Beast of the East Underway

by Jeff Fisher
Host
NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

The Beast of the East, one of the nation's premiere high school wrestling tournaments, is underway at the University of Delaware.

Over the next two days, over 100 of the best wrestling programs in the nation will be battling for team and individual honors.

The nation's #1 (Blair Academy, NJ) and #2 (Wyoming Seminary, NJ)) teams are in the field for the 20th annual event.

The championship round is set for Sunday. 

Newtown Girls' Basketball Team Returns to Action

by Jeff Fisher
Host
NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

As Newtown, Connecticut tries to return to normalcy after last Friday tragedy, the Newtown High School girls' basketball team will take the first step tonight when it returns to the court.

The Nighthawks, who are the state's defending Class LL champs, will play a home game against Masuk.

CTPost.com reports that the team will debut its "Threes for Sandy Hook", a fundraiser that will give $3 for each 3-pointer to families affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

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.

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.

Click here to listen to the show LIVE

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.

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!!

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 21^ST

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.

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

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

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

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.

Click here to read a game recap story from The Patriot-News.

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.  

Click here to listen to the interview.

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.

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.

2011 NHSCA Coaches of the Year

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Congratulations to the National High School Coaches Association's Class of 2011 for Coaches of the Year.

This year's class covers 20 boys and girls sports from 17 different states.  California, Connecticut and Florida lead the way with two honorees each.

Below are the NHSCA's 2011 Coaches of the Year...

Football – George Smith
St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

After taking the reins as head football coach in 1975, Smith could be found hammering nails and pouring concrete into what would become the visiting bleachers at the school’s football stadium. Smith, 62, then built a program that became renowned at the state and national levels. He retired this spring after 34 seasons at the helm of the Raiders, building a 361-66 record in two separate stints and leading St. Thomas to 13 state championship games and six state titles – four in Class 5A and two in 4A. Smith stepped down after St. Thomas won its first state title in 1992. He returned for the 1995 season and led the Raiders to the state playoffs in all 16 seasons of his second stint, adding state titles in 1997, 1999, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Overall, his teams earned 26 playoff berths and posted a 64-20 playoff record (only Charles “Corky” Rogers of Jacksonville Bolles School, the NHSCA’s National Coach of the Year in 2005, with 66 playoff wins, has more). His 2008 team finished the season ranked No. 1 by the NHSCA and by USA Today, which named Smith its National High School Coach of the Year that year. His final team in 2010, which finished 15-0, also earned national title honors and the NHSCA’s No. 3 ranking. Smith, who came to St. Thomas in 1972 as wrestling coach, has been elected to the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame, the Florida Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame and the Broward County Sports Bureau Hall of Fame. He will remain the school’s athletic director.

Baseball –Tom O’Connell
Catholic Central High School, Burlington, Wisconsin

The first high school coach ever elected president of the college-dominated American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), O’Connell has spent 42 years coaching baseball. From 1969 through 2000, he coached at Milwaukee Pulaski High School, where his teams won more games than any sport in the school’s history. He led Pulaski to state tournament berths in 1981, when they reached the state semifinals, and in 1989. He has been at Burlington Catholic Central for 11 seasons, and his Hilltopper teams have made the state quarterfinals eight consecutive years. They went on to win four state championships, in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2010. O’Connell has twice been named the Diamond Sports National High School Coach of the Year by the ABCA, most recently in 2010, and has been named Midwest Coach of the Year four times. In 1995, he skippered the USA Baseball North Team in the United States Olympic Festival in Colorado, a team that featured four future major leaguers. O’Connell chaired the ABCA’s High School Division from 1984-96, and now serves on its Board of Directors and heads its Ethics in Coaching Award Committee. A former president of the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association, O’Connell organized and ran the group’s annual clinic and convention for 20 years and, in 1991, was named its Man of the Year. He has been inducted into three Halls of Fame: the Old Time Baseball Players Hall of Fame in Milwaukee, the WBCA Hall of Fame in 1987 and the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2007, becoming only the 16th high school coach to be inducted in the ABCA’s 64-year history.

