State tourneys are on the way

Wrestling and gymnastics take center stage this coming Friday and Saturday, the first in a series of four successive winter state tournament weekends.

State 1B basketball is in Yakima beginning the following Wednesday, Feb. 21.

Area wrestlers, more than 140 strong, will converge on Tacoma for Mat Classic XIX. The Greater Spokane League is sending 50 in two classifications, an average of six per school. State team trophy winners the last two years, University advanced 11 and East Valley eight.

Last year’s 2A champion Lakeside advances nine to the 1A tournament where it will be among the title contenders. Resurgent Deer Park in 2A and Reardan in the newly formed B state tournament will each wrestle nine.

And there’s a new addition to the extravaganza which fills the Tacoma Dome floor with wrestling mats and a non-stop two days of elation and heartbreak. An official all-classification girls state tournament will join in.

A matter of persistence

Titans coach Don Owen calls his team’s surprising Saturday success a tribute to persistence. Several are program guys – seniors like Nick Bickley who wrestled in the shadows of others before being rewarded for four years of sticking it out.

“There isn’t one kid I’ve coached who has come as far as he has as far as mental toughness,” said Owen. “He’s a different personality on the mat. In every match he doesn’t give up.”

Bickley, Kenny Cleveland, Brandon Oakes, Billy McGlasson and 285-pound regional champion Brad Peterson had wrestled in districts mainly as U-Hi No. 2 entrants, but not placed higher than fifth. They, along with three younger wrestlers, were making their first regional appearance and are now competing in the show.

Part of it is a result of the number of wrestlers U-Hi puts into varsity matches over the course of a season. Part, said Owen is the individual attention his assistants give to the athletes in the various weight classes they are responsible for. U-Hi has been able to sustain a high level of competitiveness as the seniors blossom.

“The credit belongs in a lot of different places. It’s a network thing,” said Owen. “We have great chemistry on this team and chemistry will take you a long way.”

Mead makes it four

Mead gymnasts last weekend qualified for their fourth straight state meet with a 173.025 total score. They are the GSL’s lone team state qualifier. Ashley Dotson and Tonya Turner were second and third all-around to lead their team.

Dotson won balance beam and floor exercise and Central Valley’s Courtney Sexton was vault champion, with Dotson second.

Several other 4A and 3A individuals also will participate in Tacoma. 4A meets begin at 9 a.m. and 3A at 2:15 on Friday, with individual finals Saturday at noon.

Basketball playoffs

Post season basketball competition either begins or continues for most area classifications.

Here’s what to expect:

District 8 4A – Greater Spokane League schools play Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Tomorrow’s games are by far the most important with winners advancing to regional, losers eliminated.

In boys, No. 6 Lewis and Clark is at No. 3 Shadle Park and No. 5 Central Valley is at No. 4 Gonzaga Prep, 7:45 p.m. In girls, the No. 5 Bullpups are at No. 4 Shadle Park and No. 6 Ferris is at No. 3 Mead at 5:45.

Seeding games with first and second place Ferris and Mead boys at University, and Lewis and Clark and University girls at CV continue the other two days, both at 5:45 and 7:45.

District 1A – Four teams begin play Wednesday at Mead hoping to avoid the fourth seed and a trip to Chelan against the Caribou Trail’s No. 5 team for a play-in game to regional.

Lakeside girls and boys play No. 2 seeds Freeman at 3:30 and 5 p.m. respectively. Chewelah girls and boys play Northeast A League champions Colfax at 6:30 and 8 p.m. Tournament continues Friday and Saturday.

Winners advance to Friday’s championship and top regional seed. Losers could finish as high as No. 2 or take that Saturday trip to Chelan.

District 7/9 2B – Eight teams, six from District 7 are competing for four state berths in this regional tournament.

Both girls and boys begin Saturday at Mt. Spokane and Mead and continue through the following Saturday.

DeSales boys and unbeaten girls, the Dayton girls and either Asotin or Walla Walla VA Academy boys are the District 9 teams.

District 7 1B – Teams from Curlew, boys and girls, the Inchelium girls and Almira/Coulee Hartline boys are assured state berths. They play for seeding on Saturday, girls at 5 p.m., boys at 7 at Deer Park.

Four other boys and girls teams have games for survival tomorrow night at 6 and 7:45 p.m. at Riverside or Deer Park with the winners playing Saturday, at 1 and 2:45 at Deer Park for the third state spots.

District 9 1B – Five Whitman County and three Blue Mountain boys and girls teams play for four state berths beginning tonight through Wednesday in Walla Walla and continuing Thursday through Saturday in Colfax.

Boys teams LaCrosse-Washtucna vs. Tekoa-Oakesdale and Garfield-Palouse vs. Tri-Cities Prep, and girls teams Garfield-Palouse vs. Sprague Harrington and Tekoa-Oakesdale vs. Touchet are at 6:30 and 8 p.m. respectively in the high school.

Tuesday’s games at DeSales are Prescott vs. St. John Endicott boys at 7 p.m. and Tri Cities Prep vs. Colton girls at 8:30, and at Walla Walla Community College are Rosalia vs. Liberty Christian boys at 7 p.m. and St. John-Endicott vs. Liberty Christian girls at 8:30 p.m.