Washington Quick hits
Hall of Fame for Largent
Former Deer Park wrestling coach Dean Largent will be inducted into the 24th class of the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
The ceremony is Nov. 10 at Pacific Lutheran University’s Chris Knutzen Hall in Tacoma.
Largent spent from 1976 through 1996 as coach at Deer Park where his teams had a record of 243-79-5, won eight league championships and four regional titles. His teams placed in the top 10 at state 10 times, including a second-place finish in 1990 and two third places.
Largent coached 54 state placers, including 13 state champions.
Five times Largent was selected as the league Coach of the Year, and was the Regional Coach of the Year three times. In 1996 his peers selected him as the WSWCA A/B Coach of the Year. Largent served four years as a regional representative.
During two stints as the Deer Park Middle School wrestling coach (1975-77 and 2002-07) his teams were 37-5 and captured four middle school league titles. He still teaches and is athletic director at the middle school. Largent was selected as the WSCA Middle School Football Coach of the Year in 1999.
He is joined in the class by two former community college coaches, Gary Knutzen, who was at Skagit Valley from 1963-70, and Dick Wooding, who was at Highline from 1966-79 and later coached at Sumner High through 1989. Also entering this year’s WSWCA Hall of Fame is Tom Sewell from Inglemoor in Seattle, who coached from 1981 through 2005. They bring to 97 the number of coaches inducted.
Lakeside recognition
Kamilah Williamson, a Lakeside student, recently returned from the Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai, China, where she medaled twice in swimming.
Williamson won the gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle and was part of the silver-medal 400 relay team. She also finished fifth in the 100 freestyle.
She will receive special recognition Friday during Lakeside’s homecoming assembly in the school gymnasium at 1:30 p.m.
Teams chase soccer title
The Greater Spokane League soccer season concludes Friday.
Gonzaga Prep travels to Shadle Park that day in a contest with district championship match implications.
The top two finishers in league qualify for the title match next week and a guaranteed state berth. G-Prep entered the week tied for first with Mead. Shadle has fallen two matches behind.
G-Prep (8-1) defeated sixth-place Central Valley on Wednesday and Shadle (6-3) lost to fifth-place Lewis and Clark. Mead (8-1) finishes its season against LC after defeating Ferris on Wednesday.
District 8 4A playoffs begin on Monday at Joe Albi Stadium with the loser-out matches featuring teams placing third through sixth.
Sorting them out
The next three Great Northern League volleyball matches will attempt to sort out a league champion. West Valley entertains Pullman tonight, Pullman hosts Colville on Saturday, and WV is at Colville on Tuesday.
All three teams, victorious on Tuesday, have one loss in league.
Big GSL game tonight
The Ferris Saxons have been a state football semifinalist in 1988 and won or shared four City League championships in the 1970s. But the one thing that has eluded them is a title, even a piece of one, during the Greater Spokane League era that began in 1976.
They can remedy that with a victory today over Central Valley. The teams play at 6:15 p.m. at Albi Stadium. Ferris is unbeaten in seven games and the once-beaten Bears are trying to create a three-way tie for the lead in the start of the next-to-last week of the GSL season.
Other GSL games: Friday, North Central vs. Mead, 5:15 and Shadle Park vs. Mt. Spokane, 8, at Albi; Rogers at Gonzaga Prep and East Valley at University, both 7.
Area football to watch
Great Northern League: Every game has implications for league and postseason, including Colville (6-1, 3-1) at Clarkston (7-0, 4-0), Pullman (7-0, 4-0) at Cheney (4-3, 2-2) and West Valley (3-4, 2-2) at Riverside (4-3, 1-3).
Northeast A League: Will Lakeside (7-1) clinch the title or will standings become further muddled? The Eagles host Freeman (4-3) while Colfax (4-3) travels to Kettle Falls (5-2).
Southeast 1B: Colton/Pullman Christian (6-1, 4-1) hosts Touchet (6-0, 5-0) at 3 p.m.