EV, CV track finish 1-2 in GSL

East Valley and Central Valley gave it the ol’ one-two Thursday afternoon during the Greater Spokane League track championships at Mead.

The Knights won their first GSL title with nearly identical 77-68, 78-67 and 76-68 victories over the Bears, Lewis and Clark and Mead in the four-team meet.

CV finished second by beating LC 85.5-59.5 and Mead 76-69.

By winning, EV reversed their regular season dual loss to the Panthers a week earlier and the Bears did the same versus the Tigers, who they’d previously lost to by a point.

“We came here and competed,” said East Valley coach Dave McCarty. “We never had a meet this year where we had a complete team effort. I think we did this time.”

McCarty added that at times the meet was exasperating because things went wrong, including the injury loss of sprint star Anthony Laborin. But things obviously went right.

Scott Bunkelman, called upon to make up for the loss of Laborin, won the 100 and 200 meter sprints, the long jump at 21-feet, 1-inch and was a member of EV’s 44.3 short relay win.

“I always had an idea I was fast,” Bunkelman said, “but not this fast. I came out trying to win for Anthony.”

Nick Atwood, who gave up basketball to train over the winter for track, scorched the distances, winning the 1,600 meters in 4:21.2 and 3,200 in 9:34.6. He overhauled CV star Sean Coyle in the latter.

“Coyle ran hard, but I wanted it a lot,” said Atwood, a runner not known for his finishing kick. “I took it in the last 100 (meters). It was amazing.”

In the field, Tyler Jolley threw 172-feet in the discus and was second in both the shot put (in a personal best 54-6¾) and javelin.

“We wanted to know, if we won or not, that we could take this effort into districts,” said McCarty.

In winning its first league championship, on the track of a Mead program that had won 24 of 29 GSL track titles, including the last four, he got more than he asked for.

Central Valley, meanwhile, was up to the task as well in finishing second with their best team effort this season.

The Bears got two hurdles victories by Shon Davis (timing a 15.0 in the highs to nip EV’s Kyle Bowers by .1 second).

They had an area-best 49.6 win by Derek Schuh in the 400, and solid distance races by Coyle and freshman Brad Whitley, who timed 2:01.2 in the 800.

And horizontal jumper Patrick Metzger recorded personal records, winning the triple jump at 42-71/4 and placing third in the long at 20-7.

Coach Chuck Bowden put no pressure on the meet and gave no motivational speeches, said Metzger.

“He didn’t tell us anything out of the ordinary,” he said, “just do what we’re capable of doing.”

In the meet for ninth-through-14th places, host University won and West Valley finished 11th.

The hottest race was the high hurdles where Cheney’s Tyrell Poosri edged U-Hi’s Kevin Martin 14.8 to 14.82. Martin got even with a 39.8 300 hurdles victory. Dan Turner pole vaulted 14-6, and Wes Nolen threw the javelin 163-4 for other Titan wins.

Jumpers, Maurice Swan (21-2 in the long) and Arton Toussaint (44-4) in the triple, and distance runners, Garrett Hanson won the 800 and was second to teammate Josh Gardner in the 1,600, led WV.

Girls: The day before, East Valley finished sixth, Central Valley eighth, University 10th and West Valley 11th in positional meets.

Knight Jo E. Mayer won the 1,600 in a five-team meet at Hart Field in 5:20.4, Eleaya Schuerch had season bests in the long jump (17-10¾) and triple jump (37-3), while Morgan Dunning pole vaulted 9-6 for individual triumphs.

CV’s Anna Layman won the 800 in 2:21.8 and the Bears clocked 4:04.5 in the 1,600 relay.

At Cheney, WV had one more win, but U-Hi the better depth.

Bri Almy won the 100, 200 and long jump for the Eagles. Larsen Agee in the 3,200, Melissa Mauro in the 100 hurdles, Alyssa Wold in the high jump were other victors.

U-Hi’s Dana McClendon, in the shot put and discus over Eagle Ashley Kenney, Madeline Fuchs in the 300 hurdles, Katie Hawkins in the pole vault and the Titans 1,600 relay team all finished first.

Last Strandberg meet

The 22nd Strandberg Invitational Track Meet today at Central Valley will be the last.

The meet, which has run at CV continuously since returning to the school in 1991 has become unfeasible to continue, said coach Chuck Bowden.

