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High School Notesby: Jamie DeMoney© More from this issue An Eye to 2002 This month we begin a look at some of the rising prospects from the Class of 2002. Each issue we'll feature a different state or region, beginning this issue with the talent-rich state of Texas. In alphabetical order, here are the Prep Recruiting Network's early top 10 list of prospects to watch from the Lone Star State: Justin Allgood QB, 6-3, 190, 4.8, The Colony Jerome Brooks, RB, 5-11, 180, 4.3, Haltom (Fort Worth) Chris Campbell, RB, 6-0, 210, 4.43, H.M. King (Kingsville) Aaron Harris, LB, 6-2, 230, 4.63, North Mesquite (Mesquite) Marco Martin, DT, 6-4, 300, 4.8, Mesquite Archie McDaniel, LB, 6-3, 225, 4.6, Bay City Paul Mosley, RB, 6-3, 208, 4.4, L.C. Anderson (Austin) Kendrick Muckelroy, FS, 6-1, 185, 4.4, Hallsville Eric Winston, TE, 6-7, 285, 4.7, Robert E. Lee (Midland) Vincent Young, QB, 6-5, 190, 4.4, Madison (Houston)
Alabama football players, may be sidelined A statewide budget crunch could mean the elimination of extracurricular actitivies, including sports, at public schools in Mobile, Ala. The Mobile County School Board voted in February to cut $28.8 million from next year's budget to compensate for a loss of state funding. The board agreed to reduce its budget by eliminating sports and coaching supplements. With about 66,000 students, Mobile County is the state's largest school district. Adding to the misery for athletes in Mobile is that the Alabama High School Athletic Association has decided not to alter its rules so affected students could transfer to private schools or outside the district without having to sit out a year. "Whether a school has a sport or not has nothing to do with the eligibility rule," AHSAA Executive Director Daniel Washburn told the Mobile Register. He said making a special exception to students in Mobile County "would tear the schools asunder." To play for another school next year, an athlete's family has to make a "bonafide" move to another district or city. An 11th-hour property or sales tax initiative to bolster the schools' resources appears to be the only hope for salvaging next year's athletic programs. While none is yet scheduled, three school referendums have failed since 1988. Memphis school must forfeit games First Hal Mumme was forced to resign as University of Kentucky head coach. Now the Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.) High School football team has been forced to forfeit all 13 games of its 2000 season. While the two schools are hundreds of miles apart, they are linked by the NCAA's investigation into alleged recruiting violations. As many as 16 Melrose players attended Kentucky's Air Raid I camp last summer but didn't pay their own way, according to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. Tennessee high school rules require student or their parents to pay all expenses to attend special instructional camps. Because of the rules violation, the school must forfeit the games and pay $10,000 in fines. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Melrose principal LaVaughn Bridges told high school athletic association investigators that 15 of the 16 players had confirmed that they paid nothing to attend the camp. The 16th was unaccounted for. The newspaper also reported that Kentucky's investigation found that head coach Tim Thompson, who attended the camp with the players, paid $3,200 for the players to attend. Thompson is currently on suspension from the school. TSSAA officials said the violation would have been minor had the players reimbursed Thompson, but that did not happen. Jamie DeMoney, former managing editor of American Football Monthly, is editorial director at Prep Recruiting Network in Overland Park, Kansas. |
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