Ranking Delaware's high school nicknames: Some of best were at ...

There are just 61 Delaware high schools with athletic teams and they go about their sporting business with determination and diligence while enjoying the fun and camaraderie.

Often, no matter what game they’re playing, athletes and the family, friends and alumni who follow them will refer to their teams not only by the school’s name but its nickname.

Ranking bottom 31 nicknames of Delaware high schools

Ranking top 30 nicknames of Delaware high schools

2024 USA TODAY High School Sports Awards Girls Swimming ...

USA TODAY

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards is pleased to announce its inaugural watch list for 2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Girls Swimmer of the Year!

This initial list includes 50 current student-athletes who meet the nomination criteria for this year’s national Girls Swimmer of the Year award. These athletes were either nominees in last year’s national show, or athletes who were seriously considered based on season-wide performance, state championships and any other state, regional and/or national recognition.

Watch last year's full show: 2023 USA TODAY High School Sports Awards

Here's a little more about this year's program and how it works:

The official 2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Girls Swimming Team will be announced later this spring. All 25 final team members will be honored as nominees for national Girls Swimmer of the Year. The winner will be revealed during the fourth annual USA TODAY High School Sports Awards. Visit the event website for updates leading up to this summer's on-demand event, and to view all of the award winners from last year's show!

Note: The purpose of this watch list is to track eligible nominees for this year’s national show. Athletes could be removed from this list if they no longer play for their high school team (either by choice or injury), or if their high school no longer participates in a state-sanctioned championship tournament for this sport.

Who else should we be tracking for national Girls Swimmer of the Year?

This watch list is only a starting point. All student-athletes who compete for state-sanctioned interscholastic championships are eligible for our program. Player of the Year suggestions can be submitted to both roleary@usatventures.com and BFontana@usatventures.com.

2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Girls Swimming Watch List:

Finley Anderson — SR | Evergreen High School | Evergreen, Colorado

Sidney Arcella — JR | Summit High School | Summit, New Jersey

Amanda Barnard — SR | Patrick Henry High School | Ashland, Virginia

Brooke Beede — SR | Academy of the Holy Names | Tampa, Florida

Carly Bixby — SR | Blake School | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Rachel Bockrath — SR | Brandywine High School | Wilmington, Delaware

Lilla Bognar — JR | Eastside High School | Taylors, South Carolina

Lynsey Bowen — JR | Carmel High School | Carmel, Indiana

Emily Brown — SR | Dublin Coffman High School | Dublin, Ohio

Samantha Chan — SR | Bob Jones High School | Madison, Alabama

Stella Chapman — SR | Pioneer High School | Ann Arbor, Michigan

Campbell Chase — SR | Woodrow Wilson High School | Dallas, Texas

Katie Christopherson — SR | The Westminster Schools | Atlanta, Georgia

Elise Clift — SR | Mansfield High School | Mansfield, Texas

Georgia Colborn — SR | The Charter School of Wilmington | Wilmington, Delaware

Charlotte Crush — SO | Sacred Heart Academy | Louisville, Kentucky

Christine Datovech — SR | Maggie L. Walker Governor’s SchooI | Richmond, Virginia

Andrea Dworak — JR | Blake High School | Colesville, Maryland

Piper Enge — SR | Mercer Island High School | Mercer Island, Washington

Hayden Hollingsworth — JR | Upper Arlington High School | Upper Arlington, Ohio

Annie Jia — JR | Hatboro-Horsham High School | Horsham, Pennsylvania

Lilly King — JR | Mount Pleasant Area High School | Mt Pleasant, Pennsylvania

Skylar Knowlton — JR | St. Thomas Aquinas High School | Dover, New Hampshire

Marie Landreneau — SR | St. Thomas More Catholic High School | Lafayette, Louisiana

Susie Lee — SR | Bentonville High School | Bentonville, Arkansas

Clare Logan — SR | Westfield High School | Westfield, New Jersey

Haley McDonald — JR | Sacred Heart Academy | Louisville, Kentucky

Angie McKane — SR | Corning-Painted Post High School | Corning, New York

Madison Mintenko — JR | Pine Creek High School | Colorado Springs, Colorado

Ella Mongenel — JR | Cedar Park High School | Cedar Park, Texas

Camille Murray — SR | McKinney North High School | McKinney, Texas

Teagan O’Dell — JR | Santa Margarita Catholic High School | Rancho Santa Margarita, California

