2019-20 ALL-USA High School Football Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Flowe, Upland

Oregon football commit Justin Flowe of Upland High School has been named the 2019 ALL-USA Football Defensive Player of the Year.

USA TODAY High School Sports is naming the ALL-USA Coach of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, First and Second Team Offense and First and Second Team Defense for football.

The team was chosen by the USA TODAY Sports staff in consultation with high school coaches and recruiting analysts.

OFFENSE: First Team | Second Team

OFFENSIVE POY: Bryce Young, Mater Dei

DEFENSE: First Team | Second Team

DEFENSIVE POY: Justin Flowe, Upland

COACH OF THE YEAR: Reginald Samples, Duncanville

PLAYER PROFILE:

Justin Flowe
School:
 Upland (California)
Position: Linebacker
Height/Weight: 6-2/225
Class: 2020
College: Oregon

With incredible burst, Justin Flowe gets to the ball in a flash. With hits as hard as anyone in the country, the ball handler rarely stands a chance.

Preventing Flowe from getting to the backfield takes more than one person; escaping him in the middle of the field is a difficult feat to accomplish.

The Upland (California) linebacker had 123 tackles this season to go with 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 11 games. He had 13 quarterback hurries, an interception and five forced fumbles. He had a blocked punt and a blocked field goal.

Flowe, the No. 4 player in the Chosen 25, is the 2019 ALL-USA Football Defensive Player of the Year.

“I’m just trying to be the best I can be because you only get one chance at high school,” he said shortly after receiving his All-American Bowl jersey in November.

“I just want to make sure I just take advantage of all my opportunities, and don’t be complacent. Don’t be complacent about anything.”

Listed at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Flowe still has the speed to get to the ball carrier quickly. His level of physicality is elite. Flowe’s highlight reel is full of plays in which he bursts into the backfield on the snap, leveling opponents in the middle and even tossing a running back to the ground like a rag doll.

He was also occasionally involved in the offense, getting 23 carries for 238 yards and five touchdowns, including a 98-yard touchdown run.

“Whenever they need a big play, you know, whenever we’re backed up or something like that, they’ll throw me in at running back,” Flowe said. “I just try to be a playmaker.”

He played both through middle school before deciding to stick with linebacker.

“When I was little I played running back and linebacker,” he said. “I guess I just fell in love with (linebacker) when I was in middle school years.”

It was clearly the right decision. Flowe was named the Butkus Award winner this season for top linebacker in the country. Stats jump off the page.

Against 11-1 Mission Viejo (California), which is one of the best teams in the country, Flowe had 15 tackles and two tackles for loss. In that game vs. Etiwanda (California) with the 98-yard touchdown, he had five tackles for loss. Against Central Catholic (Modesto, California), he had three forced fumbles in one game.

He said it comes instinctively.

“I’ve been playing linebacker my whole life,” Flowe said. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I just play real aggressive, that’s my game.”

Now, he’s onto Oregon, where he will join the 2018 ALL-USA Football Defensive Player of the Year, Kayvon Thibodeaux.

By getting the commitments of the Defensive Player of the Years in back-to-back years, Oregon’s defense has the talent to be among the best in the country.

Flowe, after a dominant high school career, looks to be ready to make an impact immediately.

PRESEASON: ALL-USA Offense | ALL-USA Defense

LOOKBACK: 2018-19 ALL-USA Offensive Football Team

2019-20 ALL-USA High School Football Coach of the Year: Reginald Samples, Duncanville

Duncanville football head coach Reginald Samples has been named the 2019 ALL-USA Football Coach of the Year.

USA TODAY High School Sports is naming the ALL-USA Coach of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, First and Second Team Offense and First and Second Team Defense for football.

The team was chosen by the USA TODAY Sports staff in consultation with high school coaches and recruiting analysts.

