Sports fans experienced a wide range of emotions in 2006.

From incredible comebacks to heartbreaking losses to surprise finishes, many memorable moments graced the high school sports scene.

Here is a look back at some of the top athletes and teams from this past year.

Jackson wins Class 4A state baseball crown

It was the storybook ending to a perfect season.

For many of the players on the Jackson baseball team, the first time they thought about the possibility of winning a state high school championship was when they were 10- and 11-year-olds and playing Little League in Mill Creek.

One day our time will come, they would say to each other, their parents and anyone who would listen.

The storybook ending that grew out of the imagination of those budding prospects so many years ago became an electrifying reality with a 7-1 victory over Auburn in the Class 4A championship game at Safeco Field.

On the 27th day of May, the Timberwolves wrapped up their undefeated season with their 27th straight victory and made school history with their first-ever state baseball title.

“It’s a dream come true to end it in a park like this with a team like this one,” Jackson senior rightfielder Travis Snider said.

Snider, one of the nation’s most highly touted prospects in last spring’s baseball draft, praised every Wolfpack player.

“One through 18, our entire roster contributed to this championship,” Snider said, “Whether it was pushing each other at practice, catching bullpen, pinch running, pinch hitting or just going out there and starting every day.

“It’s been the most amazing thing that I’ve ever been a part of and the best memory I’m going to ever have in my entire life.”

Senior second baseman Curt Nelson said the camaraderie with this year’s group of players was special.

“We had the best chemistry of any team that I’ve been a part of,” Nelson said. “Everyone was a leader. Everyone pushed everyone to do better. When you work together, great things happen.”

The semifinal and championship games at Safeco Field in Seattle provided a lifetime of memories for senior shortstop Joey Petosa, from the first time he stepped on the field to his first appearance at the plate.

Above all else, Petosa said he treasures the friendships with teammates and the bond they now share as state champions.

“It’s the best feeling you could ever have to take state with those guys, my best friends,” Petosa said. “To share it with those guys means so much to me.”

Jackson’s title run was powered by different players at different times. The final two games of the season were no exception.

Senior Cam Nobles allowed only two hits and struck out 14 to help lead the Wolfpack to an 8-0 victory over Tahoma in the semifinal game. Senior centerfielder Jon Wahl ignited the Jackson offense with a three-run double off the outfield wall in the fourth inning.

In the championship game, junior Geoff Brown stepped to the forefront, allowing only three hits and one unearned run in five innings of work.

Brown admitted he was feeling butterflies in his stomach as he took the mound.

“It was amazing just looking around and pitching in this big stadium,” Brown said. “I had a little nervousness, but you’re going to have that when you pitch in a state championship game.”

Though the lefthander battled control problems, issuing six walks, Brown worked out of jams in the third, fourth and fifth innings before being relieved by junior Kawika Emsley-Pai in the sixth inning.

While Brown’s tenacity on the mound was expected, his production at the plate was not.

With one on and one out and Jackson leading 1-0 in the second inning, Brown was looking to bunt the runner at first base over to second.

Jackson coach Alan Briggs flashed the bunt sign twice, but Brown did not find a pitch to his liking. Then Briggs took the sign off.

On the next pitch, Brown swung and connected on a deep ball to right field that cleared the fence, landing about five rows back.

The Timberwolves exploded off the bench to greet Brown, who until that at-bat had never hit a home run in his high school career.

“He’s the last guy the whole team expected to hit a home run,” Petosa said.

Since finishing third at the 2005 state tournament, the Timberwolves were targeted by other teams.

“These guys handled the pressure of being No. 2 (in the nation) and ranked No. 1 in state,” Briggs said. “Every game was set up for an upset. These guys stayed humble and they stayed focused every day at practice and in every game.”

Archbishop Murphy captures soccer title

Years and years of frustration gave way to unbridled joy for Archbishop Murphy at the Class 2A girls soccer state championship game.

For five straight seasons, the Wildcats advanced to the final four of the girls soccer tournament only to come up short in their pursuit of a state title.

The lengthy pursuit finally ended as sophomore Melissa von der Hofen scored the lone goal to lead Archbishop Murphy to a 1-0 victory over Cascade Conference rival Cedarcrest in the title game Nov. 18 at Harry Lang Stadium.

The state championship was the first-ever for a Wildcats’ girls soccer team, the first-ever for any girls team or individual and the first-ever team title at the 2A classification for the school.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” said senior Drea Gaitan, who played on teams that finished second, second and third the last three years. “I wanted it so bad since freshman year.”

