Mike Vlahovich

Cody Hammond, 17, of Hayden and a senior at Coeur d'Alene High School, has qualified for the 27th annual Air Nautiques/American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn's Ranch and Campground July 28-Aug. 2 in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Hammond matched up in a field of more than 20,000 riders from across the U.S. to earn one of four qualifying positions by finishing first in the MX Lite C Modified and Motocross C classes at Honey Lake, Calif., in May.

Central Valley won the battle, University the war – as it were – and the two American Legion AA baseball teams continue to chase Lewis and Clark for South Division supremacy. CV beat U-Hi 6-3 for the championship of the Bear Bash tournament. Winning pitcher Scott Simon had three hits including a double. But University (8-2) defeated CV (12-3) for the second time in league, 6-5 last week, with a run in the bottom of the eighth inning. University had won the first meeting 1-0.

Dave Carson's football coaching career winds up fittingly this week at the helm of an all-star team when the annual Washington East vs. West All-State Summer Classic comes to Central Valley on Thursday. Carson, who last fall announced his retirement after 10 years as Gonzaga Prep head coach, leads an East squad that features assistant coaches who he worked with at varying times during his long career.

Deejuliano Scott, and Nick Rijon, 2008 North Central graduates, will participate in the basketball competition at the USA Junior Nationals International Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, July 21-27. Scott and Rijon were invited to play based on their performance at the USA Junior Nationals all-state high school basketball competition at Bellevue Community College earlier this spring. Rijon is a four-year letterman in basketball at NC and was named to the 2008 all Greater Spokane League team. He also played on the Class 3A all-star team named by the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association. Scott is a two-year letterman, won the sportsmanship award at the USAJN regional tournament in Kennewick in February and placed third in the USAJN all-state tournament in 2007.

Gene Rieger was a people person, and believed that someone should follow their passion, according to his daughter Merri. It was a philosophy that led him from the athletic fields of Washington State to a lifetime in education that stressed the importance of athletics.

Midget League teams from Summit, Otis Orchards and South Pines won twice to open the Spokane Valley League baseball season. Summit outscored two foes by a 32-3 count as Daniel Dach hit a home run and three doubles. In one win Jackson Axtell struck out nine and Colin Gessler drove in three runs.

Amanda Furrer, a junior at Mead, came back from a disappointing third place finish in the Olympic shooting Trials to win the Hopes Match, a junior competition in Pilzen, Czech Republic last weekend.

Friday's second day of Major League Baseball's first-year player draft was a banner one for local high school players. Bryan Peterson, the top pick of six high school players chosen, has made his decision to turn pro.

It was an Evergreen and Greenacres show during this year's Vern Fox Spokane Valley Middle School All-League track meet. The Grizzlies won three of four meets – the girls Class A and boys and girls Class B – and finished second to the Bruins in boys Class A. Greenacres finished second in the other three meets.

The Freeman tennis duo of Hanna and Lea Jansen last week brought home the school's first State 1A doubles tennis championship and with it the Scotties' first state team tennis title. The Scotties scored 14 points as the Jansens won four-straight matches en route to the title. Also adding points in the team triumph was singles player Bree Riddle.

Many of the players in tonight's 15th annual Jack Blair Memorial Classic girls all-star basketball game will continue playing in college or are anticipating doing so. For University's Riki Schiermeister, this week culminates a standout two-sport, four-year varsity career with the Titans. She gets to play her final basketball game at home, in the 7:30 p.m. game featuring the area's best players.

Two basketball coaches – one new face and one familiar – have been chosen to head programs at East Valley and Freeman. Former Knights coach Drew Vanderpool is returning to the EV boys helm, replacing protégé Steve Henderson, who resigned to coach at Bainbridge.

TACOMA – It took only a short period in Shadle Park's quest for a second straight State 4A softball championship to realize how difficult perfection is to attain, and how easily the sport can break players' hearts. The Highlanders were gunning for an unbeaten season when they were undone by a series of unfortunate fifth-inning events in a 4-1 loss to Eastlake in the title game Saturday at SERA Fields.

TACOMA – During a near carbon copy first day of last year's State 3A softball tournament, Lenae Brown admitted to a case of the nerves when she came to bat with two runners on and two out in the sixth inning of North Central's Friday opener against Auburn Riverside at SERA Fields. But she also took strange comfort in the scoreless nature of the contest.