Softball - Debbie Holcombe
James F. Byrnes High School, Duncan, South Carolina

An ankle injury as a volleyball player at Southern Wesleyan College added a fifth year to Holcombe’s college career and a second major, physical education, to her business administration major. She’s winning games – and awards – 23 years later. As a rookie volleyball coach at Anderson T.L. Hanna High School in 1989, her team finished 18-4 and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs, earning Holcombe Region 1-4A Coach of the Year honors. She began the first of two stints at Byrnes in 1991 as softball and volleyball coach. Her first volleyball team finished 26-6, won Region 2-3A regular season and tournament titles and earned Holcombe a second Region Coach of the Year award, while her softball team finished 22-4. She then spent eight years in college coaching – six at Southern Wesleyan, where her volleyball teams finished 79-31 and her softball teams 109-33-1, advancing to the NAIA national tournament in 1996, and two at Presbyterian College. There, she coached the volleyball team to a 54-20 record and started the softball program, which went 31-16 in its inaugural season. After returning to Byrnes as softball coach in 2001, Holcombe was named Coach of the Year by the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association and National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 2005, when she led the Lady Rebels to the 4A state title and the first of three consecutive Upper State crowns. They also won a district title in 2004 and were district runners-up in 2003, 2009 and 2010. Holcombe also was the South Carolina High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 2008 and a finalist for the National High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 2009 after being named Southern District High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year.

Volleyball – Fred Rakers
Mater Dei High School, Breese, Illinois

The only volleyball coach Mater Dei has ever had, Rakers, 65, brought a sterling 35-year coaching career to an end last fall. His Knights compiled a 41-1 record, and sent him out a winner. Ranked No. 26 nationally by PrepVolleyball.com, Mater Dei’s 15-25, 25-18, 26-24 victory over Joliet Catholic Academy in the 3A state final gave Rakers his sixth state title. With a career record of 1,046-200-7, Rakers stands No. 2 on the all-time victory list among Illinois coaches. The only coach with more victories, Peg Kopec of Wheaton St. Francis High School, was the NHSCA’s National Coach of the Year in 2008. In addition to his six state titles – the Knights previously won championships in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2001 – Rakers' teams have won 14 state trophies, having finished second once, third four times and fourth three times in 20 state tournament appearances. He also won four district titles, 24 regional championships, 21 sectional titles and 20 super-sectional championships. Rakers will continue to teach consumer education and career guidance at Mater Dei. His son, Chad, an assistant coach the past four seasons, will succeed him as head coach.

Field Hockey – Wendy Wilson
Tabb High School, Yorktown, Virginia

One of the most respected offensive minds in the sport’s coaching ranks, Wilson has turned Tabb into a small-school Virginia powerhouse since her arrival in 2004. In 2009, the Tigers became just the sixth team in the nation to score more than 150 goals in a season, while posting its second consecutive 24-0 season. That team, which included the first group of seventh-graders she recruited in building Tabb’s program, graduated with back-to-back state championships and the nation’s longest winning streak. Wilson’s 2008 team allowed just six goals all season, earning her Bay Rivers District, region and state Coach of the Year awards, along with South Region Coach of the Year honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA). The Tigers’ 2009 title earned Wilson the NFHCA’s National Coach of the Year award. Last fall, rebuilding a team that graduated its goalkeeper and its entire defense, Wilson led the Tigers to a 22-3 record, and her team didn’t allow a goal in the state tournament for the third straight year. A standout field hockey and lacrosse player at Christopher Newport University (CNU), Wilson once scored nine goals in a game and holds the school single-game, season and career records in goals and points. She also scored 73 goals in two lacrosse seasons, and is an assistant lacrosse coach at CNU.

