SI's Top 25 High School Athletic Programs: Are you one of them?

Sports Illustrated recently launched its uber popular feature of Top 25 High School Athletic Programs yesterday. Coming in at number one is Punahou, the have won 16 state titles in sports ranging from boys' air riflery to girls' canoe paddling to wrestling to girls' water polo; in addition to their utter dominance, 12 seniors received Division I athletic scholarships. Since 1958 they have brought home 368 Hawaii championships. Some of the past and present impressive athletes include Michelle Wie and Barack Obama. Obama was actually part of the 1979 basketball state championship team.

This year Punahou has highly touted Manti Te'o who won the Hawaii Gatorade player of the year is regarded the best player in his position (LB).

Coming in at number two is perennial powerhouse Mater Dei. After leading the football team to the state quarterfinals, quarterback Matt Barkley, who will follow Mater Dei alumnus Matt Leinart's path to USC, became the first Gatorade Football Player of the Year who was not a senior. Forwards Travis and David Wear, twins who committed early to UNC, starred for the state hoops title winners. Mater Dei has 19 graduating seniors who have recieved division I scholarships this year which is a great testament to their school with an enrollment of 2,300 students.

Coming in at number four is Cy-Fair HS out of Cypress Tx. Cy-Fair has the Gatorade Womens National Player of the year, Nneka Ogwumike, who averaged 18.2 points, led the Bobcats to a 39-2 record and the girls' state title. Also, a Cy-Fair graduate is youtube phenomenon and member of the Takkle Top 100, Sam Mcguffie who will attend Michigan next year. He has dazzled viewers with his blazing speed and quickness and sheer athleticism and will be alot of fun to watch on Saturday's come this fall. For the remainder of the top 25 check out Sports Illustrated for a comprehensive review of Punahou and the rest of the top 25.

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Live the lifestyle

Hey Guys. Just checking in with this week’s blog to address something that is very important to me, as well as the success of all the athletes we work with. That something is a slogan that we reiterate time and time again to our athletes: “ Live the Lifestyle.”

What “Live the Lifestlye” means is if you want to be an athlete, act like it -- in all aspects of the word. What you do off the field is just as important as what you do on the field. Treat your body as if it is a high performance machine, feeding it with only the best food and always giving the machine enough rest. Living the Lifestyle is the first step to obtaining on-field success because it will ensure that your body is prepared for the battles ahead. Those that choose to party and drink have also indirectly chosen to fail on the field as well as choosing to let their teammates down because they are going to be playing short staffed since you have failed to give your best effort.

I understand for some this might sound a little too serious, but the fact is, if you want a college scholarship -- or to go pro with your career -- this is the kind of sacrifice that is needed. Playing at the next level is hard enough, but if you choose to live a lifestyle short of rest, with poor food quality, and continuing to choose hanging out over getting your work in both academically and from a sports training standpoint, you are never going to make it. Many great players never make it because they can’t stay on track and keep their Lifestyle in check.

This is not easy, but it pays huge dividends down the road. I am fortunate enough to work with future Hall of Famers everyday, as well as some great young players through Major League Strength, and the ones that display great character are the ones winning achievement awards such as MVP’s, Collegiate All-Americans, as well as going on to receive great jobs at an early age. What “Living the Lifestyle” does is provide you a foundation for success and this will not go unnoticed. With that being said, analyze your life, and make sure you have yourself in check, and are working towards the goal of “Living the Lifestyle.”
See ya soon!

Coach Cavalea

Dana Cavalea is the CEO of Major League Strength (www.mlstrength.com), a sports performance company whose mission is to educate ballplayers, coaches, and parents on all aspects of sports performance training.

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Ebanks Headed to West Virginia

Devin Ebanks, the highly-rated St. Thomas More Prep guard, ended his recruitment drama this weekend by announcing that he would become a Mountaineer.

According to a report on SI.com, during halftime of his game at the IS8 tournament in Queens, the former Bishop Loughlin star stepped out of the lay-up line, took the microphone and simple said “West Virginia” before stepping back into line to complete the drill.

Ebanks had originally signed with Indiana last year before the Kelvin Sampson phone call scandal broke. Once Sampson was forced out, Ebanks asked out of his letter of intent, and reopened his recruitment. Memphis was also thought to be in the hunt, but in the end, it was the thought of playing for West Virginia coach Bob Huggins that brought Ebanks into the fold.

"Coach just said he likes tough kids who have that New York pedigree," Ebanks said.

