GSL dominates court

The Greater Spokane League, like in an old Wrigley’s chewing gum commercial, doubled its pleasure, doubled its fun last weekend when Shadle Park captured the Class 3A volleyball title on Friday and Lewis and Clark backed it with the 4A championship on Saturday.

The Tigers’ win over Kamiakin gave the GSL its sixth straight first-place State 4A finish and marked the fifth straight year that the title game was an all-eastern region finale.

Mead defeated Eisenhower and LC twice each for the last four of its five straight championships.

Certainly, Highlanders coach Brooke Cooper has been flying high since winning her first title in her 10th year since replacing her mentor and Shadle legend, Linda Sheridan.

“It was an amazing couple of days,” she said. “Hopefully I’ll come back to the ground, but I’m not there yet.”

“Amazing” was the oft-used superlative that sprinkled Cooper’s accolades for her team. From the front-row contributions of seldom-used sophomore middle blocker Chelsea Chandler, playing for a suspended teammate, and heady hitting by Amy Before, Nikki Urquhart and Quinn Laurie, to the back row efforts of libero Kaylee Rector (36 digs in one game) and Before (32 in another), “it was truly an incredible weekend.”

Chandler’s run of eight points against Union in the tourney opening match inspired her teammates, and they didn’t look back.

Defensively the ball didn’t go down without a lot of touches, Cooper said, as players were digging up hits like she’d never seen. Offensively, Shadle’s opponents never knew where a Highlander was going to place the ball.

“We’d battle them up to a point, then surge ahead and say, ‘See ya,’ ” Cooper said. “This group of girls is pretty amazing. They let nothing get in their way.”

There were plenty of signs that this was Lewis and Clark’s year, coach Julie Yearout said. Her son, David, was born at 2:22 and she stayed in Room 222 at her motel in Kennewick. Prior to the title match, Yearout presented her predecessor, Buzzie Welch, who coached LC’s prior two state titles, with his Washington Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame induction plaque.

“I said to myself, ‘This one’s going to be OK,’ ” Yearout said of the moment.

More than OK, the Tigers played with a determination against Kamiakin she hadn’t expected.

“If it was like regionals, I thought it would be a five-game match,” she said. “I’ve never see a team that dominated from beginning to end like they did.”

Yearout said that with little prior knowledge of the teams entered she didn’t know what to expect. But since the district title game, LC’s girls practiced and played with a purpose, losing nary a game at state.

Championship bliss

When Julie and Tom Yearout said “I do” 20 years ago in August, coaching state championship teams weren’t part of the vows.

“Considering I wasn’t even thinking about coaching at the time, no,” Julie said.

Today, roughly one year apart, each has a championship plaque to place by the fireplace.

Julie’s Lewis and Clark state volleyball title followed Tom’s Tigers, who won the 4A state football championship the first weekend in December 2007. How often has one family been able to boast of that?

“It’s so surreal,” said Julie, borrowing a term her husband used last year. “I remember getting our kids down on the field when he won it and this year standing there waiting and watching him come through the stands with them.”

Things worked out so that the entire Yearout family was in Kennewick for Julie’s moment in the sun. Daughter Laurie, who played on three LC state placers, two of them finalists, was finished with her season at Western Washington. The Tigers football team did not make post-season, freeing up Tom to be there.

“I couldn’t watch I was so nervous,” he said. “I could not be more proud. I was a lot happier for her than I ever was for me.”

The two have known each other since middle school and began dating when Tom was in college. So wedded are they to sport, it seems fitting their anniversary usually corresponds with the first of double day football practices.

Now each has a state championship team to brag about.

Wealth of experience

Central Valley football coach Rick Giampietri pointed out an interesting statistic prior to Friday’s state football quarterfinal loss to Ferris. He and three former head coaches currently on his staff have nearly 160 years of experience among them.

“Eight coaches on our staff average 36.8 years of experience in football,” Giampietri said.

He completed his 39th year, 16th as CV’s head coach. Longtime associate Pat Pfeifer, who coached a state semifinalist at Ferris, and Rick’s brother, Sam, head coach at several schools including Chewelah, are in their 43rd seasons.

Defensive coordinator Steve Kent, former head coach at West Valley, ended his 33rd year.

Additionally, the staff features four CV head coaches from other sports. Currently, Chuck Bowden (track), Barry Poffenroth (baseball) and Rick Sloan (basketball) lead programs. The fourth, former head track coach Steve Bernard, has 33 years a football assistant.

Trophy winners all

Mead got a tough first-match draw at the State 4A girls soccer finals.

The Panthers lost 1-0 to eventual champion Skyline, then rebounded for a 3-1 victory over Jackson for third place. Skyline beat Woodinville 2-0 for the title.

St. George’s reached the title match in 1B/2B boys soccer, beating Riverside Christian for the third time, 3-2 in overtime, but losing to Tacoma Baptist 2-0 for the title.

Volleyball success was not just the province of the GSL, which included seventh-place finishers Mead and Mt. Spokane, a first trophy for the Wildcats. Pullman and West Valley finished fourth and fifth last weekend at the 2A tournament, improving over the previous year.

Benefit for Cancer

Saturday’s basketball jamboree at Shadle Park featuring Lewis and Clark, Mead and Mt. Spokane will benefit the American Cancer Society. Girls play begins at 11 a.m., boys at 5 p.m. Admission is by donation.