| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008 11:57 pm |
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 Meadowdale hires girls basketball coach Troy Parker is the new head girls basketball coach at Meadowdale High School. Parker teaches social studies at Meadowdale and coached the school's boys basketball team from 1997-2002. “It’s a privilege to be able to work with such an outstanding group of girls. I am looking forward to aiding their growth as athletes, as students, and as individuals, and I hope to build upon the success this program has had year after year,” Parker said in a statement. Parker takes over the program from Dan Taylor, who resigned last month after coaching Meadowdale three seasons. Taylor guided the Mavericks to the state tournament each year. This past season Meadowdale placed fifth in the Class 3A state tourney and had a 24-5 record. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
State baseball matchups I've got track and field on my mind after covering day one of the Class 4A Northwest District Track and Field Championship Meet yesterday. There were plenty of memorable/noteworthy performances at Everett Memorial Stadium. To read about some of them click here for a story about the boys meet and click here for info on the girls. The 4A meet concludes tomorrow. If you want to know about the 3A and 2A district meets or any other prep news go here. But wait - I titled this blog post "State baseball matchups" for a reason. So I'll move on from my track-induced detour and provide what I promised. Here are schedules for local baseball teams that will compete Saturday in single-elimination Class 4A, 3A, 2A and 2B state-tournament games. 4A Snohomish vs. Puyallup, 10 a.m. at Everett Memorial Stadium Mountlake Terrace vs. Central Kitsap, 1 p.m. at Everett Memorial Stadium *Winners play a loser-out quarterfinal at 4 p.m. Marysville-Pilchuck vs. Olympia, 1 p.m. at Heidelberg Park (Tacoma) *Winner plays Tahoma vs. Heritage winner in a 4 p.m. loser-out quarterfinal 3A Meadowdale vs. West Seattle, 1 p.m. at Skagit Dream Field (Mount Vernon) *Winner plays Mount Rainier vs. Seattle Prep winner in a 4 p.m. loser-out quarterfinal 2A Cedarcrest vs. Hockinson, 10 a.m. at Yelm High School *Winner plays Lynden vs. Fife winner in a 4 p.m. loser-out quarterfinal Archbishop Murphy vs. Aberdeen, 1 p.m. at Volunteer Field (Anacortes) *Winner plays Kingston vs. Sehome winner in a 4 p.m. loser-out quarterfinal 1A Coupeville vs. Castle Rock, 10 a.m. at Castle Rock High School *Winner plays Vashon Island vs. Kalama winner in a 4 p.m. loser-out quarterfinal 2B Darrington vs. Pe Ell, 1 p.m. at Mossyrock High School *Winner plays Seattle Lutheran vs. Adna winner 4 p.m. in a 4 p.m. loser-out quarterfinal ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
State soccer matchups The state boys soccer playoffs get underway tonight. Based on the current crummy weather, players can expect to be cold and wet. Seven local squads are active in the 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A tournaments. Here are tonight's scheduled first-round games: Class 4A: Shorewood vs. Thomas Jefferson, 7 p.m. at Shoreline Stadium; Snohomish vs. Bellarmine Prep, 7 p.m. at Mount Tahoma High, Tacoma; Marysville-Pilchuck vs. Puyallup, 7 p.m. at Sparks Stadium, Puyallup. Class 3A: Shorecrest vs. Auburn Riverside, 7:30 p.m. at Sunset Chev Stadium, Sumner Class 2A: Lakewood vs. Mark Morris, 6 p.m. at Lakewood High; Cedarcrest vs. Centralia, 6 p.m. at Cedarcrest High. Class 1A: King's vs. Forks, 7 p.m. at Woolsey Stadium. Teams that lose tonight are out. Winners advance to state quarterfinal games that will take place Friday or Saturday. Here are links to the full tourney brackets: 4A: http://www.wiaa.com/brackets/basesoc16.aspx?c=4A&s=Boys+Soccer&y=2008 3A: http://www.wiaa.com/brackets/basesoc16.aspx?c=3A&s=Boys+Soccer&y=2008 2A: http://www.wiaa.com/brackets/basesoc16.aspx?c=2A&s=Boys+Soccer&y=2008 1A: http://www.wiaa.com/brackets/basesoc16.aspx?c=1A&s=Boys+Soccer&y=2008 ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
