By midnight, we'll all be within the final 48 hours of 2011, which can only mean one thing: There's no time like the present to reflect on the most impressive plays of the past 12 months in all of prep sports. Whittling down the list is tough, but celebrating their incredible execution certainly isn't.

• Devon Turk, Houston (Texas) St. Pius X: Some guys can get up. Others can soar. Turk? He practically has trampolines on the souls of his shoes, as he showed on this acrobatic slam.

• Parrish Young, Franklin (N.C.): It's impressive enough when a running back pulls out a hurdle or dump trucks a defender on a run. It's much more impressive when he does both of those things, drags two defenders and gives another defender the full-on matador treatment.

• Kanler Coker and Casey Osborne, Flowery Branch (Ga.): The pass itself was impressive enough, and the fact that it won a game was even more notable. That it came from a player wearing number 11 on 11/11/11? That's where it became eerie ...

• Sean Modster, Santa Margarita (Calif.): Deflected passes are one thing. Double-deflected passes? Those are remarkable. Chalk up magic karma and incredible hands on this one.

• Kedar Edwards, West Oaks (Fla.) Academy: Who needs ball distributing teammates? Not Kedar Edwards. He'll just set himself up with a filthy off-the-backboard assist. No big deal.

• Brian Moss, Shelby (N.C.): As a writer, it's generally not in one's best interest to overuse comparisons to magicians, let alone legendary ones like Harry Houdini. Regardless, this play deserved that comparison, and Prep Rally would happily make it again.

Rivalry games are part of what make sports so great, but if West Shore (Penn.) School District has its way, one of the top high school rivalries in the state could cease to exist in the future.

4e8698541cf62

As ABC 27 and The Patriot News reported, the district is considering the possibility of folding the Cedar Cliff (Penn.) High and Red Land High athletic departments together, in an effort to save approximately $600,000 per year. If passed, that would mean the two rivals could be forced to play nice on the same team.

While the athletes haven't spoken about the plan, parents from both schools have voiced their displeasure at the possibility of the schools joining forces. Most would imagine the negative feelings would center around playing on the same team as your rival, but it appears most parents are frustrated with the district for the lack of financial transparency.

"We haven't seen budgets, we haven't seen plans, we don't know what the expenses look like over the next four to five," Red Land parent Alan Todd told ABC 27. "We keep hearing these giant holes. There's no explanation."

As The Patriot News reported, parents from both schools met in a public forum to discuss the proposed merger, and the reported $3.6 million budget shortfall the district is currently dealing with at the moment.

"I really think if a plan was submitted to the public that says 'here's why we're here, here's where we need to be, here's why we need to merge,' most of the people would probably have been OK," Thad Eisenhower, president of the Cedar Cliff booster club, told The Patriot News.

"The bottom line is people are going to get hurt on both sides."

There's little doubt that Kentucky coach John Calipari knows what he'll doing for some years to come, whether it be at Kentucky or another location. The man is a heck of a coach, and not a bad recruiter to boot.

In fact, Coach Cal is renowned for burning up the miles to get to as many games featuring top prospects as he possibly can. It's an admirable pursuit, and one he clearly attacks with relish. What Prep Rally never realized before was just how captivating he is during those games. In fact, it seems to hard to argue that Calipari would be anything but an unbelievable color commentator if and when he eventually does walk away from the bench.

Just check out the clip above, which was shot during the City of Palms tournament, where Calipari was watching Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman School and its national top prospect, Shabazz Muhammad, take on Prestonwood (Texas) Christian School, which stars the likes of Kansas signee Zach Peters and junior superstar Julian Randle.

Calipari has a pretty distinctive voice, so it's not too hard to pick out who he is on the video. Just wait and listen in, and what follows is pretty Vitale-esque. Swap in "Ohhhhhhhh!" for "Baby!" and you might just get a match …

Here were some of Prep Rally's favorite excerpts as the action on the court unfolded.

"If he doesn't pass it, he's going to lose it."

"Oh my GOODNESS, that was a steal."

"They gotta' foul here. NOT him, he just made two! Maybe him … yeah, foul HIM!"

Usually, when a player is ruled ineligible, the decision to rule he or she out is made by a governing body, and is done so after attempts by the school to make the athlete eligible, if at all possible.

