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Baseball: Arcadia’s collapse completed in 3-2 defeat.

Kate McDermott — Wed, 16 May 2012 02:24:40 +0000

ARCADIA – Long after the final pitch and well after the final team huddle, most of the Arcadia High School baseball players sat in silence in the dugout with blank stares.

Five others were in the outfield, stunned by how the final two weeks transpired, an Apaches season filled with promise that came to a screeching halt with a 3-2 loss to Santa Barbara on Tuesday in the wild-card round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.

There were no words needed to express their disappointment, and Arcadia coach Nick Lemas all but followed suit when trying to dissect where it all went wrong, not just in the playoffs but in the final two weeks of the season that saw the Apaches (19-8) go from title contenders after opening league play with 10 consecutive wins to a team in search of its identity before stumbling to a five-game losing streak.

“That’s the most games we’ve lost in a long time,” Lemas said.

Celina coach Butch Ford retires after 39-year coaching career

Natalie Lasseter — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:06:24 +0000

Celina football coach Butch Ford announced his retirement on Tuesday. He informed his team and administrators of his decision, and packed up his office. And just like that, the 39-year coaching veteran was gone. All in one day.

“I’d being thinking about it ever since January,” Ford said. “I’d rassled with it, and rassled with it. But I decided that it was time.”

Ford, 60, had coached at Celina for the past 24 years. As head coach for the past 10 seasons, he went 122-16, winning state titles in 2005 and 2007, and making the state final on two other occasions.

He had the unenviable task of following all-time wins leader G.A. Moore – moving up from an assistant’s position on Moore’s staff. Ford had worked with Moore for 25 seasons, from Pilot Point to Sherman to Celina. After Moore returned to Pilot Point after winning the 2A 2001 state title with Celina, Ford took the reins. He soon turned Celina’s program into his own, becoming the fastest coach in Texas to 100 career wins.

Swim: Troy freestyler Li commits to Division 2 power

Benjamin Porter — Sat, 12 May 2012 04:55:33 +0000

Troy freestyler Paul Li, who placed in the top-three in two events at the CIF-SS Division 2 swim finals, has committed to a four-year school.

Li is headed to UC San Diego of the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Diving Conference.

At the CIF-SS Division 2 finals, the senior placed second in the 200 free (1:39.57) and third in the 500 free (4:32.13).

Li was a big reason why the Warriors broke into the county top-10 dual meet rankings this spring.

The Division 2 Tritons feature several former O.C. standout boys, including: Alex Merrill (Los Al), Martin Vanek (El Toro) and Dane Stassi (Woodbridge).

Bright Ideas with Jim McCorkell

Kate McDermott — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:40:10 +0000

Our May installment of the Bright Ideas series features Jim McCorkell, CEO and founder of College Possible, where he put into action his life-long passion to make college admission and success possible for low-income students. Stephen Smith hosts.

Pathfinder Awards given out to some of the best, brightest in Palm Beach County

Natalie Lasseter — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:57:55 +0000

WEST PALM BEACH — A homework assignment that may take other students 10 minutes can at times be a two-hour ordeal for Stephanie Kumler.

The Jupiter Christian School senior was diagnosed at age 8 with a learning disability that makes it more difficult for her to process information.

But if anything, Kumler has shined in school . She’s an honor roll student who’s logged hundreds of hours of community service, was the captain of her school’s varsity basketball team and served as editor of the high school yearbook. She also spent two summers in Romania, volunteering at a summer camp for orphans with disabilities.

And on this evening, she added one more thing to her rsum: winner of a first-place scholarship through the 29th annual Pathfinder Scholarship Awards.

I feel so blessed and honored to win this award, Kumler said, beaming. I’m just shocked.

The Pathfinders, given to high school seniors in Palm Beach and Martin counties, honor students who have demonstrated exceptional academic, vocational or athletic achievement. T

Video: Top 20 roundtable — TCU

Benjamin Porter — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:21:26 +0000

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“College Football Live’s” panel of experts preview TCU’s upcoming season.

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From Buffalo, a warning for local consensus on absent students

Kate McDermott — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:45:33 +0000

The city and teachers union arent anywhere close to settling on new teacher evaluations. But if and when they do strike a deal, they might have to revisit a point of agreement.

Leo Casey, a teachers union official, told me recently that before negotiations broke down in December, the city and UFT had agreed that only students with a minimum attendance rate should be counted in teachers scores. Exactly what that rate would be was still up for discussion, Casey said, but everyone agreed on the basic principle that if students arent in class to learn, its not fair to hold teachers responsible for their learning.

Its an outlook that teachers at schools under threat of closure have shared over and over. At Washington Irving High School, teachers protesting the citys ultimately successful closure proposal argued that the school would have much stronger performance data if the city excluded the schools many long-term absences from its progress report calculations.

Its also a point that united Buffalo and its teachers union as they negotiated a new teacher evaluation system earlier this year for schools eligible for School Improvement Grants. I

Chilean Expedition Featured in Newspaper

Benjamin Porter — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:22:23 +0000

A recent expedition to Chile by Paul Mayewski, director of UMaines Climate Change Institute, and a team of other UMaine scientists, was featured in the Bangor Daily News. The article noted the group drilled ice cores in a crater inside an active volcano. Mayewski told the BDN the region is important because the glaciers there are one of the primary water sources for the growing city of Santiago. Andrei Kurbatov, an assistant research professor who was on the trip, said ice core samples can even reveal a picture of how changes humans have made in just the past few decades have affected contaminants in the atmosphere.