Ebanks will join fellow New York products Darryl “Truck” Bryant of St. Raymond’s and Kevin Jones of Mount Vernon in Morgantown next year. Jones was in attendance at the IS8 tournament.

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Takkle Throwdown of the Day 4-30-08: Soccer Juggling

Throwdown Posted from Takkle.com

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Takkle Video of the Day - Dving leap over the catcher

Video Posted from jason's Gallery on Takkle.com

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Takkle Video of the Day - Incredible Gymnast Damien Walters

Video Posted from jackie's Gallery on Takkle.com

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Takkle Video of the Day - Dude hit in the face with a football

Video Posted from colin's Gallery on Takkle.com

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TAKKLE Throwdown of the Day 4-9-08 : Who's the better Top 100 Shortstop

Throwdown Posted from Takkle.com

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Takkle Video of the Day - Juggling @ San Diego Surf Cup 07'

Check out these sweet juggling tricks at the
2007 San Diego Surf Cup

Video Posted from jason's Gallery on Takkle.com

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Taylor Phinney: Previous Takkle Video Face in the Crowd continues to improve in his race for the Olympics

Taylor Phinney, a senior year at Boulder High School in Boulder, Colorado is continuing his amazing run to become the next Lance Armstrong. Phinney, a past Takkle video face in the crowd recently broke his personal best time by 2 seconds with a time of 4 minutes, 22.358 seconds placed him eighth in his first-ever UCI Track World Championships in Manchester, England while his time of 3:17.523 at the 3-kilometer mark set the world record previously held by Australian Michael Ford at a time of 3:17.775. With that finish Taylor is projected to retain his 3rd overall ranking in the world where he hopes to gain a berth into the Olympics this summer in Beijing.


Taylor's father, Davis Phinney, a star sprinter nicknamed "Thor" for the 7-11 cycling team during the 80's and 90's.Taylor certainly gets his cycling skills from his father. His father remains the leader in race victories by an American, with more than 300. He was the first American to win a road stage of the Tour de France. At the 1984 Olympics, he won a bronze medal in the team time trial. Unfortunately, Taylor's father is suffering from Parkinson's disease and is set to go under brain surgery to ease the symptoms of the debilitating disease. Davis actually attended Taylor's race in England for support and put off the surgery to keep Taylor's mind at ease because he knew that no matter what if he were to get surgery it would affect Taylor just because the uncertainty of the unknown.

Taylor's mother ,Connie Carpenter, was quite the athlete herself. Connie was a world class athlete as well so the genetic lineage is strong, she finished 7th in the 1972 olympics for the 1,500 meter speed skating event. And won a national championship in rowing while attending the University of California. Not to mention the first gold medal in the 1984 debut of Road Cycling.

For Taylor, all he could ask for is a healthy father and I'm sure he would give up his aspirations of becoming a world class athlete. I wish him and his family all the best in the future and we are all rooting for Taylor to appear in Beijing in 2008!

Update: 4.7.08

On the day that Taylor Phinney's father; Davis Phinney underwent brain surgery to help with symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Taylor received the news that he would be appearing in the Olympics in Beijing. All Taylor needed was to be in the top 5 that in the world that had not won berths into the Olympics to gain an Olympic berth.

On a more serious note the surgery went well as Davis went through a 4 and a half hour procedure that had two wires installed in his brain that will eventually be hooked up to a pacemaker. The wires and pacemaker are installed in hopes to immediately reduce some of the effects that Parkinsons has dealt him. Overall it's a very relieved feeling for the family as Davis' surgery was a success and Taylor will be in his first Olympics at the age of 17.

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The Takkle Top 100 have been launched!

Takkle has officialy launched the Takkle Top 100 in baseball, boys lacrosse, and girls lacrosse. These lists compile the top junior and senior athletes in high school and are following in the footsteps of the popular Takkle Top 100 football rankings as well as the Takkle Top 25 basketball rankings.


The TAKKLE Top 100 baseball rankings, powered by Baseball Factory are based on the opinions of Baseball Factory scouting and baseball operations personnel, in addition to information and opinions gathered through discussions with scouts and otherwise informed baseball people throughout the industry. The order of the rankings was determined through consideration of a combination of the players' present ability and future potential, along with their value as both college and professional prospects. Baseball Factory is the leader in player development and college placement nationwide. Since their inception in 1994, over 2,000 Baseball Factory players have been selected in the amateur draft, over 175 have made it to the big leagues and over 20,000 have gone on to play college baseball receiving $500 million in scholarships.



