Herald staff
One reason for the success of the Lake Stevens wrestling program, the Vikings say, is their level of preparation. Lake Stevens will often turn out for an hour before school in addition to its usual after-school workout.
“It’s more of a mental thing,” Lake Stevens coach Brent Barnes said. “It’s usually just the varsity. We take an hour and focus on their needs.”
Barnes said the afternoon workouts are “short, but intense. We rarely go more than two hours. We like to get the kids home at a decent hour. As much as we travel, it’s important they spend time at home. But we keep it pretty snappy when we’re in here (the wrestling room).”
Marathon man: Barnes is training to run a marathon. He plans to enter an iron man competition in August.
Coaching shortage: Washington wrestling coaches are constantly harping about the lack of a major college wrestling program in the state. Not only do the state’s elite wrestlers have to go out of state to compete at the state level, but the number of coaches with college wrestling experience is rapidly dwindling.
Close calls: Concerns over the growing physical nature of play in high school basketball games caused the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to address the issue during the past offseason. Referees have been instructed to call closer games, which has led to a large number of free throws in some early season games.
Players from both teams of Friday night’s Kamiak-Stanwood game often look mystified when the whistle blew. A Kamiak assistant coach received a warning from a referee when he questioned a foul. Two Kamiak players fouled out of the game, and Stanwood point guard Ryan Appleby had to sit for several minutes late in the third quarter after receiving his third foul. Stanwood’s Marcus Steele made 12 of 16 free throws in the Spartans’ 64-50 victory.
Stanwood, Cascade players commit: Cascade’s Kayla Huss and Stanwood’s Tina Donahue have signed letters of intent to play for Santa Clara. Huss, a 5-foot-7 senior guard, averaged 18.7 points last season and was an All-Western Conference 4A selection the past two seasons. Donahue, a 6-foot-1 forward, averaged 14.2 points during her junior year.
Gatorade player: Running back Ty Eriks of O’Dea has been named the state’s Gatorade high school football player of the year.Eriks, who has committed to the University of Washington, carried 144 times for 1,154 yards and 21 touchdowns in 11 games this season. He joins 50 other finalists for the national player of the year award.
