Friday Night High School Football Scoreboard - October 28th

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

I've been around this wonderful game of high school football since I was 8-years old, and in the 42-years since, I can't remember a bigger weekend than this one when it comes to milestones.

First there's J.T. Curtis' historic 500th win in Louisiana.  His father's namesake, John Curtis Christian Academy beat Clark tonight 49-6 to improve J.T's record to 500-54-6 in his 43 years of leading the program.

Curtis is only the second coach in American high school football history to reach the 500 win milestone.  John McKissick of Summerville in South Carolina is the all-time leader in wins with a record 592 victories after a 17-7 loss tonight against Beaufort that dropped the Green Wave to 6-3 this season.

I spoke to both of these incredible high school coaches on the August 11th High School Football America radio show.  Click here to listen to those interviews.

Last night, Kenton (Ohio) High School's Maty Mauk set a new record for all-time pass attempts.  Mauk passed his brother Ben's record of 1,905 in his team's 52-32 win over Wapakoneta that also gave the Wildcats a perfect 10-0 regular season and the Western Buckeye League championship.

Mauk did come-up nine yards short of his brother's all-time yardage mark of 17,364 yards.  Mauk threw for 286 yards last night and ran for another 183 for 469 yards in total offense.  Mauk should set the record in his team's opening round playoff game next week.

Already this year, the Missouri-bound QB has set national marks for career completions, touchdown passes and total yards.

Back on July 27th, I spoke with Maty on High School Football America.  You can listen to that interview by clicking here.

Then there is Dorial Green-Beckham of Hillcrest High School in Missouri, who Thursday night became America's all-time leader in receiving yards.  Beckham-Green caught 11 balls for 303 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 6,109 yards in his career.  The senior passed Abram Booty of Evangel Christian (Louisiana), who had 5,867 yards in the mid-90's.

Below is the catch, an 81-yard catch-and-run, that broke the record.



High School Football Scores
Friday, October 28, 2011

Playoffs

Illinois Scores
Maine Scores
Michigan Scores
Wyoming Scores

Regular Season

Alabama Scores
Kentucky Scores
Missouri Scores
New Hampshire Scores
Pennsylvania Scores
Rhode Island Scores
Texas Scores

Texas' Best TD-maker - Johnathan Gray, Aledo High School

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

It seems every time Aledo's Johnathan Gray touches a football, another record falls.

Last night, the Bearcats senior running back scored seven touchdowns to move into second place nationally in career touchdowns.  Gray, who has verbally committed to Texas, passed T.A. McLendon, who scored 178 TDs from 1999 to 2001 at Albemarle High School in North Carolina.

Next-up on the TD-front for Gray who has 183 touchdowns?  Michael Hart who scored 204 career touchdowns at Nedrow Onondaga in New York before graduating in 2003.

Gray also moved into second place on the all-time scoring list with 1,092 points; again passing McLendon on the national list.  Hart is also the all-time leader with 1,246 points.

In last night's 67-42 win over Birdville, Gray also rushed for 258 yards, which gave him the Texas record for 100-yard games; it was his 44th game above the century mark.  He's currently fourth on the all-time list with Emmitt Smith, yes that Emmitt Smith, sitting at #3 with 45 100+ games.  The national record is 55 by Kevin Parks of West Rowan in North Carolina.

Gray also moved from 12th to 9th on the all-time rushing list.  He has rushed for 9,251 yards in his career.

The all-time mark of 11,232 yards by Ken Hall of Sugar Land (Texas) seems out-of-reach, because Gray would have to average over 280 yards a game and take his team back to its third straight Class 4A title game in December.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked with Gray on High School Football America.  You can watch that interview below:



National High School Career Rushing Leaders

11,232 - Ken Hall (Sugar Land, TX) 1950-53
11,045 - Michael Hart (Nedrow Onondaga, NY) 2000-03
10,895 - Kevin Parks (West Rowan, NC) 2006-09
10,241 - Toney Baker (Jamestown Ragsdale, NC) 2001-04
9,668 - Terrance Wilkes (Wadley, AL) 2003-06
9,662 - Toby Gerhart (Norco, CA) 2002-05
9,442 - Troy Fleming (Franklin Battle Ground Academy, TN) 1995-98
9,426 - Tyrell Sutton (Archbishop Hoban, OH) 2001-04
9,251 - Johnathan Gray (Aledo, TX) 2008-present

Last Night's High School Football America Radio Show Now Available On-Demand

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Listen to internet radio with HighSchoolFootballAmerica on Blog Talk Radio

In this episode of High School Football America, host Jeff Fisher talks with MaxPreps' Steve Spiewak about what should be a record-setting weekend ahead.

Also on the show is Dan Jones, head coach at Gaffney High School in South Carolina. The Indians are currently ranked #6 in the nation by MaxPreps. Gaffney has won the most South Carolina state high school football championships.

Jeff will then be joined by Carm DeFrancesco, head coach at Mt. Carmel HS in Pennsylvania. Last Friday, Mt. Carmel became just the fifth school in America to win 800 games.

The show closes with Armwood (FL) head coach Sean Callahan. Friday, Callahan's team, that is ranked #2 this week by MaxPreps, will face unbeaten Plant HS.

Mt. Carmel (PA) Becomes Fifth School to Win 800 Games

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Growing-up in eastern Pennsylvania, I always knew about the football tradition at Mt. Carmel High School.  Long before Hollywood glamorized Friday Night Lights, Mt. Carmel fans were creating a Friday night trend by turning the tiny community into a ghost town when their dearly-loved Red Tornadoes took to the road for away games.

Last Friday, on the road, Mt. Carmel became just the fifth team in America to reach the 800 win mark.

