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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Summer All-Star Football Game Comes To Spokane

From Staff Reports

The East West Summer Classic is now three summer classics, and one of them will be in Spokane.

On June 30, the Class AAA-AA football game will at Joe Albi Stadium after 15 years at Everett. Recently retired Ferris coach Pat Pfeifer will coach the East team.

Instead of getting token A-B representation on the team, there will be an A-B game at Yakima a week earlier. And, for the second year, there will be a B-8 game in July, possibly in Odessa.

More games mean more participation for the players. The roster for the game in Spokane will be announced sometime in February. Central Valley coach Rick Giampietri has been the leader in getting the game in Spokane.

If the game is a success here, it could alternate between Spokane and Everett every year or it could be on the East Side every third year.

Tom Merrill, head coach at Class AA Kennedy High School in Burien for 23 years, resigned this week to pursue a Class AAA job. Merrill, 60, was 146-80 and reached the state semifinals three times.

The Orths’ course

Lakeside wrestling brothers Ben and Bart Orth have received medical permission to attempt to qualify again for the State A/B meet.

The Orths, who both finished sixth at state last year, missed the eighth-ranked Eagles’ win over second-ranked Deer Park last Thursday. Ben Orth has an injured ankle, Bart an injured fibula.

Lakeside coach Scott Jones said he would prefer to rest the Orths during Saturday’s Northeast A Tournament at Riverside.

Jones said he hopes the Orths have a good enough reputation to “argue them through” as seeds to the District A/B Tournament at Deer Park on Feb. 4.