The wait is over, Falcon football star Kalen Ballage has verbally committed to Arizona†State University.Kalen is a running back whose 40-yard-dash time has been recorded at 4.37. The average speed for a National Football League running back is 4.5 seconds. Ballageís bench-press maximum is 370 pounds, which is 10 pounds heavier than an average NFL running back. Perhaps this explains the 19 scholarships he received to Division 1 schools, including Michigan, Michigan State and Kansas State. Ballage is the No. 1 ranked player in the state and is currently ASUís highest ranked recruit, according to Rivals.com.On to basketballOn Jan. 18, Vista Ridge High School lost an in-conference away game to Falcon High School 79-55. Andrew Reed of Vista Ridge exploded for 26 points, but was the only player on the team to score more than 6 points. Falconís offense was much better rounded, but Shaun Livecchi (junior) stood out with 15 points, six rebounds and two assists. This was the third loss in four games for Vista Ridge and the eighth loss in their last 10 games. The teamís record is far worse than predicted, after a promising start to the season when they won their first three games.Falcon High, on the other hand, sits at 9-4 and 5-0 on home court. Ty Murphy is a sophomore, the teamís youngest player. He also played varsity football this year and is one of Falconís promising athletes.The best performing basketball team in D 49 is Sand Creek High School; the Scorpions have won 10 out of their first 11 games. On Jan. 17, they squared off against an Air Academy team that came in to the game with a record of 10-2. Dylan Clark (senior) for Sand Creek flirted with a double-double, with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. The Air Academy team struggled, and only five players managed to score, losing to Sand Creek 60-51. For Clark, the game was low for the season since he averages 24.3 points and 5.5 assists per game. Sand Creek hopes to continue this incredible run, as they only play one team ranked in the top 30 in Colorado in their last 13 games (Sand Creek is ranked No. 19 in the state).
