It’s status quo in Wesco football
Published 11:42 pm Monday, September 24, 2007
Four weeks into the high school football season, a few things are clear.
Just like last year, the Western Conference boasts some incredibly talented teams. And, also like last year, Oak Harbor and Edmonds-Woodway appear to be state-championship contenders.
Oak Harbor, the 2006 Class 4A champ, improved to 4-0 with an impressive 38-10 road victory Friday over Snohomish, while E-W, a 4A semifinalist last year, also won decisively for the fourth time in as many tries, beating a vastly improved Lynnwood squad 35-6.
E-W and Oak Harbor, who have combined to outscore their foes 311-112, maintained their Nos. 4 and 5 rankings, respectively, in this week’s WashingtonPreps.com 4A poll. No. 1 Bothell, No. 2 Ferris and No. 3 Eastlake — all 4-0 as well — kept their previous spots too.
Although E-W and Oak Harbor have looked good, several talented division opponents are eager to see how they measure up.
Sixth-ranked Kamiak (4-0) plays host to E-W Oct. 5 in a huge Wesco South clash at Goddard Stadium. Meanwhile, Lake Stevens (4-0), the only team to beat Oak Harbor last season, gets a crack at the Wildcats Oct. 12 in a key Wesco North battle.
And don’t forget about Mariner (3-1), which bounced back from a humbling Sept. 7 defeat against E-W to beat its last two opponents by a combined score of 77-24.
M-P stars excited for college
Skyler Peterson and Kassandra Riozzi, seniors at Marysville-Pilchuck High, are teammates on the school’s girls soccer team. Both of them verbally committed to compete in college, but only one plans to stick with soccer.
Peterson, an All-Wesco North First Team first basemen, verbally committed July 1 to play softball for Texas Tech University. Her coach will be Teresa Wilson, formerly of Washington.
“I’ve always wanted to play for coach Wilson,” said Peterson, who as a young girl attended Wilson’s UW fastpitch camps. “I told her when I was 7 years old, ‘I want to play for you.’ It’s really cool to have it be a reality.”
Riozzi, a midfielder who earned All-Wesco North First Team honors last season, committed to play soccer for Seattle University. Riozzi, who also considered opportunities at Loyola Marymount and Ohio State, said SU’s location was a key part of her decision. Her sister, Krista Riozzi, is a freshman forward for M-P and their dad, Gary Riozzi, is M-P’s junior varsity coach.
“Just having them be able to come to my games will be really cool,” Kassandra Riozzi said. “And I love Seattle.”
Back to basics
Jackson senior Danny Oh, who has verbally comitted to the University of California, Berkeley, is mainly known for his success on the diamond as a sweet-swinging outfielder. But this fall Oh, with his college commitment out of the way, decided to return to one of his original loves: tennis. Oh played tennis regularly when he was younger and said it was his main sport until age 11. He had never played it in high school but has been enjoying himself as a member of Jackson’s No. 1 doubles team.
“Tennis is just like one of my passions to do,” said Oh. Asked if his tennis stroke is as polished as his often-praised baseball swing, he said: “I wish!”
By Mike Cane, Herald Writer