OFFENSE: First Team | Second Team

OFFENSIVE POY: Bryce Young, Mater Dei

DEFENSE: First Team | Second Team

DEFENSIVE POY: Justin Flowe, Upland

COACH OF THE YEAR: Reginald Samples, Duncanville

COACH PROFILE:

Reginald Samples
School: Duncanville (Texas)

A Hail Mary to end last year’s championship game prevented Duncanville (Texas) from going 15-0 and winning the title.

After that heartbreak, the Panthers have worked through the Texas playoff gauntlet once again. After allowing more than seven points in just one regular season game, they flew threw the playoffs and are one win away from vengeance.

With another dominant season, Reginald Samples has been named the 2019 ALL-USA Football Coach of the Year.

In the 10 regular season games, Duncanville outscored opponents 444-33 — meaning the defense allowed an average of 3.3 points per game.

Through five playoff games, Duncanville has been winning by an average score of about 51-19.

South Grand Prairie, Flower Mound and Martin didn’t stand a chance. Southlake Carroll made it close in the fourth quarter, but Duncanville had control through. Rockwall’s explosive offense was stymied. All that’s left is a rematch of last year’s title game vs. North Shore.

It will be the biggest challenge thus far as quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson will be out due to a torn ACL he suffered in the second quarter of the game vs. Rockwall. That didn’t slow Duncanville down in the semifinals, as the Panthers scored 21 points in the third quarter.

Duncanville has also managed this season without Kendrick Blackshire, the highly-anticipated transfer who was injured in the offseason.

If Samples can lead Duncanville to two consecutive seasons in which perfection was missed by a mere Hail Mary, it will be one of the great Texas football accomplishments.

This season, Samples has a chance to lead the team to its first championship since 1998. Getting to this point for the second straight year has shown how impressive a coach he is.

PRESEASON: ALL-USA Offense | ALL-USA Defense

LOOKBACK: 2018-19 ALL-USA Offensive Football Team

2019-20 ALL-USA High School Football Offensive Player of the Year: Bryce Young, Mater Dei

The 2019 ALL-USA Football Offensive Player of the Year is Mater Dei quarterback and Alabama commit Bryce Young.

USA TODAY High School Sports is naming the ALL-USA Coach of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, First and Second Team Offense and First and Second Team Defense for football.

The team was chosen by the USA TODAY Sports staff in consultation with high school coaches and recruiting analysts.

OFFENSE: First Team | Second Team

OFFENSIVE POY: Bryce Young, Mater Dei

DEFENSE: First Team | Second Team

DEFENSIVE POY: Justin Flowe, Upland

COACH OF THE YEAR: Reginald Samples, Duncanville

PLAYER PROFILE:

Bryce Young
School:
 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California)
Position: Quarterback
Height/Weight: 5-11/175
Class: 2020
College: Alabama

Mater Dei quarterback Bryce Young torched some of the most stringent defenses in the country and showed an innate passing ability in and out of the pocket as he led Mater Dei to a 12-1 record.

He passed for 4,528 yards — 348.3 per game — at a 71.9% clip with 58 touchdowns to six interceptions. He rushed for 357 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He also had the freedom to call his own plays and audible at the line, which helped Mater Dei produce one of the best offenses in the country.

Young is the 2019 ALL-USA Football Offensive Player of the Year.

While Young is the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the country, he views himself differently than a “traditional” running quarterback. Young creates play with his feet, but his pinpoint accuracy and ability to deliver the ball on the money while on the move is impeccable. His quick-twitch release, like Steph Curry shooting a 3-pointer, allows him to get the ball out of his hands before defenders can get their hands up.

“People in the league, the Lamar Jacksons, Kyler Murrays, the Baker Mayfields, people like that are really pushing the envelope of what dual-threat means,” Young said. “People think a dual-threat is someone who can, a running back that can throw a little bit … but really dual-threat should mean, and it does mean in my mind, someone who has the ability that can really do both as far as extending plays and run the ball but is still a passer.”

