| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009 9:31 am |
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 2009 Cascade Conference All-League Volleyball Teams 2009 Cascade Conference All-League Volleyball Teams Player of the Year Anna Cesari, senior, King's Coaches of the Year Toni Crebbin, Coupeville Jeff Curtis, Archbishop Murphy First Team Becca Gotz, senior, Archbishop Murphy Dionna Kirton, senior, King's Savannah Fletcher, senior, Archbishop Murphy Allison Wood, senior, South Whidbey Megan Carlson, senior, Archbishop Murphy Jessica Riddle, freshman, Coupeville Hannah Linsenmayer, sophomore, Archbishop Murphy Second Team Hayley Liebel, junior, Lakewood Tina Boggs, senior, King's Monesa Moore, junior, Granite Falls Dani Baehm, junior, Archbishop Murphy McKenzie Daniels, sophomore, King's Linden Firethorne, sophomore, South Whidbey Kelsie Dorpat, senior, South Whidbey ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment 2009 Cascade Conference All-League Girls Soccer Teams 2009 Cascade Conference All-League Girls Soccer Teams Offensive Player of the Year Hillary Zevenbergen, senior, King's Defensive Player of the Year Alli Beard, senior, Archbishop Murphy Coach of the Year Jeremiah Wohlgemuth, Lakewood Forwards First Team Sam Pettinger, senior, Archbishop Murphy Maggie Pleis, sophomore, Cedarcrest Katie Cashman, junior, Granite Falls Second Team Tasha Pabisz, sophomore, Archbishop Murphy Jessica Manca, sophomore, South Whidbey Anna Lennon, senior, South Whidbey Midfielders First Team Lindsey Bos, senior, Archbishop Murphy Caroline Brawner, junior, Archbishop Murphy Ashton Griffen, senior, Cedarcrest Katyann Powers, senior, Granite Falls Abby Burke, freshman, Lakewood Second Team Maddy Huggins, senior, Archbishop Murphy Courtney Boyd, senior, Coupeville Taylor Hauck, sophomore, King's Christina McCormick, junior, King's Makenzie Peterson, sophomore, South Whidbey Fullbacks First Team McKenna Swanson, sophomore, Cedarcrest Brittany McGinnis, junior, Granite Falls Hillary Quinn, senior, King's Kennady Bonnallie, freshman, Lakewood Second Team Erin Ryan, senior, Archbishop Murphy Amanda d'Almeida, freshman, Coupeville Amanda Montana, sophomore, Coupeville Laura Barrow, senior, South Whidbey Goalies First Team Alexa Hughes, senior, Archbishop Murphy Second Team Miranda Head, sophomore, Lakewood ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
UPDATE: NCAA National Letter of Intent signings I expect a bunch of local student-athletes to sign an NCAA National Letter of Intent sometime between Wednesday (Nov. 11) and Nov. 18, the early signing period for many sports (including basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball). Many recruits are waiting until Thursday to sign because of the Veterans Day holiday. As I confirm signings, I will post updates on this blog post. Click here to see an updated list of Class of 2010 verbal commitments. The signing period for some sports (including football, soccer, track and cross country) is in February. If you know of commitments and signing ceremonies we haven't reported yet, e-mail mcane@heraldnet.com. 8:16 p.m. Wednesday The only local Letter of Intent signing from today that I am aware of is: *Shorewood's Laurin Williams (Ohio University women's swimming) I expect the following athletes to sign at various ceremonies on Thursday: *Cascade's Danielle Love (University of Oregon women's basketball) *Glacier Peak's Marjorie Heard (University of Washington women's basketball) *Jackson's Erin Feeney (Western Washington University women's basketball) *Jackson's Dani Jackman (Grand Canyon University softball) *Jackson's Courtney McDermott (Emory University women's swimming) *Jackson's Alana Pazevic (University of Florida women's swimming) *Jackson's Ryan Todd (Seattle Pacific University men's basketball) *Monroe's Megan Birch (University of the Pacific volleyball) 8:20 a.m. Thursday Another signing that took place on Wednesday: *Edmonds-Woodway's Leigh Fishback (Bryant University volleyball) ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment 2009 Cascade Conference All-League Football Teams Here are the Cascade Conference All-League Football selections. The top honors went to Coupeville coach Ron Bagby (Coach of the Year), King's QB Thomas Vincent (Offensive MVP) and Granite Falls linebacker Zach Jones (Defensive MVP). 2009 Cascade Conference All-League Football Teams Coach of the Year Ron Bagby (Coupeville) Offensive MVP Thomas Vincent, junior, King's First Team Quarterback Austin VanderWel, junior, Archbishop Murphy Second Team Quarterback Zach Beebe, senior, Sultan First Team Running Backs Jacob Kriegbaum, senior, Cedarcrest Alex Martinez, senior, Archbishop Murphy Henry Mead, senior, South Whidbey Second Team Running Backs Coty Walker, senior, Granite Falls Jake Beebe, junior, Sultan Danny Zuver, senior, South Whidbey First Team Wide Receivers Nick Swanson, senior, King's Curtis Clauson, junior, King's Clayton Knoles, senior, Sultan Second Team Wide Receivers Ian Smith, junior, Coupeville Mark Bishop, senior, Cedarcrest Jake Clark, senior, Archbishop Murphy First Team Offensive Line Dakota Bunce, senior, Cedarcrest Julius Tevaga, junior, Archbishop Murphy Alex Gibbs, senior, Cedarcrest Paul Lutgen, senior, King's Jordan Kinser, senior, South Whidbey Tani Tupou, junior, Archbishop Murphy Second Team Offensive Line Ryker Young, senior, King's Jackson Hjelle, senior, Granite Falls Bobby Alwood, senior, Sultan Chad Brookhouse, senior, Coupeville First Team Kicker Nick Swanson, senior, King's Second Team Kicker C.J. Mowry, junior, Cedarcrest First Team Punter T.J. Russell, junior, South Whidbey Second Team Punter Paul Gumke, senior, Granite Falls Defensive MVP Zach Jones, senior, Granite Falls First Team Defensive Backs Alex Martinez, senior, Archbishop Murphy Hunter Rawls, senior, South Whidbey Curtis Clauson, junior, King's Ryan Teter, senior, Granite Falls Second Team Defensive Backs T.J. Russell, junior, South Whidbey Nick Swanson, senior, King's Theo VandenEkart, junior, Sultan Ian Smith, junior, Coupeville First Team Linebackers Jacob Kriegbaum, senior, Cedarcrest Dakota Bunce, senior, Cedarcrest Paul Lutgen, senior, King's Jake Hines, senior, Archbishop Murphy Zach Beebe, senior, Sultan Second Team Linebackers Christian Melton, sophomore, Lakewood Danny Zuver, senior, South Whidbey Chad Brookhouse, senior, Coupeville First Team Defensive Line Julius Tevaga, junior, Archbishop Murphy Tani Tupou, junior, Archbishop Murphy David Donley, senior, Coupeville Chuck Norris, junior, South Whidbey Second Team Defensive Line Jackson Lilleness, senior, King's Dillon Parrick, senior, South Whidbey Tanner Rutz, senior, Sultan Davion Watkins, senior, Coupeville Special Teams Co-Players of the Year Alex Martinez, senior, Archbishop Murphy Nick Swanson, senior, King's ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Final State Coaches Association volleyball rankings The state volleyball championships are this week. Click here to see the tournament brackets. The final Washington State Volleyball Coaches Association Rankings of the season have been announced by Tanya Campbell. This week, the rankings are predictions of how each state tournament will play out, based on how the brackets look. The top eight teams (out of 16) place at state. The coaches' poll predicts state-title wins for North Sound Christian of Mountlake Terrace (Class 1B) and King's of Shoreline (1A). Archbishop Murphy is picked to finish second in 2A. Washington State Volleyball Coaches Association Rankings Released Nov. 9 Class 4A 1. Mead 2. Richland 3. Graham-Kapowsin 4. Olympia 5. Auburn Riverside 6. Curtis 7. Lewis & Clark 8. Skyview 9-16. Kentwood, Issaquah, Kamiak, Woodinville, Jackson, Edmonds-Woodway, Southridge, Tahoma. Class 3A 1. Camas 2. Seattle Prep 3. Mount Spokane 4. Capital 5. Timberline 6. Blanchet 7. Lakes 8. West Valley 9-16. Meadowdale, Holy Names, Peninsula, Everett, Mt. Si, Auburn Mountainview, Prairie, Columbia River. Class 2A 1. Burlington-Edison 2. Archbishop Murphy 3. Fife 4. Pullman 5. East Valley of Yakima 6. Selah 7. West Valley of Spokane 8. Lynden 9-16: Black Hills, Grandview, Colville, Mark Morris, Anacortes, Hockinson, Washington, RA Long. Class 1A 1. King's 2. Annie Wright 3. Royal 4. Onalaska 5. Granger 6. Cascade of Leavenworth 7. Lynden Christian 8. Chelan 9-16. Castle Rock, Montesano, Cedar Park Christian, Connell, Cascade Christian, Montesano, Meridian, Lakeside. Class 2B 1. LaConner 2. Tekoa-Oakesdale 3. La Salle 4. Colfax 5. Northwest Christian of Colbert 6. Toutle Lake 7. Darrington 8. The Bear Creek School 9-16. Northwest Christian of Lacey, Adna, Kittitas, Reardan, Christian Faith, Liberty Bell, Pomeroy, Mossyrock. Class 1B 1. North Sound Christian 2. Thorp 3. Crescent 4. Wilson Creek 5. Northport 6. Almire-Coulee Hartline 7. LaCrosse-Washtucna 8. St. John-Endicott 9-16. Colton, Sprague Harrington, Kingsway Christian, Lummi, Three Rivers Christian, Lopez, Klickitat, Trout Lake/Glenwood. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Video: Glacier Peak's Amy-Eloise Neale wins 3A state cross country title I recorded a bunch of video clips on Saturday during the 2009 State Cross Country Championships in Pasco. Here is a clip of Glacier Peak High School freshman Amy-Eloise Neale finishing strong and winning the Class 3A girls race. Glacier Peak's Amy-Eloise Neale wins Class 3A state cross country championship ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment State football playoff brackets Here are links to the 2009 state football tournament brackets. *Class 4A tournament *Class 3A tournament *Class 2A tournament *Class 1A tournament *Class 2B tournament *Class 1B tournament Look in The Herald this week (and listen to our next Prep Football Podcast) for a look at our local teams' first-round state matchups. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment More state tournament brackets: girls soccer and volleyball Here are links to the 2009 state girls soccer tournament brackets: *Class 4A *Class 3A *Class 2A *Class 1A *Class 1B/2B And here are links to the 2009 state volleyball tournament brackets: *Class 4A *Class 3A *Class 2A *Class 1A *Class 2B *Class 1B ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Results from the 2009 State Cross Country Championships in Pasco Snohomish County girls fared very well today during the 2009 State Cross Country Championships in Pasco. Glacier Peak High School freshman Amy-Eloise Neale won the individual Class 3A championship and the King's High School girls team from Shoreline won its fourth straight 1A team title; King's seniors Adele Eslinger, Morgan Hamm and Makenzie Taylor have been on the Knights' past four first-place state squads. Glacier Peak lost a close battle with Shadle Park of Spokane for the 3A team title. Shadle Park won by eight points. The No. 1 nationally ranked Jackson High boys team was unable to complete its goal of winning a state team title. Jackson placed second in 4A for the second consecutive year. Ferris of Spokane, ranked No. 9 in America, won the team crown with 68 points; Jackson scored 100. More than 1,600 athletes representing 244 schools competed in the state meet on a sometimes-sunny but windy day at Sun Willows Golf Course. Competitors traversed the 3.1-mile (5,000-meter) course. There were 11 different races. To see complete state meet results, go to http://www.jcrawford.net/ccmain.html. And be sure to look in The Herald on Sunday. We will have detailed meet coverage, including five stories, lots of photos and a list of top local runners. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Video: KOMO 4 TV's Ike Ditzenberger story This is awesome — a lot more people are getting to hear Ike Ditzenberger's story. Tonight KOMO 4 News aired a nicely done report about Ike's big touchdown run earlier this week. Check out the video report below, and go to KOMO's Web site to read dozens of positive comments from readers (scroll to the bottom of the KOMO story to see comments) who were touched by Ike's passion for the gridiron. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Marysville-Pilchuck football practice notes: coach Brandon Carson, RG Brett... I drove from Everett to the Tri-Cities today. I'm out here to cover the 2009 State Cross Country Championships, which start Saturday morning at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. It should be a special day for lots of local runners, especially the Jackson boys and Glacier Peak girls teams (both are nationally ranked). I hope the weather improves though — the wind is blowing like crazy this evening. It's too bad I won't get to cover any football games this weekend. We have a bunch of interesting playoff matchups, including unbeaten Marysville-Pilchuck playing host to Graham-Kapowsin (6-3). That Class 4A quad-district game kicks off at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Snohomish Veterans Memorial Stadium. I wrote a football notebook that was published in today's Herald. I led the notebook with a look at M-P's talented offensive line. On Tuesday, I went to the Tomahawks' practice and spoke to senior lineman Brett Parsons and M-P head coach Brandon Carson. I couldn't fit all of their notable comments into my notebook, so here are some extended excerpts from those interviews. Brandon Carson, Marysville-Pilchuck head football coach *On playing Graham-Kapowsin “They're about 50-50 (passing versus running). They have good team speed and a couple of good, good receivers — maybe two of the best we've seen all year. And they have a pretty quick tailback. Their quarterback's young but he's going to be a tough player in years to come. He has a real good arm.” “They're a real good football team. Their three losses were by (about) a touchdown or less (against) a couple really good teams.” Graham-Kapowsin's losses were 34-28 versus Curtis (9-0), 24-15 versus Bethel (8-1) and 21-14 versus Rogers (6-3). *On defending G-P receivers Greg Logan (44 catches, 702 yards, three TDs) and Jamaal Jones (33-499-9) “With the way our (Wesco North) league is, a lot of teams are throwing it quite a bit. Some of the (defensive pass coverage for this week) isn't new; some of it is. We've just got to do a good job of reading our keys and covering their guys.” *On playing a ‘home' playoff game at Snohomish High “We like that venue a little bit better than Everett Memorial. We just haven't had very good luck at Everett Memorial the last few years. (A year ago M-P lost a playoff game against Issaquah at Everett Memorial.) Our captains chose to play (at Snohomish High). I let them decide and that's where they wanted to play.” M-P wasn't allowed to host Saturday's game at Quil Ceda Stadium in Marysville because it doesn't have artificial turf. *What did M-P learn from its 2008 playoff loss against Issaquah? “We just ran into a team that might have been a little bit better than us. Our kids competed hard in that game. The nice thing about it is some of the (M-P) kids who are still around, they still have that taste in their mouth of playoff football and they didn't want their season to end that way.” *On M-P's dominant offensive line “(Assistant coach Scott Stokes) does a great job with those guys, getting them ready for all kinds of different stunts and fronts and blitzes. They're a real heady group. They're pretty smart kids and they pick things up real fast, which is helpful. They play hard and they like being around each other. They're a pretty tight-knit group.” “I think they like seeing anybody — whether it's Austin (Denton) or AJ (Kvangnes) or Zack (Hanson) — they like seeing people run for big amounts of yardage.” *On star RB Austin Denton's health After dealing with a sore neck recently, Denton is “100 percent now. He's good to go. He might be as healthy as he's been all year.” *On coach Carson's decision to play Denton only on offense most of the season “With him being our (key) guy, we don't want to risk injury on defense. We want to make sure we keep him healthy.” *On M-P's strong linebacker group, led by twin brothers Suli and Siti Tamaivena (pronounced Tom-uh-vain-uh “They're pretty special players. When you go back and watch film if they're both not making the play, one of them (is) around the ball. They're always around the ball. They have pretty good instincts, that's for sure.” Last year, as sophomores, the Tamaivena brothers played on M-P's sophomore team. This year, they skipped JV and jumped right to the varsity starting lineup. “They've really stepped it up this year. They've gotten bigger (and) stronger and they just play hard and they play fast. They've had a great year. They've gotten better every week.” Brett Parsons, M-P senior co-captain, right offensive tackle *Why is M-P's offensive line playing so well? “I give credit to (assistant coach Scott) Stokes. He knows his stuff. Every single week it's something new, and running our offense — you never know what the defense is going to throw at us.” “He just teaches us well. He makes sure we stick to our rules … and if you do something wrong he makes sure to tell you about it.” *On taking a bigger leadership role leading up to this season “Definitely early on, honestly, I didn't know who was going to play where. So I made sure that (all) of our guys went to the weight room, made sure they (got) their running in so they're in shape. I kind of had to take a leadership role and make sure that everybody was doing the right thing and doing what it takes to be a good football player.” *On how the O-line feels when M-P backs break a big run or have a great game “As a lineman, I think I speak for all of us — we may not show it but we really take pride in knowing that our running backs are (able) to do that behind us. Give credit to the running backs. They run hard.” *Why is RB Austin Denton (1,919 yards and 24 touchdowns in eight games played this season) is so good? “A regular running back, maybe not as good as Austin, will maybe get 5 yards (on a particular play). But (Denton) just keeps his feet moving and he's able to pick up (more yards).” “At a high school level, I haven't (seen a running back like Denton), not with my own eyes anyway. I don't know what it is about him. It just seems like he's slippery and hard to bring down. And he's big (but) he's able to out-run people. I don't know how he does it.” ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment KING 5 story about Jackson QB/rapper Andy Gay Remember the video clip of Jackson High School quarterback Andy Gay performing a special homecoming rap that I posted a few weeks ago? Well, KING 5 TV found out about Gay's turn as an entertainer and the station did a story about the Jackson senior and his buddy Matthew Robertson. Check out the report. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Video update: Snohomish's Ike Ditzenberger scores a touchdown! Usually Ike Ditzenberger runs the ball into the end zone at practice, not in games. But on Monday during a junior-varsity clash against Lake Stevens, Ditzenberger of Snohomish High School scored a touchdown. Ditzenberger, a Snohomish football player who has Down syndrome, ran the ball about 25 yards for the touchdown, weaving around Lake Stevens players who could have tackled Ike (5-foot-5, 150 pounds) but instead let him enjoy the thrill of a TD. Last month I wrote a story about Ike Ditzenberger and his incredible family. It was one of the most fulfilling experiences I've had since I started writing for The Herald. This afternoon I got an e-mail from Herald reader Lisa Grundl, who was at the JV game on Monday when Ike scored. Here is how Lisa described Ike's TD play. “The entire (crowd) was standing, cheering and in tears — both teams and coaches were cheering — it was an incredible moment — where no one cared about the score for a moment — just about giving a boy his dream!” “It was incredible — while Lake Stevens has always been our ‘rival' — from now on, in my mind, they are all heroes.” Here is a video clip of Ike's big play. Thanks to Tony Soper for sending the video link to me. Snohomish football player Ike Ditzenberger scores a TD ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Listen to The Herald's Week 10 Prep Football Podcast This is a jam-packed week of prep sports, and a lot of the excitement surrounds our playoff-bound local football teams. In addition to the gridiron games our writers covered on Tuesday night (Everett 41-6 over Sedro-Woolley and Granite Falls' 31-6 loss against Squalicum), we will cover a bunch of games on Friday and Saturday. To see all of the playoff matchups featuring local teams check out the Northwest District site. It has links to all the brackets. In our latest Prep Football Podcast (Week 10), we talk about some of this week's best matchups and look back at several of last week's clutch performances. Click here to listen. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Video interview with Arlington High School goalkeeper Chelsea Boulton First and foremost, I'm a writer. That's still how I spend most of my work time. But I'm also trying to branch out into other types of content to highlight high school sports from a variety of perspectives. One way I hope to accomplish that is with video. The past year or so I've been posting video interviews and clips from practices and games. It's all pretty basic at this point but the idea is to help you connect with our local players and teams in a way that complements what you read in The Herald's print and online editions. Last week I recorded a video interview with Chelsea Boulton, Arlington High School's all-league senior goalkeeper. The video interview goes along with my Timeout profile of Chelsea. Here is the video clip. (I apologize about my sometimes-shaky camera work — I'm still working on that.) Video interview: Arlington High School soccer goalkeeper Chelsea Boulton ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
