orphanage in his native Kenya.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

#1 Southlake Carroll (TX) Cross Country Coach Justin Leonard on Thursday NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Southlake Carroll (Texas) High School's boys' and girls' cross country teams grabbed gold medals last weekend at the Texas 5A state championship meet.

Tomorrow night, head coach Justin Leonard will join me on the NHSCA Sports Hour at 6PM Eastern Time to talk about the incredible year that the Dragon runners have had this season.  The boys' team is currently ranked #1 in the nation; the girls are ranked #15, according to XCnation.com.

The boys state title was the first-ever for Southlake Carroll, while the girls snapped a string of three-straight runner-up finishes.  The boys set a record by scoring 20 points; 15 points is a perfect score in cross country.  The Dragons place five runners in the top 10, beating second place Houston Strake Jesuit by 90 points.



XCnation.com National Rankings

Boys
1. Southlake Carroll (TX)
2. Christian Brothers Academy (NJ)
3. Fayetteville Manlius (NY)
4. American Fork (UT)
5. Stillwater (MN)
6. Lexington (SC)
7. Davis (UT)
8. Rush Henrietta (NY)
9. Columbus North (IN)
10. Calvin Christian (MI)

Girls
1. Fayetteville Manlius (NY)
2. Saratoga Springs (NY)
3. North Shore (NY)
4. Tatnall (DE)
5. Monticello (MN)
6. Carmel (IN)
7. New Trier (IL)
8. Fort Collins (CO)
9. Simi Valley (CA)
10. Xavier Prep (AZ)

To see the entire Top 50, click here.

To listen to the show LIVE tomorrow night, click here.

Friday, October 14, 2011

XCnation.com National Cross Country Rankings

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

There's no change at the top of the latest XCnation.com/NHSCA National Team Rankings.

On the boys' side of the equation, defending national champion Arcadia (California) remains #1 after a strong showing at the Surf City Huntington Beach Central Park Invitational.  The Apaches placed five runners in the top 10.

Arcadia is trying to become the first boys' team ton win back-to-back national titles since Mead High School (Washington) did it in 1992 and 1993.  Click here to read a story from XCnation.com on the Apaches.

Only four schools in all have been able to reign as national champs in back-to-back years.  Carmel (Indiana) did it in 1981 and 1982; Deerfield (Illinois) did it in 1976 and 1977; and South Eugene (Oregon) had a three-peat from 1973 through 1975.

Here's a look at the latest Boys' Top 50 Rankings from XCnation.com:

1. Arcadia, CA
2. Bismarck, ND
3. Christian Brothers Academy, NJ
4. Southlake Carroll, TX
5. Davis, UT
6. Calvin Christian, MI
7. Fayetteville Manlius, NY
8. Arlington, NY
9. Fort Collins, CO
10. American Fork, UT
11. Carmel, IN
12. Palos Verdes, CA
13. Columbus North, IN
14. Palatine, IL
15. Rock Bridge, MO
16. Shaker, NY
17. Stillwater, MN
18. Cardinal O'Hara, PA
19. Arrowhead, WI
20. North Allegheny, PA
21. Great Oak, CA
22. Rush Henrietta Sperry, NY
23. Don Bosco Prep, NJ
24. Rancho Cucamonga, CA
25. York, IL
26. North Central, WA
27. Belen Jesuit Preparatory, FL
28. Belvidere North, IL
29. Mount Lebanon, PA
30. Trabuco Hills, CA
31. Hamilton Southeastern, IN
32. Loyola, CA
33. Brookwood, GA
34. Brentwood, TN
35. Eisenhower, WA
36. Bishop Hendricken, RI
37. Campolindo, CA
38. Gig Harbor, WA
39. Piner, CA
40. St. Xavier, KY
41. Saint Anthony's, NY
42. Fairview, CO
43. The Woodlands, TX
44. West Windsor Plainsboro South, NJ
45. Westfield, NJ
46. Bellarmine Prep, CA
47. Kamiakin, WA
48. Holy Trinity, FL
49. Mountain Vista, CO
50. Midlothian, VA

On the girls' side, Fayetteville Manlius is rolling toward its sixth straight national championship after an impressive day at the 39th Annual Manhattan Invitational Girls Eastern Championship Race.  F-M topped #5 Tatnall (Delaware), #7 North Shore (New York) and #27 Champlain Valley (Vermont).

Here's the latest Girls' Top 50 Rankings from XCnation.com:

1. Fayetteville Manlius, NY
2. Carmel, IN
3. Saratoga Springs, NY
4. La Costa Canyon, CA
5. Tatnall, DE
6. Xavier College Preparatory, AZ
7. North Shore, NY
8. Monarch, CO
9. New Trier, IL
10. Assumption, KY
11. Southlake Carroll, TX
12. Dowling Catholic, IA
13. Monticello, MN
14. Kingwood, TX
15. Green Hope, NC
16. Great Oak, CA
17. Saugus, CA
18. Classical Academy, CO
19. Bozeman, MT
20. Simi Valley, CA
21. Burnt Hills-Balston Lake, NY
22. Voorhees, NJ
23. Summit, OR
24. Wheaton Warrenville South, IL
25. Pennsbury, PA
26. Bronxville, NY
27. Champlain Valley, VT
28. Saline, MI
29. Fort Collins, CO
30. Mountain View, ID
31. Campolindo, CA
32. Redondo Union, CA
33. Midlothian, VA
34. Skyline, UT
35. Lake Park, IL
36. Cherry Creek, CO
37. Palatine, IL
38. West Chester Henderson, PA
39. Colonial Forge, VA
40. Fairview, CO
41. Ogden, UT
42. The Woodlands, TX
43. Canandaigua, NY
44. Grosse Pointe South, MI
45. Mountain Vista, CO
46. Glacier Peak, WA
47. Wasilla, AK
48. Tesoro, CA
49. Boulder, CO
50. North Rockland, NY

Click here to listen to XCnation.com co-founder Aron Taylor talk about the rankings on the October 13th NHSCA Sports Hour.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

New Jersey Field Hockey Player Sets New Shutout Record

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour


Congratulations go out to Eastern High School (Voorhees, NJ) goaltender Alana Barry, who is the nation's new leader in all-time shutouts in high school field hockey.

