Smith Goes ‘Home’ To Freeman

Freeman hired North Central assistant Jeff Smith as its new football coach.

Smith, who graduated from Freeman in 1991, replaces John Custer, who resigned after five years with the Scotties.

Smith, 26, played football at Central Valley and Freeman. He attended Spokane Falls Community College and, after a year traveling in Europe, finished at Eastern Washington, graduating in the fall of 1997.

He coached at Freeman for two years and spent a year at Lewis and Clark before going to NC.

“I’m excited to be out there,” Smith said. “The kids who are seniors I coached as seventh-graders. It’s kind of a neat deal to come back and coach them. I’m looking forward to that.”

Overall, there will be at least 37 new head coaches among the 318 football-playing high schools in the state.

Other area openings not reported as filled include Rosalia, DeSales and Waitsburg.

Pat Graham, who coached DeSales to the State B-11 title, is jumping to 4A Redmond. Waitsburg’s Jim Sharkey was hired at 2A Woodland.

Sherri Northington, the girls cross country coach and softball assistant at Rogers, takes over the Pirates’ girls basketball program.

She replaces Bill Hughes, who left after one season.

Northington played at Rogers of Puyallup before going to Spokane Falls and Whitworth.

Rogers also named Brett Dodd the boys tennis coach.

Central Valley filled its cross country positions. Dennis McGuire, the girls track coach, moves from boys to girls in cross country and University assistant Gene Blankenship takes over the boys program.

Legion baseball

Eric Everson drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth, then pitched out of trouble in the bottom of the inning, capping the Bandits’ 12-2, 7-6 sweep of the Patriots in Senior American Legion baseball at Pullman on Saturday.

Everson’s sacrifice fly scored Kenny Florence, who singled and stole second and third base. Pullman had runners on first and second with no out in its eighth, but Everson escaped the jam.

Jon Spear, Josh Shelton and John Madsen homered on the day for the Bandits. Spear and Everson had four hits apiece for the day.

Dusty Druffel’s two-run double in the sixth for Pullman tied the second game at 6.

The Bandits (8-3) lead the North Stars (6-2) by one-half game in the race for first place, but the North Stars (.750-.727) have a better winning percentage.

Girls basketball

Newport’s Carey Sauer and Pullman’s Christa Brossman combined for 35 points to lead the AAU U-18 Spokane Stars to a 102-40 win over the Canadian Junior National Team at University High.

Mead’s Courtney Ferguson added seven assists for the Stars, who were 11 of 13 on 3-pointers. Spokane opens the national tournament at Dallas against Ohio on Saturday.

Also at U-Hi, Leah Gonnella scored 21 to lead the U-17 Spokane Shining Stars to an 82-64 win over the Canadian Junior National Team.