Prep watch : GSL as unsettled as Columbia Basin

Spent a weekend in Seattle to watch my daughter Linse pitch against the UW and look what I missed. Central Valley shocks Lake City, and the Columbia Basin League is further muddled.

Wenatchee whipped Moses Lake 38-10, creating essentially a four-way tie for first place in the CBL among the Panthers, Chiefs, Richland and Pasco. Eisenhower is also in the playoff picture.

There are still some key games left to play. Pasco still must meet Ike, Wenatchee and Richland. And the Bombers face Moses Lake.

So if the Greater Spokane League is unsettled, so too is the CBL.

Beating Lake City provided cachet in an already improved CV season. By capitalizing on six turnovers, the Bears’ confidence has to be soaring as it gears toward its face-off against Ferris on Oct. 18 at Joe Albi.

It is one of several big games that abound down the stretch. The Saxons remain unbeaten (6-0 overall, 5-0 overall), followed by Lewis and Clark (5-1, 5-1) and CV (5-1, 4-1) with one loss each. Mead, Gonzaga Prep and University (all 4-1, 3-2 after the Panthers’ 28-17 loss to Ferris) are right behind.

The latter three teams still cling to postseason hope. This week’s biggies on Friday include Ferris at U-Hi and Mead against Gonzaga Prep at Joe Albi will tell the tale.

Near dream-chasing time

It won’t be long now before all the rankings and what has transpired to date will no longer matter for cross country runners. One week remains in this regular season. Then it’s time to chase state, regional and national dreams.

Following last weekend’s Richland Invitational, North Central’s 63-83-98 victory over Mead and Central Valley solidified its claim as No. 1 among 3A boys ahead of Seattle Prep (Mt. Spokane ranks fifth).

The Panthers leap-frogged past the Bears into first among 4A boys and individually, Mead’s Kelly Lynch went head-to-head against Joey Bywater of Lake Stevens in a race between the state’s top-two returning runners. Bywater timed 15:06 to Lynch’s 15:11 (NC put three runners among the race’s top 12 and its five scorers in the top 23.) CV placed three between 11th and 14th. But Mead’s advantage came from the higher finish by Lynch and the Panthers pack, including No. 5-through-7 finishers Steve Kutsch, Matt Dionne and Thomas Wolfe who had a comfortable cushion over the Bears’ No. 5 scorer.

Mead and Shadle’s girls finished fourth and fifth during the Richland race which was won by Highlander sophomore Andrea Nelson who continued her record-setting ways.

Nelson timed 17:37 to win by 30 seconds over a pair of Redmond runners. Panther Baylee Mires timed 18:26 in fourth and Deer Park’s Jessica Duenich was ninth in 19:16.

Central Valley’s girls rank second and Mead seventh in the 4A poll and Mt. Spokane’s girls are third in 3A. West Valley has a pair of fourth-place ranked teams, ahead of Colville and Cheney boys and Cheney and Riverside girls, respectively, in 2A. Lakeside ranks third in both boys and girls 1A and St. George’s is first and second, respectively, in B.

The regional 4A and 3A meet among Greater Spokane League and Columbia Basin League runners is in Spokane this year, at Wandermere Golf Course, Oct. 27.