Top High School Performances - October

Charlotte Independence Football Winning Streak Ends at 109 Games

By Bob Herman

It all started September 8, 2000. And it all ended almost seven years later to the day.

In 2000, Charlotte (North Carolina) Independence High School defeated Charlotte (North Carolina) West Mecklenburg High School, 58-0, and it hadn't lost a game until this past September 1 when it fell in overtime to Cincinnati (Ohio) Elder High School, 41-34, in the Kirk Herbstreit Challenge.

"It was seven years since we experienced a loss, so it was real hard to accept right after the game," Independence Athletic Director Kelly Lewis said. "You could visibly see how upset the players were. The reality is we didn't play that well in the second half, and the law of averages caught up with us sooner than we would've liked."

Although Independence quarterback Anthony Carrothers threw for 346 yards and two touchdowns in the game, the Elder offense was simply too much. Running back Nick Gramke ran for 130 yards and scored three times while quarterback John Groene passed for 232 yards and three touchdowns.

The string of 109 consecutive victories was second all time in high school football history to the renowned 151-game winning streak of Concord (California) De La Salle High School.

"The players and coaches didn't talk about it, but we all knew it was something special to be a part of," Lewis said. "To have the longest winning streak of all public schools is a great feat in itself for any sport. These players and coaches will have that to talk about forever."

Even though Independence, which averaged 40.6 points per game during the stretch, lost the second game of the year, the team still looks to win its eighth straight North Carolina 4-AA state championship.

"The streak has been a part of seven state championships -- not the other way around," Lewis said. "We are a very good football team, and eight straight state championships has been the goal since day one of practice."

Cat Hosfield sets strikeout record with more in sight

By Bob Herman



There's nothing like a game of cat and mouse -- especially for Murfreesboro (Tennessee) Riverdale High School pitcher Cat Hosfield.

This past spring, Hosfield set the national softball record for most strikeouts in a season. The junior pulled the string on batters 659 times, replacing the previous record of 657 set by Anna Thompson of Huntsville (Alabama) Grissom High School in 2006. Hosfield won 44 games as well, which is tied for third on the all-time list.

"Her best strength is her work ethic," head coach Jeff Breeden said. "It seems like she works 365 days a year, and because of that, the spin on her pitches is so tight. They jump like crazy."

Hosfield also posted a 0.31 earned-run average, seven no-hitters and three perfect games. Riverdale made it to the state tournament and finished third.

"We're expecting to go to the state tournament again," Breeden said. "If Cat breaks the record again, that's well and good, but hopefully she won't be pitching as many innings."

The strikeout record came with a bittersweet feeling, though, as Hosfield broke it in the team's last loss, one game before the championship.

"When we got eliminated from the state tournament, we felt great for her," Breeden said, "but we felt sorry for ourselves because we just got beat."

Hosfield will head into next year with 1,279 career strikeouts. With another successful season, she could land in the top five for most career strikeouts.

One thing is for sure, though. Don't expect Breeden to step into the box willingly against Hosfield.
"She'd strike me out without a doubt," Breeden said, laughing. "I might catch up with her fastball, but I'd miss everything else."

Backyard Bowl proves to be an intense game

By Emily Cerling

In the 40th annual Backyard Bowl, Union (Oklahoma) and Jenks (Oklahoma) put on quite a show September 7 at the University of Tulsa's Chapman Stadium. Union squeaked out a victory over nationally ranked Jenks, 43-42.

The schools are not even 10 miles apart, and the Jenks and Union feud is one of 16 rivalries featured on the "Great American Rivalry Series" on www.greatamericanrivalry.com.

The game was a nailbiter to the end. The Jenks Trojans were strong throughout the game, but Union scored a touchdown late in the game, tying the score at 36. In overtime, Jenks scored a touchdown first, but missed the extra point. The Redskins then scored a touchdown and kicked the extra point to win the game.

Previously just a matchup between two powerhouse schools, the game was transferred to Chapman Stadium to accommodate the 20,000 fans who attended the game to cheer on their favorite team.

In 2004, a traveling trophy given to the winning team and an official sponsor were added to the rivalry. Jenks won the previous four Backyard Bowls.

School is out, but baseball state tournament still goes on

By Emily Cerling

Iowa high schools survived the hot summer weather to conclude the Iowa High School Athletic Association Baseball Championships on July 28 at Principal Park in Des Moines.

In the Class 1A state championship, Kalona Iowa Mennonite School (IMS), in its first state tournament, met the Remsen St. Mary's Hawks, making their sixth state tournament appearance. After a fast start, IMS won its first title with a 10-0 victory.

In the Class 2A final, the top-seeded Cherokee Braves and the Davenport Assumption Knights went head to head. The Braves were able to squeak out a victory after a wild pick-off throw at first and an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning. Top-ranked during the season, the Braves were able to claim their first state title with the 5-4 victory.

In Class 3A, the Manchester West Delaware Hawks defeated the Cedar Rapids Xavier Saints, the top-seeded and defending state champion, 8-0. It was the 20th straight victory for West Delaware.
In Class 4A, the Urbandale J-Hawks, winners of the 2000 state title, defeated the Davenport Central Blue Devils, 4-2, to claim the large-class championship.



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, where she is majoring in integrated communications.