Thursday, April 21, 2011

NHSCA Sports Hour Takes Week Off for Holiday

Due to the Easter holiday, the NHSCA Sports Hour will be a "best of" show on Sunday, April 25th.

We'll return on May 1st with a brand new show.

In the meantime, if you have a story idea, please feel free to contact me at jeff@highschoolfootballamerica.com.

Jeff

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Producer of PBS Documentary "Football High" on NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour


Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.

Tune-in to today's NHSCA Sports Hour to listen to Caitlin McNally, who is one of the producers of Football High, which aired on PBS' Frontline this week.  Ark Media in Brooklyn, New York produced the 60-minute film.

It's a well-done documentary on the pressures associated with the explosive growth of high school football in America.  One of its focuses is on three-time Arkansas 4A champ Shiloh Christian.

Click here to listen LIVE starting at 6 PM EST.

One of America's Top High School Hurdlers on today's NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

I love the spring-time sports season, because it always Trish and myself to introduce our listeners to coaches and athletes outside of the the biggies like football and basketball.

That's the case today when we'll introduce America to Jonathan Cabral from Agoura High School, outside of Los Angeles.

Last week, Cabral set the best times so far for the 2011 season in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles at the Arcadia Invitational, a well-respected track-and-field meet in Southern California.  Cabral, who is a University of Oregon recruit and the defending state champ in both events, won the 110 in an invitational-record time of 13.43.

Below is video from the 110 hurdles at Arcadia...



To see more of Jonathan's video, go to his website at www.jonathancabral.com.

Jonathan will be our guest on today's show around 6:40 PM EST.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Portsmouth (NH) High School Baseball Team Closes-in on National Record

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

The Portsmouth High School baseball team  in New Hampshire is just 11 wins away from tying the national record for consecutive wins.

On Sunday's NHSCA Sports Hour, we'll be joined by Tim Hopley, head coach of the Clippers, who own a 64-game win streak.  The national record is 75 straight victories held by Homer High School in Michigan.

Portsmouth has won three straight Class I New Hampshire state championships.  The Clippers last loss was in 2007 in the state semifinals.

The Clippers opened the season with a 7-1 win over Kingswood and plays Coe-Brown Academy on Friday afternoon.  A win against Coe-Brown would move the Clippers into a fifth place tie on the all-time consecutive victories with Waxahachie High (Texas), which won 65 straight between 1924 and 1927.

Here's the All-Time Consecutive Wins Streak compiled by the National Federation of High School Associations...

1. Homer (MI) 75 straight (2004-05)
2. La Cueva (NM) 70 straight (2002-05)
3. Archbishop Molloy (NY) 68 straight (1963-66)
4. Capitol Hill (OK) 66 straight (1952-54)
5. Waxahachie (TX) 65 straight (1924-27)
6. (tie) Portsmouth (NH) 64 straight (2007-present)
6. (tie) Edwardsville (IL) 64 straight (1990-91)
6. (tie) Nekoosa (WI) 64 straight (1980-83)
6. (tie) Naugatuck (CT) 64 straight (1969-73)
6. (tie) St. Benedict's (NJ) 64 straight (1946-50)
11. Evans (GA) 61 straight (1988-90)

**EDITOR'S NOTE: Archbishop Molloy's 68 straight victories were with Jack Curran as the school's head coach.  Curran is still the head baseball and basketball coach at Molloy, and holds the record for all-time high school victories with over 2,500 in the two sports.  Click here to listen to an interview with Coach Curran back in February of this year.

Urban Football Coaches Association Celebrates 20th Anniversary

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Over the past few years I've written about my association with the Dorsey High School football program in Los Angeles.

Thanks to a friendship with Martin Ludlow, who is the founder of the Dorsey Football Boosters and the team's strength and conditioning coach, I've learned a ton about inner-city football.  That brings me to today's subject which is the 20th anniversary of the Urban Football Coaches Association.

Sunday, I talked with Brian Stewart on the NHSCA Sports Hour, about the organization's upcoming Coaches' Clinic on May 13th and 14th in the Los Angeles-area.  Stewart, who is the President of the UFCA and the defensive coordinator at the University of Houston, is excited about the growth of the organization whose mission is to offer minority coaches the best training and career development skills at all levels of football.

Currently there are seven African-American head coaches at the NFL level, and at the end of the 2010 college season, there were 13 black coaches at Division I schools.  While the current numbers aren't great, there is growth, and that's where the UFCA steps-in.

This year's clinic will be a star-studded affair that will feature the legendary John Wooten, who along with the help of the late Johnnie Cochran, helped open the door to top coaching positions for coaches of color in the NFL through the Rooney Rule that ensures that minority candidates are interviewed for head coach openings at the professional level.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary, Wooten will be honored at a reception on Friday, May 13th along with Hue Jackson, a Dorsey alum, who is the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders and Juan Castillo, who was named the the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator earlier this year.

Castillo's story is an incredible one that you can learn about below...



Organizers expect more than 500 coaches to attend this year's clinic.  To learn more, please go to the UFCA's website at www.ufca-usa.com.

Below is a video that looks back at a past clinic...

Sunday, April 10, 2011

David Stanko is Canyon Springs' One-Man Tennis Team

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Kudos go out to Canyon Springs' Athletic Director Ralph Dudley and his counterparts in the Inland Valley League's for their hard work to make sure that David Stanko is able to pursue his passion...tennis!

Stanko, who is a junior at Canyon Springs High School (Moreno Valley, CA) joined me on today's NHSCA Sports Hour, to talk about him being his school's one-man tennis team. However, Stanko would not have been able to lay claim to that title if it weren't for Dudley and other AD's.

Canyon Springs' tennis program was disbanded eight years ago due to budget cuts. Stanko tried to transfer to Riverside Poly for his freshman year, but he was denied the transfer by the Riverside Unified School District, which meant he was a tennis player without a high school team.

That's when Dudley stepped-in and sent Stanko's resume to the California Interscholastic Federation to see if the CIF would allow him to be a one-man team. Armed with CIF approval, and more importantly, Inland Valley League approval, the Canyon Springs Stankos were born.

Stanko, who is ranked in the Top 100 in California for his age group, represents his school by playing three singles matches against opposing schools. While, his team never picks-up a "W", he's virtually unbeatable as an individual.

The junior, who dreams of playing college tennis and then moving-up to the pro ranks, does it all on his own in those matches, because there is no such tying as Canyon Springs tennis coach. There's no school bus to get him there either, so he's also responsible for his transportation to those matches.

The real test will come next month to see how far Stanko can go in the individual state championships.

No matter what happens the rest of the season, after talking with David, I know he de-SERVES the chance he's being given!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

High School Football in Ireland

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

With spring high school football practice getting ready to kick-off in select states around the nation within the month, I thought I'd spend some time talking about football on Sunday's NHSCA Sports Hour.

Steve Belles, who's the head coach of the powerful Hamilton Huskies program in Arizona, will join us as the lead guest on the show.  Hamilton is Arizona's three-time defending Class 5A Division I champs with a 40-game win streak.

One of the main topics on the show will be a game in 2012.  That's right, I'm talking about two years from now.  That's when the Huskies will play California-power Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in the first-ever American high school football game in Ireland.

And, don't worry, we'll also spend plenty of time talking about what's ahead for the program in 2011.

Jeff Fisher is the Founder/Editor-in-Chief of High School Football America

Monday, April 4, 2011

Virginia Wrestler Blake Roulo Gets Four-Peat at NHSCA Wrestling Championships

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour


Blake Roulo of Mantoaca High School in Virginia, who joined us on the March 30th NHSCA Sports Hour, won his fourth straight National High School Coaches Association national wrestling championship Sunday at the 22nd Annual NHSCA Senior Division wrestling championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Roulo beat three-time Colorado state champ Travis Himmelman of Conifer High School 3-1 in overtime to become just the second wrestler to win four straight NHSCA national championships. Last year Tyler Beckwith of Greene High School in New York became the first wrestler to pull-off a four-peat.

California won the team title with four wrestlers capturing gold medals. Overall 16 states were represented in the finals.

Below are the results for the Sr. Division championship round...

103 – Josh Smith (Ashbrook HS, NC) dec. Michael Clemmensen (Atascadero HS, CA) 9-7 OT
112- Nahshon Garrett (Chico HS, CA) dec. Evan Link (Penn Cambria HS, PA) 3-2
119- Fabian Garcia (Turlock HS, CA) pinned Antwan Davis (Parkland, NC) in 1:12
125 – Vince Rodriguez (Clovis North HS, CA) dec. Chris Perez (MacArthur HS, NY) 5-4
130 – Coltin Fought (Benton, PA) dec. Lou Mascola (Seton Hall Prep, NJ) 9-4
135 – Terrel Wilbourn (Francis Howell Central HS, MO) dec. Taylor Moeder (St. James HS, KS) 5-4
140 – Blake Roulo (Matoaca HS, VA) dec. Travis Himmelman (Conifer HS, CO) 3-1 OT
145 – James Green (Willingboro HS, NJ) dec. Pete Baldwin (Osceola HS, FL) 10-5
152 – Chad Welsh (Castle HS, IN) dec. Christian Barber (Westfield HS, NJ) 1-0
160 – Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield HS, CA) dec. Austin Wilson (Hastings St. Cecelia HS, NE) 7-4
171 – Kris Klapprodt (Rapid City Stevens HS, SD) dec. Jakob Scheffel (Southern Garrett HS, MD) 3-2
189 – Patrick Downey (North County HS, MD) dec. Victor Avery (Foxboro HS, MA) 3-1
215 – Nick Gwiazdowski (Duanesburg HS, NY) pinned Patrick Gillen (Shelton HS, CT) in 4:57
HWT. – Conner Medbery (Loveland HS, CO) dec. Collin Campbell (Person HS, NC) 3-1

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Talking High School Wrestling, Football and Baseball on April 3rd NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour


Getting excited for today's show.

It will begin at 6PM EST, right in the middle of the NHCSA Senior Division national wrestling championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

At the top of the show, we'll talk with Alex Shaffer, who wrestled at the NHSCA championships after winning a New Jersey state championship during his sophomore year at Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington, New Jersey. However, Alex never had a chance to defend his title due to a back injury, but his wrestling career is alive-and-well on the big screen.

Shaffer is one of the stars of the new movie Win Win, which is set against the backdrop of a high school wrestling program in the Garden State.  It's Shaffer's acting debut.

A lot of our listeners requested we have Alex on the show after hearing last week's interview with Tom McCarthy, a New Jersey native, who wrote and director the FOX Searchlight movie that opened last week.

The movie has taken-off after great reviews at Sundance.  Below is video of Alex at Sundance...



Also on today's show is Bill McGregor, the legendary coach at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland.  McGregor resigned earlier this week after 29 years at DeMatha. During his tenure, he sent over 350 kids on to Division1college scholarships.

And, speaking of scholarships, we’ll talk with one of America’s top three-sport athletes, who has accepted a scholarship to play football at the University of Nebraska. Bubba Starling from Gardner-Edgerton High School in Kansas will join us talk about football, baseball and basketball.

No pun intended, but Starling starred in all three sports and is considered America's top baseball prospect.

Click here to listen to the show