Some of Young’s best games were against Super 25 teams and top national competition. Facing two-time defending Arizona 5A champion Centennial, Young went 31-for-37 for 528 yards and seven passing touchdowns. The next week, against then-No. 4 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), Young rushed for four touchdowns. The following game, he threw for 428 yards and five touchdowns and completed more than 70 percent of his passes against St. John’s (Washington, D.C.).

Young’s playoff stat lines: 393 yards, seven touchdowns; 520 yards, seven touchdowns; 405 yards, five touchdowns.

“The one thing that will always stand out to me about Bryce Young is he is as level-headed a kid as I’ve ever been around,” Mater Dei head coach Bruce Rollinson said. “The moment is never too big and he never gets down when there’s a struggle and he never gets too far crazy, emotionally-charged when things are going good.”

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After spending two seasons at Cathedral (Los Angeles), Young transferred to Mater Dei prior to the 2018 season. He said the first year had a learning curve as he got used to the offensive playbook. He relied on five-star receiver Bru McCoy as the Monarchs won the championship.

This year, without McCoy, Mater Dei had to find new weapons. With growth from the wide receiver corps, the Monarchs didn’t miss a beat.

Part of that came from the familial feel. Young said the biggest lesson he took away from this season is how important it is for a team to be close, whether it was through the offseason practices, pregame meals together or roast sessions as a team. These turned into his favorite high school memories.

“I felt there was a lot more love for each other in the locker room,” Young said. “When everyone’s on the same level, I’ve seen how important that is to come together both on the field and off the field and how it can translate.”

As the team gained chemistry, Young improved as a player. He had a better command of the offensive playbook, and with coaches allowing him to change the plays, Rollinson estimated Young called or audibled 60% of them. He displayed a greater feel for the game and could manipulate defenses to his will.

“The growth was astronomical. I was extremely proud of the level of everything, from deciphering the offense (to) leadership,” Rollinson said. “…He really dedicated himself in the weight room — not that he was undedicated the year before — but he realized that enhanced strength base would allow him to compete through the rigors of the God-awful schedule I presented them this year.”

Mater Dei lost in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game, but Young had proven himself as the best offensive player of the season long before. With the Monarchs’ consistent domination over strong teams local and national, Young had one of the all-time great California seasons.

Over his 44 years as a Mater Dei faculty member, Rollinson has seen a long line of successful quarterbacks come through the school including future NFL players Matt Barkley and Matt Leinart and current USC quarterback JT Daniels. Young, committed to Alabama, is right with this group.

“The multiple facets that (Young) brought to the game and where he took the offense, because of his football intelligence,” Rollinson said, “(I) rank him right now as the best we’ve had.”

PRESEASON: ALL-USA Offense | ALL-USA Defense

LOOKBACK: 2018-19 ALL-USA Offensive Football Team

2019-20 ALL-USA High School Football Offensive Second Team

The ALL-USA High School Football Offensive Second Team has been announced. Meet the selections!

USA TODAY High School Sports is naming the ALL-USA Coach of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, First and Second Team Offense and First and Second Team Defense for football.

The team was chosen by the USA TODAY Sports staff in consultation with high school coaches and recruiting analysts.

OFFENSE: First Team | Second Team

OFFENSIVE POY: Bryce Young, Mater Dei

DEFENSE: First Team | Second Team

DEFENSIVE POY: Justin Flowe, Upland

COACH OF THE YEAR: Reginald Samples, Duncanville

Click through the gallery to meet the offensive second team. Players listed in alphabetical order by position.

[sigallery id=”tby3ssbGfGt9gFxzEGJiqg” title=”ALL-USA Offense: Second Team” type=”sigallery”]

PRESEASON: ALL-USA Offense | ALL-USA Defense

LOOKBACK: 2018-19 ALL-USA Offensive Football Team

2019-20 ALL-USA High School Football Defensive First Team

The ALL-USA High School Football Defensive First Team has been announced. Meet the selections!

