Jake Rife once worried that playing baseball for a relatively small high school like Lakewood would hold him back.
But Rife worked out relentlessly and played his way onto several high-profile summer teams. College coaches, including the University of Washington’s Ken Knutson, showed up at his team’s summer tournaments.
“They liked my stuff,” Rife said. “I hit well, and all the sudden you’re on their list.”
Rife, a senior outfielder for Class 2A Lakewood, recently announced he has verbally committed to play baseball for Washington. A member of The Herald’s 2004 All-Area 2A/1A/B First Team, Rife helped Lakewood finish second last spring in the Class 2A state tournament in Yakima.
“I’m looking forward to it very much. I’m psyched,” said Rife, a 5-foot-11, 190-pounder who bats and throws left-handed. “(Washington) is just a really great program. There were a few schools that were looking at me, but I wanted to be near home. It’s pretty sweet.”
Rife also attracted the attention of Washington State, Oregon State, Arizona and Clemson. Last spring he batted .447, drove in 26 runs and had a .535 on-base percentage en route to being voted the Cougars’ Most Valuable Player for the second straight year. Rife, who also set the Lakewood single-season hit record (38), said playing for the Seattle Mariners Area Code team “opened a lot of doors to schools out of state. Schools that I’ve never even thought about going to called me up.”
Lakewood coach Larry Delaney, who has guided the Cougars for 13 years, said Rife is being rewarded for his remarkable dedication to baseball.
“In my coaching career, he’s the hardest working young man I’ve ever come across, not only during the season but outside of the season,” Delaney said. “He did a tremendous job just improving his strength and speed.
“All kids want to get stronger, faster, and bigger but he did it on a daily basis. He focused on a goal and he’s doing everything he can right now to achieve that.”
As a result, Rife “can just damage a baseball. He is a true hitter.”
And unlike some stars, Rife hasn’t let his talent go to his head.
“He’s extremely coachable,” Delaney said. “You look into his eyes and he’s listening. Right now, my job is just to not screw the poor kid up.”
Multitalented Tri injured: The Jackson football team’s most versatile weapon went down on Friday night, and he may be out for a while.
Richie Tri, who plays receiver, safety, kick returner and punter for the Timberwolves, suffered an elbow hyperextension in the first half of Jackson’s 28-9 loss against Kamiak. Tri, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior, was in on a tackle along with several teammates near the sideline when he was hurt. He sat out the entire second half.
Tri saw two physicians on Monday, Jackson coach Joel Vincent said. The first estimated Tri will be sidelined up to two weeks. Tri was scheduled to see another doctor for a second opinion later in the day.
More Timberwolves: Jackson fell to 1-1 Friday despite outgaining Kamiak 399 yards to 389. The difference? The Timberwolves made four trips inside Kamiak’s 20-yard line and came away with just nine points.
“We’ve gotta do a better job in the red zone,” Vincent said.
Still, senior quarterback Chris Bowen has been a capable leader of Jackson’s suddenly potent passing game. In two games, Bowen has thrown for 403 yards and completed 57 percent of his passes.
“He’s doing a fantastic job,” Vincent said of Bowen. “Obviously his role this year is a lot different than it was last year (when Jackson almost exclusively handed the ball to star tailback Johnie Kirton). We’re real happy with Chris’ performance and his production up to this point.”
Bowen’s next chance to impress starts at 5 p.m. Friday when Jackson takes on Mountlake Terrace (0-2) at Edmonds Stadium. The matchup pits Vincent against one of his former assistants, first-year Terrace head coach Tony Umayam.
Hinton re-injures ACL: Lake Stevens girls soccer player Jessica Hinton re-injured her anterior cruciate ligament Thursday in the second half of the Vikings’ 2-1 victory against Stanwood. Hinton, a senior and one of the top track sprinters in the area, will know more about her status following an MRI this week, Lake Stevens coach Diane Mattingly said.
“She said it was exactly like last time, but 10 times worse,” Mattingly said. “She heard it pop real loud and then she went down.
“We’re pretty much guaranteed we’re going to have to replace her. But we won’t replace her. She’s a captain, she’s a senior, (and) she’s super, super fast.”
Hinton, who is the Lake Stevens senior class president, partially tore the same ligament last fall halfway through the soccer season. She rehabbed and recovered in time to run track in the spring.
“She was really disappointed,” Mattingly said. “She had really high expectations for herself.”
Hinton likely will miss the entire soccer season, but she has the desire to recover in time to compete during the track season, Mattingly said.
“Jessica is so determined. If she puts her mind to it, I have no question that she’ll be back,” Mattingly said.
Cascade Homecoming 2004: Cascade High alumni and community members are invited to attend Homecoming 2004 on Oct. 1 at Everett Memorial Stadium. Pre-game activities begin at 5 p.m. in the parking lot, followed by a 7 p.m. kickoff for Cascade’s game against Monroe. For more information, visit www.bruinsboosterclub.net.
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