Shawn Robinson is ranked as the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite and has been committed to TCU for almost a year.

But before he gets to TCU, Robinson is hoping to lead his new high school to a state championship. Robinson transferred from Denton Guyer to DeSoto in Texas after his mother took the position as head girls basketball coach at DeSoto. UIL rules allow for the transfer of students to a school where a parent works. He will be eligible immediately.

USA TODAY Sports’ Dave Schmulenson caught up with Robinson at the Elite 11 Finals in California last week to talk TCU, his senior season and what he likes to do off the field in the video above.

Aaron McLaughlin is only 14, but he already sounds the part of a seasoned quarterback.

McLaughlin, who is finishing up seventh grade, received an offer from Missouri on Thursday, the first of many expected Southeastern Conference offers before he reaches National Signing Day in February 2021. He first offer overall came from Georgia State this week.

“With all the attention this brings, I’m just going to stay humble and remain the person I am on and off the field,” McLaughlin told USA TODAY High School Sports, sounding much more like a pro than a junior high schooler.

McLaughlin repeated seventh grade this year and reclassified from the Class of 2020.

RELATED: Meet the eighth grader with a scholarship offer from Alabama

He is already 6-4 1/2, 205 pounds and will play at North Gwinnett in Suwanee, Ga. He is not new to those who follow youth football around the nation. You can find highlights from his 12U games on YouTube. He has played for one of the top traveling teams in the state of Georgia and in events such as the Florida/Georgia Future Stars Game.

“For me being noticed at such a young age really means schools see the potential I have and they recognize how hard I work,” McLaughlin said.

He also has been working for quarterback tutor Steve Clarkson for several years. McLaughlin got national television exposure when he was part of the “60 Minutes piece” on Clarkson as a sixth grader.

McLaughlin traveled from Atlanta to Los Angeles monthly with his father for lessons with Clarkson at about $400 an hour.

“My son is now going into the sixth grade and he had always shown talent in his position as a quarterback, but I really wanted to understand how talented he was and get someone that had national exposure and the experience that Steve has with quarterbacks and see how Aaron evaluated,” Craig McLaughlin told “60 Minutes.”

Clarkson told USA TODAY High School Sports on Thursday that he saw McLaughlin about a week ago and works with him an average of two or three times a month.

Clarkson says McLaughlin is “a super, super freaky athlete.”

“With his overall size and structure, he’s physically he’s very imposing. He can make all the throws and he’s got the body of a 25-year-old. He’s easily going to put on another 20 to 25 pounds before he sets foot as a freshman in college. … He’s an extremely athletic, guy. If he was a basketball player, he could tomahawk slam dunk a ball. If he was a baseball pitcher, he could throw 90-plus. He’s an amazing athlete.

“I don’t think I’ve seen any quarterback come along this early and this imposing in 30-plus years of training quarterbacks.”

And he only figures to get better.

“We’re going to work on all aspects of his game and coordinating with the high school that he’s with as well,” Clarkson said. “We want to continue to develop and become more well-rounded. The demands for somebody this young will tend to be a lot. Because of his notoriety and being featured on ’60 Minutes,’ it’s a lot more controllable.

“He understands where he’s is, the task at hand and what still lies ahead. He’s very focused. But He’s still a kid and enjoys kid-like things and I want to encourage him to do those things as well.”

Among the other Clarkson students featured on the “60 Minutes” piece was current Bishop Gorman QB Tate Martell, who took to Twitter to congratulate him.

About 600 high school football players, some of the best in Michigan, arrived with eager anticipation Thursday at the Sound Mind Sound Body football academy at Wayne State.

After negotiating the crush of humanity at Wayne State’s General Lectures building and receiving their jerseys and backpacks, the players got something else — a healthy dose of reality from some of the nearly 40 scheduled speakers.

Kevin Vickerson, who played at Detroit King, Michigan State and eight seasons as an NFL defensive tackle, was brutally honest as he showed the players statistics and showered them with tough love.

Vickerson emphasized the need for players — who also came from Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, New York and Canada — to get a meaningful college education after he pointed to the dire prospects of NFL careers that average 31/3 years.

“Where do you stand?” Vickerson asked the players. “What are you when this game’s over? All of you guys are going to be former football players soon. Some sooner than others. What will you fall back on then?”

Vickerson said 59% of college football players graduate. Again, he stressed the players — who will be intensely scouted and scrutinized today during meetings and on-field drills with college coaches — need to make their education a priority.

“They’re going to use you up,” he said. “They will do it. They will empty that bucket till there’s nothing left. Use them by getting your education.”

But the SMSB academy, in its 12th year in the Detroit area, remains an invaluable resource for high schoolers beginning their journey toward elite competition.

“Sound Mind Sound Body is basically based on the concept where we are providing young men with life-skill sessions,” camp director Deon Johnson said. “We talk about them having transferable skills, trying to take skills they learn in football and transfer them out there into the workforce and in college and being a man, fatherhood, all those type of things. We talk to them about sexual awareness.”

The players will have a session on NCAA eligibility and recruiting rules. They will hear lectures today and then receive 3 hours of on-field instruction from some of the country’s top coaches like Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly.

“I’m just excited to see all the coaches and showcase my skills,” said DeAndre Square, an incoming junior linebacker at Detroit Cass Tech. “It’s fun, it’s a little intimidating. I’ll pull through.”