Barry and  her teammates beat Cherokee 10-0 earlier this week, giving her 10 shutouts this season and 68 in her career.  Barry passed Haley Exner of Scripps Ranch (San Diego, CA), who blanked 67 teams before graduating in 2003.

Barry wasn't called-on to make a save during the record-breaking match.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

2011 NHSCA Football Coach of the Year George Smith to be a Guest on Tomorrow Night's NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

There's a big football game in Florida Friday night between two of the best high school football programs in America.

De La Salle (Concord, CA) High School will square-off with St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) on ESPN.

Joining me on tomorrow night's NHSCA Sports Hour to talk about the showdown is STA athletic director George Smith, who is the 2011 National High School Coaches Association's National High School Football Coach of the Year.

Had Smith not retired from coaching earlier this year, the showdown would have featured two of America's legendy coaches.  De La Salle is led by Bob Ladouceur, who led the Spartans on that incredible 151-game win streak that began in the early-90's and ended in 2004.  Ladouceur owns an incredible record of 375-24-3. 

Smith stepped away from the sidelines after 34 years of building the Raiders into a Florida and national power.  Smith's career record before handing the program's reigns over to Rocco Casullo was 361-66 with six state titles and two "mythical" national championships.  Ladouceur has led the Spartans to seven "mythical" national titles.

On May 1st, I spoke with Casullo, the team's former defensive coordinator, about taking over for a legend.  Click here to listen to that interview.

St. Thomas Aquinas enters the game ranked #4 by MaxPreps.com, while De La Salle is at #10.

Tune-in tomorrow night starting at 6PM EDT to listen to my interview with Coach Smith.  Click here to listen LIVE.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Pingry School's Miller Bugliari Talks About ESPN RISE Boys' Soccer Preseason Top 10 Ranking

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSA Sports Hour

Pingry School (Martinsville, NJ) isn't the biggest school in the Garden State, but it certainly is big in boys' soccer circles.

The reason?

Head coach Miller Bugliari, who has given the sports a stable foundation since taking over the reigns of the team in 1960.  A half-century later, Bugliari is three wins away from 750 victories and has led Pingry to more than 20 New Jersey state and sectional championships.

Bugliari, who graduated from Pingry in 1952, joined me on Thursday's NHSCA Sports Hour to talk about a career that isn't slowing down.

2011 should be another very good year for the Big Blue.  ESPN RISE ranked Pingry #10 in its Preseason Boys' Soccer FAB 50 Poll.

Check-out the rest of the poll below:

ESPN RISE Boys Soccer Top 25 Preseason Rankings
1. Sacramento Jesuit (CA)
2. St. Benedict's Prep (NJ)
3. Forest Hills Central (MI)
4. DeMatha (MD)
5. Boylan Catholic (IL)
6. St. Ignatius (OH)
7. McDonogh (MD)
8. Granite Bay (CA)
9. St. Louis University High (MO)
10. Pingry (NJ)
11. E.O. Smith (CT)
12. Hempfield (PA)
13. Canton (MI)
14. Naperville North (IL)
15. North Central (IN)
16. Rockhurst (MO)
17. Eldorado (NM)
18. Myers Park (NC)
19. Episcopal (VA)
20. St. Thomas Aquinas (KS)
21. Martin Luther King (NY)
22. Christian Brothers Academy (NJ)
23. Cherry Creek (CO)
24. Christian Brothers Academy (MO)
25. Ballard (KY)

Click here to see the entire FAB 50

We Wanna Play Helping Kentucky Student-Athletes

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

In these difficult economic times, it great to hear about a group of people in Kentucky that are trying to help student-athletes that may not be able to participate in baseball and softball.

Thursday night on the NHSCA Sports Hour, I spoke with Roy Sturgill of WeWannaPlay, Inc. in Kentucky, a non-for-profit whose mission is to make sure that every student athlete that wishes to participate in middle or high school sports has that opportunity and is not held back by the escalating costs of participation fees.  The program is specifically designed for Frankfort, Franklin County and Western Hills high schools.

The organization was founded by Rob Hecker, who developed the idea  after years of being an involved parent and booster club member.  When Kentucky laws limiting the ability of booster clubs to raise funds through bingo, Hecker and his group of volunteers stepped-in to try to help.

WeWannaPlay sponsored its first group of student athletes in the spring of 2011.  It sponsored 32 athletes in softball and baseball using approximately $2,000 it had raised through a golf tournament.

To learn more or make a donation, go to www.wewannaplay.org.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

High School Football Player with Down Syndrome Not Allowed to Participate Due to Age Restrictions


by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Courtesy: Let Brett Bowden Play 
Facebook Page
Here's a story that proves that sometimes rules are meant to be broken or at least in some cases need to be bent.

On the surface, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association is doing the right thing by following its rule to not allow 19-year old Brett Bowden of Hobbton High School (North Carolina) to practice and play with his team because he is over the state's age limit for participation.  However, Bowden, who is a junior, has down syndrome and this is where, I think, common sense needs to come.

Bowden has spent the last two season wearing a full uniform during the games and practicing with his teammates.

According to several published reports, Bowden's teammates and the community have found his position on the team to be inspirational.  That is evidenced by the fact that more than 47,000 people have signed-up for the "Let Brett Bowden Play" Facebook page in the last two days.

The rule states that student-athletes who turn 19 on or before August 31st are ineligible to play.  Brett turned 19 in May.

Yesterday, one story headline from FOXNews.com read that the Brett had been "kick-off the team".  That caused NCHSAA commissioner Davis Whitfield to issue a statement that reads:

"I want to be clear that the student-athlete has not been 'kicked off the team,' " Whitfield said. "Brett Bowden could still be a part of the team, lead his team on the field, wear his jersey and be with his teammates, including some of the postgame activities he has done in the past."

Bottom line here, I do believe that rules are rules.  However, in this case, what is it going to hurt to allow Brett to suit up for the games as long as he doesn't go onto the field to participate in an actual game?

