A look back at the 2011 prep season
Published 9:39 pm Tuesday, December 27, 2011
What a year 2011 was for prep sports fans.
The year saw three individuals win state championships — Edmonds-Woodway wrestler Ryan DeWeese, Edmonds-Woodway hurdler Alec Fellows and Meadowdale swimmer Anna Keane.
The Meadowdale girls soccer team advanced to the state semifinals and both the Edmonds-Woodway and Meadowdale football teams had stellar seasons that included appearances in the state playoffs.
Here is a look back at some of the highlights of 2011.
E-W’s DeWeese wins state wrestling title
Edmonds-Woodway’s Ryan DeWeese had only one thought when the buzzer finally sounded in his final high school wrestling match.
After two days and four matches, including three that went the distance, DeWeese had achieved a goal he set for himself four years ago when he stepped into the wrestling room at Edmonds-Woodway High School.
DeWeese had won a state championship.
“I did it,” DeWeese said. “Yes!”
DeWeese did a backward somersault on the mat to celebrate his victory.
In a rematch of the regional finals, DeWeese dominated Skyview’s Clint Powers en route to a 19-6 decision in the Class 4A 130-pound finals Feb. 19 at the Tacoma Dome.
DeWeese is the first Edmonds-Woodway wrestler to win a state title since the two schools merged in 1990, according to Edmonds-Woodway coach Joe Trieu.
Fellows runs away with hurdles crown
Four years is a long time to achieve a goal, but for Edmonds-Woodway’s Alec Fellows it was worth the wait.
Fellows capped his illustrious high school career with a stunning first-place finish in the 110-meter high hurdles at the Class 4A state track and field championships May 27 at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.
Fellows finished the race in 14.49 seconds, more than half a second ahead of Abu Kamara of Kent-Meridian, who clocked in at 15.05.
“It feels great to finally get one,” Fellows said. “I’ve been waiting for this for a while.”
The senior became the first Edmonds-Woodway state track and field champion since Tiana Roma won the girls high jump in 2003. Fellows is the first male state champion since the two schools merged.
What was even more impressive to Edmonds-Woodway coach Rick Fillman was Fellows’ margin of victory in what is essentially a sprint-type event.
“Half a second is a big margin in a race that short,” Fillman noted. “I can’t imagine a whole lot of races where second place is that far behind.”
Keane takes two titles at Class 3A meet
Before the finals of the 3A girls state swim meet at the King County Aquatics Center Nov. 12, Meadowdale’s Anna Keane found herself in an unfamiliar position — worried.
She entered the meet with the best preliminary time in the 50-yard freestyle by a wide margin, but she was more than half a second off the top time in the 100 free. Columbia River’s Monica Bottelberghe most likely stood between Keane and two individual event crowns.
“I knew Monica was a very, very fast swimmer,” Keane said. “I’ve raced her before, but she’s gotten so much better in the past year. I was very worried.”
The two sophomores dueled to a tight race, but Keane outtouched Bottleberghe for the win.
“I knew it was close,” Keane said. “She had a better turn on the third 50 and it made me think, ‘Oh my gosh, if I don’t get my arm tempo up she’s going to beat me.’ I really put my head down and got her by a hand.”
Keane’s time of 50.62 seconds not only topped Bottelberghe but qualified Keane for National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association All-America honors, representing the top 100 swimmers in the country for that event.
“She had an amazing swim for herself,” Meadowdale coach Kati Girard.
Mavericks advance to soccer semifinals
Meadowdale freshman goalkeeper Ashley Routh showed some veteran poise in a pressure-packed situation.
Routh made two huge saves, including what turned out to be the game-winner, during a shootout to lead the Mavericks to a 2-1 victory over Bishop Blanchet in a Class 3A state girls soccer quarterfinal game at Edmonds Stadium.
With teammates Hannah Shouse, Alyssa Navlet, Alisa Sagdahl and Emily Crichlow having scored to give Meadowdale a 4-3 advantage in the shootout, Routh faced Sara Millstein, Bishop Blanchet’s fifth shooter. As she had done in the second round, Routh pounced on the ball to secure the victory and then was mobbed by her happy teammates.
As she waited for the final shot, Routh did her best to calm her nerves.