Johnson said the top-flight coaches always are at the forefront of players’ minds.

Ultimately, the goal of the academy is to make the students better football players by teaching them all aspects of the sport. And maybe have a little fun, said Cass Tech incoming sophomore cornerback Xavier Goldsmith, who is attending his third SMSB academy.

“I’m just ready to compete against everyone in the country,” he said, “and get coached up by some of the coaches and just have fun.”

For more on this story, visit the Detroit Free Press.

Alan Campos said he didn’t like the way it happened, but he’s excited to have his first opportunity as the head coach of a high school football program.

Campos was named the head coach at Valley earlier this week. He replaces Crad Jaggers, who stepped down last month without coaching a game for what he called “personal reasons.”

“I don’t really know the situation, but it’s unfortunate for a guy who wanted to coach who can’t coach,” Campos said. “I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to be a head coach and look forward to doing the best I can for the kids.”

Campos, 43, is a Miami native who played linebacker at the University of Louisville. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft and played one season with them. He also had brief stints with the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers and with NFL Europe and the Arena Football League.

He previously was as an assistant coach at Shawnee before spending the past two seasons at Valley, coaching linebackers in 2014 and serving as defensive coordinator last year when the Vikings finished 6-5.

The Vikings will return several key players from last season, including quarterback Brayden Campos, who is Alan’s son.

“I’ve got about two months now to get them ready for our first game,” Alan Campos said. “It’s not a whole lot of time, but I’ll do the best I can with the time we have. We have some great kids on the team, and there are going to be a lot of expectations on them.”

The NCAA’s recruiting wars have given birth to satellite football camp wars, and University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has been the warlord of sorts during his traveling quest for nationwide dominance, so it should come as no surprise that he’s involved in the latest battle.

RELATED: Satellite camp wars: Ohio State, Michigan go head to head in New Jersey

As Texas A&M and the University of Houston held a joint satellite camp at Coppell (Texas) High School, a promotional company was busy placing fliers on cars in the parking lot, advertising a pair of satellite camps next week at Greenhill School in Addison, Texas — one featuring University of Texas coach Charlie Strong and the other co-hosted by Iowa State coach Matt Campbell and (you guessed it) Harbaugh, according to The Dallas Morning News.

RELATED: Satellite camp is all about recruiting for everyone but maybe Jim Harbaugh

The flyers even found Houston head coach Tom Herman’s truck, according to a photo assistant Craig Naivar posted on his Twitter account. It appears Naivar collected a number of the flyers from cars around the lot before potential recruits found them on their windshields:

Stay tuned for the next episode of satellite camp wars, when Harbaugh advertises on a flashing billboard outside Nick Saban’s house, much like Kenny Rogers’ chicken shack.

Players listen during the Sound Mind Sound Body presentation on Thursday in Wayne State.

About 600 high school football players, some of the best in Michigan, arrived with eager anticipation Thursday at the Sound Mind Sound Body football academy at Wayne State.

After negotiating the crush of humanity at Wayne State’s General Lectures building and receiving their jerseys and backpacks, the players got something else — a healthy dose of reality from some of the nearly 40 scheduled speakers.

Kevin Vickerson, who played at Detroit King, Michigan State and eight seasons as an NFL defensive tackle, was brutally honest as he showed the players statistics and showered them with tough love.

Vickerson emphasized the need for players — who also came from Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, New York and Canada — to get a meaningful college education after he pointed to the dire prospects of NFL careers that average 31/3 years.

“Where do you stand?” Vickerson asked the players. “What are you when this game’s over? All of you guys are going to be former football players soon. Some sooner than others. What will you fall back on then?”

Vickerson said 59% of college football players graduate. Again, he stressed the players — who will be intensely scouted and scrutinized today during meetings and on-field drills with college coaches — need to make their education a priority.

“They’re going to use you up,” he said. “They will do it. They will empty that bucket till there’s nothing left. Use them by getting your education.”

WMU coach loves that Sound Mind Sound Body start has no football

But the SMSB academy, in its 12th year in the Detroit area, remains an invaluable resource for high schoolers beginning their journey toward elite competition.

“Sound Mind Sound Body is basically based on the concept where we are providing young men with life-skill sessions,” camp director Deon Johnson said. “We talk about them having transferable skills, trying to take skills they learn in football and transfer them out there into the workforce and in college and being a man, fatherhood, all those type of things. We talk to them about sexual awareness.”

The players will have a session on NCAA eligibility and recruiting rules. They will hear lectures today and then receive 3 hours of on-field instruction from some of the country’s top coaches like Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly.

“I’m just excited to see all the coaches and showcase my skills,” said DeAndre Square, an incoming junior linebacker at Detroit Cass Tech. “It’s fun, it’s a little intimidating. I’ll pull through.”

Johnson said the top-flight coaches always are at the forefront of players’ minds.

“Everyone wants to see the big-name coaches,” he said. “They want to perform in front of the big-name coaches. A lot of the kids when they were writing … sending e-mails … they were excited about having an opportunity to perform in front of so many head coaches.”

That attention from coaches should be easier to get this year for the players, since the SMSB academy has been cut in half from last year’s 1,200 players in order to improve the quality of the event, Johnson said.

