River City Rush girls win U-16 Challenge Cup

River City Rush saved its best for last and won the Washington State Challenge Cup for Premier-level girls U-16 soccer teams last weekend in Silverdale.

After what coach Jason Quintero said was barely advancing through the group stage, the Spokane Valley-based team got going in the quarterfinals and outscored its final three opponents 10-4 to win a state championship.

Hallie Stocker from Lewis and Clark, who led Rush with seven goals in the six-week playoffs, scored two in a 3-2 victory in the finals over FC Aanvallen of Auburn. Her final goal came with 3 minutes to play in regulation and snapped a 2-all tie as River City overcame a 2-1 halftime deficit. Caroline Loehner (University) scored the other goal.

Rush had gone 1-1-1 in group play, placing second of the four teams, and scoring just one goal in the process.

In beating FC Aanvallen for the title, Spokane avenged a shootout loss in the league placement tournament that relegated Rush to the fourth-highest level while Aavallen played in the third highest.

Other Rush players: Kelsey Adams (North Central), Jaymie Balcom (Central Valley), Jessica Clifford (CV), Olivia Eldridge (Mead), Molly Gainer (Ferris), Shelby Greene (Shadle Park), Marissa Hilmes (Mead), Ashley Pajimola (Shadle), Kirsten Ourada (Ferris), Mandy Schmedding (U-Hi), Alix Silha (LC), Ashley Sillivan (NC) and Courtney Stewart (Shadle).

Tiera Como is the assistant coach.

College scene

Sara Fairburn, a Simpson University sophomore from Northwest Christian, finished her second basketball season at the Redding, Calif., school in grand style, but she couldn’t help the Redhawks extend their season.

The 6-foot Fairburn had a season-high 33 points and 13 rebounds in a 62-56 loss to William Jessup in the final regular-season game and 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 68-56 loss to the same school in the first round of the NAIA playoffs, leaving Simpson with a 4-21 record.

•Washington State freshmen soccer players Carly Dobratz and Kiersten Dallstream were selected to participate in training camps with U.S. Youth National Teams.

Dobratz was chosen to train with the under-21 team and Dallstream with the U-20 team, vying for spots on travel teams.

WSU sophomore Molly Alexander, selected to Canada’s U-20 CONCACAF qualifying squad in 2006, was chosen to that country’s U-20 team training camp again this year.

•Three area basketball players at Gonzaga and Danny Pariseau at Santa Clara were named to West Coast Conference all-academic teams.

The women’s team includes Jami Bjorklund, a Gonzaga sophomore from University, with a 3.93 grade-point average in business administration.

On the men’s team are Zags Sean Mallon, a senior from Ferris (3.54 graduate school in organizational leadership and 3.29 undergraduate in political science) and David Pendergraft, a junior from Brewster (3.00, philosophy and English). Pariseau is from Shadle Park.

•The Washington State and Idaho women’s and men’s cross country teams were named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division I All-Academic teams.

The WSU men had a cumulative GPA of 3.11 and the women 3.47. The UI men had a 3.185 and the women a 3.44 GPA.

•Whitworth continues to hang onto second place in the Northwest Conference All-Sports Trophy competition after the winter sports season, but has fallen three points further behind Puget Sound – 157-136.

Hockey

The Spokane Amateur Hockey Association AA Pee Wee team won the Tier II Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association Washington championship last weekend in the Tri-Cities, defeating a Tri-Cities team 5-1 in the final game.

Spokane, which had a 4-1 record, the loss in a shootout, qualified for the regional tournament in California next month. Jim Nolden coaches the 11- and 12-year-olds.

Spokane’s AA Bantam (13-14) team had a 1-2 record in its division, also in the Tri-Cities last weekend.

Snowboarding

Nate Holland of Sandpoint, in his third year as the top-ranked American in World Cup Boardercrosss standings, earned the silver medal in the season-opening World Cup Snowboardcross last weekend in Furano, Japan.

“It was very good today,” Holland is quoted as saying in a U.S. Snowboarding release. “I loved the course because it was challenging with the speed. It was a physically demanding course, so after six runs, you’re really exhausted.

“Now, I want to keep pushing it in a quick World Cup season. My goal is to place on as many podiums as possible because I want to win the World Cup this year.”

Canadian Drew Neilson won gold.

Patrick Holland of Sandpoint, three years younger than his brother at 24 and getting his first invitation to a World Cup event with the U.S. team, placed 16th. He was the fourth of six Americans in the 32-man finals field.

Volleyball

Jenna Kragt, a 5-foot-11 middle hitter from Ritzville, has signed a scholarship to play at Walla Walla Community College, Warriors coach Tim Toon announced.

Kragt is a two-time all-league selection who was chosen her team’s most valuable player and earned a sportsmanship award at state. She has a 3.8 GPA.