Washington’s last weekend gets started early

PREPS

The Washington State tournaments get underway in a big way at 9 a.m., so we have a choice: Give you links to stories from all over the state, or just cover the tournaments, posting scores and links as they roll in.

Like any good politician, we’ll try to do both.

• From the S-R, we have this story on the St. George’s 400-meter relay team, one of the favorites in the 2B/1B State track meet, which opens in a few minutes in Cheney. We also have this list of everything that’s going on.

Speaking of everything going on, as the wire or Web sites move scores and results, I’ll try to pass them on today, with a focus on local teams such as Shadle Park and North Central softball.

• Mead’s Ashley Hutchison will be competing in the State 4A shot put and discus without her mother. As Dave Trimmer so touchingly described last week, Hutchinson’s mother Julie died just prior to the regional meet. The Tri-City Herald’s Jeff Morrow talked with Ashley this week and has the story. The paper’s Rene Ferran dopes out the 4A and 3A meets.

• The Times previews tennis, baseball and softball, along with this story about Tahoma’s shortstop, playing in the 4A baseball semifinals.

• The P-I, besides also having a Tahoma story, has this on the 4A/3A softball tournaments.

• The News Tribune posts an interesting story about the 2A/1A track meet.