Here's hoping that common sense prevails and Brett is allowed to wear his uniform proudly once again!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Illinois Continues to Test High School Athletes for Performance-Enhancing Drugs

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Courtesy: www.ihsa.org
High school football practice begins tomorrow in Illinois, and with it comes news that the Illinois High School Association will continue to test its athletes for performance-enchancing drugs.

During the 2010-11 school year, the IHSA tested 747 student-athletes with four positive tests.  Two of the four athletes were cleared by a medical review officer.  The other athletes were the first two punishable tests since the testing program began during the 2008-09 school year.  Over the first three-years, 1,758 tests were administered.

“Some people will look at the number of positive test results and conclude that the testing is not working,” said Marty Hickman, IHSA Executive Director.  “But, it is important to maintain perspective. The scope of our testing was never going to be large enough to catch every student who may be using performance-enhancing drugs. The program was put into place to be a deterrent to help prevent students from using these harmful drugs and we believe it is successfully serving that purpose.”

Illinois became the fourth state to test its athletes for PEDs.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Bubba Starling Still Trying to Decide Between Major League Baseball and College Football

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

On April 3rd when we spoke with Gardner Edgerton's (Kansas) three-sport athlete Bubba Starling on the NHSCA Sports Hour, we knew the young man was going to have a major decision.

Starling had already committed to play football at the University of Nebraska, but he also knew in a couple of months, he would be a high pick in the Major League Amateur Draft.  When draft day came, he was taken with the fifth pick overall by the nearby Kansas City Royals, and that made the decision even bigger.

When I asked him on the April 3rd show which way he was leaning, he said, "I don't know if I'm ready for that big step going from high school baseball to major league baseball, as far as maturity.  I just think the best thing for me to do right now is to go up to Nebraska and play two sports there."

Well, when Nebraska opened fall camp last week, Starling wasn't in Cornhusker red-and-white, but he also wasn't wearing a Royals uniform either.  However, he is enrolled in Lincoln.



Now the clock is ticking toward midnight on August 15th.  That's when Starling must sign a major league contract with the Royals or wait two more years to be drafted again.

It's been reported that Starling, who is represented by super-agent Scott Boras could receive a MLB contract with a signing bonus in excess of $7 million dollars.

So for now, Cornhusker fans are turning Royal blue while holding their breath in anticipation of Starling's decision.

As far as Starling, he texted a message to the Kansas City Star last week saying, "It's getting really stressful now, too".

Click here to listen to our interview with Starling.

Meanwhile, the #4 overall pick Dylan Bundy of Owasso High School in Oklahoma is also faced with a similar decision. If the Baltimore Orioles don't sign the righthanded pitcher by August 15th, he'll attend Eastern Oklahoma State College.

Click here to listen to the June 12th interview with Bundy.

PIAA Executive Director Brad Cashman to be a Guest on August 11th NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

The man who has helped shape the Pennsylvania high school sports landscape for nearly two decades will join me on Thursday's NHSCA Sports Hour.

Brad Cashman, executive director of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association for the past 18 years, will talk about his career at the PIAA that will end at the end of the 2011-12 school year when he retires.

One of Cashman's biggest achievements was the development of current Pennsylvania state football playoff system.  He also spearheaded the inclusion of the Philadelphia public schools and Philadelphia Catholic League into the PIAA.

Thursday's NHSCA Sports Hour begins at 6PM EST.

Click here to listen to the show LIVE on Thursday.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

August 4th NHSCA Sports Hour Topic: Sports Concussions

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

28 states now have high school sports concussion laws, while another 15 states are considering legislation to protect high school athletes.

Thursday night on the NHSCA Sports Hour, I'll be joined by Dr. Lamar Hasbrouck, a former three-sport high school athlete in San Diego, to talk about the need for education and how players can protect themselves from brain injuries while playing sports.

Dr. Hasbrouck, who is currently a Commissioner of Health in Upstate New York and a Board-certified Medical Internist, has a wealth of knowledge on the subject beyond his medical background.  Dr. Hasbrouck played four years as a defensive back at the University of California in the PAC-10.

Washington was the first state to pass sports concussion legislation in 2009.  Under the legislation, athletes are removed from practice or a game and not allowed to return until they obtain a written return-to-play authorization from a medical professional trained in the diagnosis and management of concussions.

Click here to listen to the show.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

NHSCA Sports Hour Moves to Thursday Nights

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Beginning next Thursday, the NHSCA Sports Hour moves to its new night.

Starting July 21st, our one-hour weekly show will begin at 6PM EST on the Artist Radio Network.

To listen to past shows, please click here to go to our archives to download shows for FREE.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Dean of Connecticut Boys Basketball on Sunday's NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour




I just re-booked Vito Montelli, the 2011 National High School Coaches Association's Boys' Basketball Coach of the Year, on this Sunday's show.

Coach Montelli made a brief appearance on the June 26th show, but his interview had to be cut short due to time constraints, so I'm bringing him back this week to talk about his incredible career that puts him at the top of Connecticut's wins list.

Coach Montelli will be celebrating his 50th season on bench for the St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, Connecticut.  Montelli is the only coach that the school has ever had.

Last season, Montelli led the Cadets to their 10th state championship with a 79-53 win over Fairfield Prep in the Class LL title game.  The LL championship gave St. Joseph the distinction of being the only Connecticut school to win state championships in all four classifications.

Montelli's record is 853-329.  He'staken his teams to 16 state championship games.

Coach Montelli will be on Sunday's NHSCA Sports Hour around 6:40 PM EST.

July 10th NHSCA Sports Hour Now Available On-Demand

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

If you missed Sunday's show with 2011 NHSCA Girls' Tennis Coach of the Year Anita Murphy of Lewiston High School in Maine and Patrick Fisher of SportsMeasures and the Athletic Character Survey, you can now listen at your leisure on-demand.

Click here to listen to the show for FREE.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

NHSCA Sports Hour Show Topic: Texas 7-on-7 High School Football Championships

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

We all know how much Texas loves its football...and with the growth of 7-on-7 passing tournaments, it's easier for fans to get their fix outside of the fall.

This weekend at Texas A&M in College Station, 128-teams from across the state will battle for championships in two divisions.  Division I is made-up of Class 5A and 4A schools, while Division II comprises Class 1A through 3A.