Greensburg Central Catholic principal Denise Myers

In a fascinating twist, a Pennsylvania principal has inverted that entire process, unilaterally deciding that a prospective star football and basketball player would take no part in her school's programs because she felt he transferred to the school simply for athletic reasons.

As first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Greensburg (Penn.) Central Catholic High principal Denise Meyers, pictured at right, single-handedly decided that top prospect Marcus Malara would not be allowed to compete in varsity sports for her school after he transferred from Mount Pleasant (Penn.) High.

That decision led to a completely unique situation, with Myers setting up a meeting between Malara and the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Board of Control to see if the administrators agreed with her decision. Naturally, those meetings are usually initiated the other way around.

For their part, the WPIAL appears to be more than ready to support Myers' stand in trying to enforce what the league's transfer rules were originally established to do.

"We wouldn't even see the case if principals did that," WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley told the Post-Gazette. "It is very difficult today for people to stand up for what the transfer rule is intended to be. If this, in fact, is the case -- that athletic intent was involved -- it is refreshing that a principal is doing her duty to enforce the rule as it is intended to be enforced."

Like a lot of kids, Keith Rutledge grew up dreaming of being a two-sport athlete in high school. With a little practice and hark work, the junior at Mesa Skyline (Arizona) High turned his dream into a reality over the last couple of years, excelling on the football and the baseball diamond for his school.

Playing two sports might not seem like a newsworthy item, but Rutledge's situation is pretty unique. Because unlike every one of his teammates, Rutledge as learned to play both with only one arm -- a truly incredible accomplishment that speaks volumes about his work ethic and positive attitude.

Born without a left arm, Rutledge tried a prosthetic when he was younger but decided against making it a part of everyday life after it bothered him too much. Instead of looking for another option, the high school junior decided to learn how to play sports with only one arm.

"When I first decided that I wanted to play football, my parents did not think I could do it.  This motivated me more," Rutledge told the Tempe High School Sports Examiner. "I like to encourage others that when people doubt your ability in  trying to accomplish something, don't become angry, utilize your anger as motivation and act upon it. I don't care if you have a mental illness, one leg, or any type of disability, show them that you will fight for what you want."

Rutledge has certainly shown an incredible fight on the field, making some of the most difficult plays look incredible easy this season. Earlier in the year, he made an incredible one-handed catch for 35 yards with defenders in tow.

He's also learned how to catch a baseball in his right hand, get rid of the glove, and then throw the ball in one fluid motion. When he first showed up on the field for tryouts, junior varsity coach Trent Bender took one look at Rutledge and figured there was no way he was making the team.

"I was like, 'You're here for what? Am I missing something?' " Bender told the Arizona Republic. "But he just proved everything you think about somebody from looking at them isn't the way it really is."

He is 12, stands 5-foot-4 and weighs just 120 pounds. He looks like any other kid on a middle school bus. Still, don't let the sixth grader-next-door image fool you: Damon Harge is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the best young high school point guards in the country.

Yes, high school. Despite his age, as highlighted by ESPN.com, Harge is competing at the high school level in North Carolina, and he's torching the opposition. A year after getting national attention for dominating any and all middle school comers -- he averaged 35 points as a fifth grader playing against student athletes three years older than himself -- Harge is now suiting up for Creedmor (N.C.) Christian Faith Center Academy, where he faces off against some of the top prep basketball programs in the county … as a sixth grader.

[ Yahoo! Year in Review: The standout news of 2011, top 10s and more ]

"I looked him up and it's hard not to be impressed watching his videos," Christian Faith Center Academy coach Kendrick Williams told ESPN.com of his first exposure to Harge. "I wasn't sure about how that would translate on the varsity level, but I was excited to find out. I just kept thinking 'he's only 12?'"

What may be most incredible about Harge's rocket ride to stardom is how seamlessly it has all come together. A year ago, Harge was still somewhat of an under-the-radar prospect, happily plying his trade on the West Coast. A year later Harge sports YouTube clips with an aggregate audience of more than 3 million views and is widely recognized as the nation's top sixth grader.

