A fond farewell to 2004

It was another action-packed year for local athletics.

Tales of unforgettable victories, heart-wrenching defeats, records crumbling and down-to-the-wire finishes filled the Enterprise sports pages.

Here is a brief recap of some of the most memorable personalities and teams that made 2004 special:

E-W’s Dennis finishes third in 4A state swimming finals

Tony Dennis was hoping to get a little taste of what the big show was all about at the Class 4A state boys swimming and diving championships at the King County Aquatic Center.

A year ago, the Edmonds-Woodway junior advanced to the consolation finals of the 500-yard freestyle and won the event to finish ninth overall.

Dennis’ goal heading into the Feb. 20-21 competition was simple — to make it to the 500 freestyle finals.

He got more than he bargained for.

Dennis stuck to his pre-race game plan and overtook two competitors late in the race to finish a surprising third overall with an All-America consideration time of 4:42.68.

“I wanted to swim my own race, more than swim with other people,” Dennis said. “I felt really good while I was swimming it. I was really tired at the end. When I got out, I couldn’t believe that I went that fast and got third. It’s awesome.”

Mavericks move all three relays on to 3A swim finals

The Meadowdale boys swimming team is its own worst critic.

While the Mavericks might not have met their high expectations at the Class 3A state swimming and diving championships, coach Wally Nagel had no complaints about his team’s effort during the Feb. 21 finals at the King County Aquatic Center.

Meadowdale advanced all three of its relays and a pair of individuals to a number of the consolation finals and championship heats.

“I’m pleased … with everybody. I have no qualms with what anybody did,” said Nagel, who is in his 34th season as head coach. “They get upset with themselves, but they have nothing to be worried about.”

The highlights of the meet for junior Jonathan Keane were the Mavericks’ relays, all three of which swam on the second day of competition.

The 200-yard freestyle team of Jason Merrifield, David Clobes, Derek Shiu and Keane advanced to the finals and finished eighth overall with a time of 1:32.27.

The same four swimmers teamed for a 10th-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay (3:23.33), while the 200 medley relay team of Clobes, Merrifield, Asp and Dustin Van Duin finished 15th (1:47.60).

Meadowdale girls claim 3A state hoops crown

Meadowdale’s seniors simply would not be denied.

Not with a state basketball championship within their grasps.

Not after advancing to the state tournament the prior three years as one of the favorites to win the title but coming away disappointed.

Nothing was going to stand in the Mavericks’ way this time.

Meadowdale’s five seniors made sure of it.

With the Mavericks struggling somewhat on offense and holding only a 33-31 halftime lead over underdog Rainier Beach, Meadowdale turned to senior forward Quinn Brewe and senior guard Anne Martin.

The two combined to score all 15 of their team’s points in the third quarter as the Mavericks slowly pulled away from the Vikings for a 66-53 victory in the Class 3A girls championship game March 6 at the Tacoma Dome.

Meadowdale coach Karen Blair wasn’t surprised to see Brewe and Martin assert themselves in the third quarter.

“They took it upon themselves,” Blair said. “They knew we were kind of in a little bit of a funk and really tried to step it up.”

The theme coming into the finals and throughout the season was about having no regrets, a slogan the Mavericks had printed on their team T-shirts.

The previous three years Meadowdale (26-1) had placed fourth, fifth and fourth at the state tournament.

“We wanted to have no regrets out there,” said Brewe, who finished with a game-high 31 points and 11 rebounds and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

“We had five seniors and I think nobody is regretting tonight. We’ve been through a lot these past four years. We’ve had all the hype and never quite made it here (finals) … We really wanted to come through with a win tonight and get it done.”

Meadowdale boys take sixth at state tourney

Meadowdale coach Chad McGuire won’t be thinking about the disappointing end to the Mavericks’ four-day run at the Class 3A state boys basketball tournament when he reflects on the 2003-04 season.

Though Meadowdale led for virtually all 32 minutes of the third/sixth place game, the Mavericks saw what seemed to be a certain victory slip from their fingers.

West Valley (Yakima) guard E.J. Schoen sank a running 10-foot jumper with 3.2 seconds left to lift the Rams to a stunning 59-57 victory March 6 at the Tacoma Dome.

Meadowdale senior guard Taylor Marsh appeared to all but seal the win for the Mavericks with his third 3-pointer of the game, which gave the Mavericks a 57-53 lead with 49 seconds remaining in the game.

But West Valley forward Andrew Strait followed with a bucket and then senior center Corey Wehr made a pair of free throws to tie the score at 57.

