Lc Brothers Win At State Tourney

When the top-seeded Lewis and Clark doubles team of Karl and Peter Johnson finished third in the Region IV 4A tournament May 20, they weren’t too worried.

The brothers still knew they were one of the best doubles teams in the state and would have a good chance to place high, if not win, at the State 4A tournament played last weekend in Kennewick.

They were right. The Johnsons won it all.

That capped an impressive year for the brothers and a successful career for Karl, a senior. They defeated Wenatchee’s Martin Uylangco and Ryan Parsons in the finals, which was the same team they beat at regionals for third and fourth place.

The Johnsons, sixth at state last year and seventh in ‘98, had three match points against them in their 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 semifinal triumph over James VanHess and Kevin Novan of Ferris. VanHess and Novan finished third.

After qualifying for state, Karl Johnson was just relieved to have made it. He was sick the week of regionals.

“Once we had qualified, all the pressure had been taken off of us,” he said. “We were going down there to have fun, and we knew we had a good chance to win.”

Against Ferris, “I was struggling to return serve, and Peter stepped up to another level,” Karl said. “He took the match and said, `We’re not going to lose.’ “It’s a privilege to go out a winner, and I couldn’t have sculptured a more picture-perfect ending. I’m just so happy for my brother, myself and my coach.”

Karl plans to study engineering and business at Gonzaga University and try out for the tennis team.

He will leave the LC tennis program with no regrets.

“My final match will always be something to remember, and I’ll never have any regrets,” he said. “I left it all out on the court.”

Meanwhile, Peter, a junior, has one more season. He has played No. 2 singles behind his brother during the Greater Spokane League season for three years and says he’s ready to take over the top spot on the team.

And all the responsibility that comes with being a senior.

“Now I know that I have to be the leader,” Peter said. “I don’t have Karl to be the encouragement.

“I have to step up and keep everyone in that frame of mind of `let’s win.’ If we keep that attitude up, we can win one more title.”

But Peter is still soaking up this year’s state title.

“That was the best way to finish it,” he said. “This is what we’ve been looking to for all our high school careers. It’s what we’d been looking to more than anything.

“If we didn’t win state, we would walk away with some regrets. Now we won’t have any.”

State track and field

Several South Side athletes came up big at the State 4A track meet.

Led by Ferris sprinter Shayla Bush, three athletes were multiple placers.

Bush, a senior who is headed to Rutgers to play volleyball, was fourth in the 100 meters (12.50 seconds with a 12.42 in the preliminaries), fourth in the 200 (25.5) and anchor for the Saxons’ fifth-place 400 relay.

The relay also capped the career of Denise Kirstein, who ran the third leg. Sophomores Megan Poffenroth and Tara Bozo ran the first half.

Lewis and Clark hurdler John McKinnon and Ferris distance runner Andrew Ice placed twice, both setting personal records in both events.

McKinnon was fifth in the 110-high hurdles (14.89). He had a PR 14.64 in the preliminaries despite running just fourth in his heat.

The senior was third in the 300 hurdles (38.61).

“I’m happy but not happy because I know I can do better,” McKinnon said after his second medal. “I know I can do better.

“You always want the perfect race, but this one was good.”

It ended a strange senior season that saw McKinnon struggle all season, then become dominant in the postseason.

“I’m real happy because I didn’t think I would make it this far,” he said. “Sometimes I have a hard time focusing, (and) it carries into my races. It’s all about mental concentration.”

After his coaches got him to change his focus, he wishes the season was longer.

Ice on Friday was seventh in the 1,600 with 4:15.77, a small PR. He came back to lead most of the 3,200 before finishing fourth (9:10.18), more than a 2-second PR.

Cheney had two juniors pick up discus medals. Ashley Pardun was fifth (127-9), and Tom Townsend was seventh (152-0).

For the second straight year, Ferris senior Tyler Byers was a triple winner in the wheelchair events, winning the 100, 400 and 1,600 to bring his state track championships to 10.