Wrestling – Cliff Ramos
Collins Hill High School, Suwanee, Georgia

Ramos, 57, retired last season after a hugely successful run at the helm of the Collins Hill program, the fourth school he coached in a 34-year coaching career, 29 in Georgia. His overall dual-meet record was 626-80. Ramos guided Collins Hill to nine state team titles in Georgia’s biggest class, 5A – five individual state tournament titles and four dual state titles – and his Eagles teams finished in the top three for 11 consecutive seasons. A co-founder and past president of the Georgia Wrestling Coaches Association, he is a 22-time Region Coach of the Year and was selected the state’s Coach of the Year five times – in 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010. His teams were nationally ranked five times in a six-year span. His best team, in 2010, not only reached the top 10, but beat two nationally-ranked teams, including host Easton High, and came within three points of shocking 31-time National Prep champions Blairstown Township (N.J.) Blair Academy in the NHSCA Final Four of High School Wrestling. Ramos, who coached 34 individual state champions, was selected Coach of the Year, Georgia Chapter, by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2002 and is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Georgia Chapter. He currently serves as Director of Wrestling at Greater Atlanta Christian School, located in Norcross.

Boys' Basketball – Vito Montelli
St. Joseph High School, Trumbull, Connecticut

The state’s all-time leading winner with a record of 853-329 (a .722 winning percentage), Montelli, 78, the only basketball coach St. Joseph has ever had, completed his 49th season with a record 10th state title. With a 79-53 victory over Fairfield College Preparatory School in the Class LL title game, Montelli’s Cadets (23-3) became the only Connecticut team to win state titles in all four classifications. He previously coached St. Joseph to five titles in Class L and two each in Class M and Class S. St. Joseph previously won titles in 1975, 1977, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 2001, and have advanced to 16 state title games. That included 10 appearances in a 13-year span from 1985-1997. In 1992, Montelli was named National Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association, and in 1995, he was inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In 1998, he received the Gold Key Award when he was inducted into the Connecticut Hall of Fame by the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance. In 2002, Montelli received the Frank Maguire Foundation Award from the New York Athletic Club. He was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. He has had 25 players receive McDonald’s All-American recognition, and he coached the East squad in the McDonald’s All-American Game in 1990. He was featured in the Faces in the Crowd section of Sports Illustrated magazine in April.

Girls' Basketball – Kevin Kiernan
Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, California

Believe it or not, Kiernan’s first job after graduating from college was as a sportswriter – at the Orange County Register and the Anaheim Bulletin. Not fond of the late nights, Kiernan landed the head coaching position at Westminster La Quinta High School, which had won just eight of 82 games in the three seasons prior to his arrival. Over the next five seasons, La Quinta went 110-79 and made a state tournament appearance under Kiernan, who has gone on to put together 20 glittering seasons. From La Quinta, Kiernan moved on to Fullerton Troy High School. In 11 seasons, his teams went 317-33, never lost a Freeway League game (going 110-0 in those games), and won five Southern Section titles and three state championships. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) named him the Russell Athletic/WBCA National High School Coach of the Year in 2006. In four years at Mater Dei, Kiernan’s teams are 123-7, and he owns a 613-109 career record (a .849 winning percentage). This year, his Monarchs finished 34-1, ended the season on a 26-game winning streak and won their second consecutive state championship – in Division 1AA this year after moving up from Division II a year ago – giving him five state titles overall. This year’s title made Mater Dei the first girls basketball team in five years to finish No. 1 in the USA Today Super 25 in consecutive seasons, and the newspaper named Kiernan its National Coach of the Year in 2010. The Register named him its Coach of the Year this season.

Boys' Cross Country – Adam Kedge
Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Kedge has coached the boys cross country and track and field teams at Albuquerque Academy for the past 19 seasons, and has been the head coach of both sports since 1998. His teams have won 11 4A state championships in cross country. The Chargers won titles his first five seasons, 1998-2002, and also own a pair of three-year streaks, in 2004-2006 and the past three seasons, 2008-2010. He has led the boys track and field team to nine state crowns – in 1999 and eight of the past 10 years, most recently in 2009 and 2010. Ten of his athletes hold 4A state track and field records, one an all-state record. Under Kedge, the Chargers have been ranked No. 1 nationally twice by The Harrier High School Cross Country Report. The Chargers own 14 district titles, 13 City of Albuquerque championships, 84 meet victories and four undefeated seasons in the past 11 years. Kedge has coached seven cross-country runners to state medalist honors, with two becoming Foot Locker National All-Americans and one a USA Junior World Team member. Kedge was named Regional Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 2001 and 2003. A 10-time state Coach of the Year in cross country and track and field, the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame honored Kedge as its Coach of the Year in 2006. He is the former president of the New Mexico Track and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Girls' Cross Country – Jim Tracy
University High School, San Francisco, California