Ultimately, the goal of the academy is to make the students better football players by teaching them all aspects of the sport. And maybe have a little fun, said Cass Tech incoming sophomore cornerback Xavier Goldsmith, who is attending his third SMSB academy.

“I’m just ready to compete against everyone in the country,” he said, “and get coached up by some of the coaches and just have fun.”

Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.

Sound off

What: Sound Mind Sound Body football academy.

When: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. today.

Where: Wayne State.

Noteworthy: Top Michigan recruits from the classes of 2017-20 are expected to attend. More than 25 major college coaches are scheduled to make an appearance, including U-M’s Jim Harbaugh, MSU’s Mark Dantonio and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly.

Arlington High School football coach Dominick DeMatteo speaks to players during preseason. DeMatteo is on the Board of Education’s agenda to be approved as coach on Tuesday.

Arlington High School football coach Dominick DeMatteo could be taking his skills to Rockland County to be the head football coach at Nyack High School.

Arlington athletic director Dave Goddard said the Nyack school board has not approved the hire yet, but Nyack’s Board of Education meets Tuesday.

Goddard, who is retiring at the end of the summer, said Arlington has not begun searching for a new head football coach.

“We’ll start the process once there is confirmation,” Goddard said.

DeMatteo, who has coached Arlington for the last nine seasons, led the Admirals to the Section 1 Class AA championship game two years ago, and last year guided his team to the quarterfinals. In both instances, the Admirals were upended by rival John Jay. DeMatteo is the son of longtime Somers coach Tony DeMatteo.

A.J. Martelli: amartelli@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4836, Twitter: @AJM_PoJoSports

The Marlboro High School baseball team poses after beating Wheatley in the New York State Class B regional final Saturday.

Jack Rusk was locked in.

The Marlboro High School baseball team’s starting pitcher didn’t let anything — or any opposing hitter — intrude upon “the zone” on Saturday at SUNY Farmingdale in the New York State Class B region final.

By the end of the game, he had thrown just 65 pitches and allowed four hits, as Rusk and the Section 9 champion Iron Dukes beat Section 8’s Wheatley 5-0 to advance to the state final four.

The Iron Dukes will play Solvay of Section 3 at 10 a.m. on June 11 at Maine-Endwell High School in the state semifinal. The game ended after the Journal went to press.

It marks the Marlboro baseball team’s first appearance in the state final four since 2003.

“We’re super excited to be here,” said Rusk, who pitched a complete game. “We’re just going to take it one game at a time. We want it to keep going.”

READ MORE: Mongelli, Marlboro baseball continue to roll

Rusk was backed up by a solid defense, which did not commit an error.

Plus, it helped that the Iron Dukes’ offense wasn’t in short supply.

Marlboro scored three runs in the third and two in the fifth. Nick Mongelli finished with three RBI, while Xavier Oliver knocked in a run. Cole Nicolis drew a walk, tripled and scored two runs. He also had a sacrifice bunt which scored the Iron Dukes’ third run in the third inning. John Mooradian finished 3 for 4 with a triple, a single and a run scored.

Execution and timely hitting, coach Dave Onusko said, helped make the difference.

“We did a great job with the bats. It’s really satisfying to see them play to their capability. It was very pleasing,” Onusko said.

Onusko added that Rusk had “total command of his pitches” and even though he pitched to contact, he worked effectively.

READ MORE: Marlboro stays hot, winning section title over Rhinebeck

“He was able to throw strikes with his fastball, changeup and curveball,” Onusko said. “He painted the corners and they were hitting weak grounders and pop flies.”

Rusk, along with Mongelli, Oliver and Austin Casey appeared in the Class B state final four during the boys basketball season. Mongelli also won a Section 9 football title in the fall.

The boys basketball team reached the state final, but lost by 11 points to Olean of Section 6. The football team reached the Class B state quarterfinal, but lost to Section 1’s Westlake.

“It’s awesome to be back here, for the second time (in one year) in the final four,” Rusk said.

And the coach couldn’t be happier for his players.

“The kids are elated,” Onusko said. “This is all icing and gravy, to get to the state tournament. They’re going to enjoy every minute of it.”

A.J. Martelli: amartelli@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4836, Twitter: @AJM_PoJoSports

Alabama may not come down on the same side of the recruiting camp farrago as Michigan, but it isn’t slowing the Crimson Tide’s roll in gathering in top recruits.

As reported by outlets across the Southeast, four-star linebacker Markail Benton committed to Alabama on Friday. The Phenix City Central star chose the Crimson Tide over fellow in-state power Auburn, the aforementioned Wolverines and dozens of other national power programs.

Benton told 247 Sports that he didn’t decide on Alabama until Friday morning, but that the reasons for his choice were pretty straightforward … and all connected to the team’s success on the field.

“Alabama wins championships,” Benton told 247 Sports. “They win games.”

The Crimson Tide were also clearly aided by the presence of Rueben Foster, a fellow Alabama high school star who also wrestled between the two SEC giants. Foster ended up at Alabama, and he hasn’t regretted the decision, helping influence Benton to follow his path years later. The pair even shared a common element in their commitment ceremonies, with Foster first announcing he would attend Auburn in part by showing off his daughter wearing an Auburn dress. Benton made his announcement Friday by having his young brother don an Alabama jersey over his matching gingham shirt (Benton put on a 2015 Alabama National Champions hat during the announcement as well).