The Sound of Rain
It was wet Saturday afternoon in Langley, very wet. The ground was a sodden mess and just got messier as hundreds of feet pounded it into submission. Somehow I had tricked myself into wearing cotton pants and not nearly enough layers that morning. My excuse was it was sunny at my house when I left. I paid for it later as the cotton wicked the water from my shoes up towards my knees. It was not fun. I don't know how the runners felt about the conditions, but seeing as there were no course records broken, I can only imagine that the wet and sloppy course made for slow running. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment New state coaches' volleyball rankings With the volleyball playoffs underway this week, here is the second-to-last edition of the 2009 Washington State Coaches Association State Rankings. This time, rankings coordinator Tanya Campbell expanded the list to 16 teams in each classification in an attempt to project how teams will finish at the various state tournaments. The highest-rated local teams are North Sound Christian (No. 2 1B), King's (No. 2 1A), Archbishop Murphy (No. 3 2A) and Monroe (No. 5 4A). Washington State Coaches Association Volleyball Rankings (Week 10) Class 4A 1. Mead 2. Graham-Kapowsin 3. Skyview 4. Richland 5. Monroe 6. Gig Harbor 7. Olympia 8. Southridge 9. Kamiakin 10. Eisenhower 11.Kentwood 12. Curtis 13. Kamiak 14. Auburn Riverside 15. Woodinville 16. Jackson Class 3A 1. Blanchet 2. North Kitsap 3. Mount Spokane 4. Kennedy 5. Auburn Mountainview 6. Prairie 7. Mount Si 8. Timberline 9. Eastside Catholic 10. Bonney Lake 11. Seattle Prep 12. Meadowdale 13. Mercer Island 14. Anacortes 15. Sequim 16. White River Class 2A 1. Burlington-Edison 2. Selah 3. Archbishop Murphy 4. Pullman 5. Fife 6. Black Hills 7. Tumwater 8. Grandview 9. West Valley of Spokane 10. Lynden 11. Colville 12. Mark Morris 13. East Valley of Yakima 14. Ferndale 15. Centralia 16. Ellensburg Class 1A 1. Onalaska 2. King's 3. Annie Wright 4. Royal 5. Chelan 6. Lynden Christian 7. Castle Rock 8. Newport 9. Cascade (Leavenworth) 10. Montesano 11. Cedar Park Christian 12. Bellevue Christian 13. Granger 14. Goldendale 15. University Prep 16. Connell Class 2B 1. LaConner 2. Kittitas 3. La Salle 4. Colfax 5. Toutle Lake 6. Christian Faith 7. Shoreline Christian 8. Adna 9. NW Christian Lacey 10. Darrington 11. Riverside Christian of Yakima 12. NW Christian Colbert 13. Lind-Ritzville 14. Liberty Christian 15. Tekoa-Oakesdale 16. Davenport Class 1B 1. Neah Bay 2. North Sound Christian 3. Thorp 4. Tri-Cities Prep 5. Crescent 6. Northport 7. Wilson Creek 8. St. John-Endicott 9. LaCrosse-Washtucna 10. Moses Lake Christian 11. Colton 12. Cusick 13. Almire-Coulee Hartline 14. St. George's 15. Puget Sound Adventist ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
The Smell of Mud
Grass fields are so awesome!!! They are dirty, wet, smelly and muddy but oh so fun to photograph. FieldTurf fields are easier to maintain and decrease the amount of bleach teams have to use on their uniforms but they are so boring. Even if it is raining cats and dogs, Field Turf drains and there is no dirt to get churned into mud. BORING. Give me mud and muck any time. I'll risk kneeling in inches of freezing worm habitat to make nice photos any time. Friday night in Arlington brought wind, then rain, then really nice muddy football players. Arlington took on Stanwood in the annual Stilly Cup. The night started out dry but really windy, but soon after kick-off the rain moved in. The grass field was already sodden, with several standing pools of water. As the night moved on, those pools expanded, creating giant mud pits that turned the double white uniforms of Stanwood into brown/gray messes. Here is a photo time-lapse of the game. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Tacoma News Tribune Week 10 football rankings It's playoff time, football fans. This week we'll cover a bunch of our local gridiron teams as they compete in play-in and preliminary-round games. To see when, where and who your favorite team will play this week, check out the football brackets on the Northwest District Web site. And if you want a quick recap of what happened this past weekend, click on these links: *Mountlake Terrace makes history with win over Kamiak *Stanwood keeps Stilly Cup *Lake Stevens overcomes adversity, makes playoffs *Jackson ends Cascade's postseason quest *FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Austin Denton sets Marysville-Pilchuck season rushing record You should also check out the Tacoma News Tribune football rankings. There were no changes in the 4A rankings. Jackson (9-0) remains No. 4 and Marysville-Pilchuck (9-0) stayed at No. 10. The teams ranked ahead of Jackson are No. 1 Bothell (9-0), No. 2 Skyline (7-2) and No. 3 Auburn (9-0). In 3A, Meadowdale (9-0) kept its No. 8 ranking after a three-point victory over Everett. In 2A, Archbishop Murphy (8-1) remains No. 3, behind No. 1 Ellensburg (9-0) and No. 2 Lynden (8-1). And congrats to Cedarcrest (8-1), which slid into the 2A rankings at No. 10. Cedarcrest's only loss was a last-minute thriller against Murphy. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
UPDATE: Stilly Cup 2009 Final: Stanwood 21, Arlington 14
6:10 p.m. Countdown to kickoff We're 50 minutes away from the start of the 2009 Stilly Cup game. It should be a good one. It's going to be pretty tough for the teams to pass the ball tonight. The wind is blowing like crazy. On my drive through Smokey Point to Arlington (the game is at John C. Larson Stadium) I saw wire-suspended street lights swinging all over the place at intersections because of the wind. Then I passed a local business that had a giant American flag attached to a tall pole; the flag was flapping like mad. And as for the grass field here at Larson Stadium, it's not nearly as messy and water-logged as the one at Archbishop Murphy High, where I covered a game a few weeks ago. But this field is still pretty soggy. From the press box, I can see several sizable puddles between the 20-yard lines. I'm going to head down to the field and maybe get some video and take a few photos. ***** 6:36 p.m. This is Eagle Country Arlington students are already packing their section of the home bleachers. They just went wild when the Eagles completed their first portion of warmups and jogged to the locker room. It's senior night for Arlington and right now the public-address announcer is introducing the team's seniors and their parents. The crowd just gave them a big round of applause. ***** 6:55 p.m. Close call on the sidelines Maybe I shouldn't stand so close to the players during pre-game warmups. ***** 7:13 p.m. Score update: Stanwood 7, Arlington 0, 6:19 to go in first quarter Stanwood took the ball 68 yards in eight plays (all runs) on the first possession of the game. Ryan Schroyer dived in for a 9-yard TD run. ***** 7:36 p.m. Score update: Stanwood 14, Arlington 7, 7:17 to go in second quarter ***** 7:53 p.m. Score update: Stanwood 21, Arlington 7, 1:43 to go in 2nd Q Stanwood RB Brad Gee already has two TD runs (3 yards and 2 yards) and Schroyer has one. The offensive line has been dominant, opening huge holes for all the Spartans backs. Gee has 49 yards rushing on nine carries. Arlington has turned the ball over three times on downs (twice in Stanwood' s side of the field). ***** 8:07 p.m. Halftime score: Stanwood 21, Arlington 7 Other Wesco football halftime scores: Lake Stevens 19, Snohomish 13 Jackson 14, Cascade 0 Mountlake Terrace 7, Kamiak 0 ***** 8:14 p.m. In the first half, Stanwood had its way on the ground. The Spartans rushed for 182 yards on 33 carries, including two TDs by bruising RB Brad Gee. Stanwood's offensive linemen controlled the line of scrimmage. Gee had 49 yards on nine carries, Ryan Schroyer 95 yards on 10 carries and Ben Ulrich 33 yards on six carries. Arlington's only TD of the half was RB Riley Cobb's 26-yard reception from QB Andy Smith. Smith passed effectively, completing 9 of 15 passes for 140 yards. Cobb (three receptions, 43 yards) has been his top target. Stanwood's stout defense limited Arlington to negative-22 yards on nine attempts. LB Jay Steik and DL Michael Randall were in on numerous stops. The field is getting churned up and is turning into a giant mud puddle in the middle. It's hard to see the numbers on the back of some Stanwood players because they are absolutely covered in mud. ***** 9:00 p.m. Score update: Stanwood 21, Arlington 14, 4:15 to go in fourth Q ***** 9:37 p.m. Final score: Stanwood 21, Arlington 14 Despite scoring zero points in the second half (Arlington's defense and the rain/wind had a lot to do with that), Stanwood prevailed in the Stilly Cup game. Stanwood is the Wesco North No. 3 seed for the Class 4A quad-district playoffs and will play at KingCo No. 1 seed Bothell next week. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Stilly Cup football: Checking in with coaches Greg Dailer (Arlington) and A... Less than eight hours from now I'll be in the press box at Arlington High's John Larson Stadium, waiting for kickoff of the 2009 Stilly Cup football game. Did you see our video interviews with Stanwood players and Arlington players? The guys were all extremely excited about tonight's game. Stanwood linebacker Jay Steik said it will be the biggest game of his life. He also predicted a 42-14 Stanwood triumph. One interesting angle for this year's Stilly Cup game is that both coaches are relatively new. Arlington's Greg Dailer is in his second year as the Eagles head coach, while this is Aaron Cupp's first season guiding Stanwood. Here are excerpts of my interviews with the coaches from earlier this week. Arlington High School football coach Greg Dailer On Arlington's explosive offense (The Eagles have scored 41 points or more in a game five times this season.) “The offense has been clicking all year. The only team that really shut us down was Jackson. Marysville stopped us pretty solid, but we still moved the ball a little bit against them.” Arlington (3-2 Wesco North, 4-4 overall) has had five games with more than 400 yards of offense and had over 300 versus unbeaten Marysville-Pilchuck, Dailer said. “So we've been clicking pretty well (but) we had a couple games there in the middle where we had trouble in the red zone.” In the middle of the season, Arlington changed its focus from pass-first to run-first. The Eagles racked up 300 yards rushing in a win over Monroe and 200 yards on the ground in