Prep Scene: A Never-Ending Story
There is too much to keep track of at the end of the school year and too many vacations during the summer to follow everything that happens.
But even with school out, there doesn’t seem to be an end to news from the high schools.
We think we have kept track of most coaching changes in the Greater Spokane League and Frontier League. After that, we’re not sure of other changes.
Here’s what our summer cleanup has discovered:
Volleyball coach’s stay brief
Scarcely a month after being named volleyball coach at University High School, Angela Newcomb has resigned.
Her husband Anthony has been accepted to the University of North Dakota’s commercial aviation school. The Newcombs will leave for Grand Forks on Saturday.
“I think I’m just in a daze,” said Newcomb. “I wanted to tell (athletic director) Bill Ames in person and told myself I wouldn’t cry, but as soon as I saw him I started bawling.”
The former Angela Grant, who previously starred at Eastern Washington University and coached at Lakeside High, was hired by U-Hi in late June. Then her husband found out about his acceptance and the family had to wrestle with a decision.
“We’ve definitely been torn,” said Newcomb’s husband. “It’s been her dream to coach in the GSL, but we think the opportunity for our family is greater.”
Newcomb said she had been looking forward to volleyball camp which began this week. Then she had to tell her players she was leaving.
“My first thoughts were for the kids,” said Newcomb. “I just felt horrible. They just had a chance to adjust to a new coach and now they have to do it again.”
Momi Bowles, a teacher and assistant coach at North Central High conducted the Titans summer camp.
University administrators are expected to recommend her as Newcomb’s replacement to the Central Valley School District board of directors on Monday.
Bowles graduated from Gonzaga University, where she played volleyball for three years and was a member of the 20th-ranked Bulldogs team that played in the 1990 NCAA Division I Championships.
She coached volleyball one year at Wellpinit High School and has assisted with various sports at NC for five years, including the Indians’ state volleyball championship team in 1995.
For the past 10 years, she has coached and directed GU volleyball camps.
Top Dawg
Mike Morgan, who has been an assistant for the past six years, is replacing Doug Curtis as the Colfax football coach.
“I’m real pleased, but it’s kind of like replacing Bear Bryant (at Alabama), it’s a tough task,” Morgan said. “Doug did a great job at Colfax. Hopefully enough of Doug rubbed off for me to continue a top-ranked program.”
Curtis, who coached the Bulldogs for 20 years, including a second-place finish last fall, took an administrative job at Wahluke. His stepson, Josh Robinson, would have been the only returning offensive starter for the Bulldogs.
Saxons, Knights are champs
Ferris ended Mead’s 16-year reign with the GSL all-sports trophy.
This marks the 10th time the Saxons have won the trophy but the first since Mead ended their nine-year run in 1979.
Ferris finished first in volleyball, baseball and boys and girls golf. They tied for first in boys soccer and boys and girls basketball.
The Saxons had 246 points to 240-1/2 for Mead. Central Valley (194) was third and University (187) fourth.
The scoring gives 20 points for first, 15 for second, 12 for third, on down to two for 10th place in the league.
For the second straight year, East Valley is the Frontier League all-sports trophy winner. The Knights finished first or second in 13 of 17 sports in the four-team conference and had 279-1/2 points to runner-up Cheney’s 244-1/2 and West Valley’s 243.
Brawn and brains
The GSL scholar-athletes for 1997-98 were Annie Peterson and Mike Easton from CV, Kacey Frederickson and K.C. McVey from Ferris, Christy Bloom and Jeff Dixson from Gonzaga Prep, Jessica Dinneen and Luke Bowman from Lewis and Clark, Abby Jo Hornstein and Brandon Muzatko from Mead, Elizabeth Crosby and Chris Blotsky from North Central, Monica Abrahamson and Justin Ulmer from Rogers, Christa Eide and Levi Penick from Shadle Park and Coleen Pierce and Chris Short from U-Hi.
The FL’s Pepsi Scholar-Athletes are Cheney’s Mike Rode and Tiffany VanMatre, Clarkston’s Brian Tucker and Heather Haight, EV’s Brad Crockett and AnnMarie Adams and WV’s Eric Brosvik and Gabby McClintock.
Speaking of brains
A number of area teams earned academic state titles.
In golf, boys from Ferris (3.62), Colfax (3.09) and St. John-Endicott (3.30) were tops, along with the SJE girls (3.47).
Softball teams include Reardan (3.56) and Northwest Christian (3.653) in slow pitch and Colville (3.80) and Colfax (3.73) in fastpitch.
The track winners were Kettle Falls (3.40) and Liberty (3.475) boys and Colfax (3.74) and NWC (3.712) girls.
Riverside’s girls (3.80) were No. 1 in tennis.