In a fairly explosive post-commitment video, Benton said he felt Alabama’s coaching staff was superior to Auburn’s and made it pretty clear that he doesn’t intend to reconsider other college options anytime soon. That’s good news for Alabama fans, as the rich keep getting richer.

Arlington High School football head coach Dominick DeMatteo leads practice on Aug. 23, 2014 in Freedom Plains.

Arlington High School will be in search of a new head football coach this summer.

The Nyack School District board approved hiring Dominick DeMatteo at a meeting on Tuesday.

DeMatteo, who coached football and was a physical education teacher at Arlington for nine years, accepted similar positions at Nyack High School. News of the potential hire broke last week, but, “Now that it’s official, it’s a relief,” he said. “The last month has been a whirlwind.”

DeMatteo went 46-35 with Arlington and led the team to six winning seasons, including a run to the Section 1 Class AA quarterfinals last fall. The year before, he guided the Admirals to their first appearance in a section final, a historic showdown with rival John Jay that marked the first time two Dutchess County opponents met in a Section 1 football title game. Arlington, in those nine years, had 48 students go on to play college football.

“I’m feeling very reflective about my time with Arlington,” the 44-year-old said. “I was supported in every way possible, and I take tremendous pride in what we accomplished. It was a special time in my life and that’ll stay with me forever.”

Former Nyack football coach Mike Ramponi stepped down in May to become the athletic director of Ardsley High School. Soon thereafter, DeMatteo said, Nyack officials contacted him. He initially had little interest in the job, he said, but Nyack also offered a position as a physical education teacher.

“They mentioned the potential of a teaching job and that piqued my interest,” he said. “It would’ve been a much different scenario had the teaching job not been available. I’m passionate about being an educator and a coach. I think to be a good football head coach, you have to be in the building and involved.”

DeMatteo informed his Arlington players of the pending move last Thursday after a spring practice. The reaction was mixed, he said. Some were shocked and disappointed; others had suspected it after seeing rumors on Twitter. But, DeMatteo said, “I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from the community and congratulations in the past few days.”

Dave Goddard, Arlington’s athletic director, told the Poughkeepsie Journal last week that the search for a new coach would begin once Nyack’s hire became official.

DeMatteo lives in Mahopac with his wife, Dianne, and young sons Anthony and Dominick. Recently, he said, he sat in his driveway and Googled the distance between his home and Nyack High School, then his home and Arlington High School.

“Both were exactly 42 minutes away from me,” the Yonkers native said. “That was kind of weird.”

Kind of symbolic, actually. The locations are equidistant, but in opposite directions. The positions, too, were about even and DeMatteo wrestled with the decision for some time. But Nyack was too attractive.

“It’s a fantastic district with a unique demographic mix and it’s located right on the Hudson,” he said. “The program has a great tradition of winning championships. Although they haven’t reached those heights in the last few years, I think the potential is there.”

Nyack won state Class A titles in 2000 and 2003, but the Indians went 4-5 last season.

DeMatteo said he already is having discussions with Nyack athletic director Joe Sigillo about assembling a coaching staff, and he will look to hire assistants from within that community. DeMatteo won’t try to bring colleagues from Arlington with him, he said, because “Rockland is too far from Dutchess and it’s not fair to ask people to come.”

DeMatteo, a former assistant coach at Fordham University, said that for family and lifestyle reasons, he has no aspirations of coaching beyond the high school level.

“I’m gonna miss the family atmosphere that we created with the football program at Arlington,” he said. “It had an effect on the administration, faculty and staff, and the kids who were in the program or connected to it. We created a real program. That’s something I will greatly miss.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

From left, Ian Soars, David Adams, Rayvon Grey, Colin Battersby Beacon Track 4×400 Relay

We’ve all heard it, the old bromide about sports being “a game of inches.” In this instance, it could very well come down to a single inch.

Rayvon Grey, the decorated Beacon High School track and field star, has little left to accomplish in his high school career. But there remains a dangling carrot — the state long jump record, which he twice has come within an inch of matching.

The senior’s quest to surpass that record will make the long jump one of the highlight events in the state track and field championships this weekend, as a slew of local standouts will compete at Cicero-North Syracuse High School on Friday and Saturday.

Bob Beamon, in 1965, set the long jump mark of 25 feet, 3 ½ inches, a record that still stands. Beamon went on to set a world record in the 1968 Olympics. Grey, the defending state long jump champ, has reached 25 feet, 2 ½ inches twice this season.

“It’s stood for 51 years for a reason,” Beacon coach Jim Henry said, “but if the conditions are right, he might break it.”

So can teammate Terrel Davis, who is among seven Beacon athletes competing. New Paltz High School is sending 12 boys and four girls.

Spackenkill’s Kabongo Barry will compete in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. He is confident he can win both after working extensively on core strength and explosiveness. Barry, who is also a football player, began training on the field. He regularly would do squats in the end zone, then sprint the length of the field, leap and grab the goalpost. That drill would be run 10 times in succession.

The junior told his 9-year-old brother, Constant, that his goal is to set records that the younger Barry will one day have difficulty attempting to break.