Meadowdale (23-5) had a chance to win the game but turned the ball over on an over-and-back violation with 19.4 seconds left in the game.

West Valley then ran the clock down and eventually the ball ended up in Schoen’s hands after Strait found himself double-teamed. Schoen made the game-winner with a Meadowdale defender’s hand in his face.

“He made a contested jump shot,” McGuire said. “That’s pretty hard to defend. We took away their first option and their second option came through and made the shot.”

Mountlake Terrace boys have short run at state

It was a bad case of deja vu for Mountlake Terrace’s boys basketball team.

Less than 24 hours after a tough first half resulted in a loss in their Class 4A state tournament opener, the Hawks came out sluggishly against Central Kitsap in a loser-out contest March 11 at the Tacoma Dome.

As it did a day earlier, Mountlake Terrace staged a furious second-half rally but still came up short, dropping a 58-49 contest to the Cougars.

The Hawks shot a tepid 17 percent in the first half against Central Kitsap after making only 27 percent of their shots a day earlier in the first half against South Kitsap.

“We just never got into a consistent flow down here offensively,” said Mountlake Terrace coach Nalin Sood. “We did not shoot the basketball very good.”

Central Kitsap closed out the first quarter with a 12-2 run to take a 16-9 lead into the second period. The Cougars extended their lead to 27-11 before the Hawks rallied to cut the deficit to 31-19 at halftime.

“We were forcing … outside shots,” said junior forward Mike Boxley. “That’s what they wanted us to do. Our strong point was when we attack. We’re a quick team and we needed to attack the basketball.”

Warriors advance to regional baseball finals

Throughout the 2004 season, the Edmonds-Woodway baseball team came out on top far more often than not in close games.

The Warriors’ string of successes finally ran out in the Class 4A Region II finals.

Kentwood took advantage of a throwing error in the top of the eighth inning to push across one run and edge Edmonds-Woodway 8-7 May 22 at Kent Memorial Park.

The Warriors just as easily could have been the team headed for state semifinals but one of their runners was thrown out trying to score the winning run by stealing home in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Even after the Conquerors took the lead the next inning, Edmonds-Woodway refused to give up.

Senior David Dwyer led off the inning with a double over the right fielder’s head. But the Warriors (21-5) were unable to move courtesy runner Jordan Cooper any further.

Kentwood’s Chris West struck out the next two Edmonds-Woodway batters on called third strikes and then ended the Warriors’ comeback attempt by striking out the next batter, who went down swinging.

“I had no doubt in my mind we’d keep coming back,” said Edmonds-Woodway coach Joe Webster. “We’ve done it all year long. I was a little surprised actually that we didn’t end up tying it up again at the end.”

Mavericks win Class 3A state boys soccer title

The coronation was set.

The Mount Rainier Rams had the game sewed up. The Class 3A high school boys soccer state championship trophy was headed to Des Moines.

However, Solly Gold, Aaron Roberts and the rest of the Meadowdale Mavericks had a different idea. The result was an improbable comeback and the first boys soccer state championship in Meadowdale school history.

Gold scored twice in the final 15 minutes to force overtime, then set up Roberts for the game-winning goal in OT, and the Mavericks defeated the Rams 3-2 May 29 at Doc Harris Stadium to claim the state title.

“It feels good,” Gold, a junior forward, said about winning the state championship. “It feels better to win it like that than in a blowout. It was pretty intense.”

Roberts scored the golden goal when he blasted a shot past Mount Rainier goalkeeper Dustin Epler with just 10.9 seconds remaining in overtime.

“The last time I checked, there were 20 seconds left and I knew it was time for a last push,” the junior midfielder said. “I saw Solly get the ball and I knew he had time to turn. I just made my run and he slotted me perfect, so I had to do it.”

Meadowdale’s previous best finish at state was third in 2003. Prior to that, the Mavericks (20-2-1) had reached the state tournament just once in school history, losing in the first round 23 years ago.

“It’s hard to describe,” Meadowdale coach Darrell Hamilton said about his feelings. “You work so hard to get here, then to win it is just beyond belief. It’s all about the kids.

“When they were down by two goals, you start thinking about what you’re going to tell them because they’re going to lose. Just to see them come back like that, they’ve done that all year long.”

E-W’s Roma takes second at state

Edmonds-Woodway’s Tiana Roma walked away from the Class 4A state track and field championships glad she achieved the goal she set for herself coming into the meet.