a win against Oak Harbor. “That was fun to be able to get the running game going.” On Arlington's much-improved defense. (The Eagles have allowed an average of just 14.3 points during their three-game win streak.) “Our defense has been doing a really nice job. (They) really threw a challenge down after the Jackson game (a 56-21 loss) to be more aggressive and tackle better, and they've really stepped it up.” Dailer praised junior middle linebacker Blake Petersen, who has 54 tackles over the last three games. “That guy's been an animal lately. We knew he was going to be good. … Blake is the leader of our defense right now, him and (senior linebacker) Jeff Owen.” On coaching in his second Stilly Cup game, his first at Arlington High “Getting to host it means a lot. There's a lot of meaning (playoff implications) to the game. Last year there wasn't so much, so it's been real exciting. All the kids, as soon as the Snohomish game was over they were already starting to talk about the Stilly Cup.” “You know, you don't have to give a great speech (during) Stilly Cup week. The kids are already ready to go.” On defending Stanwood's spread offense “They're doing some good things there at Stanwood. I've noticed that their quarterback (senior Mike McCune) has really improved since the beginning of the season. At the beginning of the year he had some not-great form and I think coach Cupp's done a great job with him.” “We have to tackle well. They have some guys with some speed. (Running back Brad Gee) is a bruiser. We aren't going to stop all the pass plays. We just want to make sure we don't give up the big play, so it might come down to tackling.” On hosting the Stilly Cup game “We're glad to have it at home. Our fans, they'll pack the place. It should be a lot of fun.” On the potentially sloppy field conditions at Larson Stadium “The field will be mushy and we don't mind. We're mudders. We practice on (a muddy field). Our field is our field. We enjoy playing on it and other people don't always.” On Arlington's health “(Senior running back/safety Jake Parduhn) has been dinged up (shoulder) and he missed last week. But overall we have been much healthier this year. The flu bug seems to be passing us by.” Stanwood High School football coach Aaron Cupp On Stanwood's 24-0 non-league loss last week versus Ferndale “There were just a lot of distractions.” It was Stanwood (3-2 Wesco North, 3-5) senior night. The festivities disrupted the team's usual pre-game routine, and there was a 35-40 mph wind that limited the Spartans' passing attack, said Cupp. “And Ferndale's (6-2) a really good football team. They come out, they execute. They're sharp. They do the things that they need to do to win. I really felt like they played well. They played focused. They executed and we just didn't do any of those things.” Stanwood didn't watch film of the Ferndale game the morning after. “We looked awful and I think at this point in the season our playoff is this week (against Arlington). This is when our playoffs start. There's no reason to look back at a game that we felt like really wasn't who we are.” On what will it take to beat Arlington “It goes back to execution. I think we need to really make sure of our coverage in the secondary. We need to be sharp defensively. They execute really well and they've got two quarterbacks (senior Andy Smith and sophomore Blake McPherson) it looks like they're using who are mobile with pretty good arms. … That can translate into points in a hurry if we get out of position.” On Stanwood's health “We're a little dinged up here and there but I think we're going to be OK. Everyone should be available that has been available.” Stanwood previously lost two starters to season-ending knee injuries: senior WR/DB Kaden Barrish and DL/OL Jake Budd. Barrish got hurt against Oak Harbor, Budd against Monroe. On why there seems to be significantly more severe knee injuries throughout Wesco this year “Maybe it's because so many teams have gone to (artificial turf fields). It gets to be an interesting question. I've had some philosophical debates with people. You start to wonder if (teenage players) are getting so big and strong and heavy that (their tendons can't support it). You can strengthen their leg muscles and you can get them faster and do all those things, but their ligaments sort of are what they are, right?” On Stanwood senior RB/LB Brad Gee's intensity “He's just a kid that likes to compete and he obviously loves the physicality of the sport. As a former fullback (Cupp played for Brigham Young University), I see a lot of that mentality that you've got to have. … He's a pretty nice kid (off the field) but you get him on Friday nights or you get him in competition and he's got a little bit of nasty in him. The great ones, they've got that.” “I'd love to see him play (in college). We're doing some things to try to get him placed, if we can.” On Cupp's preference for not using two-way starters, whenever possible “That's what we kind of like to do. It's really part of my philosophy that if we can keep kids from playing both sides of the ball, we will. I just feel like we're a better football team that way. I know at times it's been unpopular. They want to play all the time.” On the pre-Stilly Cup game excitement “It seems like that's what everyone wants to talk about. Even people just in passing, you see them: ‘Hey, I'll see you Friday night. We're traveling to Arlington.' It's always kind of fun. I think you can really feel the support around the school and around the community.” “It's really nice that it matters (because of the playoff implications). We're both playing for something. That's what you want. What a special game to have for that play-in type of game (against Arlington). You've got the rivalry, the Stilly Cup — you've got all these things going on. And then you've got the playoffs on top of it.” “Whenever you play in one of those small-town rivalries, it's electric. People really take it personal. In the city, it's just like there's a lot of other things to do. But out here, it's us versus them and you hear about it all year long.” ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment The Herald's College Athlete of the Week: Mariner grad Ray Fry In his latest installment of The Herald's College Athlete of the Week series, our own Scott M. Johnson caught up with former Mariner High School star Ray Fry. Check out's Scott's interview with Fry, one of the most exciting, explosive prep football players I've ever covered. Fry was a prolific running back in high school, but now he is a receiver at Portland State University. Take a look at his 2009 stats for the Vikings. Going into this week's game against Eastern Washington at Qwest Field, Fry leads all PSU receivers with 48 receptions and 760 yards. Here are a few fun revelations from Scott's interview with Fry: *Fry was a quarterback at Voyager Middle School, before he switched to RB at Mariner High. *He used to be a skateboarder and once did a kick-flip over seven steps. *He plays guitar and enjoys strumming classic rock tunes as well as newer stuff by guys like Joe Satriani. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
More Stilly Cup football fun: Video of Stanwood players Brad Gee, Mike McCu... As if it wasn't already intense enough, this year's Stilly Cup battle — kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Arlington High's John Larson Stadium — has extra significance. Arlington (3-2 Western Conference North Division, 4-4 overall) and Stanwood (3-2, 3-5) are fighting for a postseason trip. If Lake Stevens beats Snohomish, the Stilly Cup winner will earn the division's final playoff berth. Did you watch the video interview with Arlington players Andy Smith and Jeff Owen? Well now you can also watch a video interview with three Stanwood players: Brad Gee, Mike McCune and Jay Steik. Check it out. (Added bonus: Below the video, I included a list of Stilly Cup results going back to 1971.) Stanwood football players talk about the Stilly Cup game Stilly Cup football game results YEAR --- WINNER & SCORE 2008 --- Stanwood 48-39 2007 --- Arlington 34-14 2006 --- Stanwood 14-6 2005 --- Arlington 20-7 2004 --- Arlington 27-7 2003 --- Stanwood 31-14 2002 --- Arlington 33-6 2001 --- Arlington 33-26 2000 --- Arlington 14-7 1999 --- Arlington 30-24 1998 --- Stanwood 24-21 OT 1997 --- Arlington 21-0 1996 --- Stanwood 10-7 1995 --- Arlington 28-0 1994 --- Arlington 40-20 1993 --- Stanwood 8-7 1992 --- Stanwood 25-6 1991 --- Arlington 17-14 1990 --- Arlington 33-0 1989 --- Arlington 39-0 1988 --- Arlington 13-0 1987 --- Stanwood 21-0 1986 --- Arlington 26-14 1985 --- Stanwood 26-0 1984 --- Stanwood 7-0 1983 --- Arlington 26-14 1982 --- Arlington 28-0 1981 --- Arlington 40-0 1980 --- Arlington 58-0 1979 --- Arlington 31-0 1978 --- Arlington 58-0 1977 --- Arlington 33-13 1976 --- Arlington 14-0 1975 --- Arlington 15-14 1974 --- Arlington 18-11 1973 --- Stanwood 28-0 1972 --- Arlington 6-0 1971 --- Arlington 26-0 ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Listen to The Herald's Week 9 Prep Football Podcast This is the final week of the football regular season and a bunch of playoff berths are still up for grabs. To make sense of all the possibilities, check out Herald prep editor John McDonald's Prep Football Forecast. It will prepare you for all the gridiron action scheduled for tonight and Friday night. For even more high school football info, listen to our latest Prep Football Podcast. Me and my co-worker Aaron Swaney recap last week's standout games, preview this week's most intriguing matchups (including Arlington vs. Stanwood in the Stilly Cup) and try to make sense of all the playoff scenarios. You can also listen to our previous Prep Football Podcasts. (Scroll down and look for the PODCASTS list on the left side.) ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Jackson High guard Ryan Todd commits to Seattle Pacific University men's ba... Ryan Todd, a well-rounded guard from Jackson High, verbally committed to play for the Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team. Todd is a senior who, along with junior Brett Kingma, is part of a superb backcourt combo for Jackson, which is expected to be one of the area's best basketball squads this winter. Todd was an All-Wesco South first team selection last season (2008-2009). He was one of just two non-seniors on the first team. Todd also made The Herald's All-Area first team. According to Todd's dad, Ryan Todd gave his verbal commitment to Seattle Pacific coach Ryan Looney on Saturday at SPU's campus. Todd plans to sign an NCAA National Letter of Intent next month, Todd's dad said. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment UPDATE: It's Stilly Cup football week! (video of QB/DB Andy Smith and LB Je...
