NC first because Howard wouldn’t settle for last

Last week North Central cross country coach Jon Knight reiterated that winning state was the gold standard for a program.

“It’s what everyone looks and prepares for,” he said.

Adding a few jewels to the crown, however, doesn’t hurt.

Thanks in part to Jeff Howard, a season-long pick-me-up for the state champions, the Indians aren’t done competing.

Last weekend they qualified for the Nike Team Nationals in Portland.

Unlike years past when teams were randomly ranked and chosen by region for the four-year-old event, last weekend the NC Cross Country Club won its berth on the course with a victory in the inaugural Northwest regional meet at Eagle Island State Park in Boise.

Howard, as reported in an article on cross country and track and field Web site DyeStat, fell early in the race and was dead-last among 124 runners.

“I thought we were done,” Knight told story author Dave Devine.

Howard picked himself up, reached the mile in 5:05, according to the article, and ultimately moved into the top 25, finishing 23rd.

Howard was North Central’s distant No. 5 runner as a sophomore when the team won state in 2006. He improved to No. 3 this year, welcomed given the injuries and illnesses that afflicted Indians athletes at varying times during the year.

“He was an absolute hero,” said Knight to Devine. It wasn’t the first time this year NC’s coach said that to a reporter about his runner.

NC, Washington’s State 3A champion, outscored Stark Street (Central Catholic of Portland) 85-97 for the title. Each earned a berth to the Nike Team Nationals on Dec. 1 in Portland.

Andrew Kimpel (second), Leon Dean (10th), Steve Hicks (16th) and Alex Avila (45th) rounded out the NC scoring.

In three previous NTN races, Ferris finished third and Mead teams took third, fourth and fifth. Now NC will get its chance.

“It’s been a goal all year,” said Knight. “It should be fun.”

A first for the Eagles

West Valley’s girls soccer team has played Cheney 10 times the past two years without a great deal of success.

So last weekend’s victory by shootout over the Blackhawks following a scoreless regulation and two overtimes was memorable. The Eagles this weekend play for the first time in the state semifinals in Tacoma.

WV lost three times to Cheney during the year, including 4-1 in a district seeding match.

“We were playing pretty good soccer for a while, then kind of hit a lull,” said coach Shelli Totton. “I think the worst day was the loss to Cheney.”

Trailing 3-0 at halftime – the most goals allowed by the Eagles in a match this year – required a little attitude adjustment, she said.

“They could have packed it in and been done,” Totton said. “They picked up the intensity and from that point on decided they can do this.”

WV has since won four times by shutout, twice over the Blackhawks, for the district championship and in last Saturday’s penalty kick-ending to determine the state’s final four 2A teams.

“It’s a horrible way to lose. It’s sad it had to end that way,” said Totton. “But we’ll take it.”

WV plays Burlington-Edison at 10 a.m. Friday at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood.

Football matchups

The Greater Spokane League’s dream season continues with two teams, Ferris and Lewis and Clark, playing this weekend in the State 4A quarterfinals.

Ferris defeated Mead 24-7 and LC eliminated Woodinville 21-7 to advance.

“This is new stuff for me,” said Tom Yearout on Saturday following the Tigers’ deepest thrust into the state playoffs since 1978. “It is exciting, and I think it’s satisfying for the kids and staff to know our league’s a good league.”

It’s only the third time the GSL has had two teams go this far in one season and the first since adopting a play-in format with the Columbia Basin League back in 1996.

The other two occurred in 1977 when Gonzaga Prep beat North Central and again in 1988 when the Saxons beat the Bullpups in second-round games.

This year the two GSL schools are on opposite sides of the bracket and can’t meet unless for the state title at Gridiron Classic on Dec. 1.

Both play Saturday. Ferris (11-0) plays host to burly Graham-Kapowsin (8-3), a third-year school in the Bethel School District that plays in the South Puget Sound League, at 1:30 p.m. as part of an Albi Stadium doubleheader.

LC’s Tigers (8-2) are in Seattle against Inglemoor (6-4), a KingCo League team.

Pullman (11-0) will play Burlington-Edison (10-1) at 6 in a 2A Albi nightcap.

Also still playing are 2B Reardan (9-1), which faces DeSales (10-0) Friday at Kennewick at 7 p.m. in the second game of a twin bill, and Almira/Coulee-Hartline (10-1), which opens at 4 in a 1B quarterfinal. Also Friday in 1B, Odessa (10-0) faces Colton-Pullman Christian (8-2) at 6 p.m. at West Valley.