History
The 4A District Championship game Saturday had all the makings of a baseball game without a photo. Marysville-Pilchuck pitchers, all three of them in a five inning game, were having trouble locating the strike zone. Starting pitcher Frank Nelson gave up six walks and three wild pitches in just an inning and 2/3rds, resulting in a five-run first for Mountlake Terrace. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Terrace up big at Everett Memorial Thanks to a huge first inning, the Mountlake Terrace baseball team appears on its way to winning the Class 4A District 1 championship at Everett Memorial Stadium. Terrace, the Wesco South No. 1 seed, erupted for five runs in the bottom of the first inning and currently leads the Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks 6-1. Terrace took advantage of four walks and two wild pitches by M-P starting pitcher Frank Nelson in the first inning. Both teams have already earned a spot in the 4A state tournament, but today's winner gets the top district seed and will host a first-round state-tourney game next Saturday at Everett Memorial. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Releasing aggression in style The difference between throwing a shot put and a discus is simple, Kirsten Smith told me last week. Launching the shot put is uncontrolled aggression and unleashing the discus is controlled aggression, said Smith, a senior thrower on the Everett High School track and field team. Sometimes dumping your frustration into a powerful shot heave is especially comforting, she said: "It depends if you're in a bad mood." Smith, who also throws the javelin, is one of the top Class 3A competitors in Washington. She hopes to qualify for the state championships in three events for the second consecutive year. To read more about her click here. One particularly funny thing about Smith: For the most important competitions she uses a special pink disc. She named it Miss Pretty. Smith protects Miss Pretty like a loved one. Said Smith of the beloved disc, "It sleeps on my bed." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
A humbling experience There was no grin. Not even a hint of a smile. I thought Andrew Watters would surely show some excitement last night after his baseball team won a riveting extra-inning battle at Everett Memorial Stadium. But Watters, who coaches Mountlake Terrace, was pretty stone-faced after his Hawks outlasted Shorewood 5-4 in nine innings. The triumph clinched a Class 4A state tournament berth for Terrace, which will play Marysville-Pilchuck for the District 1 title 2 p.m. Saturday at Everett Memorial. Why did Watters seem so serious after the game last night versus Shorewood? Probably because both teams played well enough to win. In the end, Terrace barely had enough to move on. “To be quite honest with you, I don’t think anybody deserved to lose that game,” Watters said, with a look of relief on his face. “I actually feel bad for the Shorewood guys who battled so hard. I’m humbled by a game like that because it’s been so hard to get to the state tournament.” Terrace, ranked No. 10 in the final Washington High School Baseball Class 4A Poll, will try to win the first district championship in program history Saturday, Watters said. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Final baseball rankings of the season Now that the postseason is underway, baseball action is getting more intense. Lem Elway added to the excitement by releasing his final Washington High School Baseball Poll of the year earlier today. In Class 4A, Snohomish and Mountlake Terrace are ranked. If they win tonight they’ll play for the District 1 championship 2 p.m. Saturday at Everett Memorial Stadium. I’ve seen both teams in the past week. They’re loaded with pitching, defense and talented hitters. Snohomish, the 2007 state runnerup, has a major edge in playoff experience though. In 2A, Lakewood and Cedarcrest of the Cascade Conference made it into the rankings. Here are the complete rankings. Washington