Valley’s Fab Five Valley Schools Win Five State Championships In ‘97

The gamut of emotions ran from disbelief to realization and finally euphoria. The scene repeated itself five times throughout one amazing nine-month period in 1997.

Athletes from four Spokane Valley high schools defied long odds while winning five state championships during that time.

The odds got even longer when you consider that Rick Giampietri and Mark Kuipers, coaches of champions from two different schools, live just two houses apart in Veradale.

Kuipers coached West Valley to the State AA girls basketball title in March. Giampietri’s Central Valley football team won the fifth title in early December.

“The funny thing too,” said Giampietri, “is that Mark lives across the street and it took me until this fall to congratulate him on his championship.”

Recalled Kuipers, “He congratulated me and I kind of told him it would nice to have another state champion on the block.”

Good call, coach. The neighbors may not socialize often, but they at least deserve to throw a celebratory party following this rarest of occurances.

It had taken Valley schools some 30 years to win 14 previous team titles, seven of those in girls cross country.

East Valley won two championships this year alone.

Three titles came during separate visits to the Tacoma Dome. Two others came in Pasco the same day.

The Knights started it last February by winning their first State AA boys wrestling championship.

Less than a month later, the Eagles became the quintet’s unlikeliest champion, the first ever for a Frontier League girls basketball team.

In November, EV won its fourth straight girls cross country championship, the very day that favored University’s cross country team was winning its first-ever boys state championship trophy.

CV’s gridders capped things the first weekend in December.

Long odds? Indeed, even factoring that theirs were among a total of nine Spokane-area state champion and another two state finalist teams, including CV’s girls basketball team.

“Considering the population base,” said Kuipers, “it is pretty amazing. But then no one thought the Cougars would go to a Rose Bowl, either.”

Seth Mott, who ran for University, said it was destiny.

“For lack of a better word,” offered CV’s 6-foot-7, 340-pound offensive tackle Preston Crossman, “it was kind of a fluke of nature.”

Neither size nor gender were slighted. Crossman outweighs EV state wrestling placer Kevin Woolf by nearly three times.

There were no tougher athletes than EV’s Cara Smith, who always ran her best during state meets, or Eagle Gabby McClintock, a three-sport All-Frontier Leaguer.

“Ever since I was little my brothers and I played together,” said McClintock. “They made me not want to be a prissy girl.”

Still, trying to explain such success in one year isn’t easy.

“Maybe the Valley is just blessed with good cycle of kids,” said Nick Lazanis, coach of the first four-time girls cross country champions. “At least with our girls, once we won one, we had a sense of confidence and really believed we were going to win again.”

The common thread that ran through these athletes and their teams was a propensity for hard work and coaches who are thoroughly immersed in their sports.

“It’s a year-around thing for kids who are serious,” said University High coach Bob Barbero. “What made us successful is kids bought into that. The football players didn’t get that big during the season. We had 28 kids at the White Pass cross country camp last summer.”

Athletes from both cross country teams ran hundreds of base miles before the season. Football players lifted weights. West Valley’s state title dream was tied to its youth camp. The Knight wrestlers were involved in intensive summer programs.

“It was at the J Robinson Camp (in Oregon) that I began to improve,” said Woolf, who finished fourth last year at 115 pounds. “I was mediocre, below average, in junior high, but always liked it.”

Coaches also credited parental and school support for enabling that type of commitment.

There’s also no substitute for talent. This is, as Lazanis intimated, an exceptionally athletic group.

“When you have a good group of athletes,” said Giampietri, “the biggest thing is you don’t mess them up and keep them practicing hard.”

Most of the athletes on these state champions showed promise as early as the ninth grade.

Smith and AnnMarie Adams ran for all four EV state cross country championships.

University set its sights on a state title when the runners were freshmen and sophomores.

East Valley’s wrestlers and West Valley’s basketball players were also good enough to cut their teeth on varsity as freshmen and sophomores.

The story of Central Valley’s players has been ongoing since they were freshmen.

“When we went undefeated in ninth grade we thought we could be best in state,” said Crossman. “Since then my sights were set on a state championship.”

As with anything, a certain amount of luck was involved, said Lazanis.

“The kids have to stay healthy,” he said.

CV’s football team had only one significant injury, to Garret Graham who missed 10 days, during the season.

“We never missed a practice day, there were no disruptions, which is unheard of,” said Giampietri.

Maybe it just had something to do with living in the Spokane Valley. Three of the five coaches, Lazanis, Barbero and Kuipers, grew up and attended schools here. Giampietri is a Spokane resident who moved to the Valley long before he would one day teach at CV.

“People can pooh-pooh us about the Valley attitude,” said Barbero. “It’s a great place to live. We have problems, but when you get five state championships in this little area, someone is doing something good.”

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