Quick hits
GNL wrestling race a tussle
The potential is there for another stirring Great Northern League wrestling season which begins in earnest tonight.
Young teams Colville and Deer Park are at league powers Medical Lake and Lakeside, respectively. Riverside is at Pullman.
The Rams defeated host Colville 38-27 on Tuesday.
Medical Lake is defending league and regional champion. Lakeside won state and Riverside finished 10th. The three are expected to contend for league honors again.
“It will be very tight as usual in the GNL. This year’s title will come down to who is hurt, or an upset or two may be the key,” said Riverside coach Randy Miller. “Every team has great kids and outstanding coaches.”
Thirteen state qualifiers return. Included are Lakeside state champion Jon Millard and second-placers Kyle Johnson and Levi Jones. The Cardinals return two state placers, Chewelah, Pullman and Riverside one each.
Lakeside has a dozen starters back, but lost four athletes to football injury. Young talent must fill in.
“The injuries have set us back, but we will fight for titles at the league, district, regional and state levels,” said coach Scott Jones.
Last weekend the Eagles defended their “The Rock” tournament championship on Vashon Island, winning four titles, including by Levi Jones, over Orting state champion Anthoni Heffernan, Millard and Johnson.
Medical Lake piled up 270 points while winning a remarkable 10 championships at the Rogers M-2 Mallet Tournament.
Colville is co-coached by Kevin Knight, the school’s new principal, and longtime assistant Emil Rosenberg. Knight, a Colville graduate, has coached and taught previously in Idaho.
“This first year I’m flying by the seat of my pants, but having fun with it,” he said. “I’ve been around wrestling my whole life.”
The Indians went 3-2 in the Best of the West Tournament at Pasco, beating Hanford, Prosser and Newport, losing to Tumwater and Grandview.
Welcomed in all this is the GNL becoming part of an expanded regional with central Washington leagues potentially offering more state qualifying spots.
News and notes
The Cheney School board will dedicate the high school’s football field to longtime football coach Tom Oswald on Wednesday. The ceremony, which will occur prior to the Cheney-Shadle Park wrestling match, will take place in the school’s gym, starting at 7 p.m. Oswald posted a 167-90-7 career record, including two trips to the state finals. He spent 25 years as Cheney’s head coach, retiring following the 2002 season. … The Inland Empire Football Officials Association instituted a Sportsmanship Award this year because they feel they are treated well by teams in the area and wanted to reward that. The inaugural winner? The Lewis and Clark varsity. … It may be belaboring the point, but GSL girls basketball is not just a two-team league, even if Lewis and Clark and University appear to have made it so. Statewide, the GSL compares favorably with most teams. Mt. Spokane, which had lost to Rogers, ending the Pirates’ long losing streak, traveled to Seattle and beat Kentridge and 3A Seamount League unbeaten division leader Kennedy, which is 6-2 overall. Ferris and Gonzaga Prep both easily handled Bellarmine Prep and Mead beat 3A Bellevue, tied for second in the Kingco League, by 25 points.