Annam Olasewere — JR | Staples High School | Westport, Connecticut

Annika Parkhe — SR | Deerfield High School | Deerfield, Illinois

Erika Pelaez — SR | South Florida HEAT | Hialeah, Florida

Hayden Penny — SR | Eastside High School | Taylors, South Carolina

Emma Reiser — SR | North Gwinnett High School | Suwanee, Georgia

Addie Robillard — JR | Saint Ursula Academy | Cincinnati, Ohio

Addison Sauickie — SR | Riverview High School | Sarasota, Florida

Haiden Schoessel — SR | Eureka High School | Eureka, Missouri

Elle Scott — JR | Collegiate School | Richmond, Virginia

Alex Shackell — JR | Carmel High School | Carmel, Indiana

Leah Shackley — SR | Bedford High School | Bedford, Pennsylvania

Katie Belle Sikes — SR | Orange High School | Hillsborough, North Carolina

Molly Sweeney — SO | Carmel High School | Carmel, Indiana

Emily Thompson — SR | Ridge High School | Basking Ridge, New Jersey

Sophia Umstead — JR | Jenison High School | Jenison, Michigan

Maggie Wanezek — SR | Brookfield East High School | Brookfield, Wisconsin

Gracie Weyant — SR | Riverview High School | Sarasota, Florida

Charlotte Wilson — SR | Cherry Creek High School | Greenwood Village, Colorado

Columbus-area high school football conferences: Which teams ...

High school football practice has just begun and the start of the season looms in two weeks, and just as rosters change from year to year, sometimes so do the leagues in which central Ohio teams compete.

One new league has formed, a few other teams will compete as independents while they look for suitable homes, and even more changes loom in seasons to come. But for now:

This is the first year for the second reiteration of the Central Buckeye League, comprised of former members of the MSL-Ohio. The previous CBL, which included such current OCC schools as Delaware Hayes and Marysville, disbanded after the 1990-91 school year. This CBL starts with eight schools, five of which will play league games in football. They will be joined in 2025 by Franklin Heights, which is leaving the OCC.

Harvest Prep and KIPP Columbus are playing independent schedules.

This is the final year for the OCC as a 32-team league. Logan and Teays Valley are joining the OCC-Buckeye in 2024, when the entire conference will undergo another realignment. Teays Valley has been a member of the MSL-Buckeye since 1984.

Mount Vernon is playing its final season in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. The Yellow Jackets, who were one of the Ohio Capital Conference’s founding members in 1968 and left the league in 2016, will join the Licking County League in 2024.

Here is a list of leagues involving central Ohio teams and their divisional alignments, where applicable:

Central Buckeye League

Bexley, Buckeye Valley, Columbus Academy, Ready, Whitehall

NOTE: Grandview Heights and Worthington Christian will play independent schedules in football due to disparity in size between themselves and the other league schools. However, they are members of the league in all other sports, as is Columbus School for Girls.

Grandview Heights:Bobcats football hopes for more success with departure from MSL-Ohio

Central Catholic League

DeSales, Hartley, St. Charles, Watterson

Columbus City League

North: Beechcroft, Centennial, East, Linden-McKinley, Mifflin, Northland, Whetstone

South: Africentric, Briggs, Eastmoor Academy, Independence, Marion-Franklin, South, Walnut Ridge, West

Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference

Cardington, Centerburg, Danville, East Knox, Fredericktown, Galion Northmor, Mount Gilead

Ohio's best:The top 23 high school football players in 2023

Licking County League

Buckeye: Granville, Licking Heights, Licking Valley, Watkins Memorial, Zanesville

Cardinal: Heath, Johnstown, Lakewood, Newark Catholic, Northridge, Utica

Mid-State League

Buckeye: Amanda-Clearcreek, Bloom-Carroll, Circleville, Fairfield Union, Hamilton Township, Liberty Union, Logan Elm, Teays Valley

Cardinal: Berne Union, Corning Miller, Fairfield Christian, Fisher Catholic, Grove City Christian, Millersport, Zanesville Rosecrans

Coaches weigh in:Who are the best high school football players in the Columbus area?

Ohio Capital Conference

Buckeye: Central Crossing, Groveport Madison, Lancaster, Newark, Pickerington Central, Reynoldsburg

Capital: Big Walnut, Canal Winchester, Delaware, Dublin Scioto, Franklin Heights, Westerville North, Westerville South, Worthington Kilbourne

Cardinal: Dublin Jerome, Hilliard Darby, Marysville, Olentangy, Olentangy Berlin, Thomas Worthington

Central: Dublin Coffman, Hilliard Bradley, Hilliard Davidson, Olentangy Liberty, Olentangy Orange, Upper Arlington

Ohio: Gahanna Lincoln, Grove City, New Albany, Pickerington North, Westerville Central, Westland

Commentary:OCC expansion hits all the right notes for Logan, Teays Valley

Other central Ohio schools

Central Buckeye Conference: Jonathan Alder, London, North Union

Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference: Highland

Ohio Heritage Conference: Fairbanks, Madison-Plains, West Jefferson

Scioto Valley Conference: Westfall

dpurpura@dispatch.com

@dp_dispatch

Delaware high school football: 6 new things to know in 2023

Legendary Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler used to say, “Every day, you either get better or you get worse. You never stay the same.”

Hopefully, Delaware high school football has gotten better every day since the 2022 DIAA championship games were played Dec. 10 at Delaware Stadium.

It definitely hasn’t stayed the same.

2024 USA TODAY High School Sports Awards Boys Swimming ...

USA TODAY

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards is pleased to announce its inaugural watch list for 2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Boys Swimmer of the Year!

This initial list includes 50 current student-athletes who meet the nomination criteria for this year’s national Boys Swimmer of the Year award. These athletes were either nominees in last year’s national show, or athletes who were seriously considered based on season-wide performance, state championships and any other state, regional and/or national recognition.

Watch last year's full show: 2023 USA TODAY High School Sports Awards

Here's a little more about this year's program and how it works:

The official 2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Boys Swimming Team will be announced later this spring. All 25 final team members will be honored as nominees for national Boys Swimmer of the Year. The winner will be revealed during the fourth annual USA TODAY High School Sports Awards. Visit the event website for updates leading up to this summer's on-demand event, and to view all of the award winners from last year's show!

Note: The purpose of this watch list is to track eligible nominees for this year’s national show. Athletes could be removed from this list if they no longer play for their high school team (either by choice or injury), or if their high school no longer participates in a state-sanctioned championship tournament for this sport.

Who else should we be tracking for national Boys Swimmer of the Year?

This watch list is only a starting point. All student-athletes who compete for state-sanctioned interscholastic championships are eligible for our program. Player of the Year suggestions can be submitted to both roleary@usatventures.com and BFontana@usatventures.com.

2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Boys Swimming Watch List:

Gavin Abelende — JR | La Plata High School | La Plata, Maryland

Adriano Arioti — SR | Georgetown Day School | Washington, D.C.

