Prep postseason roundup: Jackson tennis duo wins 4A title

RICHLAND — Midway through the Jackson doubles pair’s Class 4A state championship match, Daniel Sohn began apologizing to Anuj Vimawala.

Sohn was cramping up and was considering taking a disqualification.

“I just dug deep, knowing this was going to be the last high school match I was going to play,” Sohn said.

Vimawala elevated his play to compensate for Sohn, and the longtime friends and tennis duo grinded their way to a doubles state championship with a 7-6(2), 6-3 over Newport’s Arnav Sahu and Lucas Huang on Saturday at Hanford High School and Columbia Basin Racquet Club.

“It’s kind of like a dream come true,” said Vimawala, a senior. “I told my parents in eighth grade that my goal was to win a state championship, and it happened today. It’s like a perfect ending to a fairy tale senior year.”

The state title win capped a four-game tournament run in which Vimawala and Sohn didn’t drop a single set.

The duo’s title was part of a big day for Timberwolves’ tennis, which claimed a second-place team trophy with the help of singles player Brady Thomas.

Thomas beat Skyline’s Bryan Khoo 7-6(4), 6-4 in the semis before claiming second place with a 6-1, 6-1 loss to Newport’s Amol Koll in the singles championship

“Brady stayed consistent and hit some great winners,” Jackson coach David Hutt said. “Brady has a lot of experience playing in big matches and winning big matches, and that helps.”

Shorecrest doubles team places 7th

Scots doubles partners Sophie Ivens and Bella Saunders claimed seventh place after suffering a 6-2, 6-2 loss in a consolation match of the 3A state tournament Saturday at Kamiakin High School an Tri-City Court Club.

3A Softball

LACEY — Snohomish won three consecutive elimination games Saturday to earn third place at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey.

The Panthers beat Prairie 9-6 on Saturday morning before avenging a pair of painful losses on the way to the trophy.

First, Snohomish beat Bonney Lake 1-0, earning retribution for a 13-inning loss in last year’s state title game.

In the trophy contest, the Panthers toppled Mountain View 11-4, after the Thunder’s 4-3 win in Friday’s quarterfinal ended Snohomish’s bid for a championship.

Snohomish finished the 2019 campaign with a record of 24-4.

4A Soccer

PUYALLUP — Jackson beat Ferris on penalty kicks in the third and fourth-place match at Sparks Stadium after the two teams ended regulation tied at one apiece.

Ferris opened the scoring in the 18th minute, but the Timberwolved equalized early in the second half when Jake Williams pounced on the rebound after the Saxons’ goalkeeper made an incredible save of an overhead kick attempt by Adan Fernandez.

The match stayed scoreless for the rest of regulation and two five-minute extra-time periods, and the Timberwolves won 7-6 in the ensuing penalty shootout.

Fernandez, Kevin Giessler, Dany Aminzadeh, Williams, Blake Edwards, Zach Russell and Mohammed Ismail converted penalty kicks for Jackson in the shootout, and goalkeeper Justin Huttinger palmed Ferris’ final attempt over the crossbar to seal the win.

Jackson finished the season with a record of 19-2-1.

2A Baseball

YAKIMA — Archbishop Murphy’s Brandon King singled home the game-winning run with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Wildcats to a 4-3 win over Sehome in the matchup for third and fourth place at Yakima County Stadium.

Derek Trobough held the Mariners scoreless for three innings in relief of starter Aiden Van Rensum, and Archbishop Murphy rallied from a two-run deficit to end its season on a high note.

Trobough replaced Van Rensum in the top of the fifth inning, after the first four Sehome batters reached base, and Mel Ketteridge’s RBI single gave the Mariners a 3-1 lead.

Trobough promptly struck out the first three batters he faced to end the threat, and the Wildcats tied the score in their half of the fifth on a two-run inside-the-park home run off the bat of Josiah King.

The game stayed tied until the bottom of the seventh, thanks to Trobough’s three innings of two-hit relief. He struck out five and walked one.

In Archbishop Murphy’s final at-bat, Eric Ponton led off by getting hit by a pitch, but was picked off for the first out.

Anthony Damitio singled for the Wildcats, and pinch-hitter Jack Johnson flied out for the second out.

Trobough singled, advancing Damitio to third and then stole second. Josiah Santiago was hit by a pitch to load the bases and set the stage for King’s heroics.

Archbishop Murphy finished the season with a 21-6 record.

2A Softball

SELAH — Lakewood nearly completed a momentous comeback in an elimination game against Northwest 2A foe Lynden at Carlon Park, but the Lions’ Brenna Swendt got the final three outs in Lynden’s 8-7 win.

Lakewood’s Ashtyn Falor — who went 3-for-4 in the game — homered to lead off the top of the seventh inning, chasing Lynden starter Emma Ramerman.

Swendt ended the threat, and the Cougars’ season.

Natalie Krueger went 2-for-4 for Lakewood, which also got home runs from Riley Mae Swanson and Kaci Smith.

Lakewood finished the season with a record of 21-6.

1B, 2B, 1A Track and Field

CHENEY — Coupeville sprinter Danny Conlisk ran his way to a pair of state championships during the final day of the 1B, 2B, 1A Track & Field State Championships at Eastern Washington University.

The senior won the 200 meters in 21.99 seconds and doubled up with a title-winning 49.14 in the 400. Both times were personal bests. Conlisk added a second-place finish in the 100 meter with a 11.25.

South Whidbey’s Callahan Yale won a title in the 800 meter with a time of 1:56.71, and Cedar Park Christian’s Samuel Van Peursem claimed a title in the shot put with a mark of 60 feet, 8 inches.

The King’s 4×400 relay team of Michael Gabelein, Pierce Papke, Cooper Rolfs and Lincoln George put together a state-winning run of 3:28.68, and Papke added a second-place finish in the 300 hurdles.

King’s distance standout Naomi Smith, after winning a title in the 1,600 Friday, reach the top of the podium again with a state title-winning run of 10:35.37 in the 3,200.

Other local winners included the King’s 4×400 relay team of Hannah Hawkins, Emma Culberson, Kat Kirkpatrick and Maci Hodgins (4:04.20) and Cedar Park Christian’s Mikaehla Brown, who won the javelin with a throw of 109-11.

Grace Academy’s Ashley VanDam collected four medals on Saturday. She placed in the 100 (sixth place), 200 (fifth) and ran a leg on her team’s 4×100 (second) and 4×200 (third) relay teams.