The action gets started tomorrow and wraps-up with the championship on Saturday.

Then on Sunday, Doug Stephens, executive director of the tournament will join me as a guest on the NHSCA Sports Hour to talk about this huge event that is entering its 14th year.

Defending 2010 Division champ Lake Travis is back to defend its title, while Division II champ Brownwood is also back looking for a repeate.  No team in either division has ever won back-to-back titles since the competition began in 1998.

Here's a list of the former champs, plus a look at the qualifiers in each division:

7-on-7 Champs


2010 - Lake Travis (Division I), Brownwood (Division II)
2009 - Round Rock Stony Point (Division I), Celina (Division II)
2008 - Richland (Division I), Crane (Division II)
2007 - Georgetown (Division I), Celina (Division II)
2006 - Colleyville Heritage
2005 - Baytown Lee
2004 - Tyler Lee
2003 - Odesaa Permian
2002 - Katy Cinco Ranch
2001 - Baytown Lee
2000 - Celina
1999 - North Mesquite
1998 - Southlake Carroll

Below is an alphabetic list of qualifiers:

Division I (Class 5A & 4A)

Abilene
Abilene Cooper
Arlington
Arlington Bowie
Arlington Lamar
Austin Bowie
Belton
Beaumont West Brook
Buda Hays
Carrollton Creekview
Cedar Park Vista Ridge
Channelview
College Station Consolidated
Coppell
Crowley North
Cy Fair
Cy Falls
Dallas Jesuit
DeSoto
Duncanville
Edinburg
El Paso Coronado
El Paso Franklin
El Paso Riverside
Fort Bend Elkins
Fort Worth Paschal
Friendswood
Houston Chavez
Houston Lamar
Houston Stratford
Jersey Village
John Tyler
Katy
Katy Cinco Rank
Keller Center
Klein Forest
Klein Oak
Klein Woods
Lake Dallas
Lake Travis
La Marque
Langham Creek
Lewisville Hebron
Mesquite
Midlothian
Montgomery
Pasadena Dobie
Pearland
Plano
Plano West
Rockwall
Rockwall Heath
Rosenburg Terry
Round Rock McNeil
Round Rock Westwood
San Antonio Alamo Heights
San Antonio Johnson
The Woodlands
Tomball
Tyler Lee
Weslaco
Wichita Falls
Willis
Wolfforth Friendship

Division II (Class 3A, 2A & 1A)

Abilene Wylie
Academy
Alpine
Altair Rice
Anahuac
Argyle
Aubrey
Austin St. Andrews
Ballinger
Bandera
Bangs
Beaumont Kelly
Boyd
Brownwood
Burnet
Cameron
Celina
Clifton
Comanche
Crockett
Decatur
East Bernard
Eastland
Edna
Fort Stockton
Gatesville
Gilmer
Glen Rose
Godley
Graham
Hitchcock
Houston Kinkaid
Ingleside
Iraan
Kaufman
Lago Vista
La Villa
Lexington
Liberty
Lindale
Lorena
Marion
Mathis
Melissa
Merkel
Navasota
Pettus
Princeton
Prosper
Rockdale
Salado
Sanger
Seminole
Somerset
Sonora
Taft
Turkey Valley
Tyler Chapel Hill
Vanderbilt Industrial
Waco Reicher
Wellington
West Orange
Whitney
Wimberly

Click here to listen to the show LIVE Sunday starting at 6 PM EST.

Click here to to to the State 7-on-7 website to follow along with all of the action.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

2010-11 High School Sports Season in Review

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

The 2010-11 school year was loaded with all kinds of high school sports stories and accomplishments across this great nation.

A lot of those stories and accomplishments you heard about on the NHSCA Sports Hour through interviews with the coaches and players that were involved.

I thought I’d take a little time to look back over this past year with a highlight of the highlights!!

Let’s start with our Febuary 13th show when Leta Andrews, girls’ basketball coach at Granbury High School in Texas, became America’s all-time wins leader as a head basketball coach.

Andrews set the record in early December when her team beat Midloathian for her 1,334th career victory.  She passed Robert Hughes of Fort Worth Dunbar in Texas, who previous held the record with 1,333 career victories.

Speaking of basketball greats on the NHSCA Sports Hour, a week later on Show #288 we had two more legendary coaches on the same show when Bob Hurley of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City joined us along with Jack Curran of Archbishop Molloy in New York City.

Between the two of them, they’ve been coaching high school basketball at their respective schools for a combined 90-plus years.

Coach Hurley and his Friars won another “mythical” national championship this past season, while he also won his 1000th game in February.  Coach Curran, who is 80-years young, still coaches baseball along with his basketball duties.  He’s America’s winningest coach with 2,500 victories between the two sports.

Moving on to football, the 2010 season was another incredible one with many great team and individual performances.

South Panola, won its 9th Mississippi state championship and that helped the Tigers claim MaxPreps.com’s and USA Today’s “mythical” national championships.

Hamilton High School in Arizona finished #5 in the USA Today poll after winning its third straight state title.  Head coach Steve Belles joined us on the April 10th show to talk about his program’s 40 straight victories heading into the 2011 season, plus he talked about his team’s big 2012 game when Hamilton will play Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, California in Dublin, Ireland.

When it comes to win streaks, West Rowan High School in North Carolina will enter the 2011 season with the longest active win streak.  West Rowan won its third straight 3-A title in December, closing the season with a 46-game win streak.

On May 1st, we talked with Rocco Casullo, the new head coach at St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  Casullo talked about taking over for the legendary George Smith, who resigned earlier this year.

Smith was named the 2011 NHSCA Football coach of the Year after amassing a record of 361-66.  ESPNRise and the National Prep Poll named Smith’s Raiders the 2010 “mythical” national champs.

My favorite football story came on January 23rd when we spoke with Chance Anthony of Breckridge County High School in Kentucky after he was named the High School Rudy Award winner.

Anthony joined Trish Hoffman and me to talk about playing high school football and basketball with only one-and-a-half arms.  Anthony was born without the lower part of his right arm, but that didn’t stop him from being a two-way starter on the football team.  He even caught a couple of touchdown passes this past season.

