Tiger Harrier Coach’s Early Hunch Runs True
The Lewis and Clark girls cross-country team relocated from Cloud Nine back to the Hart Field track this week for the final speed workouts of the season after qualifying for the state championships in Pasco this Saturday.
The Tigers, who were just fourth in the Greater Spokane League regular season, shocked many at the regional race in Richland last weekend, finishing second only to Eisenhower.
Ironically, it was during a pair of losses - 23-33 to Ferris on Sept. 25 and 25-32 against Mead on Oct. 16 - that LC coach Wes Marburger first envisioned his Tiger harriers in contention for a state berth.
“I guess it was our first meet with Ferris when I thought we might have a shot,” Marburger said. “They beat us, but not that bad, and we had three runners out with injuries.”
Against Mead, Marburger figured if junior Jamie Borgan hadn’t been out with an injury, she would have finished in third place, hypothetically giving LC enough points for a win.
In making good on their coach’s early season hunch, every one of LC’s runners had a personal record. Borgan was fourth overall, followed by Emily Fuller, who was 14th. Mindy Noble, Jamie Rosenquist and Sara Larsen-Cooper all scored for the Tigers, while Corey Mullan finished two places ahead of Mead’s sixthplace runner to break a tie between the two teams.
Ferris girls qualify three
Regional champ Jennifer Smith (17:40), runner-up Jill Johnson (17:48) and ninth-place Emily Hawkins (18:37) of Ferris also qualified for the state cross country race in Pasco.
Ferris boys at state championships
When the starting pistol fires Saturday at Pasco for the boys cross-country championships, Ferris coach Mike Hadway says he wouldn’t be surprised if last year’s state champ Isaac Hawkins runs into the history books.
Hawkins ran 14:40 last year, but Hadway said the senior is in much better shape for this year’s race and “could crack the 14-minute barrier.”
Matt Davis of Mead ran 14:08 two years ago. But one would have to go all the way back to the year the Beatles broke up to find when another Washington prepster posed a serious threat to the 14-minute mark in a cross-country race.
Randy James, the former Ferris standout who ran for the University of Oregon and now teaches at North Central, ran 14:03 over three miles in 1969.
Hawkins will be joined in Pasco by teammate Andy Brown, who finished 13th last Saturday.
“Andy worked so hard this summer and this fall,” Hadway said. “And on top of that, being a senior, he wanted to go out with a bang.”
Ferris, LC volleyball in regionals
Ferris beat Lewis and Clark twice at districts last weekend to capture the GSL’s No. 1 seed heading into the regional tournament this Friday and Saturday.
But to hear LC coach Buzzy Welch describe the afternoon match against Mead that put his girls into the championship against Ferris, it sounds as if the victory was, at least partially, won in the Tiger players’ stomachs.
The LC girls didn’t have chance to eat until shortly before the Panther match. Welch said his squad looked tired and sluggish during the first game, which they lost 15-3.
“I called a time out, went over to the girls and said, ‘It’s either one of two things: We’re either done for the day or we just need the food to kick in,”’ Welch said.
The girls insisted they just needed to wait on the food - the bagels, pasta, and turkey they normally eat between tournament games.
In the middle of the second game, Buzzy asked how the girls were doing, They all yelled back, “Food’s at 40 percent.”
Running a little lean, LC still won that one, 15-12.
At the start of the third, Welch asked again.
“Food at 60 percent,” the Tiger volleyballers called back before winning 15-8.
The Tigers (12-4 in the GSL) could stomach another win against Walla Walla tomorrow night at Central Valley when the regional tournament gets under way. Ferris (16-0) plays Eisenhower at University.
Liberty playoff hopes on the line
After a 46-12 win against Selkirk moved the Liberty Lancer football team (4-2, 4-4) into a three-way logjam in third-place, Rod Fletcher and his Northeast B-11 players know their season is almost over.
“It’ll all be decided on Friday,” said Fletcher, looking forward to the 7 p.m. game against Reardan (4-2, 6-2) at home in Spangle.
If the Lancers win, they are in the playoffs. If they lose, the kids can bring out their basketball shoes; the football season would be over.
“Reardan is tough,” Fletchell said. “But any time you get a playoff spot on the line, anything can happen.”
Against Selkirk, six players scored. Senior Tim Horlacher and junior K.C. Holling both caught touchdown passes, while Holling’s freshman brother, Jake, sophomore AJ McVicker and junior Mike Pottratz all rushed for a touchdown.
Junior Doug DeGon ran for two scores.
Senior running back Brad Wiman ran the ball 10 times for 106 yards and also intercepted three passes in his inside linebacker role.