High School Baseball Poll Released Tuesday. Compiled by Lem Elway. Class 4A 1. Richland (19-1) 2. Redmond (18-2) 3. University (18-2) 4. Olympia (19-2) 5. Kentlake (16-4) 6. Snohomish (17-4) 7. Battle Ground (15-4) 8. Puyallup (17-4) 9. Tahoma (15-5) 10. Mountlake Terrace (15-6) Class 3A 1. Eastside Catholic (20-1) 2. Kelso (20-1) 3. Ferndale (16-2) 4. Skyline (15-5) 5. Blanchet (18-2) 6. Bonney Lake (15-5) 7. Timberline (15-4) 8. Capital (15-3) 9. Mt. Rainier (18-3) 10. Southridge (11-5) Class 2A 1. Sehome (17-2) 2. Selah (16-2) 3. W.F. West (16-1) 4. Fife (16-2) 5. Mark Morris (16-4) 6. River Ridge (15-3) 7. West Valley, Spokane (15-4) 8. East Valley, Yakima (15-4) 9. Lakewood (17-4) 10. Cedarcrest (16-5) Class 1A 1. Friday Harbor (17-0) 2. Kiona-Benton (17-1) 3. Freeman (16-1) 4. Tenino (13-2) 5. Kalama (15-2) 6. Naches (15-3) 7. Orting (15-4) 8. Rochester (16-3) 9. Brewster (14-6) 10. Lakeside (13-6) ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Let's try this again Crummy weather (surprise!) wiped out the start of the district baseball playoffs Saturday. It meant I wasn't able to cover the Class 4A first-round game between South No. 1 seed Mountlake Terrace and North No. 4 seed Stanwood. The 4A games were all bumped to today, which means I'm about to drive to Terrace. Hopefully I'll see some baseball. The weather seems to be cooperating today ... so far. Scheduled to pitch for Terrace is senior Jake Theis, a Washington State University recruit. A year ago I watched Theis get off to an excellent start in a first-round district clash against Lake Stevens. He limited Lake Stevens to one run through six innings and Terrace led 2-1 entering the final half-inning. But Lake Stevens rallied and won 3-2. Can Theis and the Hawks erase that disappointing memory with a win today against Stanwood? ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
The Battle for Everett superiority The annual Everett School District track and field meet, also known as the Everett City Championships, is today. Boys and girls from Cascade, Everett and Jackson will get started at 4 p.m. at Everett Memorial Stadium. On the line, of course, are city bragging rights. This year a format change makes the meet more meaningful: Coaches agreed to combine the boys and girls team scores of each school to crown a true city champion, Everett boys track coach Doug Hall said. Another unique quirk: The meet’s final event will be a co-ed 4-by-400-meter relay. To me, the most intriguing event will be the boys 400 (4-by-100) relay. Cascade and Everett are both ranked among the top five in the state, according to Athletic.net. Cascade's team - Paul Heer, Derek Sepe, Julian Willis and Lorne Bridgford - is No. 2 with a season-best time of 42.86 seconds. Everett is fifth (43.19). The Seagulls' runners are J Hopkins, Rendel Jones, Nick Thomas and Joe Giesick. Maybe the city rivalry can push the squads to a state-best time. The current leader is Todd Beamer (42.74). ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
The Herald jinx? You’ve probably heard of the so-called Madden curse: NFL players who have appeared on the cover of the well-known “Madden” football video game over the years have an alarming history of getting hurt. Sometimes I wonder if there’s a Herald curse. Every once in a while I write about outstanding local student-athletes and soon after that they suffer a serious injury or a surprising defeat. It’s all just coincidence, of course. But last week I couldn’t help but feel guilty that I somehow jinxed Ivana Krommelova, a star tennis player from Arlington High School. On April 22 I drove to Arlington and watched Krommelova play a match against Jennifer Jansen of Oak Harbor. I was working on a story about Krommelova, an exchange student from Slovakia who hadn’t lost a game all season — she won her first eight matches 6-0, 6-0. But her impressive streak ended the day I showed up to watch her. Obviously, other factors — Jansen’s ability, gusty wind, Krommelova feeling sick that day, etc. — led to the outcome, not my presence. I still felt a little guilty though. … I wonder if John Madden ever does. To learn more about Krommelova, who is undefeated and hopes to win a Class 3A state championship, click here. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