Speaking of inspirational…you need to go back to listen to the December 5th show with University High School (San Francisco, CA) girls’ cross country coach Jim Tracy and his top runner Holland Reynolds.

Reynolds told an incredible story of how she crawled across the finish line to win another state title for her coach, who is battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  Tracy is the 2011 NHSCA Girls’ Cross Country Coach of the Year.

We had plenty of great wrestling stories and interviews during the past school year.

How about Bobby DeBerry of Sunnyside High School in Arizona, whose program has won a national record 314 straight matches. You can listen to DeBerry talk about his incredible program by going to the archives and clicking on show #288 on February 20th.

Then there was the great interview with Hope Steffensen of Kenai High School in Alaska.  Hope became only the second girl to ever win a state wrestling championship in a boy’s tournament.

Steffensen joined us on the January 30th show to talk about winning in a man’s world.

That was contrasted with our February 27th show when we spoke with Sean Keeler a sports writer in Des Moines, Iowa who talked about a top-ranked wrestler named Joel Northrup, who refused to wrestle a girl.  Northup forfeited to Cassy Herkelman in the first round of the state championships.  By forfeiting, Northrup, who was seeded fifth, gave-up all hopes of a coveted Iowa state title.

In Minnesota, Destin McCauley of Apple Valley won his 5th state championship.  McCauley, who’s an Olympic hopeful, has been wrestling in state championships since 7th grade, which is allowed in Minnesota. McCauley appeared on our March 13th show.

McCauley’s team was ranked as the top team in America by WIN Magazine.

Another wrestling shout-out goes to Blake Rouolo of Matoaca High School in Virginia, who became only the second wrestling in America to win four straight NHSCA National Wrestling Championships. Blake was our 2011 Wrestler of the Year.

Our final wrestling story comes from Hollywood when director/writer Tom McCarthy joined us on March 27th to discuss his movie Win Win that was based on the sport of high school wrestling.   A week later, Alex Shaffer (Hunterdon Central HS, Flemington, NJ), the teenage star of the movie talked with us about the change from being a New Jersey state wrestling champ to an actor.

There were several great baseball stories this past year.

At the top of the list was Tim Hopley and the Portsmouth High.  The Clippers won their fourth straight New Hampshire state championship, plus set a national record with 83 straight victories. Hopley appeared on the April 17th show.

On May 1st, we spoke with Eric Lay of tiny Maxwell High School in California.   Lay had the pleasure of watching pitcher Steven Perry pitch four-straight no-hitters.  Perry and his teammate Tyler Wells combined to throw a total of 11 no-no’s this year.

There were plenty of high schoolers drafted by Major League Baseball last month.

We talked with two of the higher draft picks…Dylan Bundy of Owasso High School in Oklahoma, who was taken #4 by the Baltimore Orioles and Bubba Starling of Gardner-Edgerton in Kansas, who was selected #5 by the Kansas City Royals.

Archie Bradley of Broken Arrow High in Oklahoma was taken #7 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. We spoke with his coach, Shannon Dobson, about Archie and his team winning Oklahoma’s 6A state title.

And we wrap-up with a great story in girls’ tennis.  Tiny Cindy Duan of Sanford School in Delaware became a five-team tennis champ in the spring.  Duan, who will go to Princeton University in the fall, finished a perfect 83-0 during her high school career.  Cindy, who’s only 5-3, 105 pounds appeared on the June 19th show.

In all, the NHSCA Sports Hour touched 34 states, covering 17 different sports.

There were plenty of other great stories and interviews along the way, and you can go to our archives and listen to everyone of them.

To everyone that participated in the show, thanks!

To all of our listeners we’re so happy you tune-in each week, and we look forward to an even better 2011-12 season!!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

2011 NHSCA Girls' Tennis Coach of the Year Anita Murphy on Today's NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Hope everyone enjoyed the July 4th holiday!

The NHSCA Sports Hour returns with a LIVE, fresh show today at 6PM EST after our families enjoyed the week off with their families.

Joining me on today's show will be Anita Murphy of Lewiston High School in Maine.  Murphy is the 2011 National High School Coaches Association's Girls' Tennis Coach of the Year.

Murphy, who has spent 33 years as a girls' tennis coach, led Lewiston to its sixth straight Maine Class A state championship last season.  Her overall record is 404-58.

Also on the show will be Patrick Fisher, Founder of Sports Measures.

Fisher, no relation to me, but anyone with a last name of Fisher is good in my book, will talk about his character assessment service for athletes.

We'll wrap-up the show with a look back at some of the highlights of the 2010-11 school year in sports.

Click here to listen to the show LIVE starting at 6 PM EST.

Friday, July 8, 2011

NYC Public High School League Negotiating A $500,000 TV Contract

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

How big is high school sports becoming?

Just look to New York City for your answer.

There's an Associated Press story that I found on the Wall Street Journal's website that is reporting that the MSG Varsity Network, owned by Cablevision, is negotiating a two-year, $500,000 television deal to broadcast Public Schools Athletic League games.

MSG Varsity was started in 2009 and is dedicated to covering high school sports in the New York region.

Click here to read the AP story.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

NHSCA Sports Hour Takes July 4th Holiday Off

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

We'll be taking tomorrow off to spend time with our friends and family, so the Artist First Radio Network will be playing a "best of" show tomorrow at 6PM EST.

We will return with a new show on Sunday, July 10th.

Stay cool!!

Jeff & Trish

Monday, June 27, 2011

St. Thomas Aquinas Named Top High School Athletic Program by MaxPreps

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

MaxPreps.com has named St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida as its 2010-11 Athletic Program of the Year.

Last season, the Raiders were named national champs in football and girls’ soccer and boys’ track and field by various national publications.

St. Thomas Aquinas also had plenty of Top 15 finishes in the state.  The Raiders were 8th in Florida in boys’ cross country; 6th in the state in girls’ cross country; 3rd in Florida in boys’ golf; 11th in girls’ golf; 5th in girls’ swimming; 7th in boys’ swimming; 14th in wrestling; and 4th in girls’ track and field.

Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon finished second .  Four California schools made the Top 10 list.

MaxPreps.com' Athletic Programs of Year for 2010-2011

1. St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2. Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon
3. Punahou High School in Honolulu, Hawaii
4. Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado
5. Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida
6. De La Salle High School in Concord, California
7. Jesuit High School in New Orleans, Louisiana
8. Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, California
9, Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California
10. Long Beach Poly, Long Beach, California

Weekly High School Football Radio Show Begins July 21st on Artist First Radio Network

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour



Yesterday's show was a lot of fun with Steve Spiewak of MaxPreps.com talking about the upcoming high school football season.

If you missed the interview on Spiewak's Preseason Top 25 Early Contenders, the show will be posted later this week in the archives. Steve did a great job of giving listeners a snapshot of what goes into creating national rankings, and who are the teams to beat this year.

So with high school football on the brain, it's with great pleasure that I make the official announcement that my website High School Football America is coming to radio!

Yes, beginning July 21st, I'll also be doing a weekly high school football-only show from 7-8 PM EST on the Artist First Radio Network.

Below is our news release:



HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL AMERICA TO BEGIN WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ON ARTIST FIRST RADIO NETWORK JULY 21ST

Chicago, IL – June 27, 2011 – High School Football Founder Jeff Fisher announced today that he’ll be hosting a weekly internet radio show on the ArtistFirst World Radio Network beginning Thursday, July 21, 2011   The show, which is called High School Football America, will air every Thursday starting at 7 P.M. EST.

“This is a very important step in the growth of High School Football America,” said Fisher, who also serves as High School Football America’s Editor-in-Chief.  “There is a need for a weekly high school football-only show that looks inside the sport from a national perspective.”

In addition to running High School Football America, Fisher, whose broadcast journalism career began in radio at the age of 14-years old at WEST-AM in Easton, Pennsylvania, is the host of the very successful National High School Coaches Association radio show called the NHSCA Sports Hour, which is America’s premiere high school sports interview show that covers all sports.

“The NHSCA Sports Hour is an excellent example of America’s thirst for high school sports information,” said Fisher.  “Since taking over as the producer of the show, we’ve been able to increase listenership by over 25%.  We have tens of thousands of listeners that turn to us for the stories-behind-the-stories that make high school sports great.”

Fisher added, “Our goal with High School Football America is to give our listeners a reliable show that they can tune into to each week for previews of the big games, plus interviews with coaches and players.”

For more information on High School Football America, visit our website at www.highschoolfootballamerica.com.

About Jeff Fisher/High School Football America
Jeff’s broadcasting career began at the age of 14 in Easton, Pennsylvania.  In a career that has spanned 35-years, he’s worked in every aspect of sports journalism.  He is the founder of High School Football America, a website dedicated to telling the stories of small town high school football across the United States.  Prior to launching High School Football America, Jeff worked as a TV sports anchor at FOX Sports Net in Chicago.  Fisher is best known as the creator, executive producer and host of The Big Ticket, a weekly 60-minute high school football wrap-up show that won him the Associated Press Best Sportscast in Pennsylvania Award.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

NHL Takes 18 High School Hockey Players in Draft

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

It didn't match the record-setting 1987 draft when 69 American high school hockey players were selected in the National Hockey League Entry Draft, but it still was a good one for 18 high schoolers that were drafted over this past weekend's draft.

Minnesota led the way with 11 players taken.  Connecticut was next with four NHL draft picks; Massachusetts had two players selected; and Wisconsin had one high school player drafted.

Mario Lucia of Wayzata High School was the first high schooler picked.  Lucia, a junior who finished the season with 30 goals and 24 assists, was taken with the 60th pick by the Minnesota Wild.

Since the 2000 draft, 174 high school players have been drafted by the NHL.  The 2011 Draft marked the first time in 10-years that a Minnesota native wasn't selected in the opening round.

Here's a list of the 18 high school players selected during the draft at the Xcel Energy Center:

60th - Mario Lucia, Wayzata HS, Minnesota by Minnesota Wild
72nd - Steven Fogarty, Edina HS, Minnesota by NY Rangers
91st - Kyle Rau, Eden Prarie HS, Minnesota by Florida Panthers
98th - Mike Reilly, Shattuck-St. Mary's School, Minnesota by Columbus Blue Jackets
101st - Joseph Labate, Holy Angels HS, Minnesota by Vancouver Canucks
130th - Tony Cameranesi, Wayzata HS, Minnesota by Toronto Maple Leafs
131st - Nick Seeler, Eden Prarie HS, Minnesota by Minnesota Wild
145th - Philippe Hudon, Choate-Rosemary Hall, Connecticut by Detroit Red Wings
151st - Rob Gara, Milton Academy, Massachusetts by Boston Bruins
154th - Edward Wittchow, Burnsville HS, Minnesota by Florida Panthers
161st - Stephen Michalek, Loomis-Chaffee HS, Connecticut by Minnesota Wild
174th - Josh Archibald, Brainerd-High HS, Minnesota by Pittsburgh Penguins
176th - Petr Placek, Hotchkiss School, Connecticut by Philadelphia Flyers
189th - Patrick Daly, Benilde-St. Margaret's, Minnesota by New Jersey Devils
194th - Colin Blackwell, St. John's Prep, Massachusetts by San Jose Sharks
197th - Brad Navin, Waupaca HS, Wisconsin by Buffalo Sabres
198th - Colin Sullivan, Avon Old Farms, Connecticut by Montreal Canadiens
203rd - Max Everson, Edina HS, Minnesota by Toronto Maple Leafs

Saturday, June 25, 2011

2011 NHSCA Volleyball Coach of the Year Fred Rakers on Sunday's Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Fred Rakers' 35-year career as the girls' volleyball coach at Mater Dei High School in Breese, Illinois came to a close at the end of this past season, ending what was one of the most incredible runs in Illinois' high school sports history.

Tomorrow, Rakers, who was named the National High School Coaches Association's 2011 Volleyball Coach of the Year, will join Trish Hoffman and myself on the NHSCA Sports Hour to talk about his career that included six championships and an overall record of 1,046-200-7.