Arlington. Stanwood. An epic, decades-long football rivalry. The 2009 Stilly Cup is almost here. Will you be at Arlington High on Friday to watch the Eagles and the Spartans battle for a playoff spot? I attached a photo of a shirt that commemorates this year's big game. Pretty cool. The parent of an Arlington player was selling the shirts on Tuesday evening when I stopped by Arlington's practice. I'm looking forward to covering the Stilly Cup clash on Friday. Stanwood (3-2 Wesco North, 3-5 overall) and Arlington (3-2, 4-4) both have a chance to make the playoffs. It's the final division game for the teams. Here is a video interview with Arlington players Andy Smith and Jeff Owen, both seniors. Smith is a QB/DB and Owen is a linebacker. Arlington football players talk about the Stilly Cup game ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Video: Jackson QB Andy Gay is an Auto-Tuned rap star! For Jackson High's homecoming last week, super-talented videographer Matthew Robertson (who compiles the Jackson football team's weekly highlight videos) collaborated with his pal Andy Gay for a goofy, entertaining musical performance. Gay, quarterback of the unbeaten Timberwolves football team (8-0), shows off his rapping skills in a homecoming-themed video that Gay and Robertson made to pump up fans for last Friday's game against Mountlake Terrace. In addition to making the edited video, they performed a live version of the song for Jackson students. Gay's voice sounds distorted by an Auto-Tune device like the ones used by pop singers and rappers like T-Pain. The lyrics are pretty funny. At one point, Gay raps: J to the A … C … K … S-O-N. All we do is win. And later he adds: Get in the stands … with the fans … and join the crowd … and get real loud. Besides Gay (who wrote the lyrics) and Robertson (who did the music production), others who appear in the video are Taylor Mead (he does a crazy flip at 2:59), Kevin Anderson, Kiefer Anable, Jake White, Anthony Argueta, and A.J. Coppage. Here is the video. Jackson High School Homecoming Music Video ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Updates to Class of 2010 college commitment list I just added two more local student-athletes to my ongoing list of verbal commitments. Both of them committed to Gonzaga University: Archbishop Murphy's Tyler Kane for baseball, and Meadowdale's Julia Fjortoft for women's soccer. Check out my updated Class of 2010 college commitments list. The NCAA early signing period for some sports (including basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball) starts on Nov. 11. In case you are curious, here is more information about the NCAA National Letter of Intent and signing dates. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment New Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association poll I thought the Jackson High boys cross country team was good last year, but the 2009 Timberwolves are even more incredible. I wrote about Jackson's sweep this past weekend at the Wesco South championships. The first five (and ten of the top 23) finishers in the race were from Jackson! The program also cleaned up in the junior-varsity race, as Jackson had the six-fastest runners. Not surprisingly, nationally ranked Jackson maintained its No. 1 spot in the state coaches' poll (see full rankings below). Also keeping their No. 1 state ranking were the Glacier Peak girls, who nearly earned a sweep at the South championships, led by freshman Amy-Eloise Neale's course-record performance. This Saturday, Jackson, Glacier Peak and hundreds of other runners will compete in the Northwest District 2A, 3A, and 4A Cross Country Championships at South Whidbey High in Langley. Here is the race schedule: 2A girls — 11:30 a.m. 3A girls — 12:10 p.m. 4A girls — 12:50 p.m. 2A boys — 1:30 p.m. 3A boys — 2 p.m. 4A boys — 2:30 p.m. Alright, here are the state coaches' rankings. Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association poll Released Oct. 25 BOYS Class 4A 1. Jackson, 2. Ferris, 3. Auburn Riverside, 4. Gig Harbor, 5. Skyline, 6. Eisenhower, 7. Southridge, 8. Kamiakin, 9. Curtis, 10. Issaquah. Class 3A 1. North Central, 2. Bellevue, 3. Mt. Spokane, 4. Peninsula, 5. North Kitsap, 6. Bishop Blanchet, 7. Seattle Prep, 8. Lindbergh, 9. Columbia Rover, 10. Mercer Island. Class 2A 1. Burlington-Edison, 2. Squalicum, 3, Sehome, 4. Lakewood, 5. Selah, 6. Ellensburg, 7. W.F. West, 8. Cheney, 9. Colville, 10. Mark Morris. Class 1A 1. Charles Wright Academy, 2. Nooksack Valley, 3. Port Townsend, 4. Lynden Christian, 5. LaCenter, 6. Meridian, 7. Seattle Christian, 8. Royal, 9. Freeman, 10. Connell. Class 2B/1B 1. Northwest Christian-Lacey, 2. Mt. Rainier Lutheran, 3. Republic, 4. Tri-Cities Prep, 5. St. George's, 6. Bear Creek, 7. Mossyrock, 8. White Pass, 9. Waitsburg-Prescott, 10. North Beach. GIRLS Class 4A 1. Eastlake, 2. Gig Harbor, 3. Tahoma, 4. Richland, 5. Central Valley, 6. Eisenhower, 7. Stanwood, 8. Curtis, 9. Bellarmine Prep, 10. Wenatchee. Class 3A 1. Glacier Peak, 2. Shadle Park, 3. Mt. Spokane, 4. North Kitsap, 5. Columbia River, 6. Mercer Island, 7. Capital, 8. Seattle Prep, 9. Bellevue, 10. Enumclaw. Class 2A 1. Sehome, 2. Cedarcrest, 3. Kingston, 4. Lakewood, 5. Bellingham, 6. Deer Park, 7. Ephrata, 8. Cheney, 9. Squalicum, 10. Colville. Class 1A 1. King's,, 2. LaCenter, 3. Chelan, 4. Seattle Academy, 5. Lakeside, 6. Northwest, 7. Meridian, 8. Bellevue Christian, 9. Charles Wright Academy, 10. Cashmere. Class 2B/1B 1. Northwest Christian-Lacey, 2. Northwest Christian-Colbert, 3. Asotin, 4. St. George's, 5. White Pass. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Tacoma News Tribune Week 9 football rankings I just got back from my morning walk and I am completely soaked. The heavy downpour reminds me of what it was like at Terry Ennis Stadium a few weeks ago. The football playoffs are almost here. Our local teams have one regular-season game to go. Some playoff berths are still on the table and seeding will shift based on what happens this Friday. But we know that Marysville-Pilchuck (Wesco North 4A), Jackson (Wesco South 4A) and Archbishop Murphy (Cascade Conference) already locked up their leagues' respective No. 1 seeds. Meadowdale (Wesco 3A) can clinch a No. 1 seed with a win over Everett on Thursday. I watched Jackson (without star RB/LB Riley Carr) hold off a gritty Mountlake Terrace team on Friday at Everett Memorial. Jackson's 27-17 win combined with Cascade's surprising loss against Edmonds-Woodway gave Jackson the South No. 1 seed. In the latest Tacoma News Tribune rankings, unbeaten Jackson (8-0) is still No. 4 in 4A. And Marysville-Pilchuck (8-0), which blasted Monroe 56-13, kept the No. 10 slot. In 3A, Meadowdale (8-0) won again (47-24 over winless Lynnwood) but dropped one spot to No. 8. Finally, Archbishop Murphy (7-1) stayed at No. 3 — behind Ellensburg and Lynden — after the Wildcats topped a decent South Whidbey team 28-6. See the complete TNT Week 9 rankings here. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
UPDATE: Video: 2009 Cascade Conference Girls Cross Country Championships Here are the top runners and teams from today's 2009 Western Conference and Cascade Conference Divisional Cross Country Championships on the 3.1-mile (5-kilometer) course at Lakewood High School. (See video of the Cascade Conference girls race below.) Cascade Conference boys Individual winner: Taylor Guske (Lakewood) 16:26** Individual runnerup: Conner Ballew (Archbishop Murphy) 16:31 Team champion: Lakewood, 44 points Wesco North boys Individual winner: Dylan Hopper (Cascade) 16:13 Individual runnerup: Tyler King (Oak Harbor) 16:18 Team champion: Everett, 58 points Wesco South boys Individual winner: Mitchell Briggs (Jackson) 15:55 Individual runnerup: Sean Roe (Jackson) 16:04 Team champion: Jackson, 15 points (perfect score!) Cascade Conference girls Individual winner: Rhiannon Alexander (Granite Falls) 19:16* Individual runnerup: Rici Morrill (Sultan) 19:20 Team champion: Cedarcrest, 46 points Wesco North girls Individual winner: Minna Fields (Stanwood) 18:41* Individual runnerup: Samantha Minor (Lake Stevens) 19:07 Team champion: Stanwood, 46 points Wesco South girls Individual winner: Amy-Eloise Neale (Glacier Peak), 18:15* Individual runnerup: Erin Johnson (Shorewood), 19:13 Team champion: Glacier Peak, 19 points *New meet records. **Tied meet record. For complete meet results, go to Athletic.net. ***** I'm at Lakewood High School today covering the 2009 Cascade Conference and Western Conference Divisional Cross Country Championships. Basically, these are the league championship races for boys and girls in the Wesco North, Wesco South and Cascade Conference. I'm writing about all six varsity races. The Jackson boys team and Glacier Peak girls team (running right now) are both nationally ranked. Here is a video clip from the Cascade Conference girls race. Freshman Rhiannon Alexander of Granite Falls won it in meet-record time. Sultan's Rici Morrill placed second. 2009 Cascade Conference Girls Cross Country Championships ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