Von der Hofen and the rest of the underclassmen were well-versed in the recent history of the Wildcats at the state tournament and they were determined to make school history.

Archbishop Murphy placed second at state in 1998, 2003 and 2004 and third in 2001, 2002 and 2005.

“It’s unbelievable. I’m shaking right now,” von der Hofen said after the first-place trophy presentation. “I can’t believe we won. … it means a lot because there’s been a lot of great teams and they haven’t been able to pull through and we finally pulled through.”

The victory was even sweeter for Archbishop Murphy (20-3) because it was against arch-rival Cedarcrest, which had handed the Wildcats their only two league losses during the regular season. The win was Archbishop Murphy’s first-ever over Cedarcrest.

Archbishop Murphy wanted a third crack at the Red Wolves, a 3-1 winner over Cheney in the semifinals. Cedarcrest (17-1) came into the game undefeated and was averaging more than five goals per game.

“We wanted to play (Cedarcrest),” Gaitan said. “If we were going to win state we wanted it against them. We didn’t want anyone saying we didn’t beat Cedarcrest. We wanted to finish their undefeated season.”

“They may have won league, but state champions sounds a lot better to us,” Nelson said.

Archbishop Murphy head coach Pat Jack made a key strategic move by instructing sophomore Brittany Allen to shadow Cedarcrest’s leading goal scorer, senior Amanda Johnson.

Jack said the idea came from assistant coach Dick Henderson, who scouted Cedarcrest in its semifinal game.

“We put No. 9 (Allen) on her (Johnson) and told her to stay on her as tight as you can through the whole thing,” Jack said. “She did. She pretty much shut down No. 14 (Johnson).”

The first half ended in a scoreless tie with neither team with a clear edge.

The feeling in the Archbishop Murphy locker room was upbeat as the Wildcats realized that they were in the game.

“We could do this,” Gaitan recalled. “We just had to keep playing first to the ball and just come out with intensity.”

Six minutes into the second half, freshman Sammi Pettinger booted a shot that hit off the left post and bounced into the back corner on the right side.

Von der Hofen found the ball and kicked a shot over the arms of Cedarcrest goalkeeper Holli Butterfield and into the left side of the goal.

“It was nerve-wracking,” von der Hofen said of the winning goal. “I can’t believe I scored that.”

“It was just so great to come out and win the right game,” Nelson said. “They beat us in league, but we beat them in the game that counts.”

Jackson takes fifth place at Class 4A boys hoop tourney

As the seconds ticked down on Drew Eisinger’s final high school game, the Jackson High School senior was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude.

Eisinger was thankful to be a member of a team still playing on the fourth and final day of the Class 4A state boys basketball tournament.

He was grateful to be coming home with a fifth-place trophy, the first piece of hardware the boys basketball team has ever brought back from the state tournament.

The Wolfpack standout also was appreciative to have had the opportunity to play with younger brother, Jamie, for the past two years.

“I was just thankful to be out here,” Drew Eisinger said. “Not that many people get to play in the Tacoma Dome and take fifth place in their senior year. It feels so good.”

His teammates shared the sentiments following the Timberwolves’ 62-54 victory over Inglemoor in the fifth-eighth place Class 4A state tournament game March 11 at the Tacoma Dome.

Jackson’s only other appearance at the state tournament was in 1997 as a 3A school. The Wolfpack went 1-2 and did not place.

The Timberwolves were the No. 3 and final seed out of district playoffs and in many respects, exceeded their expectations coming this season.

“My goal was to get to state,” Drew Eisinger said. “I never thought we’d get fifth in state. I didn’t think we’d be in the top 10. You look at our team, we don’t have that much athleticism, but you can tell we’ve got a lot of heart. That’s what I love about this team. That’s what showed in placing fifth.”

In addition to heart, the Wolfpack also had two of the top players in the state tournament in Drew Eisinger and junior guard Brian Rucker, both of whom were named to the all-tournament first team.

Eisinger scored a game-high 21 points against Inglemoor and averaged 24.5 points per game for the tournament. Rucker scored 17 points and averaged 20.7 points.

The fifth-place finish was a goal of Rucker and the Eisingers since they were little.

“We’ve always dreamed of placing at state,” Rucker said.

The friendships among the players played a major role in Jackson’s success.

“I couldn’t ask for better teammates,” Rucker said. “We’re all best friends hanging together on the court and off the court. I think that’s part of the reason we’re so successful. We all enjoy each other’s presence … It showed out there on the court.”

Wolfpack makes first state girls basketball appearance

Jackson exceeded expectations this season by advancing to the Class 4A state girls basketball tournament for the first time in school history.