Alexei Avakov — SR | Manchester Central High School | Manchester, New Hampshire

Lucca Battaglini — SR | Durham School of the Arts | Durham, North Carolina

Luke Bedsole — JR | Huntsville High School | Huntsville, Alabama

Simon Bermudez — SR | Flint Hill School | Oakton, Virginia

Josh Bey — JR | Hinsdale Central High School | Hinsdale, Illinois

Will Browne — JR | St. Anne’s-Belfield School | Charlottesville, Virginia

Andy Commins — SR | Carrboro High School | Carrboro, North Carolina

Johnny Crush — SR | Saint Xavier High School | Louisville, Kentucky

Nolan Dunkel — SR | Yorktown High School | Arlington, Virginia

Shane Eckler — SR | Ridley High School | Folsom, Pennsylvania

P.J. Foy — SR | Thunder Mountain High School | Juneau, Alaska

Ryder Gentry — SR | Lawton Chiles High School | Tallahassee, Florida

Thomas Heilman — JR | Western Albemarle High School | Crozet, Virginia

Conner Hogan — SR | Hutchinson High School | Hutchinson, Minnesota

Josh Howat — JR | Lake Braddock Secondary School | Burke, Virginia

Marvin Johnson — JR | McCallie School | Chattanooga, Tennessee

Brady Johnson — SR | West Chicago High School | West Chicago, Illinois

William Jost — SR | Parkway Central High School | Chesterfield, Missouri

Matthew Judkins — SR | Chaminade College Prep | St. Louis, Missouri

Jeremy Kelly — SR | Georgetown High School | Georgetown, Texas

Jake Kennedy — SR | Springfield High School | Springfield, Pennsylvania

Preston Kessler — JR | Indiana Area High School | Indiana, Pennsylvania

Nicholas Kjaerulff — SR | Creekview High School | Canton, Georgia

Jones Lambert — SR | Lubbock High School | Lubbock, Texas

Carter Lancaster — SR | The Bolles School | Jacksonville, Florida

Tony Laurito — SR | Friendswood High School | Friendswood, Texas

Elliot Lee — SR | Daniel Hand High School | Madison, Connecticut

Daniel Li — SR | San Marino High School | San Marino, California

Cooper Lucas — SR | Keller High School | Keller, Texas

Thackston McMullan — SR | St. Xavier High School | Cincinnati, Ohio

Michael Mullen — SR | Gainesville High School | Gainesville, Florida

Grayson Nye — SR | Middle Creek High School | Apex, North Carolina

Thomas Olsen — SR | Parkrose High School | Portland, Oregon

Kyle Peck — SR | Chancellor High School | Fredericksburg, Virginia

Jack Primeaux — SR | Jesuit High School | New Orleans, Louisiana

Tyler Quarterman — SR | Boise High School | Boise, Idaho

Noah Smith — SR | Allatoona High School | Acworth, Georgia

Kade Snyder — SR | Patterson Mill High School | Bel Air, Maryland

Owen Stevens — JR | Zeeland West High School | Zeeland, Michigan

Aaron Stevens — SR | Conrad Schools of Science | Wilmington, Delaware

Chase Swearingen — SR | Westerville Central High School | Westerville, Ohio

Jake Wang — SR | Conestoga High School | Berwyn, Pennsylvania

Kyle Wang — SR | Churchill High School | Potomac, Maryland

Henry Webb — JR | The Blake School | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Maximus Williamson — JR | Keller High School | Keller, Texas

Ty Wilmore — SR | Wilmington Friends School | Wilmington, Delaware

Kaii Winkler — SR | South Florida HEAT | Miami, Florida

Jason Zhao — JR | Indian Hill High School | Cincinnati, Ohio

2023-2024 USA TODAY High School Sports Awards Girls Soccer ...

USA TODAY

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards is pleased to announce its watch list for 2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Girls Soccer Player of the Year!

This initial list includes 50 current student-athletes who meet the nomination criteria for this year’s national Girls Soccer Player of the Year award. These athletes were either nominees in last year’s national show, or athletes who were seriously considered based on season-wide performance, state championships and any other state, regional and/or national recognition.

Watch last year's full show: 2023 USA TODAY High School Sports Awards

Here's a little more about this year's program and how it works:

The official 2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Girls Soccer Team will be announced later this spring. All 25 final team members will be honored as nominees for national Girls Soccer Player of the Year. The winner will be revealed during the fourth annual USA TODAY High School Sports Awards. Visit the event website for updates leading up to this summer's on-demand event, and to view all of the award winners from last year's show!

Note: The purpose of this watch list is to track eligible nominees for this year’s national show. Athletes could be removed from this list if they no longer play for their high school team (either by choice or injury), or if their high school no longer participates in a state-sanctioned championship tournament for this sport.

Who else should we be tracking for national Girls Soccer Player of the Year?

This watch list is only a starting point. All student-athletes who compete for state-sanctioned interscholastic championships are eligible for our program. Player of the Year suggestions can be submitted to both roleary@usatventures.com and BFontana@usatventures.com.

2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Girls Soccer Watch List:

Ryleigh Acosta — SR, M | Mariner High School | Cape Coral, Florida

Ashlyn Anderson — SO, F | Carmel High School | Carmel, Indiana

Alex Barry — SR, F | Immaculate Heart Academy | Township of Washington, New Jersey

Ellie Bishop — JR, F | North Kingstown High School | North Kingstown, Rhode Island

Gracie Brown — SR, M | Morgantown High School | Morgantown, West Virginia

Gabby Chan — SR, F | Albertus Magnus High School | Bardonia, New York

Cloe Chase — SR, M | Marist High School | Eugene, Oregon

Hailee Christensen — SR, F | Harrisburg High School | Harrisburg, South Dakota

Carly Ann Cormack — SR, M | Punahou School | Honolulu, Hawaii

Lana Djuranovic — SR, M | Scarborough High School | Carly Ann Cormack, Maine

Ellie Felt — SR, M/F | Sunset High School | Portland, Oregon

Kennedy Fuller — SR, M | Carroll High School | Southlake, Texas

Narissa Fults — SR, F | Norman North High School | Norman, Oklahoma

Faith George — SR, F | Santa Margarita Catholic High School | Santa Margarita, California