USA TODAY High School Sports is naming the ALL-USA Coach of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, First and Second Team Offense and First and Second Team Defense for football.

The team was chosen by the USA TODAY Sports staff in consultation with high school coaches and recruiting analysts.

OFFENSE: First Team | Second Team

OFFENSIVE POY: Bryce Young, Mater Dei

DEFENSE: First Team | Second Team

DEFENSIVE POY: Justin Flowe, Upland

COACH OF THE YEAR: Reginald Samples, Duncanville

Click through the gallery to meet the defensive first team. Players listed in alphabetical order by position.

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PRESEASON: ALL-USA Offense | ALL-USA Defense

LOOKBACK: 2018-19 ALL-USA Offensive Football Team

2019-20 ALL-USA High School Football Offensive First Team

The ALL-USA High School Football Offensive First Team has been announced. Meet the selections!

USA TODAY High School Sports is naming the ALL-USA Coach of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, First and Second Team Offense and First and Second Team Defense for football.

The team was chosen by the USA TODAY Sports staff in consultation with high school coaches and recruiting analysts.

OFFENSE: First Team | Second Team

OFFENSIVE POY: Bryce Young, Mater Dei

DEFENSE: First Team | Second Team

DEFENSIVE POY: Justin Flowe, Upland

COACH OF THE YEAR: Reginald Samples, Duncanville

Click through the gallery to meet the first team. Players listed in alphabetical order by position.

[sigallery id=”R34pGNm2ke6pye3RnVEte3″ title=”ALL-USA Offensive Football: First Team” type=”sigallery”]

PRESEASON: ALL-USA Offense | ALL-USA Defense

LOOKBACK: 2018-19 ALL-USA Offensive Football Team

2019-20 ALL-USA High School Football Defensive Second Team

The ALL-USA High School Football Defensive Second Team has been announced. Meet the selections!

USA TODAY High School Sports is naming the ALL-USA Coach of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, First and Second Team Offense and First and Second Team Defense for football.

The team was chosen by the USA TODAY Sports staff in consultation with high school coaches and recruiting analysts.

OFFENSE: First Team | Second Team

OFFENSIVE POY: Bryce Young, Mater Dei

DEFENSE: First Team | Second Team

DEFENSIVE POY: Justin Flowe, Upland

COACH OF THE YEAR: Reginald Samples, Duncanville

Click through the gallery to meet the defensive second team. Players listed in alphabetical order by position.

[sigallery id=”Lyf3Y2humGqCE57oMFhpSC” title=”ALL-USA Defense: Second Team” type=”sigallery”]

PRESEASON: ALL-USA Offense | ALL-USA Defense

LOOKBACK: 2018-19 ALL-USA Offensive Football Team

Reigning ALL-USA POY Sharife Cooper finding new motivation in final season

Auburn signee Sharife Cooper is finding new motivation to dominate again this season after winning ALL-USA Player of the Year last season.

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Sharife Cooper is in this weird space where on one hand, as the reigning ALL-USA Player of the Year and No. 2 overall player in USA Today Sports’ Chosen 25, he feels the bull’s-eye growing daily; yet on the other hand he hears the whispers that McEachern High School (Powder Springs, Georgia) is vulnerable this year with Cooper as the only returning starter from last year’s 32-0 state championship team.

“It can make you think crazy if you let it,” said Cooper, a point guard who is signed to Auburn. “I don’t. I just use it as motivation both ways; if people are sleeping on us that makes me want to go all out even more, and if people want to be first to knock off the champs I can’t let that happen, so I have to go all out. Either way, I’m going all out.”

RELATED: USA Super 25 Boys Basketball Rankings Week 1

That PSA was deafening last weekend at the Thanksgiving Shootout.

Cooper averaged 48 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds a game; that included a 44-point, 10-rebound, six-assist performance against No. 12 Mayfair (Lakewood, California), which featured five-star guards Josh Christopher, who is ranked No. 16 in the Chosen 25, and Dior Johnson.

