Freeman named Northeast A League champs
The Freeman Scotties put their backs against the wall in the opening game of the 2006 football season.
They lost at home 14-13 to Kettle Falls despite limiting the Bulldogs to 66 yards of total offense, while compiling 216 of their own.
Had Freeman won it, Thursday night’s home game against Colfax wouldn’t have loomed so large. The game wouldn’t have decided which team finishes first in the Northeast A League and which would have been third for playoff purposes.
”(Kettle Falls) was a pretty tough one to lose,” admitted Scotties coach Jim Wood earlier in the week. “If we got that win back then we wouldn’t be worrying about this right now.”
As it turned out, even with Freeman as banged up as they were, Wood’s worries were few. The Scotties won 45-14 to finish as undisputed champions. It was their eighth straight victory following the early season disappointment
“We’re back where we need to be,” Wood said, “What we’ve done, win (eight) in a row, I couldn’t ask for anything different.”
Quarterback Andrew Dresback couldn’t throw under doctor’s orders because of a shoulder separation. So he handed off to Chris Davis who carried 35 times for 335 yards and four touchdowns, including runs of 65 and 75 yards. He also threw a 44-yard touchdown pass.
The Scotties will host Caribou Trail No. 4 finisher, probably among either Okanogan, Omak or Tonasket
In games on Friday, East Valley hit the road for a nonleaguer that would gauge its 3A playoff potential. University traveled to its district rival Central Valley in search of a 4A Greater Spokane League’s playoff berth.
The Knights, who beat the Titans 21-3 a week ago, were in Pasco for a nonleague game against Camas. Both EV (6-2) and the Papermakers (7-1) have qualified for state play-in games and were testing their relative strengths in this one.
“Then we have eight days to prepare for the Columbia Basin League,” said coach Adam Fisher.
U-Hi (4-4, 4-3) needed to beat the Bears to ensure a third-place 4A state play-in berth next Friday in Pasco.
West Valley was at Deer Park with a chance to improve to 5-4 overall, a mark the Eagles last reached in 1998.
Soccer playoffs next
West Valley (11-2 in the Great Northern League) begins its soccer playoffs with a district seeding match today at Central Valley, the last remaining Valley team in post-season.
The Eagles finished first in the North division of the GNL and will face Cheney (12-1), first in the South. Match determines first and second in the six-team playoffs that determine two state berths.
Central Valley’s surprising 4A post-season run ended Wednesday with a 1-0 loss to Shadle Park. The Bears had shocked Greater Spokane League third-place finisher Gonzaga Prep in a loser-out first round contest.
University was eliminated earlier by the Highlanders, 2-1, and East Valley was ousted from the 3A regional by Hanford, 1-0.
Volleyball playoffs continue
Central Valley and East Valley try to stay alive for regional volleyball spots today at Mt. Spokane.
The Bears lost to Ferris in three games and need two wins to advance. They face Shadle Park in a loser-out District 8 4A contest at 9 a.m. That game will be followed by EV against North Central for a 3A regional berth.
West Valley, second in the Great Northern League, begins its state bid next week. The Eagles lost to third-place Colville at home, but beat Clarkston in their season finale to finish 11-3.
Freeman is at Central Valley this morning in the Northeast A District tournament chasing a regional berth.
Overland qualifying
State cross country qualifying concludes today with the 4A and 3A regional meets in Yakima. Central Valley’s boys and girls and University’s girls will be in the 4A team mix.
West Valley and Valley Christian ran for 2A state on Friday
Teams unscored upon
Greenacres middleweights and Bowdish lightweights completed perfect seasons without allowing a point in Spokane Valley Middle School League football.
The Bruins won 32-0 and 54-0 to cap their 6-0 season. They scored 229 points, the closest game a 24-0 victory over runner-up Horizon (5-1) in the second game of the season.
After that there was parity, four teams finishing at 3-3 and two others were 2-4.
In lightweights, the Rockets and Mountain View both finished 6-0. Mountain View did not play either Bowdish or Centennial (5-1) whose only loss was 22-0 to the Rockets.
Bowdish outscored its six foes 132-0.
“In softball, there was a three-way tie for first in eighth grade among Bowdish, Horizon and Evergreen with 7-1 records. The Rockets and Hawks were 9-1 overall, the Grizzlies 8-2.
North Pines seventh-graders had a perfect 10-0 year to win their title by two games.
Bruins are hares
Greenacres junior high cross country runners made like the fabled hare, but without letup, as they captured three of four boys and girls middle school championships.
They topped regular season unbeaten Bowdish 26-38 in eighth grade boys thanks to a two-three finish by John Weiser and Sam Brubaker. They timed 5:24 and 5:28 behind North Pines winner Travis Start‘s 5:18
Other three champions completed perfect seasons. The Bruins seventh-grade boys had seven runners in the top 10 to romp 17-64 over Centennial. Nic Cutrone won in 5:34 and just 11 seconds separated the other six Greenacres finishers.
Greenacres also won the eighth-grade girls race, 18-39 over Bowdish. Josie Warner and Grace Pariseau finished first and second in 6:05 and 6:09.
Evergreen’s seventh-grade girls prevented a sweep, beating North Pines 28-58 with two three-runner packs, one finishing 5th through 7th, the other 10th through 12th.