By RISE
Summer jobs and the beach are on students' minds now, but two-a-day football practices and school supplies shopping will become the focus soon enough. Here's a list of boys' athletes to watch in the next year:
Harry Adams -- track & field
After winning state titles in the 100 and 200 meters as a sophomore in 2006, Adams was injured this past spring. Still, the Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) rising senior is one of the nation's elite sprinters when healthy and has also already been offered football scholarships from Auburn and Florida.
Jared Festler -- Ice Hockey
Festler, a rising senior forward at Little Falls (Little Falls, Minn.), is one of the nation's most sought-after high school hockey players. The St. Cloud State recruit is already fifth all time in Minnesota history with 247 career points.
Matt Ladley -- Snowboarding
Ladley, a rising junior at Lowell Whiteman (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), is already a seasoned professional snowboarder who won the 2005 U.S. Open Junior Jam. He has sponsorships from Rossignol and Oakley and made the U.S. Snowboarding Rookie Team last year.
Mario Mason -- Wrestling
Mason, a rising senior, finished his junior year at Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) as the nation's top-ranked 140-pound wrestler by W.I.N. magazine. The All-American won titles at national tournaments like the Beast of the East and the Ironman Invitational and helped Blair finish the year ranked No. 2 by W.I.N.
Maurice Mitchell -- Track & Field
The nation's fastest returning sprinter, Mitchell won state titles in the 100 and 200 meters as a junior at Raytown (Mo.) South this past spring. By the end of the season, he had recorded the nation's fastest 100 time overall (10.26) and fastest 200 time by a non-senior (20.96).
Steele Stanwick -- Lacrosse
Stanwick, the nation's top player in the Class of 2008, led Loyola Blakefield (Towson, Md.) to a conference title this past year while recording 37 goals and 35 assists. The rising senior attack has committed to lacrosse power Virginia.
Ryan Thacher -- Tennis
Thacher, a rising senior at Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), is the nation's top returning prep tennis player. Among the tournaments he won as a junior were the USTA International Spring Championships and USTA National Winter Championships. Thacher didn't drop a set in either event.
Matt Thompson -- Swimming
The rising junior out of Jesuit (Dallas, Texas) finished third in the 200 backstroke at the 2007 USA Swimming Spring Championships. Thompson, a member of the National Junior Team, has also earned top-three finishes at international meets in Brazil and Hawaii during the past year.
William Wynne -- Track & Field
Wynne, a rising senior at McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), missed breaking the national high school record in the 300-meter hurdles by four-tenths of a second at state this spring. It was one of three state titles for Wynne, who made the roster for this summer's IAAF World Youth Championships.
Andrew Yun -- Golf
Yun, a rising junior out of Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), finished this past school year ranked No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 among underclassmen in the Polo Golf Rankings. Yun won the 2006 PING Invitational and advanced to the semifinals of the Polo Golf Junior Classic.