The Indians, who check in at No. 6 in USA Today’s Super 25, won 87-79 and sit at 6-0 for the season.

For the season, Cooper is averaging 34 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists a game. That’s up from last season when Cooper averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 assists and six rebounds a game.

RELATED: Preseason ALL-USA Basketball Teams

“Every time we step on the court, one way or the other people want us to fail,” Cooper said. “That’s the bottom line. It’s a different energy when it’s you and your guys against everyone else. It’s different, but I like it.”

Another difference is Cooper’s role as a scorer; sounds wild for a guy who averaged 28 points a game last season, but Cooper said he’s taking on the challenge of elevating his scoring this season.

“Last year I had guys that would take that load, but this year it’s something I have to do more of for my team,” Cooper said. “I’ve always prided myself in being the guy who would do whatever it takes for my team to win because winning is all that matters to me. Scoring comes naturally to me so it’s just a matter of staying aggressive. I still don’t force things, and I’m a natural playmaker so I’m always gonna make my teammates better and make the right basketball play. It’s a new year and a new challenge, and I’m ready for it.”

Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY

Reigning ALL-USA POY Azzi Fudd learns from Kobe Bryant

Azzi Fudd got the chance to workout with NBA legend Kobe Bryant and came away with valuable gems.

[jwplayer OWLYNJmE-BmKM743H]

Five days a week, St. John’s College High School (Washington, D.C.) shooting guard Azzi Fudd wakes up at 5 a.m. to get to her physical therapy appointment for intense training to get her surgically repaired knee back in tip top shape.

Fudd tore her ACL and MCL while competing in USA Basketball’s 3×3 tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo., in mid-April.

RELATED: ALL-USA Girls Basketball Player of the Year

“I’m taking my time with everything,” Fudd said. “I’ve started back practicing and working out on the court. My goal is to come back better than ever.”

She took big step in that regard “a few weeks ago” when she was in Los Angeles for the espnW: Women + Sports Summit; she carved out time to get in a workout with five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, who was running his daughter Gigi and her teammates through drills.

Photo: Kobe Bryant coaches his daugher Gigi's team at the MAMBA Sports Academy (Photo: @overtime/Twitter)
Photo: Kobe Bryant coaches his daugher Gigi’s team at the MAMBA Sports Academy (Photo: @overtime/Twitter)

“We did a lot of skill work; I wasn’t moving as much at the time, but it’s Kobe,” Fudd said. “Any time you get a chance to workout with one of the greatest players of all time, it’s big.”

Fudd formed a friendship with Gigi, who Fudd said has star potential.

“She’s young, but she’s really talented,” Fudd said. “She’s gonna just keep getting better and better. You can already see that having Kobe as a dad/coach makes her fundamentals and IQ really, really high.”

As for Kobe’s gems to her during the workout, Fudd said the former Laker taught her the importance of total body control.

RELATED: The Azzi Fudd Blog

“He told me I need to be able to separate movements in the top half and the bottom half of my body,” Fudd said. “That way the defender won’t be able to read me as well because it all looks the same. It made a lot of sense. He’s amazing. I know that I got better in just that one workout.”

Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY

2019-20 ALL-USA Preseason Wrestling Team announced

2019-20 Preseason ALL-USA High School Wrestling Team is here. Meet the top wrestlers in the country!

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The ALL-USA Preseason Wrestling team for the 2019-20 season was selected by Earl Smith of OpenMat in coordination with USA TODAY High School Sports based on past performance, level of competition and strength of schedule.

Statistics are from last season, except where otherwise noted. Players are listed in alphabetical order.

Click through the gallery to meet the players:

[sigallery id=”7kvLhvkYccqGsbgwBmo6HL” title=”ALL-USA Preseason Wrestling Team” type=”sigallery”]

LOOKBACK: 2018-19 ALL-USA Boys Wrestling Team