UPDATE: Football Final: Jackson 27, Mountlake Terrace 17 7:44 p.m. Countdown to kickoff We're getting ready for this big Wesco South game between the Mountlake Terrace Hawks (3-1 in division, 5-2 overall) and the unbeaten Jackson Timberwolves (4-0, 7-0). The big news for Jackson is that star RB/LB Riley Carr will not play, according to Jackson coach Joel Vincent. Carr, who recently received a football scholarship offer from Air Force, hurt his ankle last week in a win over Mariner. Carr saw a doctor this week and had an MRI but as of this afternoon coach Vincent did not know the results. Jackson hopes it's just a sprain, but Carr will sit tonight. Taking Carr's place in the backfield will be sophomore Trai Patrick, who had a breakout game a week ago versus Mariner. Carr's replacement on defense will be senior Jake White, a standout player who usually plays on the defensive line. White will also fill in at center on offense, replacing injured two-year starter Walker Evans. Evans hurt his knee during practice on Wednesday and might be out a few weeks, Vincent said. ***** 7:53 p.m. So why is this a big game? For one, Jackson (No. 4 in the Tacoma News Tribune Class 4A rankings) can clinch a quad-district playoff berth with a win tonight. Terrace, enjoying its best season since 2005, is also in the hunt for a playoff berth, which would be the first in program history. The Hawks are guided by sixth-year coach Tony Umayam. Both of these teams have just two division games to go. Cascade (3-1 in the South) and Kamiak (also 3-1) are in the mix for the South's three playoff berths. ***** 8:42 p.m. Score update: Mountlake Terrace 10, Jackson 10, three minutes to go in second quarter ***** 8:51 p.m. Score update: Jackson 17, Mountlake Terrace 10, 2:22 to go in first half Terrace has played a great first half, even though it's behind by seven points. The Hawks scored on their first two drives. QB Brandyn Eckhart has been effective on the ground and through the air. He guided Terrace on a 15-play, 80-yard scoring drive on its first possession. ***** 8:59 p.m. Halftime score: Jackson 17, M. Terrace 10 Terrace is hanging right with No. 4 Jackson so far. It's been an entertaining, fast-paced game. The difference right now is Jackson's second-quarter TD. RB Trai Patrick, filling in for injured star Riley Carr, took a direct snap and off of left tackle for a 25-yard scoring run. Patrick scored both Jackson TDs in the first half. He had 49 yards rushing on six carries. ***** 9:45 p.m. Score update: Jackson 24, M. Terrace 17, 1:37 to go in third quarter What a start to the third quarter! Taylor Mead took the opening kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. He winded his way up the left side and then broke a few tackles while cutting right on his way to the end zone. That made it 24-10. But Terrace keeps hanging in it. The Hawks cut it to 24-17 with a 9-yardTD pass from Eckhart to tight end Julian Snow on fourth-and-2. ***** 10:13 p.m. Score update: Jackson 27, M. Terrace 17, 1:31 to go in fourth quarter Kicker Daniel Sullivan blasted a 46-yard field goal to give Jackson a 10-point lead. Now the T-wolves are running out the clock. They survived a MAJOR test tonight. It was a fun back-and-forth game for awhile. ***** Final score: Jackson 27, M. Terrace 17 RB Trai Patrick rushed for 101 yards and two TDs, Taylor Mead had a momentum-changing 87-yard kickoff return for a score and Jackson's defense finished strong after a rough start. It all added up to yet another win for Jackson, which clinched the South's No. 1 seed for the quad-district playoffs and earned at least a share of its second straight division championship. QB Brandyn Eckhart passed for 104 yards with two TDs and two interceptions for Terrace, which is still in the hunt for its first playoff berth. The Hawks play Kamiak next week. Terrace, Kamiak and Cascade are fighting for the South's final two playoff spots. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Listen to our Week 8 Prep Football Podcast Our latest Prep Football Podcast is posted on Heraldnet. You can listen to it by clicking here (scroll down and look for “PODCASTS” on the left-hand side). You can also find the podcast attached to John McDonald's weekly Prep Football Forecast. In the podcast, I talk with my co-worker Aaron Swaney about last week's big games, this week's key matchups (I'll be at Mountlake Terrace vs. Jackson tonight in Everett), state rankings and a few other notable items about local gridiron teams. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Where they are now: Kamiak alum Mark Iddins (Montana State University footb... I think I have mentioned before on this blog that I was born and raised in Montana. I grew up rooting for the University of Montana Grizzlies, especially the Griz football team. Of course, that means that I also grew up rooting AGAINST the Bobcats of Montana State University. The Cat-Griz football rivalry was always one of the biggest sports events of the year for me and my friends. A few of my childhood pals ended up playing for good ol' Montana, and unfortunately a couple others played for lowly MSU. Even though I am a Grizzly fan for life, I suppose I should give credit to a former local standout who now plays for the dreaded (just kidding … sort of) MSU Bobcats: Quarterback Mark Iddins. Once a star QB at Kamiak High School, Iddins is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior at Montana State (2-1 Big Sky Conference, 4-2 overall). Iddins (illness) didn't play last weekend, but in five games this season he has completed 61 percent of his passes for 954 yards and five touchdowns. Iddins will be ready for MSU's game against Eastern Washington University this week, Kamiak football coach Dan Mack said. By the way, the Montana Grizzlies (3-0, 6-0) are undefeated. The Cat-Griz game is on Nov. 21 in Bozeman. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Guilty (but grateful) about staying dry This past Friday was one of the rainiest nights I've ever seen. The weather created some wacky, borderline ridiculous field conditions for our high school football teams. At the game I covered, Cedarcrest and Archbishop Murphy slipped, slid and splashed their way through an exciting Cascade Conference battle for first place. Although Cedarcrest played better most of the game, Murphy rallied for a 14-7 win in the final minute. You already know that. But you probably don't know how guilty I feel about Friday night. While I was warm and dry (except for about 10 minutes before the game and 10 minutes after the game) in the press box at Terry Ennis Stadium, Herald photographer (and my Double Team partner) Jennifer Buchanan was camped outside, getting absolutely soaked. The field looked like a swimming pool in some spots, so Jenny could have used a kayak in addition to her heavy-duty rain gear. (At halftime, Murphy athletic consultant Roman Miller joked that he saw a bass jump in one of the puddles and that we should all get poles and go fishing.) I already admired Jenny for her photography skills. Now I respect her even more for gutting it out during that relentless downpour. Her effort paid off. She got some incredible photos from the Murphy-Cedarcrest game. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Football video highlights: Lake Stevens vs. Monroe This past weekend the Lake Stevens Vikings battered the Monroe Bearcats 30-6 in a Wesco North game. With two weeks to go in the regular season, Lake Stevens improved to 3-1 in division, 4-3 overall. The Vikings are in good position — the North's top three teams advance to the quad-district playoffs. Although Lake Stevens earned an impressive homecoming win last week, it was a costly outing for the Vikings. Five Lake Stevens starters suffered serious injuries (three torn anterior cruciate ligaments, two broken foot bones), according to coach Tom Tri. Even so, Lake Stevens piled up plenty of big plays. Check out the highlights in this video compiled by Tony Soper. Senior RB Brennan Frost (#23) shows up a lot. He rushed 14 times for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Football video highlights: Lake Stevens vs. Monroe 2009 Viking Football: 10.16.09 vs. Monroe Bearcats from Tony Soper on Vimeo. ... [Read More]E-mail | Print | Comment New Washington State Coaches Association volleyball rankings