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

Boys

Arlington: Ogemdi Chukwu, 110-meter hurdles; Parish Durham, high jump; 3,200 relay (John Furcick, Joseph Morrison, Reece Ragusa, Eric Sbrollini, Skyler Rubin and Devere Knight);  Beacon: David Adams, 110 hurdles, 400 hurdles; Rayvon Grey, long jump, triple jump; Terrel Davis, long jump; 1,600 relay (Tony Kaikai, Colin Battersby, Ian Soares, Adams, Malachai Maloney and Grey); Dover: Mathius Martin, shot put; Tyler Belcher, discus; Kevin McMorrow, 3,200 run;  Haldane: Theo Henderson, 3,000 steeplechase;  John Jay: Matt Goldsmith, high jump;  New Paltz: Eric Macaluso, 400 dash; Dagi Tadesse, pole vault; Dylan Scribani, pole vault; 400 relay (Whitman Carroll, Matt Kanan, Mike Pisciotta, Macaluso, Hunter McVea and Tajay Pearce); 1,600 relay (Pearce, Grant Harlow, Blake Olsen, Mike Krebs, Macaluso and Seb Mazo);  Our Lady of Lourdes: Jaheim Jones, 100 dash, 200 dash; Zachary Ropes, 800 run;  Pawling: Brennen Farrell, pentathlon;  Pine Plains: Dylan Lawless, pentathlon;  Poughkeepsie: Malik Lewis, 100 dash, 200 dash; 400 relay (Maurice Thomas, Trevon Reid, Shanric McFarlane and Lewis;  Red Hook: Travis Kassner, 3,000 steeplechase;  Spackenkill: Kabongo Barry, 100 dash, 200 dash

Girls

Dover: Kristen Butts, 200 run; Jennifer Joseph, long jump;  Haldane: Abbey Stowell, pentathlon;  Our Lady of Lourdes: Caroline Timm, 1,500 run, 800 run;  New Paltz: Morgane Kuyl, 100 run, 400 hurdles; Jordan Nagel, 3,000 meters; Kaela Santos, discus; Samantha Kaplan, pole vault;  Rhinebeck: Stephanie Cassens, 400 dash; 1,600 relay (Maggie Bennett, Alex Dunn, Barr Lavi-Romer, Cassens, Daisy Gadsby and Elise Voorhis;  Webutuck: Taylor Edmundson, 2,000 steeplechase

Baseball on the Infield Chalk Line

A familiar face will be at the helm of the Escambia baseball program next season.

Tracey King, the administrative dean at Escambia High School for the last decade, was announced as the Gators’ new head coach on Thursday. King will follow in the footsteps of Roger Mayo, who coached the Gators for 29 years before becoming Escambia County athletic director.

“I’m very honored to have the opportunity to coach, especially following a coach like Roger Mayo that’s been there and is such a good leader and example for our baseball community,” King said. “He’s left me a program that’s easy to come in and take over.”

Escambia High School principal Frank Murphy said the decision came down to King’s familiarity with the program as well as his own history in the game.

Vilona: Escambia High celebrates baseball reunion

“The committee felt like we needed somebody who knew our kids,” Murphy said. “He’d been working with them through the offseason with our weight training and conditioning program. He has a familiarity with those kids and it just felt right.”

King is a graduate of Pensacola High School and played baseball under Floyd Adams at Jefferson Davis Community College and head coach Jim Spooner at West Florida.

While he’s coached area travel baseball teams and helped with the Gators’ strength training over the past few years, this will be his first stint as the head coach of a high school program.

“My entire life I’ve been playing baseball,” King said. “Coaching-wise, I’ve never coached on the high school level. Just [worked] behind the scenes with pitching, hitting and taking ground balls with players.”

Escambia’s Mayo embraces new position

Mayo said there’s little doubt his replacement will have to make adjustments to the high school game, but he also said King will have a leg up in one vital area.

“He’s got something that most others don’t have: He’s a dean and dealing with students and parents consistently,” Mayo said. “The situation in dealing with parents at this level is not going to be an issue at all… In today’s world, that’s one of the toughest things you have to do.”

King’s early evaluation of his team is optimistic. With a roster full of rising seniors and juniors returning from last season’s 10-13 team, King said he thinks his first team will be strong, particularly with the development of pitchers like Hunter Viets and Dominick Miller.

“The biggest thing I’ve gotta do is come in and change the attitude of the boys and teach them how to compete,” King said. “And compete on the level I want them to compete on.”

First football, now baseball MVP for Sandle

“I’ve been asked to coach high school baseball for 10 years but I chose not to,” King said. “Now is the time, with Mayo deciding to leave, I thought it was a good opportunity.”

Keith Hatfield in 2010, when he was Roncalli baseball coach.

Keith Hatfield has Roncalli in his blood. He played baseball there. He graduated from the school in 2003. He coached there for four years, taking a program that hadn’t won a sectional since 2004 to semistate in his third year with the team.

But Hatfield left the Rebels two years ago to take the head coaching position with Center Grove. Saturday, the two teams meet in Plainfield with a trip to Victory Field for the state title game on the line.

When Hatfield headed 13 miles south, the Trojans were far from a juggernaut. When he arrived, they hadn’t won a sectional since 2009.

Yet last year, the team made it to regionals. This year, it advanced to semistate for the first time in two decades.

Now, this group is trying to take the next step.