Rakers ranks second on the state's all-time wins list behind Peg Kopec of Wheaton St. Francis School.  Kopec was the NHSCA's 2008 Coach of the Year.

Mater Dei, who will be coached next season by Fred's son Chad, who's been an assistant for the Knights, sent its longtime coach out on a high note when the Knights beat Joliet Catholic for state's 3A state title.  Mater Dei finished 41-1 and ranked #26 nationally by PrepVolleyball.com.

Here's a look back at past NHSCA Volleyball Coaches of the Year...

2010 - Laurie LaRusso - Darien HS, Darien, CT
2009 - Jan Stanley - West Henderson, Hendersonville, NC
2008 - Peg Kopec - St. Francis School, Wheaton, IL
2007 - Steve Shondell - Burris Laboratory School, Muncie, IN
2006 - Louise Crocco - Cardinal Gibbons HS, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2005 - Brenda LeBlanc - St. Joseph's Academy, Baton Rouge, LA
2004 - Lee Grisham - Wimberley HS, Wimberly, TX
2003 - Amie Meyer - Ursuline Academy, Cincinnati, OH
2002 - Jan Barker - Amarillo HS, Amarillo, TX
2001 - John Knuth - Marysville HS, Marysville, MI
2000 - Larry Trupe - Torrey Pines HS, Encinitas, CA

Click here to listen to the show LIVE

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

June 19th NHSCA Sports Hour Now Available On-Demand

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

If you missed Sunday's show with 2011 NHSCA Football Player of the Year Johnny Manziel (Tivy HS, Texas), 2011 Baseball Coach of the Year Tom O'Connell (Burlington Catholic Central HS, Wisconsin) and Cindy Duan (Sanford School), 5-time Delaware girls' tennis champ you can now listen FREE on-demand.

Click here to listen to the June 19th show

Legendary Connecticut Boys Basketball Coach Vito Montelli on Sunday's NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour


I spent 30 enjoyable minutes on the phone this morning settting-up this Sunday's interview with Vito Montelli, the 2011 National High School Coaches Association's Boys' Basketball Coach of the Year.

I say it was enjoyable, because I really like getting to know America's legendary coaches, who have spent the better part of their lives teaching young men and women.

Coach Montelli will be celebrating his 50th season on bench for the St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, Connecticut.  Montelli is the only coach that the school has ever had.

Last season, Montelli led the Cadets to their 10th state championship with a 79-53 win over Fairfield Prep in the Class LL title game.  The LL championship gave St. Joseph the distinction of being the only Connecticut school to win state championships in all four classifications.

Montelli, who is the state's winningest coach with a record of 853-329, has taken his teams to 16 state championship games.

In my brief chat today, I quickly learned that Coach Montelli is more than a basketball coach.  He spoke about how important it is that his players excel both on-and-off the court.  He told me he still goes to school seven days a week, unless his wife tells him he has to do something else.

Montelli's career has led to his induction in the National High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005 and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Here's a look at St. Joseph's 16 state title games under Montelli, which include 10 championship appearances in a 13-year span from 1985 to 1997.

1975 - St. Joseph 64, St. Thomas Aquinas 63, Class S
1976 - Immaculate 72, St. Joseph 71, Class S
1977 - St. Joseph 89, St. Thomas Aquinas 63, Class S
1978 - Middletown 71, St. Joseph 57, Class M
1985 - Kolbe-Cathedral 55, St. Joseph 53 (3OT), Class M
1986 - St. Joseph 51, Weston 50 (OT), Class M
1987 - St. Joseph 72, Kolbe-Cathedral 64, Class M
1988 - St. Joseph 69, Harding 66, Class L
1990 - Bristol Central 66, St. Joseph 65, Class L
1992 - St. Joseph 85, East Catholic 67, Class L
1993 - St. Joseph 76, Bullard-Havens 57, Class L
1995 - Ansonia 56, St. Joseph 54, Class L
1996 - St. Joseph 67, Torrington 47, Class L
1997 - Harding 64, St. Joseph 58, Class L
2001 - St. Joseph 66, Holy Cross 48, Class L
2011 - St. Joseph 79 Fairfield Prep 53, Class LL

We're proud to have Montelli as this year's NHSCA's Boys' Basketball Coach of the Year.  Below is a list of our other 11 honorees.

2010 - Harvey Kitani, Fairfax HS, Los Angeles, CA
2009 - Jack Curran, Archbishop Molloy HS, Jamaica Plains, NY
2008 - Dick Katte, Denver Christian School, Denver, CO
2007 - Bob Hurley, St. Anthony HS, Jersey City, NJ
2006 - Jack Keefer, Lawrence North HS, Indianapolis, IN
2005 - Robert Hughes, Dunbar HS, Fort Worth, TX
2004 - Charles Smith, Peabody Magnet HS, Alexandria, LA
2003 - Dave Garvin, Philomatch HS, Philomath, OR
2002 - Jack Butcher, Loogootee HS, Loogootee, IN
2001 - Bob Williams, Schaumburg HS, Schaumburg, IL
2000 - Russell Otis, Dominguez HS, Compton, CA

Coach Montelli will be on Sunday's NHSCA Sports Hour around 6:20 PM EST.

Click here to listen to the show LIVE

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

MaxPreps.com's Steve Spiewak on June 26th NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

You know that the high school football season isn't far away when national rankings start coming-out!

35 days-and-counting until practice begins in Alaska on July 25th.  As a matter of a fact, I spent some time today on the phone with the good folks at Barrow High School in Alaska lining-up a future interview for the only school above the Arctic Circle.  But, I digress.

Back to the topic at hand...those national rankings that get everyone talking.

Several weeks ago, MaxPreps.com beat everyone to the punch when Senior Football Editor Steve Spiewak released his Preseason Top 25 Early Contenders.

Spiewak will join us on Sunday's NHSCA Sports Hour to talk about the poll, and why Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey), looks like its going to take another run at a "mythical" national championship.  The Ironmen finished #1 in MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 Rankings in 2009.

Here's the MaxPreps.com 2011 Preseason Top 25 Early Contenders....

