High School Sports News

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) A legally blind 15-year-old pole vaulter cleared three heights at the Texas state championship but failed to win a medal.

Lydia Ko, 15, became the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history on Sunday when she won the Canadian Women's Open by three strokes. "The last few holes, it got a bit nerve wracking," Ko said. "But Stacy Lewis, after my birdie on 15, she said, 'You know you can do it.' It was really great to have another player that I look up to giving me that much support. So it was really awesome." Ko, a South Korean-born New Zealander, broke the age record of 16 set by Lexi Thompson last September in the Navistar LPGA Classic in Alabama.

Under Armour Elite 24 alumni Brandon Jennings and Kemba Walker will lead the coaching staffs at this year’s event, which will be held Aug. 24-25 at Venice Beach, Calif. Jennings, a point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks who dished out an event-record 23 assists in the 2007 game, will team with Derrick Williams, the No. 2 pick of the 2011 NBA draft, to lead the “Raymond Lewis” squad. Walker, who made 7-of-8 field goals en route to 16 points in that same 2007 game, will join forces with DeAndre Jordan, who participated in the inaugural event at Harlem’s famed Rucker Park...

A showdown between two top teams in Illinois will kick off the high school football season in style as the third annual ESPN High School Football Kickoff gets underway in August. In all, 26 teams from 15 states and five teams in the ESPN 25 Power Rankings will play on ESPN’s family of networks from Aug. 24-26, beginning with Joliet Catholic Academy (Joliet, Ill.) playing at Providence Catholic (New Lenox, Ill.) at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. That game features one of the nation’s top recruits, rising senior Ty Isaac of Joliet Catholic.

When you saw the success of Team USA’s youth movement in the 2012 London Olympic jumps last week, accounting for five of the eight medals won in those four men’s and four women’s events, you knew Christian Taylor, Will Claye, Erik Kynard, and Brigetta Barrett were young. But did you know how young? To wit: In August of 2008, during the last Olympiad, Taylor was finishing a fine senior year at Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Ga.) High School in the triple jump (US#1 52-8), long jump (US#2 25-6) and 400 (US#4 46.

After another strong week at the Area Code Baseball Games in Long Beach, Calif., the top 20 pitchers of the event are released. One noticeable difference this year, regarding the pitchers, was the balance of the arms came from a couple of teams, the Brewers and Athletics. 2012 Louisville Slugger Top 20 Pitchers

Cosy Burnett is a top 2013 volleyball recruit from Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. She plays outside hitter and opposite for La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Coast Volleyball Club in San Diego. She has competed in the California State Finals and at Nationals for the past five years. She recently committed to play for BYU. In the latest installment of her blog, she gets top coaches to share their tips for high school tryouts. High school season is finally here!

To report a recent commitment, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The following players have been added to the ESPNHS verbal commitment lists since Sunday: Class of 2013 NCAA Division I John Ryan Albiston (Va.), Radford Miguel Alves (N.J.), St. John's Joseph Amico (Mo.), Central Florida Nicholas Anello (N.J.), West Virginia Matt Appel (Ohio), Xavier Matt Barth (Md.), Penn State Robert Beckwell (Mich.), Detroit-Mercy Tom Farrell (N.J.), West Virginia Danny Gonzalez (Pa.