“Anybody that tells you they wouldn’t think about being in a state championship game at Victory Field is lying,” Hatfield said. “That doesn’t mean that we’re focused on that — we’re focused on Saturday — (but) it would mean a lot to these kids. With the work these kids have put in since August, it would be validation for them.”

Much like Roncalli, the Trojans have ridden their pitching to success. The team has allowed just 50 runs in 27 games. A trio of dominant starters in Jacob Cantleberry, Conner Cantrell and Jack Kellams has combined to allow 27 earned runs in 142⅔ innings.

Twelve of the team’s games have been decided by two or fewer runs. But Kellams said he embraces high-leverage spots.

“I think it makes it a lot more fun,” he said. “If we end up getting out of pressure situations, it makes it feel that much better.”

Despite the team’s sterling record and sparkling pitching numbers, it is not ranked in the state polls. But that doesn’t matter. In fact, Cantleberry prefers it that way.

“We don’t have a target on our back,” he said. “I kind of like being looked over because it leaves a chip on our shoulder.”

Hatfield instills a strong work ethic in his players — Kellams said, “It’s straight business here” — but the players have bonded.

“We’re all really good friends and we’ve known each other forever,” Cantrell said. “We have a lot of fun with what we’re doing. We’re around each other so much.”

“The relationships we have with our teammates are really important,” Cantleberry echoed. “It’s a lot easier to get work done when you get along with everybody.”

Football is king at Center Grove — five consecutive trips to semistate and a state title will do that — but Hatfield has helped to put baseball back on the radar.

“I know Center Grove has been to state one time (in 1996), but since we haven’t won one it’d be pretty awesome to make a state championship out of it,” Kellams said. “Baseball hasn’t been the thing at this school, but ever since coach Hatfield came here it’s definitely been rising as a program.”

But first things first — namely, getting past the Rebels.

“They really have a little bit of everything — power, a little bit of speed, multiple guys who are going to grind out at-bats,” Hatfield said. “They’re not going to give us anything.”

But while the Roncalli offense boasts firepower, the Trojans’ bats have picked up lately, too.

“In the tournament we have done a really good job of making pitchers work, making them uncomfortable,” Hatfield said. “I think that’s why we’ve scored more in the tournament than the conference season.”

Many players on both teams have played together, or against each other, since Little League days. But the rivalry will reach a new level this weekend.

“They want to play well against their friends, against people they’ve known their whole baseball career,” Hatfield said. “I think the closeness of these two schools is going to make the atmosphere really electric … it’s going to be really good for the south side of Indianapolis.”

As for Hatfield, he’s been asked a lot about his ties to Roncalli. Is he nervous to face the team that he rebuilt into a powerhouse?

“I’m not going to be nervous because of Roncalli,” he said. “I know a lot of those guys, so there’s no reason to be nervous. If there’s any nerves whatsoever, it’s going to be because it’s a final four game.”

Historically, June is when Michigan State picks up a significant number of commitments. With Lake Park (Ill.) defensive lineman Jacub Panasiuk picking MSU on June 2, the Spartans are already off to a quick start. Below is a look at some of the players that are high priority recruits for the Green and White.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio talks to student athletes during the Sound Mind Sound Body football camp held at Wayne State Friday.

Cincinnati Moeller TE Matt Dotson

The 6-foot-5, 226-pound Dotson is one of the top players in the Midwest for the class of 2017. Rivals.com ranks him the No. 9 tight end in the nation, which might be low when you consider he has offers from MSU, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and a host of other Big Ten and SEC programs.

The Spartans are viewed as a strong contender for Dotson. A trip to Penn State two weeks ago moved the Nittany Lions to the forefront. Penn State has a commitment from Cincinnati St. Xavier High School quarterback Sean Clifford, a close friend of Dotson. MSU has a strong track record of success with Moeller players and the stability and success of the program cannot be overlooked.

Huntington (W.Va.) Spring Valley OL Riley Locklear

The 6-5, 285-pound prospect was offered during the May evaluation period and the Spartans could be a serious contender for his services as he has family in East Lansing and has also spent a lot of time in Michigan. Locklear has over two dozen offers offers from programs such as Florida State, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

“My mom was very, very excited for me,” he told Spartan Magazine editor Jim Comaproni. “We have driven by Michigan State multiple times, I mean hundreds of times. Whenever we go to visit our family that live in East Lansing, we have driven by the stadium. We have been by there before but I have never been there on a visit, but I definitely plan on taking a visit very, very soon. I love being up there. I love being around my family and I feel like Michigan State has a great football atmosphere.”

A few years ago, MSU received a commitment from Texas offensive lineman Tyler Higby after he stopped in East Lansing while visiting family in the area. The Spartans hope that situation repeats itself.

U-D Jesuit DB Scott Nelson

Nelson has flown under the radar of some recruiting services due to the fact he has not been one who attends all of the off-season camps and combines due to his basketball schedule. College coaches are very bullish on Nelson’s ability and that is why he has scholarship offers from MSU, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska and Penn State among others.

Nelson has indicated that he grew up following MSU and the Spartans have made it clear to him that he is a priority recruit. Last fall, Nelson starred on both sides of the ball for U-D Jesuit piling up 1,955 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns playing quarterback and wide receiver. On defense, he had 55 tackles with five interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns. He had some of his best games when U-D Jesuit faced elite competition such as Detroit King and Brother Rice.