In 1995, Tracy, 60, gave up a secure corporate career, steady income and conventional lifestyle for a part-time position coaching University’s high school runners. Seventeen seasons later, Tracy is the most decorated girls cross country coach in California history. When his girls dug down deep to repeat as Division V state champions last fall, it was a record eighth state championship for Tracy, awarded Coach of the Year honors by the California Coaches Association in 2004. The Red Devils previously won titles in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2009, while finishing second in 1995, 1999 and 2000. His boys teams finished second in state in 2001 and 2007 and third on five other occasions. His Red Devils have combined for 25 Bay Counties League titles and 20 North Coast Section titles, 10 each for the girls and for the boys. Tracy’s eighth state title came five months after he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. And at the state meet, one of his runners, junior captain Holland Reynolds, collapsed yards short of the finish line due to dehydration, then crawled across the line, allowing her finish to count toward the Red Devils’ winning total. That title run was profiled on ESPN’s Outside the Lines series in April, and the National Federation of State High School Associations presented Tracy and his team with the Region 7 Spirit of Sport award this year.

Boys' Golf – Larry Ries
Hunterdon Central High School, Flemington, New Jersey

Ries has coached four sports at Hunterdon Central over more than 30 seasons. He has more than 800 victories as a varsity head coach in golf and boys soccer, and also had successful runs coaching the Red Devils’ freshman basketball and baseball teams. Ries is currently in his 30th season as golf coach, for which he also was named National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations this year. Last spring, Ries guided the Hunterdon Central golfers to Team of the Year honors from The Newark Star-Ledger. The Red Devils posted a 16-1 record in 2010, winning Hunterdon County and Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament championships and Skyland Conference, Group 4 Central-South Jersey Section, state and Tournament of Champions titles, the latter the second of Ries’ career. Through last spring, his teams had a record of 467-105-1 and won 19 conference titles, 10 sectional titles, four Group 4 state titles and the 1992 Tournament of Champions title. Ries was named Coach of the Year by The Star-Ledger in 2008 and the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association in 2010. He also started the girls golf team at Hunterdon Central. As the school’s soccer coach for 29 seasons, retiring in 2007, Ries’ teams had a record of 332-177-63, with 26 winning seasons and four Central Jersey Group 4 sectional final berths.

Girls' Golf – Ryan Best
St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Overland Park, Kansas

Best holds an interesting dual role at St. Thomas Aquinas. He is the chairman of the Theology Department…and has been the coach of the boys golf team since 1997 and the girls golf team since 1999. He has held numerous campus ministry positions, including director of the KAIROS Retreat Program, and has coached basketball and volleyball at the school in addition to golf. Last fall, Best guided the Raiders girls golf team to a state-record fifth consecutive team title, shooting a state-record score of 303 to win the 5A title by 66 strokes. It was Best’s sixth girls state championship, his first coming in 2002. He also has had one of his girls golfers win medalist honors seven times, including each of the past five seasons. The Kansas Coaches Association named Best Girls Coach of the Year in 2003. Best’s boys teams have qualified for state every year of his tenure, and broke through to win back-to-back 5A titles in 2007 and 2008, to go with five state runnerup finishes, two third-place finishes, two fourth-place finishes and a sixth-place finish. He has coached four boys to state medalist honors, and nearly 20 of his golfers have gone on to earn college scholarships. Best was guest speaker at the National High School Golf Association annual conference in 2007 and also created and directed “Golf for the Soul,” a summer golf retreat program for players of all ages. Best played basketball and golf at Benedictine University in Atchison, Kan. and earned a master’s degree from the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kan.

