Another Mvp Reserved For Clinesmith Mead Soccer Standout Returns To Head Gsl’s Fall Mvp Lineup

The hallway on the third floor of The Spokesman-Review building was packed, the best fall-sports athletes from the Greater Spokane League milling about waiting for all-league pictures.

Stacy Clinesmith slipped into the crowd, sharing greetings with friends and foes, until someone joked, “It’s about time you got here.”

Clinesmith used the opportunity to point out the terrible parking situation we put these people through, with more than five dozen people - not including car pools - looking for parking spaces.

That’s when someone piped up: “She should have her own parking spot by now.”

If anyone in the GSL deserves their own parking spot, it’s Clinesmith.

She was back as the Most Valuable Player for girls soccer, the second time she has won that award after being named to the all-league first team as a sophomore. She also visited as a first-team selection for basketball as a sophomore and the basketball co-MVP as a junior.

“I feel a lot of pride in what I’ve accomplished,” Clinesmith said, “but I’ve truly never thought about records, of having so many MVPs.”

Clinesmith, a senior midfielder who led the GSL with 16 goals in league games, is joined on the fall MVP list by two football players and two volleyball players. The MVPs and All-GSL teams are selected by the coaches.

The volleyball players are Brandy Barratt, who led Gonzaga Prep to its first GSL regular-season title, and Aimee Wilson, who helped North Central win the state championship, the first for NC in a girls team sport.

The football players are Giorgio Usai, a record-breaking running back who sparked Central Valley to the league title, and linebacker Merrill Alley, who helped Mead get into the football playoffs for the seventh straight year.

Usai, a 5-foot-6, 160-pound speedster, set GSL records for scoring in a season (146 points) and game (36) because of a record six touchdowns in one game, had the third highest single game (285 yards) and second highest season total (1,388 yards) and led Class AAA running backs in rushing during the regular season (1,571 yards) and tied for the lead in scoring (170 points).

Alley, 6-foot, 190 pounds, led the Panthers with four fumble recoveries, two caused fumbles, five sacks, six tackles for losses and five hurries to go with 38 tackles and 15 assists.

GSL athletes have been MVP in two sports and MVP in consecutive years but no one can remember anyone winning MVP in two sports in consecutive years.

“I’ve truly never thought about records for having MVPs,” Clinesmith said. Instead, last year’s MVP in the State AAA basketball tournament was more concerned about missing her first basketball practice of the year a week into workouts and just two days after her last soccer match.

“I’m excited to get into it,” she said before dashing off to catch the tail end of practice. “I can’t wait.”

That kind of attitude could get her yet one more MVP award and maybe a parking space.

For a complete list of the all-league teams, see the Stat Sheet on page C8.

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