SPORTS NOTEBOOK

By Tom Behrens

Eli Hall, Morton Ranch…

Hall clocked a time 6.60 seconds at Houston’s Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational, earning American Athletic Conference Track Athlete of the Week honors. He also broke the indoor school recorded with a 20.71 in the 200 meter dash.

Michael Nelson, Seven Lakes …

Nelson was picked by the Houston Dynamo in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft. The number 20 overall selection will have an opportunity to make the team and begin his professional career in his hometown. Nelson was the goalkeeper for Seven Lakes. He was a two-time American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year at SMU. He appeared in 76 games and had 27 shutouts in his college career.

Arturo Alvarez, Mayde Creek …

Alvarez traded to the Dynamo. He was originally drafted by San Jose Earthquakes in 2003. He later played for FC Dallas and Chicago Fire before coming to the Houston Dynamo.

Kendall Rollins, Tompkins High School…

Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore, Kendall Rollins was last year’s American Southwest Conference West Division newcomer of the year and has continued to expand her skill set, averaging 15.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Rollins helped Tompkins become a successful program in its infancy.

She has made a team-leading 22 3-pointers this season after making 11 all of last year.

Deondrick Glass, Katy High School …

USA Today reports Deondrick Glass, Katy High School, has Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Oregon, and Texas vying for his services.

Three years into his prep career at Katy High School, the former University Interscholastic League District 19-6A MVP has more than 4,000 yards and 70 touchdowns despite sharing carries with Joshua Oglesby — a near 1,000-yard back.

Glass ended his junior season with 1,690 yards and 26 TDs. At his current average of 1,410 and 23 per season respectively, he can become the best running back in Tiger history and end his career with 5,640 career yards and 93 career touchdowns.

Without Oglesby and rifle-armed soon-to-be sophomore Bronson McClelland seemingly set to inherit Katy’s passing game and force opposing defenses away from run blitzes, Glass may be able to eclipse the 6,000-yard mark and score more than 100 touchdowns.

 Otito Ogbonnia on track for Nebraska official visit

Photo courtesy HUDL Sports

The World-Herald reports that Nebraska has joined Texas Tech, Tennessee, UCLA, Ole Miss, and Notre Dame in the recruiting contest for Taylor High School, Otito Ogbonnia.

Ogbonnia tweeted last week his decision would come down to the Feb. 7 national signing day. But unlike most coveted recruits, the D-lineman will make his evaluation in large part based on how schools plan to balance football with his aim to continue as one of the top shot-put and discus throwers in the country.

Ogbonnia is set to officially visit Lincoln this weekend after doing the same at Tennessee last weekend and UCLA, Ole Miss and Texas Tech in previous months.

A three-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals (ESPN gives him no rating), Ogbonnia began his senior season at nose guard in Taylor’s 3-4 scheme but moved around the line after Texas A&M signee and four-star end Max Wright tore his ACL two games into the fall. In just his third year playing competitive tackle football, he could push back two blockers at once, play multiple techniques and track down the ball even when the action was moving away from him.

The result was 61 tackles (10 for loss) and nine QB hurries as Taylor went 6-4. Coach J. Jensen said “Tito” was under-recruited as a junior because he didn’t have highlight film of moving well laterally. Coaches helped him improve in that regard as well as making stops in space, and it paid off with a flurry of Power Five offers the last two months.

“He’s 6-foot-4½ and 300 pounds; he can run and make plays,” said Jensen, Taylor’s defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. “There’s a premium on those guys, so he might have been under the radar early, but the more people watched his film and coaches changed schools, they jumped on him. And there’s a premium on good kids with high GPAs that are football players like his is. He’s the total package of a student-athlete.”