Boys' Soccer – Jerry Little
North Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana

Little’s teams have won more state championships – five – since the Indiana High School Athletic Association first sanctioned the boys state tournament in 1994 than any other school. Little guided the Panthers to state-sanctioned titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002 and 2005 (seven overall), along with seven state championship games and eight trips to the state’s Final Four in the state-sanctioned era. He came to North Central in 1984 after three seasons at cross-town Broad Ripple High School, and his record on the Panthers’ sideline is 453-86-48, including a 12-2-1 mark last fall. His 1993 and 1994 teams, both of which finished 25-0, earned No. 7 final rankings from USA Today, and six of his teams were nationally ranked. His teams have won 17 conference titles, and sectional, regional and semi-state crowns 10 times. Little has won over two dozen Coach of the Year awards, including six state Coach of the Year awards from the Indiana State Coaches Association (ISCA). The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) named him its Division I Regional Coach of the Year in 1994, 1995 and 2002 and presented him with its National Merit Award in 2001. Little was inducted into the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003 and the ISCA Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2007, the National Federation of State High School Associations named him its National Coach of the Year.

Girls' Soccer – Hank Tenney
Rivendell Academy, Orford, New Hampshire

Tenney, 67, retired from a 30-year coaching career after leading the Raptors to a 17-1 record and their first-ever Vermont Division IV state championship last fall, the sixth soccer title of his career. That achievement earned him NSCAA Division II National Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career. Tenney previously won the award in 2001 at Hanover (N.H.) High, where he coached for 27 seasons. His career record as a soccer coach was 432-79-17, including a 36-12-1 mark in three seasons at Rivendell. He led Hanover to the state tournament in each of his 27 seasons, never had a losing season and reached the 250-victory plateau faster than any coach in New Hampshire history. His teams advanced to eight state title games and won five state titles. Tenney was named the state’s Coach of the Year eight times, the New England Coach of the Year in 2001 and was inducted into the New Hampshire Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1998. The National Federation of State High School Associations named him its National Girls Soccer Coach of the Year in 2006. Tenney also was a successful girls basketball coach, leading Sunapee (N.H.) High to back-to-back Class S state titles in 2006 and 2007, and led Hanover’s softball team to a state title in his only season as coach in 1983. He will remain the Director of Parks and Recreation for the town of Hanover, a position he has held for 33 years.

Boys' Swimming – Art Downey
Edina High School, Edina, Minnesota

Downey retired from a 34-year teaching career nearly two decades ago, but at age 83, he is still going strong as the school’s swimming coach. He just completed his 55th year at Edina-Morningside High School, Edina and Edina East High School, when the district had two high schools. His teams have won 10 state titles – in 1965, 1967, 1968, 1984, 1986, 1987, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2010 – and posted a career dual-meet record of 483-141-1. That included a 24-1 record this past season, when the Hornets finished third in state. His swimmers produced three individual event wins this year, giving Downey 58 career winners. Named district Coach of the Year 11 times, state Coach of the Year six times and a National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA) National Coach of the Year, Downey has served in every swimming leadership capacity in Minnesota. He was a co-founderof the Minnesota Swimming Coaches Association, has served as chairman of the Minnesota Swimming Hall of Fame since its inception in 1978 and has served as NISCA’s Minnesota state delegate since 1980. Downey is a member of seven Halls of Fame, most recently his induction into the NISCA Hall of Fame this year.

Girls' Swimming – Brian Gross
Charlotte Catholic High School, Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte Catholic had a successful swimming program before Gross arrived at the school nine years ago, and he has elevated that tradition. His girls teams have won the state team title in every one of his nine seasons at the helm, winning Class A-AA state crowns from 2003-2005 and 3A titles the past six seasons. The Cougars have won the past seven state meets by an average margin of 146 points, and their overall streak of state titles currently stands at 10 (with 12 titles overall). His swimmers own seven of the 12 existing state meet records, and with all 18 scorers returning next season, his Cougars seem assured of stretching their overall streak to 11. Gross also guided the boys team to four straight team titles, from 2005-2008, and his boys finished second in state the past three years. Named Coach of the Year by The Charlotte Observer in 2006, 2008 and again this year, Gross is a 1997 graduate of Wright State University, where he was a four-year member, captain and Most Valuable member of the swimming team, was the director of the Raider S.K.I.L.L.S. Program and Assistant Director of Special Olympics Swimming. Gross has been Vice President and Senior Recruiting Consultant at Wells Fargo Bank since 2005, and holds the Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR) certification.

