Lakeside, Deer Park Face Off
Forget comparative scores.
When unbeaten wrestling teams Lakeside and Deer Park meet tonight for the Northeast A League championship, Eagles coach Scott Jones considers himself an underdog.
“On comparable (team) scores, we’re probably favored,” said Jones. “When I run the (individual) scores, we come out on the short end of the stick.”
Deer Park’s Dean Largent isn’t buying any of that.
“I don’t see how anybody could do anything but favor them,” he said. “They are annihilating everyone, and we’re squeaking by.”
A for-instance was Lakeside’s 56-14 win over third-place Medical Lake and Deer Park’s much narrower 39-26 win the day before. Jones dismissed it as the nature of the rivalries between the NEA schools.
Jones said the meet-opening 168-pound match will be an early indicator.
“If we win at 168, I’ll be in a pretty good mood,” he said.
Both concur that the 122-, 141- and 158-pound matches are critical to the outcome.
At 122, veteran Anthony Layton of the Eagles wrestles Don Forbes of the Stags. At 141, Deer Park state runner-up Clinton Umbach wrestles Aaron Laughary.
Minds on other matters
Although the Greater Spokane League’s top three gymnastics teams are set to gather tonight at Ferris, the atmosphere should be less than fever-pitch.
University (15-0) already has two substantial wins over the second-place and host Saxons (13-2). The Titans can be forgiven for looking ahead to district, regional and state meets.
“But I never go into a meet saying I’m going to win hands-down,” said U-Hi coach Stacey Heaton.
Third-place Mead (11-4) will compete without one of its top gymnasts, Kelsey Slack, who injured her neck on a bad landing at last weekend’s Rogers Invitational. Coach Laurie Ticknor said the gaps between Mead and Ferris, and Ferris and U-Hi are fairly significant.
U-Hi’s Kim Meyers is unbeaten in all-around competition for the last two years. If someone does knock her down a peg, teammates Kalie Cossette, Tara Hulbert and Coleen Pierce are standing by.
Hulbert can’t compete in the floor exercise because of a sore foot, but still managed to finish in the top five all-around at one meet.
“I think (the Titans) are going to be competitors over there (at the state meet in Tacoma),” Heaton said.
“You’re working now toward finalizing routines and moves, and getting them sharp.”
Gold in those hills
Capital (10-0) and Olympia (9-0) alone are unbeaten among Class AA boys basketball teams. Both play in the Black Hills League. They meet Monday at Olympia.
Elite showing
Brothers Jared and Brett Lawrence paced Sandpoint’s wrestlers to a 12th-place finish at the elite Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions last weekend.
Each advanced to Saturday night’s championship finals of the invitation-only, 32-team high school tournament. Jared Lawrence, a sophomore, claimed the 112-pound championship with a 6-2 decision over Chris Kelly of Easton, Pa. There were eight state champions in the 112 bracket.
Brett Lawrence, a senior, lost a 5-3 overtime decision to Tony Gomez of Independence, Calif., in the 125-pound final.
La Grande (Ore.), which won the Tri-State Tournament, placed 11th with 97 points, just ahead of Sandpoint (85). Moses Lake was 18th with 59.5.
The field included 24 of USA Today’s Top 25-ranked teams.
, DataTimes