The MSU staff is looking forward to having the above players back on campus this month.

Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.

Former Goodpasture and Navy star Keenan Reynolds speaks at the "Salute to Keenan Reynolds" on Friday night at Goodpasture.

Former Goodpasture quarterback Keenan Reynolds, right, is presented with his retired jersey No. 3 by Goodpasture athletics director Clint Parnell, left, and former coach David Martin.

Keenan Reynolds became a record-setting quarterback at Navy by putting up some mind-boggling numbers.

His 88 career touchdowns are the most in NCAA history. His 4,559 career rushing yards are the most for a quarterback in NCAA history. And he is the only two-time 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard passer in Navy history.

Reynolds is still playing a numbers game. Only now he’s putting them to rest.

In February, he became only the fourth Navy player to have his jersey number (19) retired. And Friday night, he became only the second Goodpasture player to have his jersey number (3) retired, joining Alan Banks (No. 18 in 1978).

“It means just as much to have my jersey retired at Goodpasture as it did at Navy,” Reynolds said. “It’s special to have two great places retire my number, and it’s incredible with the way it happened so close together like this. This place (Goodpasture) set me up for my success at Navy.”

It also was special how Reynolds found out his Gooodpasture jersey was being retired. Former Navy and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach let him know via a video tribute during a reception in Reynolds’ honor at Goodpasture.

“I’d love to be there with my favorite Navy quarterback,” said Staubach, whose Navy No. 12 also was retired. “What you’ve accomplished at Navy is just fantastic. From your Plebe year to your first class year, you’ve been a first-class person. You’ve been to me, the finest quarterback in college football. I can’t say enough about how much I admire you and what you stand for on and off the field. And, oh by the way, I wanted to be the first to let you know that the Goodpasture Christian School is retiring your jersey tonight.”

After that, David Martin, who coached Reynolds at Goodpasture and is now the coach at Stewarts Creek, and Goodpasture athletics director Clint Parnell presented Reynolds with his framed No. 3 blue-and-gold jersey.

Reynolds received a standing ovation from the crowd of about 200, who stuck around until 10:30 p.m. when he finally showed up at the reception — “A Salute To Keenan Reynolds” — which began at 8 p.m.

Reynolds had come from minicamp with the Baltimore Ravens, who selected him in the sixth round of the NFL Draft and have moved him from quarterback to wide receiver.

His flight was delayed.

“Everything that could have went wrong went wrong today,” Reynolds told the crowd. “I was texting my mom back and forth because I was so worried about being late and she goes, ‘Your dad is on the stage talking.’ Anybody who knows my dad knows he can talk, so I was like, ‘Then we’re cool. We’ve got at least 30 minutes.’ Seriously, it really does mean a lot that all of you … waited on me.”

Video tributes from Gov. Bill Haslam, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper and ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit also were shown.

Former Goodpasture and Middle Tennessee State running back Benny Cunningham, who is now with the Los Angeles Rams, was there along with former Goodpasture and Vanderbilt safety Marcus Buggs.

Fox Sports college football analyst and former Tennessee Vols safety Charles Davis was the emcee.

“I am really, really, really, really really blessed to be here,” Reynolds said. “It’s humbling to have a whole night just about you.”

Reynolds, who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting, is one of the most decorated college football players ever to come out of Nashville.

“Several of us got together and talked about it and decided it would be good to go ahead and retire Keenan’s jersey because of all that he has accomplished,” Parnell said. ” Keenan set a lot of great records at Goodpasture. He brought a lot of energy and recognition to Goodpasture, and he is definitely a person who deserved this.”

After the reception, Reynolds admitted the transition not only from the college ranks to the pros, but also from quarterback to slot receiver has been a challenge.

“I’m working; I’ve got a lot of hard work to do, but I’m enjoying every day,” Reynolds said. “I’m living the dream and working as hard as I can. The (route running) is the most difficult thing. Other than that, it’s a very detailed position with a lot of technique and little things that you don’t understand until you actually play the position. So I’m learning every day.”

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 and on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.  

West Henderson’s Aug. 25 home game against Hendersonville will be shown on live TV.

Ten high school football games involving Western North Carolina teams will be carried on local television next season.

Special thanks to WLOS/WMYA-TV for this information:

This August My40 will air ten high school football games involving schools from nine Western North Carolina Counties as part of Bojangles Thursday Night Lights.  We produced and carried four games in 2015, and the reaction from viewers, parents and school officials was so positive that station General Manager Jack Connors extended the schedule to ten games over an eleven week period.  The first game for TNL—August 25th—will pair Hendersonville High School against West Henderson.  Buncombe County games will include appearances by Asheville High School, North Buncombe, Enka, Christ School, Reynolds and Erwin.  

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has mandated that TV games all be played on Thursday evenings, and WMYA will begin each broadcast with a half hour pre-game show starting at 6:30 pm.  The kickoff for all games will be at 7:00 pm.

The pre-game will feature interviews with the Principal of the home school, the head football coach, the Teacher of the Year and an outstanding Scholar/Athlete that each school will select.  Both the visiting and host school will pick their own Scholar/Athletes, senior class members who have excelled in the classroom, on the playing field and in the community.  The Scholar/Athlete competition, sponsored by the Wired Mouse and open to senior class boys and girls who have participated in any sport, will provide the winning student with a $3,500 college scholarship to the university of their choice.

