Quick hits
LOOKING AHEAD
Can the Greater Spokane League bring home state titles from spring sports?
That question will be answered by Saturday, the final day of competitive sports for Washington’s high school athletes.
What are the chances?
Let’s take a look at each sport in which the GSL is still competing, except for golf, which teed off Wednesday.
Softball
Don’t be surprised if one of the three 4A teams competing in Tacoma brings home the big trophy. Two years ago no one thought University would win and the Titans pounded their way to the title. Shadle Park’s pitching and potent lineup has to make the Highlanders one of the favorites, if not the favorite. U-Hi has enough experience to be in the mix. Mead just knocked off the state’s top-ranked team. At the 3A tournament, the North Central Indians have one advantage few other participants can boast: They’ve played the toughest competition the 4A class has to offer.
Tennis
The GSL’s 4A players have one big advantage: The tournament is here. They get to play on courts they are familiar with, they get to sleep in their own beds and they get to eat at home. That being said, a win by anyone would be a great accomplishment, since the last boys title team was Ferris in 1975 and the girls have never won a title (though Gonzaga Prep was second three years in a row starting in 2000).
Track and field
Without a dominant team, it’s always hard to predict track and field because of how the wealth is spread around. But just guessing, the Ferris boys could bring home a 4A team trophy with the North Central girls and East Valley boys among the contenders in 3A. Still, Pasco should produce a heavy-medal meet for local individuals. Lewis and Clark’s Briann January (high jump), Shadle’s Catie Schuetzle (long jump), Mt. Spokane’s Megan O’Reilly (3,200), Mead’s Corissa Hutchinson (discus) and Rogers’ Becca Noble (400) are defending champions. Noble (800), Shadle’s Bryan Braman (high jump, javelin), Ferris’ Cameron Elisara (shot put), Mead’s Bron Tomeo (pole vault) and Ferris’ Ben Poffenroth (800) are all 4A leaders in their events.
LOOKING AROUND
Wouldn’t it be something if Great Northern League foes Pullman and Chewelah met for the State 2A title? “It’s a nice compliment to our conference,” said Pullman coach Lance Lincoln. “I don’t think a lot of people think baseball is played much farther than the central part of the state. It’s nice to see Eastern Washington teams sneak in and let people know we do play baseball on this side.” Brewster (two ties) and Newport, both 1A, are the state’s only remaining unbeaten teams. … St. George’s has chosen former Rogers High assistant Allie Bailey as girls basketball coach. Bailey, who played basketball, soccer and track at Mead High and was a four-year basketball starter at Eastern Washington University, assisted Nicole King at Rogers for two seasons. Bailey replaces Bill Bender, who resigned after last season. … The sites and dates have been set for the 20th annual East vs. West All-State volleyball series. The three-match set will begin at Fife High on July 14, move to Selah the next night and finish up July 16 at Mead. Local athletes picked to compete for the 2A/4A East team include Mead’s Lacey Anderson and Rachael Schurman, Colville’s Nikki Bardwell and U-Hi’s Mandy Daniels and Daidre Mendenhall. Chosen for the 1A/B East team include Garfield-Palouse’s Monica Boone, Brenda Hershaw and Holli Hollbrook, Colfax’s Amy Bruya and Jill Solbreck, Stacy Finch of Wilbur-Creston, Tekoa-Oakesdale’s Mallory Puckett along with alternates Destry Killian of Lind-Ritzville and Cusick’s Kimberly Bluff. … Karen Blair, girls basketball coach at Meadowdale High in Lynnwood, Wash., for the past 11 seasons, has retired at age 40. The reason? Emotional wear-and-tear of dealing with two sets of parents, according to a Seattle Times story. Blair put together a 255-39 record at Meadowdale including State 3A titles in 2000 and 2004. The Mavericks moved up to 4A this year and won their first 22 games (including Garfield’s only defeat) before losing their final three games. According to Edmonds School District athletic director Terri McMahan, some parents expressed concerns that the district investigated and found “petty” and “groundless.” “These are the kind of parents that make a chill go up your spine,” McMahan told the Times. … Now that Washington has decided to add a sixth classification in the fall of 2006, Oregon is considering a proposal that would do the same thing. Oregon has four classifications of high schools. The proposal, which would go into effect in the fall of 2006, will be studied this fall and voted on in October. … Southridge High won’t defend its State 4A baseball title this weekend, but if last week’s results are any indication, the crown should remain in the Tri-Cities. Richland, which won the Big Nine Conference regular-season title, is the only one of the four teams left that pitched shutouts in both regional games. The Bombers’ Jeremy Stumetz tossed a two-hitter at Shadle in the 5-0 opener, then ace Tyler Cheney, headed to the University of Washington next year, shut out Southridge 1-0 in the championship. The Bombers will face Cascade-Everett on Friday in a semifinal at Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium.