LC, Mead face numbers game at regional

The odds are against the Greater Spokane League when Lewis and Clark and Mead travel to Richland tomorrow for the regional volleyball tournament – but don’t bet against them.

When the Columbia Basin Big Nine stacked the playoff deck against the GSL, they really stacked it for regional tournaments such as volleyball.

Six of the eight teams are from the CBBN facing last year’s first- and second-place state finishers for three state berths. That’s three-quarters of the participants from a league with two-thirds of the region’s teams.

LC’s Julie Yearout said via e-mail early last fall that she felt the GSL got the short end of things not only because of the numbers disparity, but because the two regional qualifiers must travel to the CBBN site a second year running.

It is culture shock for a league accustomed to inordinate success. The GSL has qualified at least three teams to state each year (22 out of a possible 29) from the eastern region during the first eight years of this decade and brought home 20 state trophies, including the last five titles (Mead) and three other second places.

This year only two teams have the opportunity to go.

They believe in magic

Whether the East Valley volleyball team has a magical ending to its season remains to be seen. But the Knights see magic as being an important component to their success.

At least an acronym version of magic. When the Knights break from huddles, they shout the word “Magic!”

“It’s an acronym for ‘making a greater individual commitment,’ ” EV coach Jim Dorr said. “Everyone just needs to make sure they’re taking care of themselves. I think that’s why we don’t panic. For one we have great senior leadership. And two, they just make sure they take care of their keys and do their jobs. If everyone does that, it takes care of the team.”

The Knights earned the top seeding to regionals by earning their first 3A district title.

The six-team tournament, including the Knights, Mt. Spokane, Shadle Park and North Central along with two from the CBBN, will be played Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. at Mt. Spokane High and Mountainside Middle schools.

“We’re looking forward to next weekend. We’ve set some pretty high goals,” Dorr said.

Greg Lee

Here we go again

At the end of May, I wrote how last year’s state success by Greater Spokane League athletics caught the eye of publications regionally and nationally and said it was so much fun it ought to continue.

Well, here we go again. It remains to be seen if last year can be duplicated, but last weekend the league certainly got off to an auspicious start.

In state cross country, North Central won its third consecutive State 3A championship as the best team regardless of classification. Mead defied predictions and won its second straight state title and 14th during a run of 21 consecutive 4A championships for GSL boys teams.

If Spokane has become accustomed to expect that out of its distance runners, certainly football fans weren’t expecting what their teams accomplished – a clean sweep of crossover wins against the CBBN.

Only three years ago, people were lamenting the fact that GSL teams could not compete against the mid-Columbia league’s grid juggernaut. Four of the nine victorious local teams are in the fields of 16 for their respective 4A and 3A state championships.

State pairings games

This week Southeast and Northeast 1B football teams square off to determine which four teams fill the eastern Washington side of the state bracket.

Touchet (7-3) is at Odessa, Columbia (7-3) is at LaCrosse-Washtucna (9-0) and Inchelium (5-5) is at Cusick (10-0) in 7 p.m. Friday games.

Almira/Coulee-Hartline (7-2) faces Tri-Cities Prep (8-1) in Pasco at 4 p.m. Saturday.