Cole Balen’s switch to singles proved to be a championship decision.
The Archbishop Murphy High School senior, who finished seventh at state last year in doubles, claimed the Class 2A boys tennis singles championship Saturday a the Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle.
The Jackson boys also came away with a state championship, winning the Class 4A boys team title.
Balen ended up going through the tournament without dropping a set. On Saturday he beat Sammamish’s Rafael Polito in the semifinals, winning the first set 6-1 before Polito retired. Then he topped Sequim’s Garrett Little 7-5, 6-1 in the championship match.
At the Class 4A boys tournament in Kennewick, Jackson had two singles players and one doubles team place Saturday. They earned the Timberwolves 22 points, which was three more than Camas and Newport.
Junior Ben Lee led the way for Jackson, placing second in singles. Lee, the defending state champion, beat Moses Lake’s Marwan Warnick 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals, but lost to Skyline’s Justin Lin 6-2, 6-2 in the championship match.
Timberwolves senior Henry Park placed fourth in boys singles, while the duo of freshman Andy Stark and sophomore Ashton Bergman placed eighth in doubles.
Class 4A Boys
At Kamiakin H.S. and The Pacific Clinic, Kennewick
Singles: Semifinals: Ben Lee (Jackson) def. Marwan Warnick (Moses Lake) 6-2, 6-0. First/second: Justin Lin (Skyline) def. Lee 6-2, 6-2. Consolation: Henry Park (Jackson) def. Axel Fulton (West Valley of Yakima) 6-1, 6-1. Fourth/seventh: Park def. Ethan Chen (Newport) 6-4, 6-1. Doubles: Fifth/eighth: Tao-Manivasagam (Newport) def. Andy Stark-Ashton Bergman (Jackson) 6-4, 6-4.
Class 4A Girls
At Kamiakin H.S. and The Pacific Clinic, Kennewick
Doubles: Fourth/seventh: Savage-McCarthy (Bellarmine) def. Gracie Schouten-Jasmine Wijaya (Jackson) 7-5, 6-2.
Class 3A Boys
At Vancouver Tennis Center
Singles: Consolation: Cade Strickland (Snohomish) def. John Guske (Mount Spokane) 6-1, 6-1; JD Drake (Shorewood) def. Nalu Akiona (Edmonds-Woodway) 6-2, 6-1. Fourth/seventh: Jack Scott (Lakeside) def. Drake 7-5, 6-0. Fifth/eighth: Daniel Kim (Bellevue) def. Strickland 6-2, 6-2 Doubles: Xander Gordon-Peter Kosten (Shorewood) def. Knaggs-Wrigley (Mead) 6-2, 6-3; Eli-Sheffield-Riley Boyd (Shorewood) def. Acey-Faria (Lincoln of Tacoma) 6-2, 6-3. Fourth/seventh: Yang-Talwar (Lakeside) def. Sheffield-Boyd 6-0, 6-1. Fifth/eighth: Gravenkemper-Madath (Bishop Blanchet) def. Gordon-Kosten 6-2, 7-5.
Class 3A Girls
At Vancouver Tennis Center
Singles: Consolation: Rylie Gettmann (Shorewood) def. Courtney Tran (Southridge) 6-2, 6-1; Emily Lin (Shorewood) def. Ali Dobbs (Auburn Mountainview) 6-3, 6-1. Fourth/seventh: Lillian Stukovsky (Roosevelt) def. Lin 6-4, 6-2. Fifth/eighth: Najla El-Shimi (Lincoln of Seattle) def. Gettmann 6-1, 6-2. Doubles: Consolation: Hannah Wells-Mak Dauer (Snohomish) def. Hayes-Hoppe (Mead) 6-3, 6-0; DeSantis-Frost (Mountan View) def. Tessi Mumbuluma-Alissa Rautenberg (Stanwood) 6-4, 6-4. Fifth/eighth: Loop-Thomas (Lakeside) def. Wells-Dauer 6-1, 6-1.
Class 2A Boys
At Nordstrom Tennis Center, Seattle
Singles: Semifinals: Cole Balen (Archbishop Murphy) def. Rafael Polito (Sammamish) 6-1, retired. First/second: Balen def. Garrett Little (Sequim) 7-5, 6-1.
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Class 1A/2B/1B Track and Field
YAKIMA — Pearce Hess pulled off the trifecta.
The Grace Academy senior swept the sprints, winning the 100, 200 and 400 meters in the Class 1B boys meet at Zaepfel Stadium.
Hess won the 100 in 11.37 seconds, the 200 in 22.88 and the 400 in 50.83 to highlight locals at the meet.
The other local champion was the King’s girls 1,600 relay team. The quartet of junior Sophia Inglin, senior Anna Hoke, junior Madelyn Biederman and freshman Lauren Belden won the Class 1A race in 4:09.57.
The Knights used their depth to claim the team title, finishing with 82 points to outdistance second-place Lynden Christian’s 53.
Class 1A Boys
Discus: 8. Simon VanderWel, junior, King’s, 147-3. 800: 4. Staser Simpson, junior King’s, 1:57.85.
Class 1A Girls
Shot put: 4. Kimberly Beard, sophomore, King’s, 37-11 1/2; 8. Kaelynn Bahnmiller, junior, King’s, 35-7 1/2. Javelin: 4. Joy Ayodeji, senior, Sultan, 121-0; 7. Kimberly Beard, sophomore, King’s, 110-8. 800 relay: 4. King’s (Ella Young, Madelyn Biederman, Ivy Stringham, Lauren Belden) 1:46.54. 800: 2. Sophia Inglin, junior, King’s, 2:17.94; 7. Lauren Belden, freshman, King’s, 2:25.10. 400 relay: 7. King’s (Ella Young, Eliana Rohmer, Therese Lewis, Ivy Stringham) 51.66. 300 hurdles: 7. Anna Hoke, senior, King’s, 48.42. 200: 6. Ivy Stringham, freshman, King’s, 26.44. 1,600 relay: 1. King’s (Sophia Inglin, Anna Hoke, Madelyn Biederman, Lauren Belden) 4:09.57.
Class 1B Boys
100: 1. Pearce Hess, Grace Academy, senior, 11.37. 400: 1. Pearce Hess, senior, Grace Academy 50.83. 200: 1. Pearce Hess, senior, Grace Academy, 22.88.
Class 1B Girls
Long jump: 7. Alice Mellema, freshman, Grace Academy, 15-6.
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Class 3A Baseball
PASCO — The seventh-seeded Edmonds-Woodway Warriors bounced back from Friday’s semifinal defeat, beating the eighth-seeded Eastside Catholic Crusaders 4-1 at Gesa Stadium in the third-place game. The third-place finish at state was the best in school history.
Lukas Wanke pitched a complete-game four-hitter (all singles) on the mound for the Warriors, walking two and striking out seven.
Diego Escandon paced Edmonds-Woodway’s offense, going 2-for-3, including a two-run triple that opened the scoring in the top of the second inning. Cruz Escandon was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, while Kohl Gruender also went 2-for-4.
Edmonds-Woodway finished the season 21-6-1.
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