New baseball rankings A beautiful, sunny day. Two accurate, focused starting pitchers. A high-stakes game between a pair of top-10 baseball teams. That was the scenario yesterday when I covered the Western Conference North Division clash between Monroe and Snohomish. Fueled by pitcher Derek Jones’ three-hit shutout and a three-run fifth inning outburst, Snohomish won 3-0. To read more about the game click here. The teams play again today, but their seeding for the Class 4A District 1 tournament, which starts Saturday, has already been determined: Snohomish will be the North No. 1 seed, Monroe the North No. 2 seed. Both teams get to host a first-round game. How will Snohomish and Monroe perform in the postseason. We’ll know soon enough. For now, take a look at where the two North Division teams are in the latest state baseball poll. Washington High School Baseball Poll Released Monday. Compiled by Lem Elway. Records through last week. Class 4A 1. Richland (13-1) 2. Redmond (16-2) 3. University (15-2) 4. Olympia (17-2) 5. Puyallup (16-3) 6. Snohomish (15-3) 7. Kentlake (15-3) 8. Monroe (15-3) 9. Battle Ground (15-6) 10. Mead (15-2) Class 3A 1. Blanchet (17-0) 2. Eastside Catholic (17-1) 3. Kelso (20-0) 4. Mt. Rainier (17-2) 5. Skyline (14-4) 6. Ferndale (14-4) 7. Timberline (13-3) 8. Capital (12-1) 9. Issaquah (10-7) 10. Southridge (11-5) Class 2A 1. Sehome (16-2) 2. River Ridge (13-2) 3. Selah (15-2) 4. W.F. West (15-1) 5. Burlington-Edison (13-4) 6. Fife (13-2) 7. Mark Morris (12-4) 8. W. Valley, Spokane (13-4) 9. East Valley, Yakima (13-4) 10. Eatonville (14-4) Class 1A 1. Friday Harbor (14-0) 2. Kiona-Benton (15-1) 3. Freeman (13-0) 4. Tenino (11-2) 5. Naches (14-2) 6. Rochester (13-4) 7. Lakeside (13-5) 8. Lakewood (15-4) 9. River View (13-5) 10. Brewster (10-5) ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Joey Bywater is back It hasn't been an easy senior year for Joey Bywater. The talented distance runner from Lake Stevens High suffered from a foot injury this past fall, which he said affected his performance during cross country season. But after taking some time off and changing his training routine, Bywater appears to be back. Last weekend he won the 3,200-meter race at the Pasco Invitational, which is generally considered a preview of the state championships. Bywater used a late surge to pass Mead's Kelly Lynch and win in 9 minutes, 23.07 seconds. Through last week, it was the second-fastest time in the state this season, according to Washington Track Weekly. It was the first 3,200 of the season for Bywater, who had been running shorter events earlier this season. He said the victory was an important confidence-booster; it assured him that his training routine is working. After dealing with the foot injury, Bywater started running fewer miles and incorporating more low-impact exercises, like using a stationary bike and swimming. Bywater, a University of Washington recruit, said he's excited to see what he can do the rest of the year. He is the defending Class 4A state champion in the 1,600 and the 3,200. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
New baseball rankings Snohomish and Jackson both dropped in this week’s Class 4A Washington High School Baseball Poll. Snohomish slipped from fourth to fifth, and Jackson dropped two spots to No. 7. The only other local team in the rankings is Cedarcrest. The No. 9 Red Wolves rose one spot in the 2A poll. Washington High School Baseball Poll Released Monday. Compiled by Lem Elway. Records through last week. Class 4A 1. Puyallup (15-1) 2. Richland (9-1) 3. Redmond (14-2) 4. Mead (13-1) 5. Snohomish (13-2) 6. University (12-2) 7. Jackson (11-2) 8. Woodinville (11-4) 9. Kentlake (13-2) 10. Olympia (13-2) Class 3A 1. Blanchet (13-0) 2. Eastside Catholic (14-1) 3. Mt. Rainier (15-1) 4. Kelso (15-0) 5. Capital (10-1) 6. Liberty (9-5) 7. West Valley, Yakima (8-3) 8. Skyline (10-4) 9. Ferndale (13-2) 10. Southridge (8-2) Class 2A 1. Ellensburg (13-1) 2. River Ridge (11-1) 3. West Valley, Spokane (11-1) 4. W.F. West (12-1) 5. Sehome (13-2)) 6. Selah (12-3) 7. Cheney (10-3) 8. Lynden (12-4) 9. Cedarcrest (12-5) 10. Eatonville (11-3) Class 1A 1. Friday Harbor (12-0) 2. Kiona-Benton (11-1) 3. Freeman (9-0) 4. Tenino (9-1) 5. Naches (12-2) 6. Warden (12-1) 7. Rochester (7-2) 8. Lakeside (11-3) 9. River View (10-3) 10. Cascade (10-6) ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Eason Invite canceled For the first time in its 20-year history, the Eason Invite has been canceled. The cause, of course, was the snowy, cold weather. Meet director Tuck Gionet decided to cancel the meet at about 4:45 a.m. this morning. The invite was expected to include more than 1,100 athletes from about 50 teams competing in 39 events at Snohomish High School. Here is the content of an e-mail Gionet sent to coaches and officials at 5:21 a.m.: Good morning I regret to inform all of you that the 2008 Eason Invitational has been cancelled. There is 2” of snow on the track and 3” of snow in the throwing and warmup areas. The forecast for 10:00 AM is light snow/rain mix. The problems that we face are snow removal as well as conditions in the throwing areas that are not acceptable. There is also no place for athletes to adequately warm up for their events. The forecast throughout the day also is not conducive to having your athletes be out all day for a meet. Thanks for your time and I appreciate your understanding. Tuck Gionet Snohomish HS It's unclear if the Eason Invite will be rescheduled. Gionet said there's a chance he'll move it to May 3. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Thoughts from a hall-of-famer On Wednesday former Snohomish football star (and 1981 NFL first-round draft pick) Curt Marsh was inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame. A few weeks ago I met Marsh for the first time. I interviewed the massive one-time gridiron lineman at his home in Snohomish and wrote a story about his WIAA honor. To read the article click here. Marsh, who works as a motivational speaker, talked about all sorts of topics during our interview. Much of what he said didn't make it into the story but is still stuck in my head. Here are a few nuggets: Three-sport athletes At Snohomish, Marsh competed in football, basketball (his first love) and track. The experiences all helped him in different ways (learning different skills, playing for different coaches, cooperating with different teammates, etc.). It prepared him for life after sports, he said. That's why Marsh said he's so disappointed by the steady decline of three-sport athletes in high school. He completely disagrees with parents who encourage their kids to specialize in a single sport in hopes of earning a college scholarship. Very few of them will become pro athletes so they'd be better off getting as many different experiences as possible in high school. The perfect hit Football was extremely frustrating for Marsh at first, which he talked about for the story. But once he combined his impressive physical gifts with the correct lineman technique, everything changed. He vividly remembers the first time he made a perfect hit. It came in practice against another large teammate. What did it feel like? Marsh compared it to something from an entirely different sport: Laying a huge hit on a football foe felt pure and almost effortless, like connecting with a smooth, powerful swing in baseball. The power of song Marsh talked about many people who had a valuable impact on him, including legendary Snohomish football coach Dick Armstrong. I was surprised when Marsh mentioned his high school choir teacher. But without encouragement from that music mentor, Marsh said he never would have had the confidence to become a public speaker. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! |
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