Local hurdlers Taije Jordan (Lancaster) and Bryce Grace (Bryan Adams) win at Texas Relays

Natalie Lasseter — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:57:45 +0000

Lancaster’s Taije Jordan, who won the 4A 100 hurdles at last year’s UIL state meet, was dominant in the event Saturday at Texas Relays, winning in 13.61 seconds. Jordan was also part of Lancaster’s team that won the 4×100 relay.

In the boys 110 hurdles, Bryan Adams’ Bryce Grace (13.73) edged Lancaster’s Tequille Jackson by one hundreth of a second.

FAMU trustees reverse hazing panel decision

Natalie Lasseter — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 09:32:03 +0000

TALLAHASSEE — Florida AM University trustees voted overwhelmingly Friday to force members of an anti-hazing committee to meet in public, despite warnings from the committee’s chairman that the move would likely cause most of the committee’s members to resign.

The 8-2 vote by trustees, who had earlier endorsed changing the committee from an advisory panel to a fact-finding body to allow it to meet in private, came after Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Board of Governors Chairman Dean Colson both called on university officials to reconsider.

The trustees suggested that public perception of the original decision and the desire to have the committee issue recommendations at the end of the process played into the new vote. But Stephen Robinson, a former federal judge chairing the panel, said that would make it impossible for several members to participate in the meetings.

Robinson said members of the committee are spread out from Florida to Maine and need to be able to decide quickly to talk on the phone or exchange emails without noticing meetings and making sure the public could attend. O

Swim/dive: Top-10 finishers at Mission Viejo Invitational

Benjamin Porter — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:14:31 +0000

Results from Saturdays Mission Viejo Invitational at the Marguerite Recreational Center:

Varsity Girls Results
450 Medley 1. Campolindo (H. Grubbs, E. Muller, C. Fuller, S. Flower) 1:52.03; 2. Miramonte 1:52.21; 3. Las Lomas 1:52.57; 4. Vista Murrieta 1:53.65; 5. Dougherty Vly 1:54.97; 6. Torrey Pines 1:55.10; 7. Flintridge SH 1:55.46; 8. Murrieta Valley 1:55.52; 9. Miramonte 1:55.72; 10. Clovis West 1:56.41
200 Free 1. K. Leonard-Las Lomas 1:52.38; 2. M. Spadoni-Mission Viejo 1:53.90; 3. E. Etz-Santiago/C 1:55.19; 4. M. Applegate-Heritage/B 1:55.51; 5. D. Taylor-Dougherty Vly 1:56.60; 6. K. Altmayer-Flintridge SH 1:57.16; 7. H. Luscher-Scripps Ranch 1:57.43; 8. M. Garfein-Torrey Pines 1:58.63; 9.

Duarte/Monrovia football fan fixture known as “Big Bob” passes away at age 52 …

Kate McDermott — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:52:28 +0000

Duarte/Monrovia area fixture “Big Bob” died in his sleep at home early Wednesday evening at age 52.

Big Bob, whose real name was Henry Clark, was best known in recent years for becoming one of Monrovia’s biggest football fans. He made appearances this past season on this website’s PrepXtra Live show as an outspoken Wildcats fan.

Here is Big Bob talking with us on PrepXtra Live in November. He joins us just after the 30-minute mark…

MPR’s Conrad Wilson checks in from Collegeville

Kate McDermott — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:01:07 +0000

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St. Paul, Minn. Every Wednesday Cathy Wurzer chats with one of MPR’s reporters in greater Minnesota to learn about some of the news they’re tracking.

Today, Cathy talks with Conrad Wilson from Collegeville. He’s been following the latest jobs numbers, as well as a major education grant for an entrepreneur center, and the announcement of a new athletic director for St. Cloud State University.

Nominations Being Accepted For President’s Award For Academic Advising

Natalie Lasseter — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:14:05 +0000

Nominations are open for the 2012 President’s Award for Academic Advising, recognizing up to five individuals who exemplify the qualities and practices of exceptional academic advising. Recipients will each receive $2,000 and a plaque presented at an awards ceremony planned for later this spring. Employees of Texas A&M and its branch campuses are eligible if their primary function includes substantial continuing time in advising undergraduate or graduate students on academic choices and issues. Eligible nominees must have a minimum of two consecutive years of experience in an advising capacity. Nominators may be Texas A&M faculty, staff, administrators and current and former students. Complete guidelines and an online nomination may be found here. No

Tyler Bray looking to eliminate ‘lazy’ habits

Benjamin Porter — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 04:27:07 +0000

< ![endif]--> Tyler Bray’s laid-back California persona can get the best of him sometimes.

Sure, it helps in the internal stress department and makes life a little lighter, but on the football field it’s been a detriment to his development and his team at times.

For as gifted a passer Bray is, he admits that his laziness caused he and Tennessee’s offense to take steps back, especially last season.

“Sometimes, I get a little lazy and tend to relax with my footwork and that’s where my bad throws tend to come in,” said the rising junior quarterback, who has thrown for 3,832 yards, 35 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 16 career games at Tennessee.

Tyler Bray said he wants to go from being lazy at times as Tennessee’s QB to becoming a leader.That laziness might have cost the Vols a chance at the postseason last fall, as Bray struggled through Tennessee’s 10-7 loss to Kentucky to end the season. Bray complete Read more…