Mt. Spokane Pumped After Win Over Mead

Joe Kostecka was bombarded with telephone calls, e-mails and faxes.

His Mt. Spokane boys track team had beaten Greater Spokane League power Mead on March 25 in the Wildcats’ league opener.

Kostecka said the atmosphere at school was like the football team had just won a state championship.

Kostecka saved about 30 of his memos and messages but says he received at least 60 and maybe even 100.

“That got them excited and helped them know their hard work has paid off,” Kostecka said of the positive community response. “It was a big deal. We respect everything they do and have for 17 years. To be the first ones to unseat them is really special, especially for the (Mt. Spokane) seniors who were at Mead.”

The seniors who competed for the Panthers before the schools split in the fall of 1997 are distance runners Tom Becker and Zach Myers, Troy Bishop, who throws the javelin, Casey Clark, who high jumps and throws the javelin, throwers Garrett Stokesberry and Jesse Snyder and hurdler Kris Nutt.

“Each kid, even if they scored one point, wanted to do everything they could to win the meet,” said Kostecka, whose team leads GSL’s B division.

Senior Justin Gaston agrees.

“It was the first meet and everybody was pumped,” said Gaston, who won three events. “It’s outstanding, a complete turn around from last year. It shows what seniors will do for a school.”

LaBelle is clutch

Mt. Spokane’s Bobby LaBelle booted two important goals for the Wildcats soccer team last week. He got one in a 1-0 win over Mead and scored at the 84-minute mark of overtime in the Wildcats’ 1-0 victory against Gonzaga Prep. He also had the team’s only goal Monday in a 2-1 loss to Central Valley.

Slow start for Mead soccer

Mead soccer coach Travis Hanson is hoping his team’s 3-1 win over Ferris last week will give the Panthers some needed momentum.

Mead, which lost to Lewis and Clark 1-0 Monday, has had a slow start this spring.

“It’s probably disappointing for myself and the kids but (the Ferris win) could be the start of some better things,” Hanson said.

“If we can get everybody on the same page understanding what it is we want to accomplish and working toward the goals we set, we could do some good things,” he said. “If we can’t get guys on same page and working toward the goals we set, we’ll be mediocre like we were in the preseason.”

Sleepless nights

North Central soccer players Tim O’Halloran and Filomon Afenegus hadn’t been sleeping well in anticipation of Monday’s GSL soccer showdown with Ferris.

But after Monday’s 3-1 win over the Saxons, the two say they should be snoozing more comfortably.

“I think we can sleep at night now,” said O’Halloran, a senior defender.

The win kept the Indians in a first-place league tie.

“We had our game faces on in the bus,” O’Halloran said. “We were pretty psyched.”

Junior forward Bobby Johnson agrees.

“I think this win will boost us up,” he said. “We’ve been in a slump and not playing to our potential so this should pick us up.”