Roma, the defending state high jump champion, cleared a personal record height of 5 feet, 6 inches May 28 at Edgar Brown Stadium in Pasco.

The Edmonds-Woodway senior, however, fell short of winning a second straight title as Lewis and Clark junior Briann January finished first in the event.

Both competitors along with third-place finisher Sara Klein of Olympia cleared 5-6, but January won because she had the fewest total misses.

“I went and did 5-6. That was my PR,” Roma said. “My goal was to see how high I could go. I was happy to jump my PR in my last high school meet.”

Roma had three opportunities to clear 5-7 but was unable to make the height.

“I was really close,” she said. “My first jump I knocked it (bar) off with my ankle as I went over. Pretty much I did that three times. I was over the bar, but I kept getting it on my way down.”

Mav coach decides to call it a career

Ron Martin won’t have any problems keeping busy next spring.

A trip down to Peoria, Ariz., to watch the Seattle Mariners at spring training is on the agenda. Martin also plans to spend a lot more time playing golf and tennis.

Plenty of weeds will need to be pulled and bushes will have to be trimmed in Martin’s yard.

But one activity Martin won’t be involved in is coaching the Meadowdale High School baseball team.

After 27 years at the helm of the baseball program, Martin turned in his uniform for the final time last month. He had been contemplating retirement for awhile. Martin finally decided this year it was time to make some changes in his life.

“I’ve been considering it for a few years,” said Martin, a Lake Forest Park resident. “There are a lot of things … I’d like to do. I’d like to be able to go to spring training, which I’ve never been able to do obviously because baseball interferes. I’d like to play golf and to take some time for myself.”

In his final season, Martin again guided the Mavericks to the Class 3A state playoffs. The postseason was nothing new to Martin and his teams, which consistently made the playoffs. Meadowdale won state championships in 1980 and 1991.

Martin hopes that in his 29 years of coaching he made a difference in some athletes’ lives, because they definitely made a difference in his.

“They were almost always upbeat,” Martin said. “They were fun to be around. They were hard working. With young people, there’s always hope.

“They allowed me the opportunity to feel younger than my age.”

Couple takes road trip of a lifetime

Jim Siscel thought a road trip sounded like an ideal way for he and his wife to kick off their retirement. The longtime elementary school teacher just couldn’t work up the courage to tell her.

Before he had the chance, Andrea Siscel approached him with an eerily similar proposal.

She suggested that the couple pack their bags, lock up their Lynnwood home and explore the country by visiting every major league baseball stadium.

Jim nearly pinched himself.

“To both have the same idea was kind of neat,” he said.

The one caveat Jim had in mind was to throw in all the minor league ballparks as well.

“When Jim wants to do something,” Andrea said, “he does it all-out.”

So the Siscels treated themselves to a sparkling silver Dodge Caravan and a digital camera and laptop computer to document each stop of their baseball odyssey across the United States and Canada.

Two summers, 172 ballparks and 55,604 miles later, the couple completed their adventure where it all began, in the stands at Everett Memorial Stadium.

The same group of students and their families from Jim’s final third-grade class at Echo Lake Elementary in Shoreline that gathered June 23, 2002 to send off the Siscels reconvened to watch Jim and Andrea each throw out a first pitch before the AquaSox took the field.

Goeckel heads to 2004 Paralympics

It was a telephone call that Jennifer Goeckel had been waiting for all her life.

University of Arizona wheelchair track and field coach Derek Brown had some exciting news to share with the 2000 Lynnwood High School graduate.

Following her chat with Brown, Goeckel went online to confirm what her coach had relayed to her.

What Goeckel read on the Internet made her spirits soar.

The official announcement on the U.S. Paralympics Web site indicated that Goeckel was one of 42 athletes selected for the 2004 U.S. Paralympics Track and Field team.

“I was very shocked when I found out that I made the team, not that I doubted myself,” Goeckel said. “It was kind of surreal seeing your name on the list … this is something we (my parents and I) have talked about since I was little.”

Goeckel, 22, was born with spina bifida, a condition in which the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth. Some individuals with the disorder are confined to wheelchairs. Goeckel, however, is able to walk unaided. She will be competing in the 100-, 200-, 400-, 800-and 1,500-meter wheelchair races.

The Paralympics are the Olympic equivalent for athletes with disabilities.

E-W duo fares well at 4A state meet

Both of Edmonds-Woodway’s top runners improved upon their prior state performances at the Class 4A cross country championships.

Senior Derry Betts placed sixth overall in the boys race with a time of 15 minutes, 41 seconds, while Kate Southcote-Want finished 22nd in 19:19 Nov. 6 at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

Betts said he was in the zone from the start.

