Sunday Locals: Former Gar-Pal coach selected to state shrine
Two coaches with ties to the Spokane area are among seven who will be inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame during separate ceremonies in Wenatchee and Tacoma in July.
Tim Coles, who won three State B boys titles and compiled a 372-129 record in 19 years at Garfield-Palouse before stepping down following the 2001-02 season, will be inducted at the Wenatchee Conference Center on July 21. Coles, who resigned to get into administration, is the Gar-Pal athletic director.
Larry Skogstad, whose resume includes two years as East Valley’s boys coach in the 1980s, will be inducted at the Tacoma Elks Club on July 28.
Also to be feted in Wenatchee will be Joe Harris (Lake Chelan, Bridgeport). The Tacoma induction also will include Richard Belcher (Eastlake, Sammamish), Tim Cousins (Darrington) and two longtime assistants, Bruce Hayes (Steilacoom) and Darrell Lokken (Aberdeen). Sports writer Don Davison of the Tacoma News Tribune will receive the Ed Pepple Service Award.
Both banquets begin with a social hour at 5 p.m. Cost is $30. Questions or to RSVP, contact Dave Dickson at (360) 201-5218 or david.dickson@ bellinghamschools.org.
Basketball
The Spokane Stars Red girls team captured the championship in the Mother Goose division at the high school level in the Best in the West AAU tournament last weekend in Yakima.
The Red team went 5-0, defeating Flight Blue of Puget Sound 54-40 in the championship game. Eric Anderson is the coach.
College scene
Emily Guthrie and Jesse Salzwedel of Whitworth were named to NCAA Division III All-West Region golf teams.
Guthrie, a sophomore from Snohomish, Wash., who had eight top-three finishes in 10 events, including the Northwest Conference fall and spring classics, was named to the National Golf Coaches Association Division III All-Region 5/West women’s team.
Salzwedel, a freshman from Wilsonville, Ore., who had top-five finishes in his last three events, placing fifth at the NWC championships, is on the Golf Coaches Association of America DIII Ping All-West men’s team.
• School records and national honors abound for the five Whitworth student-athletes chosen as the Pirates’ senior award winners for 2010-11.
Elizabeth Mattila and Michael Taylor received the Dennis Spurlock Memorial Award, while Tonya Turner, Kalen Darling and Alex Hymel were recognized as Senior Athletes of the Year at the school’s Senior Reflections ceremony.
The Spurlock award, in memory of the former Pirates All-America quarterback, goes to student-athletes who model the characteristics of the award’s namesake, specifically modesty, poise, leadership and excellence in athletics.
Mattila, from Ferndale, Wash., starred in both soccer and track. She is a three-time All-Northwest Conference selection in soccer and a two-time NWC 400-meter hurdles champion
Taylor (Brewster, Wash.) made a significant impact in his one year at Whitworth, leading the Pirates’ men’s basketball team to a 28-2 record and No. 1 national ranking with a team-high 20.3 scoring average. He received two national player of the year awards.
Turner (Mead) helped lead Whitworth’s women into the 2010 NCAA Division III cross country championships and set school track and field records in two events this spring.
Hymel (Damascas, Ore.) broke the Whitworth record and leads the nation at the D-III level in the javelin (216 feet, 10 inches).
Darling (Honolulu) excelled in cross country, swimming and as a national-level triathlete.
• Four individuals shared athlete of the year awards at the North Idaho College awards banquet on May 7.
Basketball player Tugce Canitez from Izmir, Turkey, and volleyball player Tina Strahinic from Metlika, Slovenia, shared the Female Student Athlete of the Year Award.
There was also a tie for Male Student Athlete of the Year between basketball player Michael Hale III from Federal Way, Wash., and wrestler Jamelle Jones from Winslow Township, N.J.
Canitez helped lead the Cardinals to their first NJCAA national championship, earning first-team All-America.
Strahinic led NIC to a fifth-place national finish and received NJCAA and American Volleyball Coaches Association first-team All-America honors.
Hale became the school’s first two-time NJCAA men’s basketball All-American, leading the Cardinals to their first No. 1 national ranking.
Jones, a first-team All-American, was a national champion at 197 pounds and was named Outstanding Wrestler at the NJCAA national tournament for the second time.
The female academic award went to soccer player Meagan Powell from Whitefish, Mont. (3.86 grade-point average) while basketball player Idris Lasisi, from Leuven, Belgium, won the male award with a 4.0 GPA.
The national champion women’s basketball team, led by head coach Chris Carlson, was selected the team of the year. Mark Hampe and Frank Darlington received NIC Booster Club Member of the Year awards.
• Kyla Evans of Brewster, Wash., who completed her undergraduate degree in communications in three years while playing for the Eastern Washington women’s basketball team, is one of 29 female student-athletes from across the country in all three NCAA divisions to receive a $7,500 grant to pursue an advanced degree.
