Shootout goes Blackhawks’ way

There was no sophomore jinx for the Cheney Blackhawks.

On a windswept home field, the Blackhawks needed extra shooters to knock off Sequim, 2-1, in an overtime shootout Tuesday.

In the seventh round of penalty kicks sophomore goalkeeper Josh Hooley blocked a penalty kick by Sequim’s Carl Morgan, and the Blackhawks sophomore Tyler Coulston drilled a shot into the back of the net to send Cheney into the state quarterfinals for the second time in school history.

For Coulston, a young midfielder/defender, it was a first.

“I’ve never really taken one before,” a sheepish Coulston said. “I was very nervous and I was hoping it wouldn’t come down to me having to shoot.

“But I just took my shot.”

As soon as the game was decided, his teammates lifted Coulston onto their shoulders and paraded him around the goal area.

“That was great!” he said. “It’s something you dream about.”

Hooley’s effort was as long-term as Coulston’s was fleeting.

The lanky goalkeeper made six saves through the 90 minutes of play – 80 minutes of regulation and 10 minutes of overtime. He made a spectacular play in the final 15 minutes of regulation that saved the Blackhawks.

Cheney took the lead, 1-0, 12 minutes into the game. Midfielder Jess Davis booted a cross off an indirect free kick just inside the sideline that found forward Patrick Folsom slashing toward the goal. Folsom headed the ball back across the goal and onto Chad Thornton’s foot for the goal.

Sequim evened the score just before halftime when midfielder Corey Wall chipped a shot over the charging Hooley.

“It was a really good shot,” the sophomore said.

The teams played an even second half, and neither team could manage a goal in overtime.

In the shootout, Sequim took the lead when the Wolves goalkeeper, sophomore Josh Lindsey, smothered a shot by Cheney’s Jesse Retan.

Hooley almost returned the favor in the third round of kicks, dropping on a ball at his feet – but the ball trickled underneath his body and rolled into the goal, giving Sequim a 3-2 advantage.

Hooley made a save for good on the fifth shot of the first shootout, preventing the Wolves from closing out the game. Junior Jess Davis then forced extra shooters by driving a shot into the corner of the goal.

Between shots Hooley squatted next to the goal, his eyes closed and his mind focused on the next shooter.

“I focused on what I knew I had to do and my shooters focused on what they had to do,” he said. “I like to stay mentally focused. Every so often something like that (trickled goal) is going to happen. I knew we had more shooters. It wasn’t over.”

The Blackhawks advance to play the winner of the Hanford/Sunnyside playoff game Saturday on the road.

“We’re the second team to make it to the quarterfinals,” Cheney coach Steve Davis told his players after the game. “We’re going to be the first one to take it even farther.”

•Pullman got a goal from Nick DeGraffenreid 2 minutes into the opening round of the State 2A tournament, but the Greyhounds couldn’t hold the lead, falling to Wahluke 2-1 in a shootout in Pullman.

Wahluke tied it in the 59th minute and when overtime failed to produce any goals, the teams went into a shootout, which Wahluke won 6-5.

Pullman finishes the season at 13-4-2.

Wahluke will play the winner of Cascade and Connell in the quarterfinals.

•Medical Lake allowed three second-half goals and fell to visiting Ephrata 4-1 in a State 2A opener.

The Cardinals, who finished at 12-4, got a goal from Felipe Fagundes in the 37th minute.

•After a scoreless first half, East Valley-Yakima scored a goal in the 63rd minute to knock off visiting Riverside 1-0 in a State 2A opener.

Riverside finished at 10-6.

East Valley will take on Ephrata in the quarterfinals.

Track and field

After four events, Pullman, with 15 points, has a five-point lead over second-place Colville at the District 7 2A track meet at Riverside High School.

Pullman’s Phil Hinrichs won the 1,600 meters, coming in 4:21.90, and Ashton Gant the triple jump, coming in a 44 feet and 9 inches.

Colville’s Tyler Williams won the javelin with a throw of 167-10.

Riverside is third with eight points and Medical Lake fourth with three.

On the girls side, also after four events, Riverside (19 points) has a nine-point lead over second-place Deer Park.

Wins by Jennifer Nagy in the long jump (15-10 1/2 ) and Tirzah Spackman in the pole vault (9-0) led the Rams.

Lakeside was third with eight points, Pullman fourth with six and Colville fifth with two points.

District 9 B softball

Casey Riedner went 2 for 3 with two triples and one RBI as Colton (14-8) knocked off visiting Pomeroy (8-9) 7-3 in a District 9 B first-round matchup.

Kim Weber struck out eight and Natalie Stout had a two-run triple for the Wildcats.

•Lacey Mayberry’s two-run single scored the go-ahead runs as Touchet (15-2) scored six runs in the fifth inning en route to a win over visiting Tekoa-Oakesdale/Rosalia (9-14).

The Nighthawks will take on Pomeroy Saturday in Pasco at 10 a.m. Touchet will face Colton also in Pasco at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

•Casey Manning struck out nine, giving up just two hits, and also scored twice and had an RBI as Garfield-Palouse (16-5) scored seven runs in the first two innings then held on to beat visiting Liberty Christian (8-13) 9-5.

•DeSales (14-5) scored six runs in the first and added six more in the third en route to a 15-6 win over visiting LaCrosse-Washtucna.

The Tigercats (16-7) will take on Liberty Christian Saturday at 10 a.m. in Pasco. DeSales will play Garfield-Palouse Saturday also in Pasco at 10 a.m.