The Red Tornadoes, led by 1971 alum Carmen DeFrancesco, improved to 800-289-57 overall with a 35-14 win over Shikellamy.  Mt. Carmel has been playing football since 1893.

Valdosta (Georgia) still is America's winningest team with 868 victories, followed by Highlands (Kentucky) with 822, Male (Kentucky) with 814 wins and Washington Massillon (Ohio) with 810.

Lots of Points & Few Changes in MaxPreps Top 25

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Only one team in last week's MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 tasted defeat over the weekend.

Former #15 Archbishop Moeller dropped its first game of the season, a 26-24 loss to Indianapolis Cathedral (Indiana).  It's the second week in a row that an Ohio power has dropped out of the Top 25.  St. Edward got as high as #9 before losing two weeks ago to #1 Don Bosco Prep; this past weekend the Eagles dropped their second straight with a 17-10 loss at the hand's of Cincinnati's St. Xavier, another team that has spent some time in the Top 25 this year.

All-in-all, this past weekend could be characterized with exploding scoreboards.

Eleven teams in the Xcellent 25 scored 50 points or more, including Armwood, which crush Strawberry Crest 80-0.  In all, six teams (Bishop Gorman, Camden County, Hamilton, Katy, Lake Travis and Warren Central) topped 50 points; three (Bellevue, DeSoto, Mallard Creek) topped the 60-point mark, one topped 70 (Gaffney).

Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Pennsylvania) falls out of the Top 25 after a 13-7 win over Gateway.

Here's this week's MaxPreps Xcellent 25 from Steve Spiewak:

1. Don Bosco Prep (NJ) 5-0, LW: #1
2. Armwood (FL) 7-0, LW: #2
3. Trinity (KY) 8-0, LW: #3
4. Miramar (FL) 6-0, LW: #5
5. DeSoto (TX) 7-0, LW: #4
6. Katy (TX) 7-0, LW: #6
7. Gaffney (SC) 8-0, LW: #7
8. Good Counsel (MD) 7-0, LW: #8
9. Bishop Gorman (NV) 8-1, LW: #10
10. St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) 5-1, LW: #11
11. Allen (TX) 7-0, LW: #9
12. Mallard Creek (NC) 8-0, LW: #12
13. Buford (GA) 8-0, LW: #13
14. Grayson (GA) 7-0, LW: #14
15. Trinity (TX) 8-0, LW: #16
16. Warren Central (IN) 9-0, LW: #17
17. Bellevue (WA) 8-0, LW: #18
18. Central (FL) 5-0, LW: #20
19. Lake Travis (TX) 7-0, LW: #21
20. Camden County (GA) 7-0, LW: #22
21. Harrison (MI) 8-0, LW: #19
22. Mentor (OH) 8-0, LW: NR
23. Daphne (AL) 8-0, LW: #24
24. Hamilton (AZ) 8-0, LW: #25
25. University (FL) 8-0, LW: NR

New York High School Football Player Dies from Injury Suffered in Game

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

With the national spotlight shining bright on sports concussions and how to make the game of football safer, a New York high school football player died this weekend from an injury sustained during a game Friday night.

According to published reports, Phoenix High School junior Ridge Barden died Friday night after being rushed to the hospital after suffering a head injury in the third quarter of his team's game at Homer High School.

WSYR-TV in Syracuse is reporting that an autopsy shows that the 16-year old Barden died of bleeding in the brain, due to blunt force trauma as the result of a football injury.

First High School Football Championship Trophies Handed-Out

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

The Nikiski Bulldogs are the first 2011 high school football champs.

Nikiski today beat Barrow 52-21 to win the Alaska Small School championship.  The Bulldogs won the first two Small School championship games in 2000 and 2001.  Kenai (5 titles) and Soldotna (4 titles) are the only other schools to win Small School crowns.

The Bulldogs used a strong running attack and the right arm of quarterback Colton Anderson to win the school's third state title.  Nikiski rushed for 391 yards, while Anderson was 6-of-8 for 128 yards and three touchdowns.

An Ohio High School Football Player's Battle with Cancer on Tonight's High School Football America Radio Show

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

The saying that everyone is touched by cancer in some way is all too true.  Earlier this week, it creeped into my family's life again, but luckily this time everything turned out fine!

If you are a follower of High School Football America, you know that myself and Trish Hoffman have been touched by the story of the Pink Arrow Pride game Lowell High School in Michigan that has raised over $750,000 in four years to help residents of the tiny community in their battle with cancer.  We're currently working on a new video from the 2011 game, but in the meantime, you can check-out last year's story below.



Tonight on my radio show, I'm going to have the pleasure of talking with a young man, who has gone from one of the top offensive linemen in the country battling defensive linemen in Ohio to fighting the most important battle of his life.

In April, Ryan Anderson of Kent Roosevelt High School (Kent, Ohio), who was ranked among the top 35 offensive guards in the country, was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer called osteogenic sarcoma that ended his football career.

Anderson has been nominated by his coach John Nemec for the High School Football Rudy Awards.  The award honors inspirational high school football players who best define "The Four C's" of character, courage, contribution and commitment.

What makes the story unusual is back in 1992, Roosevelt quarterback Benny Cowgill died of the very same disease.

Anderson, who is a team captain, still attends his team's games while undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

Also on tonight show tonight at 7PM Eastern Time will be Brianna Amat of Pinckney Community High School in Pinckney, Michigan. Amat has been shining in the national spotlight since September 30th when she not only kicked a game-winning field goal for her team, but also was named Homecoming Queen during the same game.

To read Brianna's story in the NY Times, click here.

To listen to High School Football America LIVE tonight, click here.