“It was probably the best race I’ve ever run,” he said.

In 2003, Betts placed 24th and was out of the running for the Washington/Oregon Border Clash meet, which features the top 18 runners from the state meet.

“He was very disappointed not making the top 18 (last year) and going to the Border Clash meet,” said Edmonds-Woodway coach Regina Joyce. “That was his main focus.”

Southcote-Want moved up one spot (22nd) from a year ago and also ran faster. Teammate Jordan Huegli finished right on Southcote-Want’s heels in 25th place (19:23).

Royals celebrate win over Falcons

As the mob scene ensued at midfield, quarterback Derek Stong fell to his knees, lost in exultation and disbelief.

As fullback Luke St. Marie limped off the field, near tears, complete pandemonium erupted from the fans above the tunnel to the locker room at Edmonds Stadium. They were finally free to release the pent-up emotions from an eternity of frustration.

It’s been a long time coming, but the Lynnwood Royals can finally call themselves winners on the field.

After five years and 46 games of futility, the Lynnwood High School football team finally tasted victory as the Royals defeated the South Whidbey Falcons 27-26 in overtime Nov. 4 in their non-league season finale.

“It’s out of control, I don’t know what to say,” said Lynnwood senior tailback Brian Hill, who in his final high school game finally felt victory. “I can’t stop crying.”

Technically speaking, Lynnwood’s losing streak came to an end earlier this season at 42 when Kamiak was forced to forfeit its win for using ineligible players. But the victory was the first time the Royals (2-8) won a game on the field since their final game in 1999.

“It means we’re just like every other team out there,” Lynnwood coach Andrew Burton said. “We have wins and we have losses.”

E-W standout pleased with state performance

The Class 4A state swimming championships ended on an upbeat note for Mary Beth Spillman.

This was Spillman’s third trip to state and unlike last year when she failed to make it to the second day of competition, this time the Edmonds-Woodway junior had strong performances during the preliminaries.

Spillman advanced to the finals of the 500-yard freestyle, where she placed eighth, and also competed in the 50 freestyle consolation finals, where she ended up second in her heat and 10th overall.

Competing in a swim suit borrowed from a friend on the Garfield High School team, Spillman dropped 2/10 of a second from her 50 freestyle prelim time with a 25.29. Her time would have placed her sixth overall had she advanced to the finals.

Mavs beat Knights for 4A state football berth

Meadowdale’s Travis Anderson knew it was only a matter of time.

Even though the Mavericks’ offense was sputtering for the better part of three quarters and Auburn clung to a 14-3 lead with three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Anderson had a feeling Meadowdale would not be denied a berth to the Class 4A state playoffs.

The senior running back was right.

Mavericks senior quarterback Demetri Huffman connected with senior running back Justin Lucero on a 47-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 14-10 with a minute left in the third quarter.

Anderson then scored what turned out to be the winning touchdown on a 15-yard run with 3:38 left in the fourth quarter to lift Meadowdale to a 17-14 victory over Auburn in a state qualifier game Nov. 6 at Edmonds Stadium.

“As soon as I dove in it felt great, knowing that all these guys are working hard and we get to go on just because of that touchdown,” said Anderson, who rushed for 109 yards on 19 carries. “It felt great.”

This was the third straight season Meadowdale has advanced to the postseason. Two years ago, the Mavericks advanced to the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs.

Warriors savor first football playoff win

Edmonds-Woodway football coach John Gradwohl had only one question for his team following its state qualifier game against North Kitsap.

In a boisterous and packed locker room, Gradwohl asked his players if they were having fun. The near-deafening response confirmed that the Warriors were having a good time.

In large part due to the efforts of senior running back Travis Smith and a gutsy performance by the Warriors’ defense, Edmonds-Woodway outlasted North Kitsap 40-28 in a district playoff game Nov. 6 at Edmonds Stadium.

Smith rushed for 220 yards on 30 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead the Warriors to their first playoff victory in school history.

“The kids are excited. They’re fired up,” Gradwohl said. “This is brand new to us. We’re glad to be here. The kids are working really hard and are having a lot of fun. That’s what we’re trying to do — have a lot of fun.”

The players were not only happy for themselves but for Gradwohl, who has coached previous teams that have missed the playoffs by only one game.

“I feel great for giving this to Gradwohl because this is his first time being in the playoffs,” Smith said. “It’s a good gift to give to your coach. He’s such a great coach.”