If you are looking for something to do tonight, go watch some entertaining volleyball and support a great cause at Cascade High School, which is hosting the third annual Dig for the Cure match. Cascade is playing host to Everett in a Wesco North rivalry match. The event is designed to increase awareness about breast cancer, as well as other types of cancer, and raise money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure network. On Monday night the Archbishop Murphy volleyball team held its own Dig for the Cure event during a match versus Cedarcrest (see photo). And Archbishop Murphy's top-ranked girls soccer team will hold its fifth annual Breast Cancer Awareness Day on Friday. The Wildcats girls soccer program has raised nearly $6,000 for the cause over the past four years. Back to volleyball. In the latest state coaches' rankings compiled by Tanya Campbell, Monroe (Class 4A No. 6), Meadowdale (3A No. 9), Archbishop Murphy (2A No. 4), King's (1A No. 1) and North Sound Christian (1B No. 8) are in the top 10. Check out the complete list from 4A to 1B. Washington State Coaches Association volleyball rankings Released Oct. 18. Compiled by Tanya Campbell Class 4A 1. Mead (8-0) 2. Graham-Kapowsin (11-0) 3. Olympia (11-0) 4. Skyview (10-0) 5. Richland (11-1) … lost to 4A Kamiakin 6. Monroe (9-1) … lost to 3A Eastside Catholic 7. Gig Harbor (12-0) 8. Curtis (9-1) … lost to 4A Graham-Kapowsin 9. Southridge (11-1) … lost to 4A Richland 10. Kamiakin (10-2) … lost to 4A Eisenhower and 4A Southridge Class 3A 1. Blanchet (12-0) 2. Eastside Catholic (9-2) … lost to 3A Blanchet twice 3. Mount Spokane (8-1) … lost to 4A Mead 4. Auburn Mountainview (12-0) 5. North Kitsap (12-0) 6. Mount Si (10-1) … lost to 4A Bothell 7. Kennedy (8-0) 8. Prairie (9-1) … lost to 4A Skyview 9. Meadowdale (8-2) … lost to 3A Blanchet and 3A Everett 10. Timberline (9-2) … lost to Auburn Moutainview and Capital Class 2A 1. Burlington-Edison (10-0) 2. Selah (11-0) 3. Tumwater (10-0) 4. Archbishop Murphy (10-1) … lost to 1A King's 5. Fife (4-2) … lost to 4A Gig Harbor and 4A Olympia 6. Black Hills (9-1) … lost to Tumwater 7. Pullman (9-0) 8. Grandview (9-2) … lost to Hermiston (5A Oregon team) and 2A Selah 9. Lynden (8-1) … lost to Burlington-Edison 10. West Valley of Spokane (8-2) … lost to Pullman twice Class 1A 1. King's (11-0) 2. Lynden Christian (10-0) 3. Onalaska (10-0) 4. Annie Wright (10-0) 5. Royal (11-0) 6. Chelan (10-0) 7. Castle Rock (8-1) … lost to Astoria (Oregon) 8. Newport (10-1) … lost to Priest River (Idaho) 9. Cascade of Leavenworth (8-1) … lost to Chelan Tie-10. Goldendale (7-1, lost to Granger) and Granger (9-1, lost to Goldendale) Class 2B 1. LaConner (9-1) … lost to 3A Anacortes 2. Kittitas (9-0) 3. La Salle (10-0) 4. Riverside Christian of Yakima (5-1) … lost to 2B LaSalle 5. Toutle Lake (10-1) … lost to 1A Castle Rock 6. Christian Faith (9-2) … lost to 2B Riverside Christian and 2B Evergreen Lutheran (6-3) 7. Adna (8-2) … lost to 2B Toutle Lake and 2B Wakiakum 8. NW Christian Lacey (8-2) … lost to 2B Rainier Christian and 2B Cascade Christian 9. Tekoa-Oakesdale (7-2) … lost to 1B Lacrosse-Washtucna and 2B Liberty Christian 10. Lind-Ritzville (8-2) … lost to 2B Davenport and 2B NW Christian Colbert Class 1B 1. Neah Bay (8-0) 2. Northport (8-1) … lost to Cusick 3. Thorp (7-2) … lost to 1B Pateros and 1B Wilson Creek 4. Wilson Creek (10-1) … lost to 1B Thorp 5. St. John-Endicott (8-2) … lost to 1B Tri Cities Prep and 1B Davenport 6. LaCrosse-Washtucna (5-2) … lost to Troy (Idaho) and 1B St. John Endicott 7. Moses Lake Christian (6-2) .. lost to 1B Wilson Creek and 1B Thorp 8. North Sound Christian (8-2) … lost to 1B Mt. Vernon Christian and 1B Neah Bay 9. Tri-Cities Prep (7-3) … lost to 1B Lind-Ritzville, 1B Colton and Imbler (Oregon) 10. Crescent (5-2) … lost to 1B North Sound Christian and 1B Neah Bay ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Tacoma News Tribune Week 8 football rankings + Jackson vs. Mariner video hi... After a wild and extremely wet weekend of football, it's becoming more and more clear which teams will most likely be playoff-bound. Check out our football standings to see which teams are in ideal position with two regular-season games to go. All three local teams that were included in the previous Tacoma News Tribune football rankings are back in the Week 8 TNT rankings, although two of the teams fell one spot after super-close victories. Meanwhile, a fourth local team (unbeaten Marysville-Pilchuck) finally entered the top 10 for the first time this season. Here is a quick look at local teams in the TNT rankings: *Class 4A: No. 4 Jackson (beat Mariner 37-14 to improve to 7-0; was also No. 4 last week), No. 10 Marysville-Pilchuck (beat Kamiak 14-3 to improve to 7-0; previously unranked) *Class 3A: No. 7 Meadowdale (beat Mount Vernon 20-19 in overtime to improve to 7-0; was No. 6 last week) *Class 2A: No. 3 Archbishop Murphy (beat Cedarcrest 14-7 to improve to 7-0; was No. 2 last week) By the way, in case you didn't hear yet: Jackson RB/LB Riley Carr received a football scholarship offer from the Air Force Academy. After his team's win on Friday night, Carr and his dad flew to Colorado to watch Air Force play Wyoming on Saturday. Carr, projected as a fullback by Air Force, got the offer during a campus tour. That brings me to this week's Jackson football highlight video, compiled as always by Matthew Robertson. Here is Matthew video from Friday's Jackson vs. Mariner game. Jackson vs. Mariner football video highlights ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment New Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association poll It's hard for me to believe this, but the cross country postseason is already here. The fall sure has zipped along quickly. The Wesco South, Wesco North and Cascade Conference league championship meets are on Saturday at Lakewood High School in Marysville. Individual and team champions will be crowned. Here is Saturday's race schedule. BOYS Cascade Conference, 11:10 a.m. Wesco South varsity, 1:40 p.m. Wesco North varsity, 2:10 p.m. Wesco junior varsity (North and South), 2:40 p.m. GIRLS Cascade Conference, 10:30 a.m. Wesco junior varsity (North and South), Noon Wesco South varsity, 12:40 p.m. Wesco North varsity, 1:10 p.m. The league championships will feature some of the state's elite runners, including lots of teams included in the latest state coaches' rankings. Check it out. Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association poll Released Oct. 18 BOYS Class 4A 1. Jackson, 2. Ferris, 3. Auburn Riverside, 4. Gig Harbor, 5. Kamiakin, 6. Skyline, 7. Southridge, 8. Curtis, 9. Eisenhower, 10. Issaquah. Class 3A 1. North Central, 2. Bellevue, 3. Mt. Spokane, 4. Seattle Prep, 5. Peninsula, 6. Lindbergh, 7. Bishop Blanchet, 8. Glacier Peak, 9. Shorecrest, 10. Liberty. Class 2A 1. Burlington-Edison, 2. Sehome, 3. Squalicum, 4. Lakewood, 5. Selah, 6. Ellensburg, 7. W.F. West, 8. Cheney, 9. Colville, 10. Mark Morris. Class 1A 1. Charles Wright Academy, 2. Port Townsend, 3. Nooksack Valley, 4. Seattle Christian, 5. Lynden Christian, 6. Zillah, 7. Royal, 8. Lakeside, 9. Meridian, 10. LaCenter. Class 2B/1B 1. Northwest Christian-Lacey, 2. Mt. Rainier Lutheran, 3. Republic, 4. Tri-Cities Prep, 5. St. George's, 6. Bear Creek, 7. Mossyrock, 8. White Pass, 9. Waitsburg-Prescott, 10. North Beach. GIRLS Class 4A 1. Eastlake, 2. Gig Harbor, 3. Tahoma, 4. Richland, 5. Eisenhower, 6. Stanwood, 7. Curtis, 8. Kamiakin, 9. Bellarmine Prep, 10. Mead. Class 3A 1. Glacier Peak, 2. Shadle Park, 3. Mt. Spokane, 4. North Kitsap, 5. Columbia River, 6. Mercer Island, 7. Capital, 8. Seattle Prep, 9. Bellevue, 10. Enumclaw. Class 2A 1. Cedarcrest, 2. Sehome, 3. Kingston, 4. Lakewood, 5. Squalicum, 6. Sequim, 7. Ephrata, 8. Deer Park, 9. Bellingham, 10. Cheney. Class 1A 1. King's, 2. LaCenter, 3. Chelan, 4. Lakeside, 5. Northwest, 6. Bellevue Christian, 7. Seattle Academy, 8. Cashmere, 9. Bush, 10. Omak. Class 2B/1B 1. Northwest Christian-Lacey, 2. Northwest Christian-Colbert, 3. Asotin, 4. St. George's, 5. White Pass. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Jackson RB/LB Riley Carr gets football scholarship offer from Air Force Riley Carr, the Jackson High School football team's powerful, versatile running back/linebacker, received his first college football scholarship offer. The Air Force Academy made an offer to Carr, a 6-foot, 225-pounder, on Saturday, Jackson football coach Joel Vincent said. "He's super excited, number one," Vincent said on Sunday. "But at the same time he's not in a super-huge hurry (to commit). I think he'd like to see (how) the next few weeks unfold." Carr is arguably the top all-around player for unbeaten Jackson (7-0), which is No. 4 in the Tacoma News Tribune Class 4A rankings. Through Jackson's first six games of the season, Carr was the leading receiver in the Western Conference South Division with 21 receptions for 453 yards (21.6 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. Carr also had 517 yards rushing (7.5 yards per attempt) and 14 TDs on the ground. After Jackson's Wesco South win over Mariner on Friday night, Carr and his dad flew to Colorado early Saturday morning and watched Air Force play Wyoming in Colorado Springs, coach Vincent said. Carr received the scholarship offer from Air Force during a private campus tour. Carr has also received recruiting interest from Wyoming (which is why it made sense to attend the Air Force-Wyoming game), Eastern Washington University, Washington State University and the University of Idaho. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
The Herald's College Athlete of the Week: Jackson grad Marina Pomar-Enders Do you remember the Jackson High School swimmer I wrote about last year who was allergic to chlorine? Her name is Marina Pomar-Enders. She graduated from Jackson this past spring and now swims (very well) for Seattle University. Based on her most recent performance — four event wins in a dual meet vs. Alaska-Fairbanks — Pomar-Enders was named The Herald's College Athlete of the Week. It's great to hear how well Marina is doing. She was a key part of Jackson's INCREDIBLE state-title team last year. In his Athlete of the Week interview with Pomar-Enders, The Herald's Scott M. Johnson asks the swimmer about her adjustment from high school swimming to college swimming, the origin of her perfect-for-a-swimmer first name and her connection to Michael Phelps. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment UPDATE: Football Final: No. 2 Archbishop Murphy 14, Cedarcrest 7