But that accomplishment didn’t lessen the sting of being eliminated from the tourney by Western Conference South Division rival Meadowdale.

The Mavericks edged the Timberwolves 60-56 in a loser-out game March 10 at the Tacoma Dome. Meadowdale, which fell to Mount Tahoma the next day, took home an eighth-place trophy.

Jackson coach Jeannie Thompson expressed hope that the Timberwolves would find some inspiration in their first appearance at state.

“We’re definitely going to use this whole experience and hopefully build toward placing next year or going for a state championship,” Thompson said.

The Wolfpack and the Mavericks split their regular season series and the March 10 game was predictably close.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Thompson said. “They’re a great program and they always come out hard, especially in these situations.”

Meadowdale was making its 11th straight appearance at state. The Mavericks have finished eighth or higher in 10 of the school’s 12 postseason appearances.

“We started off slow tonight and had to play through it,” Thompson said. “It was a very physical game. I thought my kids battled through it very well and unfortunately we fell short at the end. We dug ourselves a hole in the first, second and third quarters and were able to make it close at the end.”

Sophomore guard Kristi Kingma. who averaged a tournament-high 23 points per game, was named to the all-tournament first team.

The difference against Meadowdale was that the Mavericks made key baskets late in the game. Jackson shot 52 percent from the field in the first half but then cooled off to 27 percent in the second half.

The Timberwolves (22-4 overall) were disappointed not to be playing on the fourth day of the tournament but were pleased with their overall performance.

“A lot of us played great out there,” sophomore Ashly Bruns said. “We gave it our all … We had a great season and we made it this far. We hope to make it back next year.”

Snyder captures Class 2A state hurdles championship

Archbishop Murphy’s Nick Snyder felt confident heading into the finals of the 110-meter high hurdles at the Class 2A state track and field championships.

Snyder finished first in his preliminary heat and was only .01 seconds behind defending champion Holden Leavitt of Kiona-Benton, who won his preliminary heat.

“I felt that I could do better,” Snyder said.

The Archbishop Murphy junior was right.

Snyder ran the best race of his career and blew away the field, finishing first with a personal record time of 14.89 seconds, .19 seconds ahead of his archrival May 27 at Eastern Washington University in Cheney.

“It started out really well,” Snyder said. “The guy who beat me (last year) was right next to me, so that was good. The adrenaline was pumping.”

Last- second shot torpedos Wildcats

The Archbishop Murphy Wildcats all fell to the turf in unison, lost in disbelief at what they’d just witnessed.

The most miraculous of shots had just denied their chance at a state title.

Leo Diaz scored from an impossible angle just as time expired in overtime, and the Highland Scotties defeated the Wildcats 2-1 in the Class 2A high school boys soccer championship game May 27 at Sunset Chev Stadium.

“When it went into the net, I thought, ‘There’s something wrong with this picture,’” Archbishop Murphy senior forward Justin Ryan said. “It was a hell of a shot. It was unfortunate, but soccer is a funny game.”

With the clock winding down in overtime, Diaz chased the ball down at the goal line outside the right edge of the penalty box. With the public address announcer counting down, “Two, one,” Diaz turned and fired a right-footed shot toward goal. The ball somehow got over Wildcats’ goalkeeper Alex Ungs and slipped into the net at the far post, ending the game and giving the Scotties the title.

“I’ve never seen a game end like that before,” Archbishop Murphy coach Jon Echols said. “That No. 11, Diaz, is a great player. He took his best shot and found the back of the net. You have to credit him for that.”

Alex Bickmann scored for Archbishop Murphy, which finished its season 15-7.

The Wildcats defeated Orting 1-0 in the semifinals to advance to the state championship game. Bickmann scored the game-winning goal.

Jackson’s Snider selected by Toronto

The Toronto Blue Jays have a reputation for coveting experience over youth, but Travis Snider’s uncommonly polished hitting skills were simply too attractive to ignore.

Toronto selected Snider, a 6-foot, 230-pound Jackson High School senior, with the 14th pick of the first round during the 2006 Major League Baseball draft.

Snider, a powerful right fielder who helped propel Jackson to the Class 4A state championship, is the first high school player picked by Toronto in the opening round since 2000.

“It’s an honor,” Snider said during a conference call. “It shows that (Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi) and the rest of the Blue Jays organization has some strong faith in my ability to play the game. I look forward to taking this opportunity to show them they made the right decision.”

Several factors contributed to Toronto’s choice, Blue Jays scouting director Jon Lalonde said. Toronto was not sold on the college talent that remained by the time it picked, and the Blue Jays already have a core of quality players in the upper levels of their minor league system, Lalonde said. Besides, Snider, who had a .500 batting average and smacked a school-record 11 home runs his senior season, made an excellent impression on Lalonde and the entire Blue Jays organization.