Eight of the WNC schools that will be on TV this fall (Reynolds, Asheville, West Henderson, Pisgah, Mitchell, Franklin, Robbinsville, Christ School) each won at least eight games last year.  The combined enrollment for the schools on the 2016 schedule is more than 18,200 students.  The combined 2015 records of the Bojangles Thursday Night Lights schools was 131 victories and 107 losses. 

Jason Patterson will handle the play-by-play duties for Bojangles Thursday Night Lights while long time coaching legend Kenny Ford provides the color commentary and Mark Keady adds sideline reporting for every game.

In addition to the ten games set for WMYA’s Thursday Night Lights lineup, My40 will carry six Upstate South Carolina high school contests in Year Nine of Friday Night Rivals.  

THURSDAY NIGHT RIVALS SCHEDULE

Aug. 25 Hendersonville at West Henderson

Sept. 1 Asheville at Pisgah

Sept. 8 Robbinsville at Christ School

Sept. 15 Cherokee at Smoky Mountain

Sept. 22 North Buncombe at Enka
                    
Sept. 29 Brevard at Tuscola

Oct. 6 Polk County at Mitchell
                    
Oct. 20 East Henderson at Franklin

Oct. 27 Roberson at Reynolds          
                    
Nov. 3 Asheville at Erwin

FRIDAY NIGHT RIVALS SCHEDULE

Sept. 2 Hillcrest at Dorman

Sept. 16 Byrnes at Broome

Sept. 30 Clinton at Chapman

Oct. 7 Chapman at Woodruff

Oct. 14 Landrum at Christ Church

Oct. 21 Greer at Union County

Follow the HS Huddle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hshuddle, Twitter at www.twitter.com/acthshuddle or Instagram at www.instagram.com/high_school_huddle

Williams Field High School kicker Brandon Ruiz works out during spring football practice in Gilbert (Photo: AZCentral)

Gilbert (Ariz.) Williams Field kicker Brandon Ruiz attended Alabama’s camp last Saturday.

He got a call Thursday, after Alabama coaches reviewed the film and was offered a full football scholarship.

On Friday, Ruiz, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, made his dream come true, committing to the national champion Crimson Tide.

“Alabama is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Ruiz, who will be a senior next season. “It has been my dream since I started kicking. I feel it is the best place for me.”

VIDEO: Brandon Ruiz hits 72-yard field goal 

VIDEO: Brandon Ruiz nails 76-yard field goal in practice

During the Alabama camp, he said his kickoffs went 75-plus yards with 4-second hang times. He showed good accuracy on field goals from 40 to 50 yards.

Ruiz is ranked No. 1 in the country for the 2017 class of kickers by Chris Sailer Kicking.

This spring, Ruiz posted YouTube videos of himself making field goals in practice beyond 70 yards.

Hanover Park senior Gianna Brunini with her date Eric LeGrand in the lobby of Brooklake Country Club. They met during rehab. (Photo: Karen Mancinelli, Gannett New Jersey)

Like any good prom date, Eric LeGrand let the girl call all the shots.

The former Rutgers football star-turned-national-inspiration attended the Hanover Park (N.J.) High School prom Thursday night with Gianna Brunini, whom he met a few years ago when their wheelchairs crossed paths at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange.

“She had me on the dance floor the entire night,” LeGrand told Gannett New Jersey. “I’m all tired. I was out there with those 17-year-old kids. One, I felt old, and, two, I had a great time. That’s where she wanted to be. I was her date, so I just followed her, and we were out there boogieing all night.”

LeGrand asked Brunini — who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 2 and lost her memory two years ago in an incident, according to an NJ Advance report — to the prom in front of students and staff at the end of a school assembly at which he spoke last month.

“(They) reached out to me in an email and explained everything Gianna has been through,” LeGrand said. “I was actually supposed to be at another event that night, but I was like, ‘How can I not say yes to this? If I can make her night, how can I say no?'”

So LeGrand — the face of spinal cord injury research and awareness through his work with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation since soon after he was paralyzed making a tackle for Rutgers in October 2010  — said yes and the assembly was coordinated.

“Gianna is a great kid and we’re really proud of all her accomplishments,” Hanover Park Principal Tom Callanan said. “Eric came for an assembly and his message was really inspirational for us as students, teachers and administrators.”

“But it ended with him calling Gianna up on stage. Our kids went wild. There was a standing ovation for Eric and Gianna. It was probably one of the greatest moments I’ve ever seen as a high school educator of a kid being recognized, honored and cheered on by her peers. Eric made that happen.”

Of course, to seal the deal, Brunini still had to say yes when LeGrand asked.

Even though proms are old hat for LeGrand, the 25-year-old Colonia High School graduate knows asking is never a formality.

“I was real nervous,” LeGrand said. “I I didn’t know what she was going to say. Her reaction was like, ‘Yes! I would’ve said yes to a cup of coffee.'”

Where he is not like most prom dates, LeGrand brought along a film crew because he recognized the kind of inspirational story that he wants to tell on his new television show “Mission Possible,” which will air six episodes on the Fox Sports digital platform beginning in the fall.