“At that point, I was just like give it your all. Go for it,” Routh said. “I was just thinking to myself you can do it. You can do it and stay focused.”
Mavericks win first round playoff game
Meadowdale football coach Mark Stewart described it as ugly, and he wasn’t referring to the weather. His Mavericks struggled on offense and committed too many penalties. But in the end, it didn’t really matter.
On a cold and windy Saturday night, Meadowdale struck first and fast and then held on to defeat Mercer Island 20-17 in a Class 3A state first-round playoff game at Edmonds Stadium.
“We gave up some plays,” Stewart said. “Our offense was inconsistent. But an ugly win in the playoffs, we’ll take it.”
Things went so well for Meadowdale early on that some in the stadium may have smelled blowout. And when Mercer Island star quarterback Jeff Lindquist, a University of Washington recruit, went down late in the second quarter with a leg injury, the game seemed over. But instead, a combination of turnovers, near-turnovers and penalties allowed the Islanders to stay in the game. But Mercer Island was never quite able to complete the comeback.
Warriors down South Kitsap
Edmonds-Woodway made sure its seniors’ final home game was memorable.
Junior running back Desmond Young rushed for 268 yards on 30 carries and scored two touchdowns as the Warriors defeated South Kitsap 29-19 in a quad-district football playoff game Nov. 4 at Edmonds Stadium.
Edmonds-Woodway’s win came one week after a tough 35-31 loss to Lake Stevens in the Wesco 4A championship game.
“We didn’t want our seniors’ year to end early,” Young said. “We wanted to make it to state. That’s been our goal all year. … We had that loss to Lake Stevens. We said we’re not feeling that again. We’re not going to blow it. We stepped up. We know what we had to do to win this game. We got it done.”
Bellarmine Prep ended Edmonds-Woodway’s postseason with a 42-7 rout Nov. 12 in a Class 4A state playoff game at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.
Meadowdale girls make history
In their fourth straight state appearance, the Mavericks came home with a trophy for the first time. Meadowdale defeated Timberline 25-12, 26-24, 25-19 to take seventh place Nov. 12 at St. Martin’s University in Lacey.
Seniors Lindsey Milner and Payton Shrum were members of the first-ever Meadowdale team to advance to the state tournament in 2008. The two, along with three other seniors, wanted to end their high school careers on a high note.
“It feels great,” Milner said. “This year was all about getting a trophy. It felt so good to be with the team and work hard to get what we wanted and knowing that this was our last chance for the seniors. I know everybody on the team wanted it, but the seniors especially did.”
The talent level of the 2011 squad was high with many of the Mavericks also playing on club teams.
“Everyone was so committed and ready to do anything,” Shrum said.
E-W girls advance to state tourney
Edmonds-Woodway rode a wave of emotions to advance to the Class 4A state girls basketball tournament.
After dropping a first-round district playoff game, the Warriors had to win six straight loser-out contests in order to earn a second straight berth to state.
In the end, those six games may have taken a toll as Edmonds-Woodway went two-and-out at the Tacoma Dome, losing to eventual champion Lewis and Clark 61-52 and then falling to Bellarmine Prep, the team that came ranked No. 1 into the tournament, 53-52 in a loser-out game.
For senior guard Angela Woods, the loss to Bellarmine Prep not only was sad not only because it marked the end of the season but the game was the final time she was on the court with her teammates.
“It was pretty emotional knowing that was the last one we’ll play together,” Woods said. “We’re all really close friends on and off the court. After we graduate we’ll all still be friends. It brought us all together.”
Late rally sends E-W baseball team home
Edmonds-Woodway had the upper hand right from the start against Bothell.
Senior Austin Jones hit a two-run home run in the top of the first and the Warriors held a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
That’s when the Cougars pushed across four runs to defeat the Warriors 5-2 in a Class 4A state quarterfinal baseball game May 21 at Kent Memorial Park.
“We had our chances. Things didn’t go our way,” Edmonds-Woodway coach Dan Somoza said.
Somoza wasn’t surprised Edmonds-Woodway came so close to advancing to the state semifinals.
“To start the year you never know what you’re going to do,” he said. “But we had a great group of guys who really loved to play. They worked hard. With good teamwork anything is possible.”