Ha, Pazevic place at 4A girls swim finals

A wave of strong performances by junior Stephanie Ha and freshman Alana Pazevic lifted Jackson to a tie for ninth place at the Class 4A state swimming and diving championships in November.

Ha and Pazevic both advanced to the finals of two events and swam on a pair of Wolfpack relay teams.

“I’m really proud. All season the girls have been fantastic,” Jackson head coach Drew Whorley said. “We’re young and we’re going to continue to get better.”

Ha finished third in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59.46 seconds and placed fifth in the 200 individual medley in 2:12.30.

“I tried my best,” Ha said. “I’m happy with how it turned out. … I felt good. Every year I want to try and improve and do better.”

Ha set a school record in the 100 butterfly prelims with a 58.44.

In her first state meet, Pazevic demonstrated she will be a force to be reckoned with the next three years.

Pazevic placed third in the 100 freestyle (52.90) and fifth in the 100 backstroke (1:00.66). The Jackson freshman went into the state meet with the top qualifying time in the 100 freestyle (52.56) and the second fastest time in the 100 backstroke (59.89). Both are school records.

“I didn’t get my best times, but I had a lot of fun with the team,” Pazevic said. “I was just happy to go to state. The people who beat me (in the 100 freestyle) were seniors and had a lot more experience. I didn’t know what to expect. It was just a good experience.”

While Ha and Pazevic were happy with their individual performances, the highlight of the meet was Jackson’s record-setting time in the 200 medley relay.

Ha and Pazevic along with Allie Litz and Jessica Samples finished seventh in 1:55.61. The four clocked in with a school record time of 1:54.50 in the preliminaries.

The same four swimmers finished 11th in the 200 freestyle relay (1:43.70), another school record.

Wildcats fall 14-7 in

2A state quarterfinals

The Prosser football team rolled up its sleeves and rallied to beat Archbishop Murphy 14-7 in a 2A state quarterfinal Nov. 18 at Lampson Stadium.

Prosser had eight first-half fumbles, losing four of them, which several players and coaches attributed in part to the long sleeves of the undergarments the Mustangs wore in the first half.

“They were getting a little slick,” said sophomore Kirby Moore, who caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Kellen Moore with 15 seconds left for the winning score. “So at halftime, everybody rolled them up and got them out of the way.”

Prosser (12-0) didn’t lose the ball once in the second half, and as a result, the offense clicked just enough against a tough Archbishop Murphy defense to advance the Mustangs to a semifinal date with Centralia.

With the offense unable to hang on to the ball in the first half, the Mustangs defense came up big-time again and again. Prosser held Archbishop Murphy (11-1) to 182 yards total offense and, despite the four first-half turnovers, the Mustangs went into the locker room behind just 7-0.

Archbishop Murphy’s only score came when a botched handoff gave it the ball at the Prosser 26. Tony Houts scored on a 13-yard run with 10:02 remaining until halftime.

“We were very pleased with our performance,” said Wildcats coach Terry Ennis. “We worked our butt off on offense for those seven points. We weren’t expecting to run through these guys at all.”

Wildcats advance to 2A volleyball tourney

The Archbishop Murphy volleyball team’s first trip to state ended a win shy of the trophy round on Nov. 11, but the Wildcats declared it a successful season nonetheless.

Lynden, a team Archbishop Murphy beat in five games in the District 1 semifinals, knocked the Wildcats out of the state 2A tournament 25-18, 25-22, 25-27, 25-21 in the consolation bracket at the Yakima SunDome.

The Lions nearly swept the Wildcats, but Archbishop Murphy fought off three match points in game three and forced game four after a kill by junior outside hitter Megan Robinson.

Archbishop Murphy took a 7-1 lead in game four but the Lions roared back and ended the deciding game on an 8-2 run.

“We played our hearts out,” senior middle hitter Kaitlin Hoban said. “There’s nothing to feel bad about. We left it all on the court.”

Archbishop Murphy lost its opening round match to Tumwater 25-19, 22-25, 25-28, 25-21, but bounced back to beat Eatonville, 16-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20 for its first-ever state tournament win.

In the last four years, under coach Mike Bettinghouse, the Wildcats have gradually improved. This year’s seniors went from not even qualifying for the district tournament to meeting their goal of a state berth this season.

“We accomplished that,” senior Allie Gotz said of qualifying for state with the district win over Lynden. “I’m so proud of our girls.”