Chris Derrick

Tacoma Baptist quarterback Shon Peil gets off the pass despite pressure from Davenport's Steve Cannon and Luke Hammon, right. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

1. Tyson Deal (69) and Steve Cannon celebrate Davenport's State B-11 high school football championship. Quarterback Marty Parsons led Gorillas' furious comeback. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. Tacoma Baptist quarterback Shon Pell gets off a pass despite pressure from Davenport's Steve Cannon and Luke Hammon, right. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Years spent together bring Davenport seniors, from top, left to right, Tyson Deal, Jason Schneider, Marty Parsons, Steven Cannon, Cliff Swain and Evan Johnson closer together. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Patrick Hunter's fifth shoulder separation of the year was the hardest to accept. In the closing seconds of Pateros' 52-50 win over Concrete last Friday, Hunter took a snap and kneeled to the ground to run out the Tacoma Dome clock. Crescent defenders, no doubt frustrated by the outcome of a B-8 semifinal that they once led 28-8, zeroed in and punished the Pateros senior quarterback.

Coach/fund-raiser Mark Smith heard the same story from every private school he contacted. Don't expect anything better than a .500 record during the first five years of a new football program, Smith was told. "I agreed," said Smith, Tacoma Baptist's coach since the inception of football there five years ago. "I didn't think we would be a winning program overnight. From that perspective, what we've done has been amazing."

Chewelah heads for the semifinals behind seniors, from left, Jeremy Rogers, Greg Belzer and Greg Rainer. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Davenport football coach Skip Pauls has his team rolling. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

As if facing Touchet isn't troublesome enough, Inchelium must do so at less than full strength. Hornets leading rusher Casey Finley is expected to miss Saturday's 1 p.m. State B-8 semifinal at Ritzville against defending champion Touchet (10-0). Finley, a junior who rushed for 1,000 yards this year, dislocated his elbow during last Friday's 32-24 playoff win over St. John-Endicott. Finley's doctor recommended rest for 7-10 days, so Finley may be eligible if Inchelium (8-1) wins and advances to the Gridiron Classic in Tacoma.

Flashy Royal, with its grab bag full of tricks, learned a lesson Saturday from predictable Chewelah: Simplicity has its rewards.

Joe Pakootas is one step closer to not being known strictly as Crystal Pakootas' little brother. Stepping in during the second half for injured starter Casey Finley, Pakootas rushed for 119 yards and scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns Friday to preserve Inchelium's 32-24 win over St. JohnEndicott. "It was my turn, so I had to step it up," said the drenched senior after rain visited the final minutes of the State B-8 quarterfinal football game at Medical Lake High's Holliday Field.

It was time to celebrate Saturday night at the Arena as the North Central girls volleyball team beat long odds in winning the State AAA title. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

NC's Sarah Menard places a hit between River Ridge's Cara Gibson (15) amd Christy Hurley (10). Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

1. Lewis and Clark's Erin Maipo (facing, left) blasts shot pats North Thurston's Margen Carlson (left) and Natalie Bjornestad. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. North Central celebrates three-set victory over Bethel. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

At umpteen functions during the last five years, Bobby Brett has heard people say they would support the return of Triple-A baseball to Spokane. Starting this morning, those people can prove their intentions. The Spokane Indians announced Thursday that Spokane is among the 10-12 cities on a short list for two Triple-A expansion teams that will begin playing in 1998.

Jessica Martin will be following former Bi-County star Jennifer Stinson to Washington State to continue her volleyball career. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Don Beazizo arrived in Republic in 1993 and put his faith in the Tigers' freshman class. The three-year plan has paid off, as Republic (7-2) qualified for the first state football playoff in school history by stomping Ritzville 46-14 last week. The Tigers open B-11 playoffs at 7:30 Friday night in Colfax against Southeast champion Tekoa-Oakesdale (8-1).

After winning this year's Gonzaga Prep Invitational over several larger schools, the Chewelah boys dropped in the state cross country coaches poll. The Cougars didn't forget the slap in the face.

EV's Angie Simmers, right, focuses on a strong finish as she temporarily moves past South Whidbey's Megan Maynard. Maynard finished fifth, Simmer sixth. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

The Mead boys break away from the starting line en route to winning their eighth consecutive boys State AAA cross country title. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

On any other night, Lewis and Clark's 1 hour, 5 minute win would have seemed like an eye blink. But the Tigers' three-game disposal of Mead on Thursday had the feeling of a marathon when compared to what North Central did to University. NC needed just 56 minutes to dispatch U-Hi and qualify for next weekend's Region IV volleyball tournament at Wenatchee.

Aimee Wilson is headed to Gonzaga University to continue her volleyball career. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

The chasm between Chewelah and the rest of the Northeast A swallowed up Lakeside on Friday. Chewelah's 42-0 demolition should be proof enough that the third-ranked Cougars (5-0, 7-0) are helmets and shoulder pads above the rest of the league.

The Spokane Indians have inherited two-thirds of the trio that led the Royals to this year's Gulf Coast League baseball championship. The Indians announced Thursday that the 1996 manager of their Northwest League team will be Bob Herold, the Florida rookie league's 1995 manager of the year. Herold will bring with him pitching coach Rickey "Buster" Keeton, his self-described "sidekick" for the last two years.

The story goes that Ryan Chicoine was practicing his punts during halftime of a Saturday Lakeside game when the punter from Chewelah, dressed in street clothes, decided to join the fun. The ball went back and forth a couple of times before Chicoine launched a kick well beyond the competing punter. Sensing the futility of matching Chicoine, the Chewelah punter left the field.