1. Don Bosco Prep (NJ)
2. Armwood (FL)
3. De La Salle (CA)
4. St. Thomas Aquinas (FL)
5. Allen (TX)
6. Prattville (AL)
7. Trinity (TX)
8. Pleasant Grove (CA)
9. St. Edward (OH)
10. Bishop Gorman (NV)
11. Katy (TX)
12. South Panola (MS)
13. Centennial (CA)
14. Glades Central (FL)
15. Good Counsel (MD)
16. Harrison (MI)
17. Dwyer (FL)
18. Warren Central (IN)
19. St. Xavier (OH)
20. Trinity (KY)
21. Aledo (TX)
22. Oaks Christian (CA)
23. Bellevue (WA)
24. Chaparral (AZ)
25. Grayson (GA)

Click here read more from Spiewak about each team

Click here to listen to Sunday's show LIVE

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Portsmouth High School Wins 4th Straight New Hampshire Baseball Title

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Congratulations to Tim Hopley and the Portsmouth High baseball team on winning its fourth straight New Hampshire Division II championship on Saturday.

Hopley, who appeared on the April 17th NHSCA Sports Hour, has led the Clippers to a national record 83 straight victories after a 9-6 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas last night.

Click here to read the game story Forster's Daily Democrat.

Click here to listen to Coach Hopley's interview back on April 17th when the team was chasing the national record of 75 straight wins, that was held at the time by Homer High School in Michigan.

Ohio Routs Pennsylvania in Big 33 Classic

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Ohio ran its win streak in the Big 33 Classic to three straight in Hershey Saturday night.

The Buckeye State stars routed the Keystone Staters 50-14 behind MVP Akise Teague of Youngstown Ursuline High School.  Teague, who will play his college ball at the University of Cincinnati, had 168 yards in total offense, averaging 16.8 yards per touch. 

Teague scored two first quarter rushing touchdowns and then caught a 40-yard touchdown pass in the third.


The 50 points was the most scored by an opponent against the PA stars in the 54th Big 33 Classic.

Last Sunday, Matt Dennison, the head coach of the Ohio All-Stars, joined us to talk about America's premiere all-star football game.  

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Matt Dennison Talks About Tonight's Big 33 Classic

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

If you missed last Sunday's show, it's now posted in our archives so you can enjoy it whenever you want on your terms.

Click here to listen to Big 33 Classic Ohio coach Matt Dennison of New Philadelphia High School talk about tonight's showdown between the Buckeye State and Pennsylvania in Hershey.

Dennison talks about how big an honor it is to coach in America's premiere high school football all-star game that has the distinction of having a Big 33 alum play in all 45 Super Bowls.

Dennison's regular job at New Philadelphia, which is south of Cleveland has some history to it as well. legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes coached the Quakers back in the 30's.



The Ohio stars bring a two-game win streak in the series into tonight's classic in Chocolate Town USA.

Also on last week's show, Trish and I talked with Dylan Bundy, the 2011 NHSCA Baseball Player of the Year, who was taken with the fourth overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles.

There's also a great segment with Irv Sigler, head football coach at Jenison High in Michigan, who is spearheading the effort to bring the Wounded Warrior Project to high school football field across America.

Burlington Catholic Central Wins Another Wisconsin State Championship for 2011 NHSCA Baseball Coach of the Year Tom O'Connell

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

It was quite a week for Burlington Catholic Central (Burlington, Wisconsin) baseball coach Tom O'Connell.

First, O'Connell, who has coached baseball at the high school level for over 40 years, was named the National High School Coaches Association's 2011 Baseball Coach of the Year. Then on Thursday, O'Connell's team went-out and won the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 4 state baseball championship.

Sunday, O'Connell will be a guest on the NHSCA Sports Hour to talk about the Hilltoppers' back-to-back championships and fifth state title in the last eight years.

Click here to read Dan Kohn's game story at PostCrescent.com about BCC's 9-2 win over Chippewa Falls McDonnell in Thursday's title game.

O'Connell has been inducted into three Halls of Fame: The American Baseball Coaches Association, the Old Time Baseball Players Hall of Fame in Milwaukee and the WBCA Hall of Fame.

Below are highlights from Catholic Central's 2010 Division 4 state championship game....



Click here to listen to tomorrow's show LIVE

Friday, June 17, 2011

5-Time Delaware High School Tennis Champ Cindy Duan on June 19th NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Last month, Sanford School's Cindy Duan did something no other high school tennis player in the history of Delaware tennis ever accomplished.

Duan won her fifth straight DIAA singles championship by beating previously unbeaten Sarah Candeloro of Caesar Rodney 6-2, 6-0 i the girls' final.  The victory advanced the senior's win streak to 83 straight matches.

Since Sanford is a K-12 school, Duan was allowed to compete for a state championship as an 8th grader.

Cindy will join us on Sunday's NHSCA Sports Hour to talk about her incredible career and her next step which is attending Princeton University.

Click here to listen to the show LIVE on the Artist First Radio Network.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

2011 NHSCA Football Player of the Year Johnny Manziel on June 19th Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Johnny Manziel's career at Tivy High School (Kerrville, Texas) ended with him being known as one of the Lone Star State's best double-threat quarterbacks.

Last week Manziel, who finished his high school career with over 11,600 yards in total offense, was named the National High School Coaches Association's 2011 Football Player of the Year.

Sunday, Manziel, who's already enrolled at Texas A&M, will join Trish Hoffman and me to talk about his incredible career that throw and run for 153 touchdowns.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Portsmouth (NH) High School Baseball Team Extends National Win Streak to 82 Straight

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Portsmouth High School is back in New Hampshire's Division II championship game.

Sunday, the Clippers beat Bedford 4-1 to extend the school's national record win streak to 82 straight.  Next Saturday, Portsmouth (19-0) will go after its fourth straight state title when it faces St. Thomas (12-7).

The Clippers advanced to the final behind senior pitcher Keegan Taylor, who improved to 9-0 this season. Taylor entered the game with a 0.63 ERA.

Click here to read a game recap from Roger Brown from SeaCoastonline.com.

Portsmouth head coach Tim Hopley appeared on the April 17th NHSCA Sports Hour.  Click here to listen to that episode.