Focused Bears softball team advances to 4A regional tourney

Despite mid-season setbacks, Central Valley’s young softball team produced a happy ending.

On Friday, the Bears will play in the 4A regional softball tournament at Franklin Park for the first time since 2004, joining tourney perennial University in the quest for two of four state berths.

“We’ll go in as long shots again,” said coach Jeff VanHorne, who is in his third year at the helm and making his first regional appearance. “More than anything it will be a fantastic experience for our younger kids.”

The Bears had begun the Greater Spokane League season 6-1 before all manner of misfortune struck.

Pitcher Whitney McDaniel developed walking pneumonia and missed two and a half weeks of the season. She was not only the team’s starter, but also one of its leading hitters.

Nicole Ridl was lost with mononucleosis and three other players missed at various times with the flu. Then hitting leader and shortstop Carolanne Ingalls separated her shoulder, and has been relegated to designated hitter duties.

“We were in a bind, particularly pitching,” said VanHorne. “And we happened to be in the heart of the schedule.”

The Bears lost six of seven games, before players returned to the lineup, and scrambled just to make the district playoffs. There they upset Gonzaga Prep 2-1 and Shadle Park for the right to play this weekend.

“I could not wipe the grin off my face all weekend long,” said VanHorne. “It was huge.”

The Bears, like many teams in league, are relatively young. While third-year seniors Ingalls, Nikki Connors, Katie Neis and Laura Jackson are integral to the team, McDaniel and Ridl are just sophomores. Transfer junior Katee Nauert, moved into third base and shortstop.

And freshmen; the versatile Heather Jackson, catcher Mickenzie Alden and pitcher Emily Anderson provided valuable spark.

“I convinced the girls the only thing they could do is play hard and it will fix itself,” said VanHorne during CV’s time of struggle. “They focused on getting better and the last couple of weeks have excelled beyond expectations.”

Mass exodus thanks to track

West Valley sophomore Marc Smith was a run-of-the-mill 56-second 400 meter runner last year.

This week he’ll be part of a mass Valley exodus when some 100 track and field athletes head to Yakima for Friday’s 3A regional track meets.

The meets qualify individuals and relay teams for the state meets in Pasco the following weekend.

More than 30 Eagles boys and girls, Smith among them, will participate at Zaepfel Stadium during the two-day meet that qualifies three 3A performers per event to state.

The young sprinter won district last weekend and has a season-best 51.3 in his second varsity season.

“Last year I was pretty slow,” he said. “It’s still a hard race, but I got into it this year.”

Four per event advance to the 4A state. Central Valley, East Valley and University are sending 20-plus athletes each to the meet, including Titan junior thrower Michael Kelley, who finished second in the district discus and was fifth in the shot put.

Original compilations had him tied for first in 54-1½. He actually threw 49-3, still a personal best this year.

“It was my birthday,” he said. “This is a great birthday to myself. I qualified for regionals in both shot put and discus and hopefully I can make it to state.”

Among the best state bets are defending long jump champion Rashad Toussaint who will be among the favorites in both that and the triple jump, and WV teammate and defending high jump champion Kayla Mainer.

Eagle relay teams also have a good chance as do weights throwers in the boys and girls shot put, boys discus and perhaps the javelin.

In the 4A, CV 300 hurdler Tasheen Garry, 800 runner Anna Layman, also part of CV’s long relay, and pole vaulter Joe McFarlane are in the picture.

So, too, are, state-placing EV shot put and discus thrower Andy Roof , javelin thrower Chris Shearer and pole vaulter Adam Rife, 300 hurdler Clarissa Cabbage, horizontal jumper Eleaya Schuerch and shot putter Kelcee Moody.

University distance runner Amie Dahnke will be involved in two races among three of the state’s best. Jen Tiffany in the pole vault, Jennifer Jewett in the 300 hurdles and the Titan 800 relay team are other contenders.

Freeman and Valley Christian compete in regional and district competition as well for spots in the State 1A and B meets respectively.

Hopes for a Scotties 1A boys state title repeat rest on junior Kevin Hatch, a four-event jumper. He won two events and finished second in another last year and now has added the high jump.

Fellow pole vaulter Conor Sayres, now up to 14-feet, runners Bryan Riggs and Ryan Robinson are other expected key contributors. Distance placer Amber Raines and jumper Jessie DePell are among girls repeat state probables.

Valley Christian is led by boys distance runner Troy Fridley. Girls 400 runners Erica Hattamer and Amy Fox and thrower Jessica Grady lead the Panthers.

Regionals for CV tennis player

Central Valley’s Juan Montalvo finished fourth among Greater Spokane League boys tennis singles players to qualify for this weekend’s regional tournament.

Regionals, including players from the Big Nine, will be on the CV and University High courts.

Montalvo won twice by 6-1, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-0 scores before dropping into the consolation rounds of the District 8 tournament with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 loss to eventual champion Ben Gullickson from Lewis and Clark.

He came back through the bracket with a 6-3, 6-1 win over U-Hi’s Josh Steele, then lost a pair of tiebreaker 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-1) sets to Mt. Spokane’s Logan Napolsky in the match for third and fourth.