Update: Post season upon us

I’M UPDATING THIS POST FROM EARLIER TODAY - Mike V.

Wrestling and gymnastics is into the next to last weekend of their seasons and basketball playoffs are in full swing with 1A, 2B and 1B teams vying for state.

Tonight marks the end of the regular Greater Spokane League season. As it stands right now,  Ferris coach Don Van Lierop thought that Lewis and Clark and Mead likely have the inside track to the No. 2 and 3 4A district seeds, even if they wind up in a four-way tie at 10-10 with Ferris and Central Valley. He bases his belief on the quality wins portion of the playoff criteria for ties. LC beat Gonzaga Prep and Mead beat Shadle Park, which neither of the other two teams did. 

By my calculations, if there’s a four-way tie it looks to me as if Mead will be No. 2 after sweeping Lewis and Clark plus a quality win over Shadle Park. That would put, the Saxons No. 3 because of its sweep over LC (Both the Panthers and Ferris would be 4-2 in games among the four. With CV finishing 3-3, splitting with the other three, and LC 1-5 it would make sense that they are No. 4 and 5 respectively and would face each other Monday. The caveat is that since CV and LC split and LC has that quality victory, they could be home team for the 7:15 p.m. loser-out contest. 

I guess the best thing to do is see how tonight’s games play out and see if it renders all this moot.

As for Districts:

 

District 4A Boys (all games 7:15 p.m.)

Monday, Feb. 16 - GSL 5 at. 4 (loser out); Tuesday Feb. 17 - Winner 4/5 at Gonzaga Prep, Feb. 17; No. 3 at No. 4; Thursday, Feb. 19 - winners at highest seed (winner to regional), losers at highest seed; Friday, Feb. 20 - loser of final vs. winner of other Thursday game for second regonal berth.

Girls (all games 5:30 p.m.)

Monday -  Gonzaga Prep at University (loser out); Tuesday - GP/U-Hi winner at Lewis and Clark, Central Valley at Mead; Thursday -  winners at highest seed (winner to regional), losers at highest seed. Friday, loser of final vs. winner of other Thursday game.

District 3A Boys (all games 7:15 p.m.)

Wednesday, Feb.18 - Mt. Spokane at Shadle Park, Rogers at North Central; Thursday, Feb. 19 - Winners at highest seed (1-2 to regional); Losers at highest seed (3-4 to regional).

Girls (all games 5:30 p.m.)

Wednesday - North Central at Shadle Park, Mt. Spokane at East Valley; Thursday - Winners at highest seed (1-2 to regional); Losers at highest seed (3-4 to regional).

Gymastics regional is Saturday at Mead Middle School and wrestling regionals are all over the map with GSL 4A at Central Valley Saturday at 9 a.m. and 3A Saturday in Sunnyside.

Wrestlers vie for state berths

Area wrestlers complete their quest for trips to Mat Classic XXI in Tacoma, to be held Feb. 20 and 21, with regional competitions this weekend.

Central Valley is the site of Saturday’s day long 4A regional, which includes teams from the Greater Spokane League and Columbia Basin Big Nine.

The 3A tournament in Sunnyside pits Eastern subregional wrestlers against those from District 1 in Northwest Washington.

The tournament for 2A competitors from the Great Northern League and CWAC competitors is in Ellensburg. Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) hosts a 1A regional with Northeast A competitors competing with those from the Caribou Trail League.

Reardan hosts the Eastern region B tournament.

Class 4A

Where/When: Central Valley HS, 9 a.m. Saturday

Berths: Four per weight to state.

Fast facts: A dozen GSL state veterans are in the field, along with a dozen from the CBBN. Local placers include including local placers Jarod Maynes (CV, third, 103), Tyler Clark (University, fourth, 103) and Ryan Zumwalt (U-Hi, fifth 140).

It’s Mead, U-Hi, and CV, versus Moses Lake and Wenatchee will vie for team honors.

Class 3A

Where/When: Sunnyside HS, 10 a.m. Saturday

Berths: Four per weight to state

Fast facts: Defending champion East Valley takes on the Skagit Valley and traditional power Sedro Woolley. It will be tough having the Cubs in a region that includes 28 previous state qualifiers, six at 135 pounds alone. EV’s Nic Price (third), Jake Rodriguez (fourth), Dakota Lawson (fifth), Keith Babington (fifth) and Chris Tripplet (third at Gonzaga Prep) provide state-placing power. North Central’s Jared Berlinger (seventh) and Nathan Brown (eighth) are other returning local state places and in the same weight class.

Class 2A

Where/When: Ellensburg, Friday and Saturday

Berths: Five per weight to state

Fast facts: Six Great Northern League wrestlers per weight are in the field versus seven from the CWAC. The sixes and sevens wrestle to get into the regional bracket. Deer Park is defending state champion and returns six placers, including champions Drew Acorn and Cody Miller. They are among a dozen GNL state placers, including Riverside runner-up Jacob DesRoches. Deer Park, Riverside and Clarkston will all be in the team hunt.

Class 1A

Where/When: Lakeside HS (Nine Mile Falls), Friday, 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.

Berths: Four per weight to state.

Fast facts: The Northeast A League faces off against the Caribou Trail League, a traditionally tough test. Top two per weight from each league are in the bracket. CTL Nos. 6 and 5 wrestle NEA Nos. 3 and 4 for other spots. Lakeside is defending state champion with five returning placers among its state returnees, who are joined by 10 more state veterans from other schools in league.

Class B

Where/When: Reardan HS Lakeside High, Friday, 6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m.

Berths: Five per weight to state.

Fast facts: Republic and Reardan have been the state team powers from a strong region. Twenty-one state qualifiers are in the field, including returning champions J.J. Gubler, Ryn Rollins, Scotty Bacon and second-place Levi Larson from team champ Republic. Others are defending champion Conan Kalugin, finalist Alex Kalugin and placer CJ Kenney (all Springdale), plus placers Nick Stanifer (Liberty) and Chris Pence (Reardan).