Shadow U16 girls win state title

The third time was a charm for the Spokane Shadow U16 girls soccer team.

Angie Hughes‘ goal in the 106th minute and the goalkeeping of Liz Borden produced a 1-0 victory over Fenix Soccer Club of Seattle in the Washington State Youth Soccer championship game last weekend in Seattle.

“This is only the second Spokane team in the 20-year history of the tournament to win a championship,” said coach Jeff Robbins.

It ended a three-year string of near misses. This was their third straight appearance in a state championship game – and second straight against the Fenix.

They’ll play in the 14-state U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regionals June 18-25 in Boise.

Spokane was the No. 1 seed, based on winning a second straight Division I league championship, and Fenix No. 2. Both were 5-0 in the playoffs prior to the title game.With just 4 minutes left in the second overtime of the championship, Hughes, from Mead, dribbled past three Fenix defenders to score with a powerful near-post drive.

Boyden, from Ferris, made it stand up with her fifth shutout in six playoff games.

Other players are Ali Fenter (Shadle), Chelsea Jones (Mt. Spokane), Kaitlyn Whitfield, (Cheney), Jakie Hakes (Mead), Aubrey Bot (Gonzaga Prep), Marissa Mykines (Mead), Danny Raczykowski (Ferris), Jaimey Etten (Mead), Abby Goss (University), Rachael Lowe (Richland), Ceri Palk (Cheney), Stacy Hamer (G-Prep), Tiara Pittman (Mt. Spokane), Sophie Johnson (G-Prep), Katy Sloyer (U-Hi) and Nicole Ervin (Shadle Park).

Hockey

The Spokane American Youth Hockey Association Pee Wee U12 team placed second in the Pacific District Regional Tier II tournament last weekend in Las Vegas.

The Americans, 1-2 in pool play and the No. 4 seed into the semifinals, knocked off the No. 1 seeded Anaheim Junior Ducks 3-2 before losing to the California state champion Santa Clara Black Hawks 8-4 in the finals.

Basketball

Bruce Johnson, head women’s coach at Community Colleges of Spokane for 18 years, is the Eastern Region Coach of the Year for the fourth time.

CCS, 20-11 overall and 9-5 in the league, finished third in the region and qualified for the NWAACC tournament for the 14th time in Johnson’s tenure.

With a career record of 365-174, he is the all-time winningest women’s coach at CCS.

College scene

Whitworth’s Loren Killgore and David Dolphay will compete at the 2006 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships March 16-18 at the University of Minnesota.

Killgore, a senior from Corbett, Ore., and two-time All-American, is seeded fifth in the 400-yard individual medley, and also will compete in the 200 IM and 200 backstroke.

Dolphay, a sophomore from Great Falls, Mont., will compete in the 1,650, 500 and 200 freestyles.

Cross country

Ben Behrends, a senior at Post Falls High School and the Idaho 4A state champion, has signed a letter of intent with Lewis-Clark State College, the Warriors announced.

Behrends has qualified multiple times for state track and cross country championships.

Prep scene

Lucas House, 16, a junior at North Central High School, rolled his first perfect game in open bowling last Sunday night at North Bowl.

House had just missed a 300 two nights earlier when he rolled 10 straight strikes before leaving the 4 pin with his 11th ball.

• The National Electrical Contractors Association and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, in conjunction with the Greater Spokane League, announced the sixth annual winter winners of their award for balancing academics, athletics and community involvement.

The winners, one male and one female from each school:

Central Valley – Matt Morgan and Heidi Heintz, both basketball. Cheney – Heather Burke and Jess Donnerberg, both basketball. Clarkston – Alicia Jelinek, basketball, and Alex Barham, wrestling. East Valley – Elise Olk, basketball, and Tyler Jolley, wrestling. Ferris – Michelle Curtis, gymnastics, and Taylor Yonago, wrestling. Gonzaga Prep – Michael Johnson and Sarah Jennings, both basketball. Lewis and Clark – Alex Nelson, wrestling, and Sarah Lehman, gymnastics.

Also, Mead – Megan Thigpen, basketball, and Peter Edminster, wrestling. Mt. Spokane – Charlee Jackson and Matt Dorr, both basketball. North Central – Scott Harris, wrestling, and Ashlee Michelson, basketball. Rogers – Mike Holloman, wrestling, and Mary Fairbanks, basketball. Shadle Park – Josh Landsverk and Katija Margitich, both basketball. University – Blake Kenworthy, basketball, and Kayla McGahey, gymnastics. West Valley – Greg Bradley and Leah Hanenburg, both basketball.

Snowboarding

Cameron Maring, an eighth-grader at West Valley’s City School, finished 10th in the Junior Worlds boardercross event in Pinzolo, Italy, and helped the USA take first place in the team scoring.

The USA team is coach by Spokane’s Mark Harris.

Harris and Maring will compete in the USA Snowboarding Association Nationals in Northstar at Tahoe (Calif.) March 26-April 1. See the Stat Sheet on page C4 for a complete list of area qualifiers to nationals.

Volleyball

Walla Walla Community College signed Stacy Andersen, a 5-foot-6 All-GSL outside hitter from Shadle Park, and Danielle Porter, a 5-6 libero from Lewis and Clark.

Andersen was the Highlanders’ captain and most valuable player. Porter was three times LC’s most inspirational player.

Joining them is Noelle Carstens, a 5-8 All-Bi-County League right-side hitter from Reardan. She was a four-year letter winner and team captain.