Boys' Tennis – Kelly Mulligan
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Florida

Mulligan has coached the boys and girls teams at Gulliver Prep for 22 seasons, and now owns a total of 11 2A state team titles. Seven of those have been won by her boys teams, which have finished in the state’s top two in nine of the past 10 seasons. This spring, her boys team, which included just one senior and five freshmen, rolled to its fifth consecutive state team title by scoring a clean sweep, capturing all five singles titles and both doubles titles for a perfect 21 state tournament points. The only other boys team in any class to achieve a perfect score of 21 in the last decade: Gulliver Prep’s 2009 state championship team. Her boys teams also won titles in 2003 and 2005, finishing second in 2002 and 2004. Mulligan also has coached two boys to individual singles titles and three doubles teams to state crowns. One of them, current Northwestern University standout Raleigh Smith, was named the NHSCA National High School Athlete of the Year in 2010. Gulliver Prep’s five consecutive titles are the state’s longest current streak and the third longest in state history, and their seven titles are fifth best in state history. The Miami Herald named Mulligan the All-Dade Boys Coach of the Year in 2008, and she was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Florida Coach of the Year in 2009, after previously being awarded the state’s 2A honor.

Girls Tennis – Anita Murphy
Lewiston High School, Lewiston, Maine

Now retired from teaching, Murphy completed her 33rd season as girls tennis coach, and under her direction, the Blue Devils finished 13-2 and won their sixth consecutive Class A state championship. Her teams have made 19 trips to the state championship match and won 12 state titles overall, along with 14 Eastern Maine regional titles and 16 conference titles. Murphy’s career record is 404-60, and her teams had a winning streak nearly six years in duration before it was snapped this regular season. Murphy has received the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame Presidential Award 11 times and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. A recipient of the USA Tennis New England Junior Tennis Chapter of the Year award for her work with Lewiston’s youth tennis program, Murphy was named the Maine Tennis Coach of the Year in 2001 and was recognized by the National Federation of State High School Associations as its National Girls Tennis Coach of the Year in 2008. This spring, she was one of five recipients of the Unsung Heroines in Maine Sports awards presented during the Mentoring Women in Sports XIII Conference, hosted by the Maine Principals Association.

Boys' Track and Field – Robbie Robinson
Mountain View High School, Mesa, Arizona

Robinson’s career spans over 50 years in two different states, including 31 seasons as a boys and girls track and field coach. He started his career in Minnesota, where, in addition to his teaching and coaching duties, he served 10 years as an athletic director and was the founder and first meet director of the prestigious Mayo Invitational in Rochester. He came to Mountain View in 1988, and during his career, he has led both the Toros boys and girls teams to four state titles. His boys teams won 5A state titles in 1994, 2000, 2003, and 2004 and also earned eight state runnerup finishes, in 1988, 1989, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2008, and 2010. Through his first 20 seasons, his teams recorded a dual-meet and multi-meet record of 2,819-119 and also won 20 region titles. His girls teams were state champions in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1997. He typically has about 130 boys out for track and field, and during his tenure as the girls coach, about 100 girls typically came out for the sport. A five-time Arizona Coach of the Year, Robinson was a three-time Region Coach of the Year selection by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA), and the NHSACA named him its National Coach of the Year in 2008. Robinson was awarded the Victory with Honor Coach of the Year award by the Arizona Interscholastic Association this year.

