Area Schools Haul In State Hardware

Thank heavens the school year is coming to an end.

Exhausted seems to be the best word to describe the feeling.

That really isn’t unusual for this time of year for anyone who is involved in high school athletics. The four fall sports run into the four winter sports which run into the nine spring sports.

Overlapping seasons take a toll on athletes, coaches, administrators and parents. Oh, yeah, it’s hard on reporters, too.

When football champions are determined the first weekend of basketball and soccer games start before state basketball tournaments, it seems like you’re down six runs before coming to bat.

Looking back, it’s easy to understand why we stagger to the finish line - area athletes combined to win a staggering number of trophies and medals.

Greater Spokane League boys teams won five state titles in nine sports.

Great Northern League girls teams won five state titles in eight sports - and got two seconds and a third in the other three.

In all, it was a remarkable year, even by the usual standards of excellence, for area athletes.

It’s not surprising to see a GSL school win a state cross country championship and a track championship in the same academic year.

But when that double champ is University, the smallest of the 4A public schools in the state, it is remarkable.

Remarkable doesn’t begin to describe what turned out to be a spectacular year for GSL athletics in general and boys in particular.

U-Hi had never had a boys state team champion until this year. The GSL had never had a state champion boys soccer team until this year.

Sandwiched between the Titans’ two titles are football and wrestling crowns for Central Valley, the first in either sport for the Bears. The fifth title was historic, the Ferris boys soccer team.

What’s more amazing is that GSL schools only compete in nine sports and besides the five championships, Ferris was second in golf and eighth in basketball. Only baseball and tennis were shut out.

Every year the GSL has more than its share of state placers, but recently more championships have been won by girls teams.

Although the girls can only boast of Ferris’ volleyball title, the GSL picked up a team trophy in six of nine sports, including two seconds - Mead in soccer and Ferris in golf. The girls only missed in tennis, track and softball, although U-Hi’s softball team was in the top six. Four state trophies were awarded, even though softball, like basketball, is a 16-team tournament.

Before telephoning to complain, remember these are only the top finishers, not all the finishers. For example, Mead was second in boys cross country and third in track.

It also doesn’t mix in individual champions, and with cross country, wrestling and track, the GSL could open a hardware store.

There are a lot of reasons for this success - quality coaching, community support and great regional competition with the Big Nine prior to state meets - but the fact is when you watch GSL competition, you’re watching some of the state’s best.

Something even more staggering is the hardware haul of the Great Northern League.

The 2A league is a combination of the Frontier League and Northeast A, formed when the state added a fifth classification prior to this school year.

The Great Northern has been, quite simply, great, with the boys and girls hogging nine championships, three seconds, a third and a fifth among what amounts to 18 sports.

For record purposes, 2A is considered the new division. The eight-school GNL received three berths in most state competitions because the classification only has 50 schools (compared to 80 or more in 3A and 4A).

Still, somebody had to win and the GNL dared to be great.

It started with the Lakeside boys cross country team and Riverside girls soccer team winning championships in the fall. Lakeside continued in the winter with a girls basketball championship. This spring has produced staggering results. The Pullman boys won track and soccer and Colville took golf. The girls won three of four titles, Pullman in golf and tennis and Colville in track.

And that’s not all. In the Frontier League, the East Valley girls won their fourth straight cross country title; Colfax represented the Northeast A in the football championship game; and area B schools also made a good haul with the Ritzville girls winning their second straight basketball title and fifth straight golf title, Garfield-Palouse taking girls track and slowpitch softball, Davenport topping girls tennis and Tekoa-Oakesdale boys golf.

Time to take a breath and enjoy the accomplishments of area athletes.

Well, maybe some of us.

Spring football practice and basketball leagues are under way, along with summer baseball and softball programs.

Camps start shortly.

Coaches, athletes and parents can’t get off the merry-go-round.

Maybe there is no end, but in hindsight, the results are worth crowing about.