Admittedly, that's a lot of hype for any pre-teen to handle. Still, those are the kind of things that happen when a player drops 50 points at a national invitational tournament in front of former number one NBA draft pick John Wall, who immediately emerged as Harge's biggest fan and ally.

"The kid was unguardable," Wall told ESPN.com. "I knew right away he was a star. I just wanted him to continue to work hard.

"All of this is too serious for a 12-year-old kid. He should be concentrating on having fun, but, at the same time, I understand why it's happening. What's he gonna say, 'No thanks, I don't want to be ranked right now?' Plus, I'd be shocked if there's a player that's more skilled than him at his age. It's not wrong and it's not his fault. Basketball isn't the only sport that ranks kids early. It's just the day and age we live in."

Harge is already leaving his impact across a large swath of the basketball portion of that world as it is. Williams, who once coached John Wall and is well acquainted with molding young phenoms, said that the sixth grader's work ethic is what makes him stand out. The 12-year-old wakes up at 4:30 every morning and puts up an average of 6,500 shots per week. "With that high volume of shots the muscle memory is ridiculous," Williams told ESPN.

Across the nation, school districts are cutting back on the athletic department offerings, attempting to slim budgets by limiting the amount of sports they have to subsidize. Yet, in the midst of that fiscally conservative climate, one school in Oklahoma took a diametrically opposed direction with shocking results: It added the most expensive sport it could -- football -- and may have saved the entire school in the process.

Gracemont football team

As reported by Sports Illustrated columnist Melissa Segura, Gracemont (Okla.) High was struggling to attract enough students to maintain a viable base -- the school had a $200,000 budget shortfall and dwindling attendance -- when one of this school's teachers made the radical suggestion that the school start a football program. While football is a staple of most schools across the heartland, Gracemont had never hosted a team in its 100-year history.

[ Video: The top sports story of 2011 ]

To be fair, even the idea of football at a tiny school like Gracemont could seem almost insane. The school -- which lies approximately 75 minutes from Oklahoma City via Chickasha -- had traditionally had approximately 10 students per graduating class. Do the math, and one comes out with a varsity squad of between 20 and 30 members … if every single male student plays.

For that reason alone, the desperate suggestion to start a football program by teacher Jeremy Scott could have seemed futile or self destructive. Yet, instead of ridicule Scott, one of the district's most important figures -- Gracemont Elementary School Principal Roberta Fulbright -- decided Scott's idea was brilliant. The 69-year-old school board power broker immediately started fundraising, seeing a Gracemont Football program as a what it could be: a saving grace with the power to re-invigorate a flagging school district and, in turn, increase the population of a small American town.

Incredibly, within a matter of months the school built a field, had local citizens construct a press box and -- perhaps most importantly -- Scott had taught the school's entire male population to play football, a task which was trying but surprisingly rewarding for the teacher turned coach because his players had no bad habits to break.

Marlon Dorsey has been in the national headlines over the last couple of years, but the stories have been far from positive. Just last season, Dorsey was in the news for whipping his basketball players with a weight belt, even though corporal punishment has been banned in Jackson (Miss.) Public Schools since 1991.

MarlonDorsey

The story caused a national firestorm that forced Murrah (Miss.) High School to fire Dorsey before reversing course, handing the coach a 25-day suspension and allowing to come back and coach.

As the Clarion-Ledger reported, it didn't take long for Dorsey to make headlines again for another reprimanding one of his players. Less than one year after the whipping incident, Dorsey was reportedly accused of "fussing at a player" following a November game against Yazoo City.

[ Video: The top sports story of 2011 ]

The incident was then reported to school officials who informed Dorsey of the complaint. Instead of making a big deal out of the issue, the head coach decided to step down until the situation could be resolved.

"In order to not be a distraction, he (Dorsey) has elected to not coach until matters can be rectified with JPS," Dorsey's attorney, Thandi Wade, told the Clarion-Ledger. "He plans to contest all the charges."

The Clarion-Ledger reported that the incidents that occurred last season caused a division within the team, pitting parents against players due to the way Dorsey ran his team.

Despite the way Dorsey punished his players in the past, parents at Murrah have continued to support the coach, even with fresh allegations being made.

"We respect his decision to step down and to not be a distraction to the kids or the program," Gary Love, who heads the team booster, told the Clarion-Ledger.