The Takkle Top 100 boys lacrosse rankings is compiled with the assistance of Jake Reed's Blue Chip Lacrosse Camp. Jake Reed has established a network of Division I coaches, scouts, high school and club coaches from around the country. This list reflects the top junior 09' and senior 08' lacrosse players rated not only by current ability and performance but also by their potential to perform at the college level. These factors are measured by personal observation at the Blue Chip Lacrosse Camp, other tournaments, showcases, and high school games.



The Takkle Top 100 girls lacrosse rankings powered by womenslacrosse.com is based on information compiled from their vast network of coaches and scouts. With decades of experience in lacrosse assessment and education, womenlacrosse.com has become the leader in the women's game by continually forging initiatives, including tournaments and clinics, that help drive the sport from grass roots to global. The Takkle Top 100 is designed to reflect the top female high school athletes in the junior (2009) and senior (2008) classes on a national scale. Athletes are rated using a series of factors including game statistics, current performance, ability, major lacrosse accolades, college potential, and level of competition in the individual's home state. These factors are measured against such intangibles as on the field leadership and game sense to more accurately determine the final ranking.

Keep tabs on the best junior and seniors across the U.S and vote whether you feel they are under or over-rated. Also you can throw some shout outs and tell us why you belong in the top 100 or why they dont belong! Keep checking back on the rankings for the latest updates!

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TAKKLE Throwdown of the Day 3-24-08

Throwdown Posted from Takkle.com

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TAKKLE Throwdown of the Day 3-19-08 - Is Cheerleading a Sport?

Throwdown Posted from Takkle.com

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Its Official! Terrelle Pryor is an Ohio State Buckeye!

Today, Terrelle Pryor made official a decision that had been expected for the last two months. The star quarterback for Jeannette (Pa.) High School announced at a press conference today that he will be attending Ohio State.

Pryor had originally planned to announce his college choice on national signing day, but instead announced that he would be delaying his decision. He had said he was ready to choose Ohio State, but his father had convinced him to give Penn State a closer look.

At the time, the 6-6 quarterback said he was still considering Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon. He said he would make an official visit to Penn State and might make a trip to Oregon, but neither materialized. Last weekend, Pryor said he had narrowed the list to two schools, but wouldn't identify which two schools had made the final cut.

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TAKKLE Throwdown of the Day 3-18-08

Throwdown Posted from Takkle.com

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TAKKLE Throwdown of the Day 3-14-08

Throwdown Posted from Takkle.com

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TAKKLE Throwdown of the Day 3-10-08

Throwdown Posted from Takkle.com

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Tristan Thomspon: Committs early to the Texas Longhorns

Highly-regarded sophomore forward Tristan Thompson ended his recruitment early by committing to Texas, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Thompson, who is originally from California, but plays for St. benedict’s High in Newark, N.J., is considered one of the top players in the entire class of 2010.

"He's a big Kevin Durant fan," Thompson's AAU coach, Ro Russell, told the Statesmen. "And he was impressed by (UT assistant) Rodney Terry and (head coach) Rick Barnes."

- Kudos to Fort Worth’s North Crowley High guard Willie Warren and the Panthers, who advanced to the Class 5A state tournament by trouncing Midland Lee. Warren scored a school-record 47 points in the victory. Former Kansas star Keith Langford previously held the record with a 45 point performance.

"My teammates put me in a position to score. They gave me the opportunity to do this," Warren told the Dallas Morning News. "I had 30 at halftime, and they all could have said, 'Willie's got his, now it's time to get mine.' But we've all been unselfish all year."

This came after Warren led a balanced scoring attack with 17 points in a semifinal win against previously fourth-ranked Duncanville High.

"The only thing that makes this a big deal is the respect we have for Duncanville," North Crowley coach Tommy Brakel told the Fort-Worth Star Telegram after the game.

- In the weekend’s biggest upset, Jordan Hamilton and Compton’s Dominguez High toppled California powerhouse Mater Dei 63-60 in the CIF Southern Section championship game.

Dominguez, which won its 10th CIF-SS boys basketball championship, improved to 28-2. Mater Dei is 31-1. Both teams play in the CIF Southern California Regionals next week.

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TAKKLE Throwdown of the Day 03-05-08

Throwdown Posted from Takkle.com

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TAKKLE Throwdown of the Day

Throwdown Posted from Takkle.com

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