MaxPreps Mega-Widget Hits the Streets

Brian M. Heater, the producer, technical director and web designer at What If Productions (http://www.whatifproductions.biz/) has built and released the world’s first MaxPreps’ mega-widget, a robust 242-school module that will serve one of his clients in the Northwest, the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association.

Though the widget was originally designed with a 150-school capacity, modifications may be made in some instances to expand it to whatever the client requires. This is the first widget to top the 150 mark; more are sure to follow.

Heater has the OACA widget parked at the following URL:

http://oregoncoach.org

The webmaster has over 25 years of experience in the field, experience ranging from website design and development to computer graphics, hardware and software technical support to high quality video & audio production.

Ridgefield, Conn., MaxPreps Team Up

The Ridgefield Press in western Connecticut has enjoyed a long history of excellence in weekly newspaper journalism and reporting. Its veteran sports editor, Tim Murphy, has played a major role in maintaining that excellence. Having an outstanding sports program to report about at Ridgefield High School certainly hasn’t hurt.

Murphy is presently leading his online sports section at the Press with an all-sports Ridgefield High MaxPreps’ widget:

http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=48&Itemid=768

The Ridgefield Press is a part of the Hersam Acorn weekly newspaper network, which has been a MaxPreps.com media partner since last fall.

Big Sky Country Adopts MaxPreps Widget

Assistant girls’ basketball coach Ryan Wakefield at Kalispell Glacier High has achieved a historic first:

Bringing the MaxPreps’ widget to the great state of Montana.

http://www.sd5.k12.mt.us/ghs/act/bballg/index.html

The Wolfpack website, edited by Wakefield, now features a widget that allows visitors to track all seven teams in Glacier’s AA Western Conference. Glacier is joined in the conference by Kalispell Flathead – I believe that’s cherry country – Helena, Helena Capital, Missoula Big Sky, Missoula Hellgate and Missoula Sentinel.

Glacier is coached by Doug Hashley, who graduated from Big Sandy High in 1977, where he earned all-state first-team honors in basketball and football. He went on to play basketball at Montana State University, where he still owns rebounding and shooting records.

The versatile Wakefield is also the Director of Outdoor Pursuits at Iron Horse Golf Club in Whitefish.

Northern Virginia Christian Welcomes the Widget

The Northern Virginia Christian Academy in Fairfax, Va., has created an eight-team boys’ basketball widget for the school’s home page:

http://www.nvchristianacademy.org/

NVCA’s lineup of teams is an intriguing one to say the least, including Fairfax Home School, Islamic Saudi Academy and Trinity at Meadow View. The Falcons are off to a 6-0 start, with their latest win being a 72-25 victory against Emmanuel Christian of Manassas.

Bird's Eye Sports Needs a Bigger Widget

Bird’s Eye Sports in Westport, Conn., (http://www.birdseyesports.com) has long been the leader in regional prep web coverage in the Northeast. Ben Talbott’s Internet operation was one of the first on the scene in 2003; his company continues to provide exceptional data and content services, particularly in the field of action video.

Not surprisingly. Bird’s Eye has become one of the first web sites to launch an all-state MaxPreps widget, taking on the task of building a sprawling boys’ basketball widget that includes every program in the Connecticut. The problem is, Ben hit the 150-school limit when he got to the “Ts” and to Trumbull High. There are 178 teams in Connecticut. He needs openings for 28 more.

Will someone please help him? The MaxPreps widget needs greater length here! Others are surely waiting to do the same with their own states:

http://www.birdseyesports.com/updates-standings.php?sportsId=2&&s=m

Talbott, incidentally, was a NCAA-All American in football at Lehigh University. He has since helped a number of athletes through the search process for the right college with his business. He was also selected by the Anaheim Angels in the MLB amateur draft in 1997, spending time in their minor league system after a successful two-sport career at Lehigh. Bird’s Eye has been a MaxPreps.com media partner since last summer, subscribing to the popular content management program.

Southwest Florida Not Just for Football

While Florida is known as one of the top football-playing states in the nation, its prep basketball isn’t too shabby, either. Aaron Seybert at Southwest Florida Hoops (http://www.swflhoops.com) is making sure that boys’ basketball in the Bradenton/Fort Myers area gains its share of attention, and he’s using a 54-team MaxPreps’ widget to help state his case.

Fort Myers, of course, recently played host to the 36th annual Bank of America City of Palms Classic, a star-studded field won by Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif.

Seybert is a jack-of-all-trades at SWFLH, having first founded the company and now serving as its Editor-in-Chief, Director of Scouting Services and Webmaster. He is always looking for editorial, photographic and video contributions so visit his site sometime soon and see if there's anything you can do to help provide assistance. Aaron is undoubtedly at his desk.

http://www.swflhoops.com

Eyewitness News 11 Locks in MaxPreps Widget

WTVD-TV, ABC Eyewitness News 11 in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., area, has taken the lead in region in promoting high school sports on the Internet via the MaxPreps widget. The station’s web site recently released a 115-school module that includes the sports of football, volleyball, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball and baseball. The web site has a flash reference button on its main index page that takes viewers to the complete widget package on an inside page:

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/feature?section=news/sports/high_school&id=6569732

Once Again, PIAA District 6 Leads the Way

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s District 6 was already a leader when it came to the use of the MaxPreps data widget. PIAA District 6 put the widget into play in a big way during the 2008 football season.

Now, District 6 basketball is out front when it comes to deploying the widget for the winter season, having commissioned a 57-school module for both the boys and the girls. What’s more, the PIAA is requiring that all 2008-9 playoff teams have their rosters and stats entered into the system, potentially making this the most robust widget on record. Thanks go to T.J. Kakabar, Phillip Cmor, John Bomboy, Mike Gentzyel, Bill Born, Lee Stanek, Scott Dane and Joe Intrieri for making this happen.

http://www.piaad6.org/6hoopage.htm

NCHSAA Class AAAA Champs Summon the Widget

The MaxPreps.com widget lineup added up a big-time program to its ranks on Tuesday when the Fayetteville Westover girls’ basketball team imbedded the content module into its home page. The Lady Wolverines won the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-A championship a season ago, finishing with 30-2 overall record. They also won the SunCom Holiday Classic during the regular season and captured the Mid-Southeastern Conference Tournament, as well as the Section 1 and Eastern Regional playoff crowns. Westover is coached by Gene Arrington. The widget features 10 teams.

http://westoverbasketball.com/

Northern Lights: Michigan Debuts With WMKT Widget

Talk Radio 1270, WMKT-AM in the Traverse City area of northern Michigan, has become the first MaxPreps widget user in the state.

WMKT, which features a local morning show with Greg Marshall and Bob White in the 7 to 10 a.m. slot, Vic McCarty later in the morning and Fox Radio features during the afternoon, operates at 27,000 watts during daylight hours. It is also the radio home of Charlevoix Rayder basketball (both boys and girls), and a member of the Detroit Tigers radio network.

How far north is WMKT? Put it this way: when it looks to the southeast, it sees Toronto. When it looks to the southwest, it sees Milwaukee. One of the teams that plays in the WMKT league coverage area, Cheboygen, is across the water from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

How else can anything but a warm welcome be offered?

http://www.wmktthetalkstation.com/CharSchedule.html