Top High School Performances - November

Kentucky Soccer Player Nails Double-digit Goals

by Bob Herman

Someone might need to cool down Lindsey Goad's foot after her September 6 performance. It was definitely on fire.

Goad, a senior at Louisville (Kentucky) Holy Cross High School, scored 10 goals in the team's 11-1 victory against Louisville (Kentucky) Southern High School.

"She did everything we asked of her," Holy Cross head coach Tom Wampler said. "Her leadership skills really help put our team in a position to win. She's a great team player and makes beautiful passes."

Goad had 32 goals and three assists through the team's first 11 matches and increased her school-record career total to 127 goals. Goad also has a school-record 60 career assists.


"She's a phenomenal player," Wampler said. "I think she's going to make a Division I coach very happy wherever she goes."

Goad's accomplishment of reaching the double-digit goals in a single game is shared by two other Kentucky soccer players in the National High School Sports Record Book published by the NFHS.

In 2002, Jennifer Brelage of Bardstown (Kentucky) High School scored a national-record 18 goals, and Sheena Ferguson of Russell (Kentucky) High School kicked in 13 goals, which is tied for third nationally.

Battle of titan football teams

By Bob Herman

The September 15 matchup between Southlake (Texas) Carroll High School and Miami (Florida) Northwestern High School literally could not have been a better matchup for a regular-season high school football game.

At the time, USA Today's Super 25 ranked the Carroll Dragons as the No. 1 team in the nation and the Northwestern Bulls as the No. 2 team -- and the titanic matchup resulted in a 29-21 victory for Northwestern.

Nearly 32,000 people packed Southern Methodist University's Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas and saw Northwestern snap Carroll's 49-game winning streak.

Northwestern quarterback Jacory Harris chucked four touchdown passes, three to his top receiver Tommy Streeter, and racked up 280 passing yards. Streeter finished the game with 140 yards on four receptions.

For two of the best teams in the nation, there was a surprising number of turnovers. Carroll had three interceptions, lost two fumbles and surrendered a crucial safety. Northwestern turned the ball over three times.

Carroll is still ranked in the top 10 of the Super 25, but Northwestern continues to sit atop the USA Today poll.

Arizona kicker boots state-record field goal

By Bob Herman

If anyone felt a sonic boom at the beginning of the high school football season, it was probably just Glendale (Arizona) Mountain Ridge High School's Jeff Locke and his foot.

The senior kicker booted a state-record 63-yard field goal against Tucson (Arizona) Sunnyside High School, and the kick also tied as the ninth-longest field goal, according to the 2007 National High School Sports Record Book.

"Everyone was jumping, and there was excitement," head coach Bobby Green said. "We knew he had it in him. He's done it many times in practice before. It extended our lead, and it was a big push and gave us a lot of confidence."

Locke broke the previous Arizona record of 62 yards, which was set by Glendale (Arizona) Cactus High School's Kyle Pooler in 1989.

Mountain Ridge lost the game, 21-20, and although the record is etched in Arizona high school football history, Locke and Green still have their main objectives in mind.

"We don't get caught up in records," Green said. "It's awesome for Jeff, and we are very proud of him. But he's very much a team player, and he'll want a victory before a record."

Alex Thomas sets Connecticut football record

By Emily Cerling

Ansonia (Connecticut) High School senior Alex Thomas already had a number of labels -- athletic, talented and scholarly were just a few ways to describe him. Last season, "football state champion" was tacked on after Thomas led his team to a Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S state title. After September 27, he can add record-setter to the list.

That night, the senior captain rushed for a state-record 518 yards in a 62-35 Naugatuck Valley League (NVL) victory over the Woodland-Beacon Falls (Connecticut) High School Hawks. Thomas' 518 yards surpassed the previous state record held by Farmington (Connecticut) High School's Brandon Williard, who rushed for 508 yards in 2002.

After scoring four touchdowns in the first half, Thomas scored on runs of 58, 67 and 62 yards in the second half to help put the game away for Ansonia. His seven touchdowns increased his career touchdown total to 80. In the process, he surpassed the previous school record of 78, which was held by his brother, Ryan.

Bob Herman is a fall semester intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. He is a junior at Butler (Indiana) University, majoring in journalism (news editorial) and minoring in Spanish.

Emily Cerling is a fall semester intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. She is a senior at Butler (Indiana) University, majoring in integrated communications.