6:28 p.m. Countdown to kickoff This is officially the soggiest Friday of the fall. The grass field here at Terry Ennis Stadium -- where unbeaten Cedarcrest (4-0 Cascade Conference, 6-0 overall) and Archbishop Murphy (4-0, 5-1) -- looks more like a swamp than football venue. Huge puddles have collected in the middle third of the grass. As players warm up and stomp on the field, puddles rocket up and out around their feet. Murphy put in a new drainage system under this field before the season, hoping to avoid problems like this. But it looks like today's downpour was way more than the surface could handle. In case you didn't here already, this is the Cascade Conference game of the year, at least up to this point in the season. Cedarcrest and Murphy have both dominated their league foes so far. Now it's time to see which team is the true class of the conference. Unfortunately for Murphy, the Wildcats are without five players who were starters earlier this season. The most notable absence is RB/LB Alex Martinez, Murphy's leading rusher and senior co-captain. Martinez hurt his collarbone last week against Lakewood and could be out a few weeks, Murphy head coach Dave Ward said. ***** 6:50 Swamp Bowl 2009 I just walked out on the field and it's like a giant Slip-N-Slide out there. Cedarcrest was having trouble snapping the ball out of the several inches of standing water during warmups. Officials were joking that they want to only cover certain parts (the dry ones, of course) of the field. These field conditions are going to add a strange element to this game. Who will be able to hold onto the ball? How long will it take teams to reset for the next down after players slide 50 feet out of bounds? ***** 7:07 p.m. With a barrage of injuries to its top running backs coming into this game, Murphy is turning to a surprising substitute: 237-pound Tani Tupou. Tupou had never had never had a carry in a varsity game before tonight, but he rushed twice (for a total of 2 yards) on Murphy's first possession, which resulted in a punt. Tupou, a junior who has already received a scholarship offer from the University of Washington, usually plays tight end and defensive end. ***** 7:54 p.m. Halftime score: Murphy 6, Cedarcrest 0 No offense to the players and coaches, but the ultra-soggy field is the star of this game so far. Neither team can get much going on offense because of super slippery, shallow-lake of a football field here at Terry Ennis Stadium. Murphy scored the only points of the half on an 8-yard TD rush by QB Austin VanderWel. VanderWel scored with 6:57 to go in the second quarter. It was set up by Jacob Clark's 39-yard running play around the left side. Burly Cedarcrest RB Jacob Kriegbaum leads all players with 72 yards rushing on 12 carries. He has done most of his damage up the middle on powerful runs. Murphy's VanderWel leads Murphy with 56 yards on the ground on five attempts. ***** 8:06 p.m. Video of Swamp Bowl 2009 OK, I'll stop describing how messy this field is. Take a look for yourselves. ***** 8:40 p.m. Score update: A. Murphy 6, Cedarcrest 0, end of third quarter ***** 8:43 p.m. Score update: Cedarcrest 7, A. Murphy 6, 11:33 to go in fourth quarter Jackson Pleis returned a fumble 25 yards for a TD, Cedacrest's first points of the game. C.J. Mowry made the extra-point kick for a 7-6 lead. ***** 9:33 p.m. Final score: A. Murphy 14, Cedarcrest 7 UNBELIEVABLE finish. Murphy scored the game-winning TD with 25 seconds to on a fake field goal. Tani Tupou caught a 16-yard scoring pass in the left corner of the end zone from QB Austin VanderWel, who was the holder on the fake FG. VanderWel had a huge 34-yard run on third-and-14 from the Murphy 21-yard line that kept the Wildcats' final drive alive. VanderWel, who had trouble holding onto the ball throughout the game in the wet conditions, finished with 81 yards rushing, 43 yards passing and two total TDs (one rushing, one passing). Cedarcrest FB/LB Jacob Kriegbaum was a beast on both sides of the ball. He led all players with 107 yards rushing on 26 carries. Congrats to both teams for their great effort in ridiculous playing conditions. I wish we could have seen these teams play under normal circumstances, but Murphy prevailed in this crazy Swamp Bowl. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Listen to The Herald's Week 7 Prep Football Podcast Excited about tonight's high school football matchups? Get a detailed preview of Week 7 games by reading John McDonald's Prep Football Forecast. You can also listen to our latest Prep Football Podcast — just follow the previous link, scroll down and click on the Play button. Here is an archived list of our previous Prep Football Podcasts, starting with this week's recording, which includes a recap of last week's big performances and previews of tonight's huge games. *Prep Football Podcast — Week 7 *Prep Football Podcast — Week 6 *Prep Football Podcast — Week 5 *Prep Football Podcast — Week 4 *Prep Football Podcast — Week 3 *Prep Football Podcast — Week 2 ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment WET!
It was wet tonight. Very wet. Inches of standing water covered most of the field and exploded upwards with every step the players took. Needless to say, I got wet too. But it was worth it. Nice photos. Check out tomorrow's Herald for maybe the best water/football photo I've ever taken! ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
My Silvertips surprise I never win contests or prize drawings. I don't even bother buying 50-50 tickets at sports events any more. At some point I finally accepted that I am just not destined to do well in those things. It's probably for the best — going to Vegas is much less hazardous now. But my luck changed on Wednesday, at least for a few hours. I checked my e-mail in the afternoon, after finishing an interview at Lakewood High School. I saw that one of my co-workers sent out a company-wide message announcing that two free tickets were available for Wednesday night's Silvertips vs. Prince Albert hockey game. I wasn't scheduled to cover a prep event so I thought, “What the heck?” and responded to the e-mail. I knew a lot of other people from The Herald would respond too. My co-worker was going to collect the names of everyone who was interested and hold a drawing to pick the winner. I knew there was a very slim chance it would be me. But at 4:06 p.m. — 24 minutes after my co-worker sent the original e-mail — I received a great surprise: I won the drawing and got the two Tips tickets. I took my wife and we had a great time watching Everett dominate Prince Albert 5-1. It was our first Tips game of the year. I definitely want to watch a few more this season. But next time I doubt I'll have a story like this to go with it. I'm definitely not betting on it. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
New Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association poll Usually I post these XC rankings on Monday but I got sidetracked this week. Anyway, here you go. Quick note — four local teams are still ranked No. 1: Jackson boys (4A), Glacier Peak girls (3A), Cedarcrest girls (2A) and King's girls (1A). New Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association poll Released Oct. 11 BOYS Class 4A 1. Jackson, 2. Ferris, 3. Auburn Riverside, 4. Gig Harbor, 5. Kamiakin, 6. Skyline, 7. Southridge, 8. Curtis, 9. Issaquah, 10. North Kitsap. Class 3A 1. North Central, 2. Bellevue, 3. Mt. Spokane, 4. Seattle Prep, 5. Peninsula, 6. Lindbergh, 7. Columbia River, 8. Bishop Blanchet, 9. Glacier Peak, 10. Nathan Hale. Class 2A 1. Burlington-Edison, 2. Sehome, 3. Squalicum, 4. Lakewood, 5. Selah, 6. Ellensburg, 7. W.F. West, 8. Cheney, 9. Colville, 10. Mark Morris. Class 1A 1. Charles Wright Academy, 2. Port Townsend, 3. Nooksack Valley, 4. Seattle Christian, 5. Lynden Christian, 6. Zillah, 7. Royal, 8. Lakeside, 9. Meridian, 10. LaCenter. Class 2B/1B 1. Northwest Christian-Lacey, 2. Mt. Rainier Lutheran, 3. Republic, 4. Tri-Cities Prep, 5. St. George's, 6. Bear Creek, 7. Mossyrock, 8. White Pass, 9. Waitsburg-Prescott, 10. North Beach. GIRLS Class 4A 1. Eastlake, 2. Gig Harbor, 3. Tahoma, 4. Richland, 5. Central Valley, 6. Eisenhower, 7. Stanwood, 8. Curtis, 9. Bellarmine Prep, 10. Kamiakin. Class 3A 1. Glacier Peak, 2. Shadle Park, 3. Mt. Spokane, 4. North Kitsap, 5. Columbia River, 6. Mercer Island, 7. Capital, 8. Seattle Prep, 9. Bellevue, 10. Enumclaw. Class 2A 1. Cedarcrest, 2. Sehome, 3. Kingston, 4. Lakewood, 5. Squalicum, 6. Sequim, 7. Ephrata, 8. Deer Park, 9. Bellingham, 10. Cheney. Class 1A 1. King's, 2. LaCenter, 3. Chelan, 4. Lakeside, 5. Northwest, 6. Bellevue Christian, 7. Seattle Academy, 8. Cashmere, 9. Bush, 10. Omak. Class 2B/1B 1. Northwest Christian-Lacey, 2. Northwest Christian-Colbert, 3. Asotin, 4. St. George's, 5. White Pass. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment |
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