Prep notes

The effects of an August storm are still wreaking havoc at Lynnwood High School.

The school’s gymnasium flooded Aug. 6 when heavy rain and clogged drains led to flash flooding. Water seeped under the gym’s wood floor, causing parts of it to raise and become uneven. It is unclear when the Lynnwood gym will be ready for use and if the flooding caused any long-term harm.

“The question of whether there’s permanent damage remains to be seen,” Lynnwood athletic director Kevin Allen said. “(Facility inspectors) seem to think it will settle down.”

Large fans have been placed throughout the gym to accelerate drying. As the floor planks dry they flatten back to their previous form, Allen said.

Since the flood, Lynnwood’s physical education classes have been moved outside. The Lynnwood volleyball team had practiced at Alderwood Middle School until last week when it began taking a 20-minute bus ride to Old Woodway High in Edmonds. That’s where the Royals will play home matches until further notice.

Lynnwood volleyball coach Jean Kellogg said Edmonds School District officials have told her to plan on being out of the Lynnwood gym the whole season, but facilities inspectors have estimated the floor could be ready in three weeks.

Meanwhile, the new commute eats up precious time for busy high-school students.

“These are kids that don’t have time to lose an hour each day,” Kellogg said. “If we can get back in our home gym, it’s going to be a lot easier on the kids.”

Kellogg said she hopes the Lynnwood gym will be ready for homecoming week, which begins Sept. 20. She also thanked those who have worked to make Lynnwood’s move go smoothly.

“The (Edmonds School) District’s been awesome. They’ve really made it a much easier transition. People have really bent over backwards for us.”

The Lynnwood gym also flooded after a snow storm in 1996 and required a complete replacement. In his fifth year as Lynnwood’s AD, Allen said employees who worked at the school during the last flood claim the damage is not as bad this time.

Kim Stewart was the Lynnwood boys basketball coach from 1993-96. Now the athletic director and fastpitch softball coach at Mountlake Terrace High, Stewart remembered being the first to discover the aftermath of the ‘96 flood.

“I got to the gym and went to turn the lights on. I thought somebody had waxed the floor.”

Not realizing that the court was actually covered by a thin layer of water, Stewart took just a few steps before slipping to the ground: “I hit the deck.”

Campus employees were unable to set up fans in time to save the floor and Lynnwood’s basketball team had to play its final three home games at Terrace.

“Oh yeah, it was ruined,” Stewart said. “Probably within about seven days parts of the floor were 2, 3, 4 feet up in the air. It was gone. There was nothing they could do about it.

“Usually they’re pretty tough to save.”

Kubec wins national title: Lake Stevens High sophomore Kelly Kubec won USA Wrestling’s Cadet National Championships in the 112-pound Greco-Roman division. Kubec, 15, went 9-0 during the competition, which was held July 24-31 in Fargo, N.D. He also placed third in Freestyle.

“I knew going in there that it’s a big tournament,” Kubec said. “I was kind of expecting to do well but I didn’t think I was going to be at the top. I guess I wrestled really solid when I had to and I didn’t make any big mistakes.”

Kubec, who finished third in the 103-pound division at the state tournament last year, also won national titles in 2000 (Freestyle) and 2001 (Greco-Roman). The Cadet National Championships draw some of the nation’s elite prep wrestlers, he said.

“The competition is tough there. Really, it’s the hardest tournament in the country for high school kids.”

Kamiak’s block jock: Kamiak senior Chris Munoz is on a mission. After setting a school record by blocking four punts for the Knights football team last season, Munoz blocked another one Friday night in his team’s season-opening 11-7 victory over Meadowdale. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound co-captain has a long way to go to reach his goal, but he’s off to a good start.

“I’m going for eight (blocks) this year,” he said.

Munoz’s punt block late in the fourth quarter rolled out of Meadowdale’s end zone for a safety, helping Kamiak rally from a 7-3 deficit.

So how does one become a star punt blocker? Munoz said he studies the opposition’s offensive line and looks for weak spots. When Kamiak coach Dan Mack calls for a block attempt, Munoz springs into action.

“I just see the path and I just go,” Munoz said.

“He is a young man that plays with extreme confidence,” Mack said. “He called (the block play) earlier in the game and said, ‘Coach, I can block that.’ “

Archbishop Murphy seeks fastpitch coaches: Archbishop Murphy High is accepting applications for head coach and assistant coach for its fastpitch softball team, which will play this spring in the new Class 2A Cascade Conference.

Interested applicants can call the school’s athletic office at 425-385-3464 for an application.

Former head coach Bruce Foxe has retired after three seasons. Last season under Foxe, Archbishop Murphy compiled a 22-6 record, won the Northwest A League title and finished eighth at the 1A state tournament. Foxe’s Wildcats placed second in the state in 2002.

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