Girls' Track and Field – Susan Curnias
William H. Hall High School, West Hartford, Connecticut

The second NHSCA National Coach of the Year from William H. Hall in as many years, Curnias is the only woman to be named Coach of the Year by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) in three sports. She was 78-37 in nine seasons as Hall’s gymnastics coach and was named Coach of the Year in 1980. In 27 years as Hall’s cross country coach, Curnias is 338-97-1, winning a Class L state title in 1987 and Coach of the Year honors in 1988. And Curnias is in her 34th season as Hall’s track and field coach. The 1990 Coach of the Year, her teams won Class L and State Open titles in 1986 and have finished second in state five times, including three straight Class LL runnerup finishes in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and have won 11 Central Connecticut Conference Western Division titles. She also coached swimming for two years at another West Hartford school, Conard High School, with a 14-5 record. Inducted into the CHSCA Hall of Fame in 2005, Curnias was named National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 1992. The NHSACA named her Region Coach of the Year in track and field in 1991 and in cross country in 2004. At the 40th annual Lindy J. Remigino (NHSCA Boys Track and Field National Coach of the Year in 2002) Outdoor Track and Field Invitational next month in New Britain, the women’s 100-meter hurdles has been renamed the Sue Curnias Women's 100m Hurdles in her honor.

Dylan Bundy: 2011 NHSCA Baseball Player of the Year & Baltimore Orioles Draft Pick on Today's Show

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Courtesy: www.owassobaseball.com

Why did the Baltimore Orioles take Owasso (Oklahoma) High School's Dylan Bundy with the 4th overall pick in this week's Major League Baseball Amateur Draft?

Check out the numbers...

Bundy, who is a right-handed pitcher amassed an 11-0 record with 158 strikeouts in 71 innings...heonly five walks batters all year.  Bundy only allowed 20 hits all year and at one point he went 56 straight innings without allowing a run.


Those incredible stats also resulted in the National High School Coaches Association naming Bundy as its 2011 Baseball Player of the Year.


Tyler will join us on the show this afternoon starting at 6 PM EST to talk about his whirlwind week.  


Click here to listen to the show LIVE

Wounded Warrior Project

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Join us later today on the NHSCA Sports Hour when we'll talk with Irv Sigler of Jenison High School in Michigan, who is working hard to bring the Wounded Warrior Project to high school football field across America.

It all began in 2009, Sigler and his team dedicated the season to the Florida-based organization that aids wounded soldiers.  Since then, Sigler has recruited nearly 100 teams across America to play and raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.




To learn more about the organization, go to www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

Click here to listen to Coach Sigler LIVE on today's show starting at 6 PM EST

America's Premiere High School Football All-Star Game Takes Centerstage on June 12th NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Many call the Big 33 Classic, the annual all-star football game in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the Super Bowl of high school football all-star games.

Why?

Because all 45 Super Bowls have included a player who played in the Big 33 Classic!

That's a streak that ranks up there with the Joe DiMaggio's hit streak or Brett Favre and Cal Ripken's consecutive game streaks.

It all started with Big 33 alum Herb Adderley of Northeast High School in Philadelphia. Adderley played in the first two Super Bowls with the Packers. It continued in February with five former Big 33 players on the turf at Cowboys Stadium when the Packers battled the Steelers.

In between, names like Montana, Namath and Dorsett have graced the field in Chocolate Town USA.

Through the years, Pennsylvania’s top 33 football players have squared-off with all-star teams from Maryland, Ohio and Texas.  There have been games against an all-USA all-star team, plus sometimes the eastern part of the state battled the western part of the state for bragging rights.

For the past 18-years, the Big 33 has pitted the Keystone State against stars from Ohio. It’s been a very competitive series with each state winning nine times coming into this year’s game on June 18th.

Tomorrow on the NHCSA Sports Hour we'll talk with Matt Dennison of New Philadelphia High School, who is the head coach of this year's Ohio All-Stars.

Click here to listen to the show LIVE.

Tayler Scott of Notre Dame Prep Drafted by Cubs

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

We had the pleasure of speaking to Tayler Scott of Notre Dame Prep in Arizona a couple of weeks ago on the NHSCA Sports Hour, and I've got to say, I'm very happy that this young man has taken his first step toward his dream of being South Africa's first major league baseball player.

Scott, who with the help of his parents left his homeland to pursue his dream of becoming a professional baseball player, was drafted in the 5th round of Major League Baseball's Amateur Draft by the Chicago Cubs.

Click here to listen to the great story of how his parents up-rooted their life in South Africa to help their teenager pursue his dream.

You can also learn more about Scott's Trans-Atlantic move to Arizona by clicking here for a great story written by Jennifer McCaffrey of ESPNRise.