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FACES IN THE CROWD
LATANNA STONE
VALRICO, FLA. > GOLF
Latanna, 10, a homeschooled sixth-grader, became the youngest player to earn a spot in the U.S. Women's Amateur (eclipsing eight golfers, including Lexi Thompson, who were tied for that distinction at age 12) with a victory at the Florida qualifying tournament. She shot a two-under-par 70 to win by one stroke over a field of 66 competitors at the Wanderers Club. A two-time Florida junior tour winner, Latanna was runner-up in the 13--15 age group at the 2012 North Florida Junior PGA Championship.
AHMED BILE
ANNANDALE, VA. > TRACK AND FIELD
Ahmed, who graduated from Annandale High in June, won the 800 meters at the New Balance outdoor nationals in Greensboro, N.C., with a personal-best 1:49.85. In the spring he won the 1,600 (4:13.12) and the 800 (1:51.52) to lead the Atoms to a share of the Virginia 3A state title. A two-time Gatorade state cross-country runner of the year, he was also the 2012 winner in track. Ahmed, who will compete for Georgetown, is the son of Somali Olympian and former 1,500 world champion Abdi Bile.
ANGEL PICCIRILLO
HOMER CITY, PA. > TRACK AND FIELD
Angel, a 2012 graduate of Homer-Center High, set a Class 2A 800-meter record (2:09.42) and an all-levels Pennsylvania record in the 1,600 (4:39.42) at this year's state meet. Her 1,600 time, the fastest in the nation this season, is the seventh-best in U.S. high school history. Also this year, Angel—who has 10 state titles overall and is a two-time mile winner at the Penn Relays—was runner-up in the Adidas Grand Prix's Dream Mile. A two-time state cross-country champion, she will run at Villanova.
SAM WEATHERHEAD
GRAND RAPIDS > GOLF
Sam, who will be a senior at West Catholic High, shot rounds of 69 and 67—with two eagles in the final round—at Michigan State's Forest Akers East golf course, to win the Division 3 individual state championship by four strokes. Nine days later he earned an entry in his first U.S. Junior Amateur tournament with a five-under 139 to beat a field of 42 at the Indiana and Michigan sectional qualifier tournament at Island Hills Golf Club. At the end of June, Sam was named Michigan's Mr. Golf.
ALLY FREI
BRANCHVILLE, N.J. > SOFTBALL
Ally, as a sophomore righthander at High Point Regional High, threw an 11-inning shutout to lead the Wildcats to a 1--0 win over Kingsway for the team's first Group III state championship in school history. Her 26--0 season included three perfect games, a no-hitter and five one-hitters. Ally, who also had a 0.43 ERA with 362 strikeouts and 32 walks in 179 innings, owns every softball pitching record at High Point and was named the New Jersey Herald's player of the year.
AUSTEN RANDECKER
MILL HILL, PA. > FLY-FISHING
Austen, a recent graduate of Central Mountain High, caught 68 trout—the longest measuring 37 cm (14.6")—to win the youth nationals in Cherokee, N.C., in June. He then won a bronze medal in July at the International Sport Flyfishing Federation's youth world championship in France, where he was the top American finisher and led the U.S. (with a collective 95 brown trout, grayling, roach, perch and pike) to a silver in team competition. Austen will attend Penn State.
Nominate Now
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THIS ONE TIME AT CAMP
The popular NFL narrative had no one losing in the 2011 lockout, but the uncertainty of the 135-day stoppage scuttled what would have been Season 7 of HBO's Hard Knocks reality show. After a 23-month hiatus, the miniseries is back on Aug. 7. Season 7's subjects, the Dolphins, reported to camp on July 27 full of story lines: new coach Joe Philbin, a QB battle and the return of Hard Knocks favorite Chad Johnson. This year, more than ever, HBO will be prepared to put some pep in your preseason.
*Estimated 250 per episode
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JOEL AUERBACH/GETTY IMAGES (TANNEHILL)
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CHRIS WEIRDO (STONE)
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DAVID RICE (BILE)
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BOB PICCIRILLO (PICCIRILLO)
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COURTESY OF THE WEATHERHEAD FAMILY (WEATHERHEAD)
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JEANNIE KOBIS (FREI)
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COURTESY OF THE RANDECKER FAMILY (RANDECKER)