Evans, who graduated summa cum laude from the EWU honors program in 2010 with a 3.97 GPA, said she will use the scholarship to attend DePaul University in Chicago to study nonprofit management.
• Lyndi Seidensticker, a Montana State senior from Lewis and Clark, received two awards at the Bobcats’ annual A.L.L. banquet last week.
Seidensticker, who served as a Big Sister, captured the A.L.L. Challenge Community Service individual award, was a member of the women’s basketball team that won the academic performance of the year award and was one of 40 student-athletes to receive an award of excellence.
The A.L.L. Challenge is a team competition of academic achievement and community service participation.
Football
Keagen Hadley, a 6-foot-3, 236-pound defensive end/tight end from Kellogg, has signed a letter of intent with Minot State, the North Dakota school announced.
Hadley, a three-sport captain at Kellogg (football, basketball and track and field), had 18 receptions and two scores for the Wildcats in football and made 103 tackles on defense. He is a member of the National Honor Society.
Minot State is transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II. The Beavers will play an independent schedule in 2011 before joining the Northern Sun Conference in 2012-13.
Golf
The fledging Junior Golf Northwest tour held its first event two weeks ago at Indian Canyon with Joel Christensen, Derrick Phelps and Lydia Kim winning divisions.
Christensen, a student at Central Valley, captured the boys 15-18 division with a 6-over-par 78. Danny Nimri (CV) was second at 85 and Ryan Anderson (Gonzaga Prep) third at 89.
Phelps, from Yakima, won in boys 12-14 with a 95, followed by Nick Stadtmueller (98) and Jacob Jaeger (103).
Kim, of Spokane, won girls 12-14 with an 83. JoJo Jaeger was second at 105.
There were no girls for a 15-18 division.
Next event for the group will be Saturday at The Creek at Qualchan Golf Course.
Info: juniorgolfnorthwest.com
Soccer
The Spokane Soccer Club elite girls9 U14 team won a Washington Cup championship last weekend, defeating F.C. Saprissa of Seattle 2-0 in the state title match.
In going undefeated in six Cup matches, the team outscored opponents 13-1.
Dennis Strasser and James Jasso are the coaches.
• Spokane Shadow youth premier teams won two Challenge Cup championships and had 14 other teams advance to at least the quarterfinals in the two largest Washington Youth Soccer state cup competitions.
The girls U15 Sky, coached by Cameron Bushey, won its second Challenge Cup Division 2 title in two years, while the girls U11 Navy, coached by Chris Stiles, won its Division 2 bracket.
Challenge Cup semifinalists were girls U16 Navy ( George Hageage), boys U14 Navy ( Niko Varlamos) and girls U13 Sky ( Kevin Houston). The girls U14 Sky ( Danielle Johnston), boys U12 Navy (Varlamos) and girls U12 Navy ( Julio Morales) made the quarterfinals.
In the Washington State Championships, the girls U18 Navy ( Kevin Moon) and girls U13 Navy ( Kara Sharpe) were semifinalists.
Five others made the quarterfinals – boys U18 Navy ( Matt Leonard), girls U17 Navy (Moon), boys U17 Navy (Leonard), boys U15 Navy ( Paul Johnson), girls U15 Navy ( Matt Stueckle) and girls U14 Navy (Morales).
Volleyball
The Sideout Volleyball Club U16 team of Spokane qualified to represent the Evergreen Region in the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships July 1-4 in Atlanta.
In winning three U16 tournaments in the region, Sideout went 23-0 and never lost a set.
The players: Sierra Crook, Meghan Elmore, Natalie Kassa, Dana Norris and Paige Montgomery, all Mead; Kennadie Clute, Brooke Reilly and Marissa Verduci, all Mt. Spokane; and Kylie Curtis, Coeur d’Alene High School. The coaches are Jamie Pancho of Newport and Erin Norris of Spokane.
• Kellen Barfield, a 6-foot-4 middle blocker from Newport of Bellevue, Wash., and Kayla Randles, a 6-1 transfer from UC Riverside, have signed letters of intent with Eastern Washington, Eagles coach Miles Kydd announced, completing his recruiting class.
Barfield averaged 2.3 kills and 1.8 blocks per set for Newport as a senior. Randles, a native of Yakima, will have four years of eligibility after redshirting at Riverside as a freshman. She holds the Eisenhower High School career blocks record.
Miscellany
Neil Morfitt, known professionally as Neil Everett as a sportscaster for ESPN, will be the keynote speaker at the Spokane Youth Sports Association fundraising breakfast June 2 from 7:30-9 a.m. at Northern Quest Resort & Casino.
Everett grew up in Spokane, graduating from Lewis and Clark in 1980.
Info: SYSA, 536-1800