Three From Whitworth Earn Regional Honors

Whitworth College placed three players on the first team and one on the second of the 1998 Little All-Northwest football team.

Leading the Pirates’ delegation is sophomore Jimmy Ramirez of Spokane (Gonzaga Prep), a transfer from Washington State who was selected as a wide receiver and punt returner.

Whitworth landed sophomore Sky Blake on the first-team defensive line and senior Ryan Wilson in the defensive secondary.

Pacific Lutheran junior offensive lineman Andrew Finstuen from Spokane (Lewis and Clark), an offensive lineman, is a first-team repeater.

On the second team was Whitworth junior kicker Matt Stueckle of Spokane (LC). Tight end Ivan Gustafson and linebacker Mitch Ellerd were honorable mention. Basketball

The 10th annual Cougar and Eagle classic AAU tournaments for fifth- through eighth-grade boys and girls teams are scheduled for March.

The Cougar Classic, in Pullman, will be March 12-14 for boys and March 19-21 for girls. The Eagle Classic in Cheney will be March 19-21 boys and March 26-28 for boys and girls. Cost is $150.

Info: Kevin Graffis, (509) 285-6822.

Bowling

Rich Broderhausen of Old Town, Idaho, earned $25,000 Friday by finishing third in the prestigious International Eliminator tournament at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas.

Broderhausen, one of 30 area bowlers in the event, went into the five-man TV-style roll-off finals in second place, but lost 171-153 to Joe Ciccone.

Ciccone lost the championship match 215-189 to Brian Kretzer.

Boxing

Mahlon Kerwick, a senior at University High School, will be one of three USA Boxing entrants at the Champions Challenge Champions tournament in Kransnoyarsk, Russia.

The Jan. 30 tournament pits 12 Russian boxers against three each from four countries.

Kerwick will box world champion Alaksandr Maletin at 132 pounds.

Kerwick is also qualified for the U.S. National tournament in March.

The Inland Northwest Boxing Association Senior Tournament will be Jan. 23, 1 p.m., at University High School. Competitors are expected from clubs throughout Washington.

Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for students.

College scene

Middlebury College senior tri-captain Chrissy Peterson of Spokane (St. George’s) scored a career-high 31 points, nearly half her team’s total, in a 64-63 loss to Southern Maine in the championship game of the Middlebury Invitational women’s holiday basketball tournament.

Peterson, who also led the Panthers with 15 points in a first-round win, was named to the all-tournament team.

Bart Orth of Nine Mile Falls (Lakeside) earned his second individual title in an invitational wrestling meet for Central Washington by winning the 174-pound crown at Clackamas, Ore., last weekend.

Orth outscored four opponents 34-7. Brother Ben Orth, a junior, was second at 165.

Zach Ham of Spokane (Shadle Park), a junior forward on the Bowling Green hockey team, has four goals and five assists in 18 games, including one game-winner.

Hockey

Al Rollins, who coached the Spokane Jets to the city’s first Allan Cup championship, has been inducted into the hall of fame in his native Saskatchewan. He was born in Vanguard.

Under Rollins, who died in 1996, Spokane, in 1970, became the first American team to win the Canadian senior amateur championship. During his playing career, he won the Vezina Award as the NHL’s top goaltender.

Running

June Machala of Spokane has repeated as USA Track & Field female runner of the year in the 65-69-year-old division.

In 1998, she set national records in the 10K, 15K and half-marathon and finished second in the Indy Light Circuit Series.

Shooting

Spokane Junior Rifle Club members dominated the National Rifle Association Junior Indoor Sectionals last Sunday at the Spokane Rifle Club.

Sectional matches are held in every state using the same format, allowing individuals to see how they rank with other shooters across the country. Three separate matches were held - 3-position, 4-position and air rifle.

In all three events, Hattie Ponti won the overall gold medal, Ryan Brownyer was first in the junior class and Jordan Breshears was first in the intermediate junior class.

In 3-position, Ben Gilbert was second in the junior class and Shina Banta from the Coeur D’Alene club was first in sub-junior.

Volleyball

The Washington State Cougars will hold their volleyball awards banquet Friday at Pullman’s Quality Inn at 6:30 p.m.

Cost is $14. Reservations need to be made no later than Tuesday by calling the Cougars volleyball office at (509) 335-0277.