“It was a great event, but its time has come,” Bowden said.

He cited a lack of outside organization to help put on the meet, fewer on-staff volunteers and loss of its place as a “school event” as primary reasons.

The meet comes late in the year when schools are tapering for district meets and fewer have entered.

This year’s meet has 12 schools, including CV, EV, Freeman and Valley Christian, Moscow, Moses Lake, Cheney, Lakeside, Freeman, Colville, St. George’s DeSales, plus Lewis and Clark’s girls.

The meet was named after the late Central Valley School District teacher, coach and administrator Marty Strandberg.

“We would really like to thank all those people who contributed so much over the years,” said Bowden. “Special recognition should go to Steve Bernard, who was the coach at CV that brought the meet home (from Mead), Jay Rydell and Bruce Wendelburg, and key people and businesses that were so important over the years.”

Titans finish fourth

University’s girls tennis team finished fourth in the GSL for the second straight year, but came oh, so close to winning it all.

The Titans lost 4-3 both to league champion Ferris and third-place Mead. Their other loss during a 7-3 season was to second-place Gonzaga Prep.

East Valley’s boys (10th) and girls (9th) both finished 3-0 during the matches for 9th-through-14th places.

It was a break-through season for the Knights boys who went 4-5 just a couple years removed from being unable to field a team. The girls were 6-3 overall.

Central Valley girls (4-6) were seventh and boys (3-7) were eighth. West Valley girls (3-6) and boys (2-7) were 11th, the latter tied with University (2-7).

Bears play off

Central Valley’s baseball team gets another chance to make the district playoffs. The Bears wound up tied with Gonzaga Prep for sixth and the two play off for the final berth 10 a.m. today at University.

“We get a second chance and need to take advantage of it,” said coach Barry Poffenroth. “I said we have the pitchers to take us through the playoffs. We’ll see if they can.”

Scoring some runs, he added, will help.

Allemand bests Painted Hills

Painted Hills Ladies League golfer Jeanne Allemand got the better of the course with her low gross A flight 42 during weekly competition.

Joyce Jacobs shot 52 in B flight, Virginia Lemmer 53 in C, Dorothy Rausch 58 in D and Denise Adam had 53 in no-handicap. Lemmer chipped in for a birdie on the fourth hole.

Net winners were Darlene Hurliman with 41 in A flight, Lisa Ward with 34 in B, Emma Long with 34 in C and Pat Reiter with 30 in D.

Other chip-ins included not one, but two by Teri Kuhlmann, on No. 1 and No. 7, and by Rausch on No. 6.

MeadowWood group play

MeadowWood Women’s 18-Hole Golf club conducted medal play this past week.

Suzi Stone recorded low gross with an 84. Best net scores were by Patsy Lynn with 66, Kitty Duval with 71 and Jean Hatcher with 73.

Nine Hole group competes

Liberty Lake Ladies Nine Hole Club reported its first scores of the year.

Nancy Lampe with low-gross 57 topped the field. Frances Martin netted 37 in first flight as well.

Second flight winners were Nancy Smith, 60 gross, and Joanne Ruddell, 20 net.

Kathy Camyn shot 64 and Lu Benjamin netted 37 in third flight and Pat Reiter shot 73 in fourth.

Polly Soderquist, Mary Gehrman and Linda Barry had chip-ins.

Liberty Cup time

It was time for monthly Liberty Cup and putting competition among Liberty Lake 18-Hole Women’s Golf members.

This month there was a four-way tie among Rose Jones, Kathy Brown, Honey Conlon and Maggie Steffy with a net 72.

Brown, with 28 in A flight, and Conlon with 32 in B were also putting winners. Alice Shattuck and Louise Newtson tied with 32 in C flight, and Coleen Wisenor took 29 in D.

Caryn McComas with 32 in A, Reiko Takamori with 35 in B and Kathy Mills with 33 in D were putting runners-up.

Trailhead action

Joyce Jacobs shot low gross 48 to lead the way during weekly Trailhead Ladies Golf Club action.

Harriet Carbon had 52 in B flight, Caroline Michielli led C and Brenda Miller shot 56 for no-handicap.

Net winners were Dee Elder with 29 in A, Bev Johnson with 34 in B and Grace Libby with 37 in C.

Peg Nadvornick, Marcia Rowley and Michielli all had chip-ins.