Coach, Sports Editor Get Wrestling Honors
Lakeside High School coach Scott Jones and Spokesman-Review sports editor Jeff Jordan were honored at the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association’s annual meeting and clinic recently in Ellensburg.
Jones, who has developed a perennial state powerhouse at the Nine Mile school, was named coach of the year for all classifications by his peers. After four consecutive top-10 state finishes, the Eagles won district, regional and state championships last February and tied Connell for first place in the dream duals tournament in January.
Since Lakeside became a four-year high school in 1992-93, the Eagles have posted a 59-6-1 dual meet record with three league titles. Jones has coached three individual state champs and 23 state placers.
Jordan received the media person of the year award for the S-R’s coverage of high school wrestling in general and the 1996 Olympic Wrestling Trials in Spokane.
Basketball
Jessy Malone, a 5-foot-11 forward from Columbia River High in Vancouver, Wash., has signed a letter-of-intent to play at Gonzaga University, women’s coach Kellee Barney announced.
Malone averaged 11 points, six rebounds and two assists per game as a junior and ranked in the top 10 in the Greater St. Helen’s League in field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage and rebounding.
Malone was a second-team All-Greater St. Helen’s League pick as a junior.
Idaho men’s coach Dave Farrar has signed the first player of his 1998 recruiting class - Anthony Lewis, a senior guard at Franklin High in Seattle.
Lewis averaged 14 points and 8.2 rebounds as a junior and was chosen to the All-Metro Class AAA first team. He was named Metro defensive player of the year.
College scene
Gretchen Laete of Spokane, who attended Evergreen Lutheran High School in Kent, Wash., is back for her senior season with the Wisconsin Lutheran College women’s basketball team in Milwaukee. She’s a forward.
Football
Rod Fletcher of Liberty was honored as the Seattle Seahawks’ High School Coach of the Week after his Lancers (6-3) extended a winning streak to five games with a 12-6 upset of previously unbeaten and top-ranked Reardan.
Fletcher, who has spent his entire 17 years in coaching at Liberty, will receive $500 from the Seahawks for the Lancers’ football program. He’s taken Liberty to the state playoffs 11 times, capturing two state B-11 titles.
Golf
Bridget Johnson, a senior at Ferris High School, has signed a letter of intent to attend Colorado State and play golf, the Rams announced.
Johnson, who led Ferris to the 1997 State AAA girls championship with a second-place finish, was a member of the 1997 Washington Junior Girls America’s Cup team and qualified for the 1997 USGA Girls Junior Championships.
Senior scene
Bill Linney of Spokane, in his first year of competition, finished second in two mountain bike events at the Huntsville World Senior Games in Utah.
Linney, 62, was runner-up in his age group (60-64) in both the cross country and hill climb events against riders from throughout the world. A rider from Portland won both events.
June Machala, 66, of Spokane broke her own record while winning the women’s 65- to 69-year-old division in the National 15K Masters Championships Oct. 25 in Tulsa, Okla., in 1 hour, 11 minutes, 40 seconds.
Soccer
Rhett Harty, a member of the New York/ New Jersey MetroStars in Major League Soccer, will be in Spokane next Saturday to participate in SMILE’s first benefit auction.
Students Mastering Important Lifeskills Education will have a two-phased auction at the Davenport Hotel. Viewing and the silent auction begins at 4 p.m. The live auction starts at 7.
The auctions feature autographed celebrity items, sports memorabilia, fine art works and collector items. There will also be hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar. Tickets are $15.
Harty will be available for pictures and autographs.
There are some changes in the youth Olympic Development Program. Unlike previous years, Eastern Washington will not have separate ODP teams.
Players selected from the Eastern Washington tryout next month in the Tri-Cities will participate in a soccer jamboree in April in Seattle with six other districts. As many as two state teams from each age group will be selected for regional competition.
The girls Eastern Washington ODP tryouts are Dec. 6-7 at the soccer complex in Pasco. Divisions are U-15 (born in 1983), U-16, U-17 and U-19. Registration begins at 9 a.m. each day with practices at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Past ODP regional chairman Marian Cummings said eight Spokane-area players from last year’s ODP teams were on college teams this fall.
Info: Washington State Youth Soccer Association, (206) 246-5181.
Swimming
Clay Miller, a junior at Mt. Spokane High School who swims for the Coeur d’Alene Area Swim Team, has been named to the 1997 United States Swimming Scholastic All-America team.
Miller, 17, qualified by swimming in the Junior Nationals West meet and compiling a 3.88 grade-point average as a sophomore. He has a 3.8 overall GPA.
Triathlon
Roger Thompson of Spokane qualified for the Olympic Distance Triathlon Championships June 14 in Florida with his performance in the United States Triathlon Sprint Championship earlier this month.
Thompson, 26, a former competitive cyclist, was third in the men’s 25- to 29-year-old age group and eighth overall in the Nov. 1 event on Catalina Island, Calif.
Volleyball
The Spokane Splash volleyball club will hold tryouts for girls ages 18 and under Monday and Wednesday at the Valley Sports Arena.
U-13 tryouts will be Monday from 5-6 p.m., U-14 from 6-7:30 and U-15 from 7:30-9. Wednesday, U-16 will be 5-7 with U-17 and U-18 both 7-9. Fee is $10 to cover insurance.
Info: Pat and Patty Murphy, (509) 466-8571.
Wrestling
Justin Walker, an East Valley High School senior, has received an athletic/academic scholarship to wrestle at Stanford University.
Walker, last year’s State AA runner-up at 122 pounds with a 32-5 record, has a 3.9 grade-point average. He is a two-time EV state participant with a three-year record of 84-17.
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