Top Runners Will Set Foot In Fresno
The rest of the state has witnessed the abilities of Spokane-area cross country runners.
Twelve other states will see the show Saturday at the Foot Locker West Regional in Fresno, Calif.
Around 70 local runners will compete on the 5,000-meter course at Woodward Park. The top eight finishers in the boys and girls seeded races will qualify for nationals, Dec. 13 at Orlando, Fla.
Northeast, Midwest and South regionals took place last weekend. Nearly 5,000 runners were expected for the four regionals.
The State 4A champion University boys and State 3A champion East Valley girls will send good-sized contingents. The Greater Spokane League placed seven boys in the top 11 and seven girls in the top 13 at the Nov. 8 state meet in Pasco.
The Lilac Bloomsday Association sponsors 15 boys and 15 girls, based on top times from late-October regional meets at Hangman Valley Golf Course. The association, in its fifth year of assisting Foot Locker participants, picks up plane fares and some chaperones’ expenses.
Bloomsday-sponsored runners are: Seth Mott, Jeff Rees, Jaime Miller and Michelle Cesal, University; Tom Becker, Mount Spokane; Dan Schruth, Tyson Magney, Andrew Ice, Jordon Jenson, Emily Hawkins and Jill Johnson, Ferris; Nick Vollmer, Ben Harris and Jamie Borgan, Lewis and Clark; Jim Rucker, Rick White and Jill Larson, Gonzaga Prep; Chris Olinger, Rogers; Matthew Lowe, Chris Deulen, Kelley Mattingly, Annie McCabe and Rachae Probst, Mead; Melanie and Melissa Frostad, and Korinda Godwin, EV; Lanaia Jones and Erin Krogel, Shadle Park; Denee Wolbert, North Central; and Bill Warner, Riverside.
Washington generally performs better than all Western states except California and Utah. Californians have an advantage because their season stretches much later.
Top of the class
Football teams from Gonzaga Prep, Colfax and Liberty high schools were honored as state academic champions this fall.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association recognizes teams’ achievement in the classroom each season.
The area’s other fall academic champions were Kettle Falls boys soccer and Northwest Christian girls cross country.
Bouncing ball deflated
Football teams from Central Valley, Pullman, Colfax and Colton have taken the air out of their basketball teams.
All four schools have had to reschedule or cancel basketball games because they are participating in state championship football games in Tacoma this weekend.
Not only does football effect this weekend, with many athletes playing both sports, games next week are questionable.
Central Valley has six basketball players on its football team. Coach Rick Sloan, who is also on the football staff, only suited up six players for a jamboree on Tuesday. The Bears’ Saturday game at Lake Washington probably is a casualty of the extended football season. Perhaps Friday’s game with Kamiakin can be rescheduled.
Pullman’s Friday game with Clarkston has been moved to February; Colfax hopes to play Asotin in January.
Other games were still up in the air. Athletic directors are urged to call the newspaper with makeup dates.
Rule changes
The most noticeable change on the basketball court for high schools is the addition of two 20-second timeouts and reducing one full-length timeout. That gives each team three full timeouts and two short ones.
Also, players cannot enter the lane on a free throw until the ball hits the rim. In recent years, players could move into the lane as soon as the shooter released the ball.
, DataTimes