Addison Halpern — JR, F | Rutgers Preparatory School | Somerset, New Jersey

Jordyn Hardeman — JR, M/D | Midlothian High School | Midlothian, Texas

Ellie Hodsden — JR, F | Dripping Springs High School | Dripping Springs, Texas

Kayla Hurley — SR, M/F | Bentonville High School | Bentonville, Arkansas

Faith Johnston — JR, M/F | Parkview Baptist School | Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Charlotte Kohler — SR, M | St. Francis High School | Mountain View, California

Emma Kucal — JR, F | Cumberland High School | Cumberland, Rhode Island

Ava Labocki — SR, F | Granville High School | Granville, Ohio

Ava Magnuson — SO, F | Sutton High School | Sutton, Massachusetts

Allison Marshall — SR, F | Gretna High School | Gretna, Nebraska

Zoe Matthews — JR, F | Carroll Senior High School | Southlake, Texas

Sofia Nehro — SR, G | Skyline High School | Ann Arbor, Michigan

Maddie Padelski — JR, M | Nolensville High School | Nolensville, Tennessee

Chloe Pecor — SR, F | Champlain Valley Union High School | Hinesburg, Vermont

Nevaeh Peregrina — SR, M | Ogden High School | Ogden, Utah

Emerson Perrin — SR, M | Minot High School | Minot, North Dakota

Alexa Pino — JR, F | St. Joseph High School | Trumbull, Connecticut

Gabby Riley — SR, M/F | Middletown High School | Middletown, Delaware

Ashley Roni — SR, F | Skyline High School | Sammamish, Washington

Anna Sikorski — SR, M/F | Muskego High School | Muskego, Wisconsin

Sammy Smith — SR, M/F | Boise High School | Boise, Idaho

Audrey Smith — SR, F | Fort Zumwalt South High School | St Peters, Missouri

Liv Stott — SR, D | Bearden High School | Knoxville, Tennessee

Amelia Streberger — SR, M | Grosse Pointe North High School | Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan

Taylor Suarez — SR, F | Ardrey Kell High School | Charlotte, North Carolina

Ivy Tolbert — SR, M | Commerce High School | Commerce, Georgia

Peyton Trayer — SO, G | Santa Margarita Catholic High School | Santa Margarita, California

Linda Ullmark — SR, M | Nichols School | Buffalo, New York

Hailey Wade — SR, G | Hamilton Southeastern High School | Fishers, Indiana

Solai Washington — SR, F | Chamblee High School | Chamblee, Georgia

Lily White — SR, M | The Benjamin School | North Palm Beach, Florida

Kelly White — SR, G | Boca Raton Community High School | Boca Raton, Florida

Jordan Whiteaker — SR, D | Dakota Ridge High School | Littleton, Colorado

Kami Winger — SR, D | Colgan Senior High School | Manassas, Virginia

Isabella Winn — SR, M | Ridgewood High School | Ridgewood, New Jersey

Desiree Zapata — SR, F | Smyrna High School | Smyrna, Delaware

Delaware high school sports participation declining rapidly

Sports participation has dropped 5.79 percent since 2018-19

Girls sports hit hardest with a 6.40 percent decline

Some sports like track and wrestling saw increased participation

The COVID-19 pandemic’s repercussions left Alexis I. du Pont High without a girls basketball team two years ago.

Health concerns, academic issues and remote learning conspired to leave the Tigers without enough players, and their season was scrapped. A.I.’s best player, Imirah Trader, joined the boys team.

A.I. du Pont was able to put a girls team back on the court in 2021-22 and, with Trader leading the way, went 19-4 and won the Blue Hen Conference championship. This year, the Tigers are 21-1 and will be playing in the DIAA basketball tournament quarterfinals against Sanford on Monday, March 6.

Ohio high school boys basketball's top 24 players for 2023-2024

USA TODAY Network Ohio

Cincinnati Enquirer

The state of Ohio continues to produce high-quality high school basketball players who will put their talents on display this winter.

As a preview to this season, the high school sports staff of the USA Today Network's 21 Ohio newspapers and websites compiled a who's who of the Buckeye State's prep boys basketball players.