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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Prep track notebook: Throwing stepbrothers thrive for Mt. Spokane

Jacob Lionello, left, is going to West Point and his stepbrother, Trevor Payne, right, is headed to the Air Force Academy. (Tyler Tjomsland)

Call it the band of stepbrothers.

That’s exactly what Mt. Spokane seniors Trevor Payne and Jacob Lionello are – stepbrothers. You wouldn’t mistake them for twins.

Lionello is half German, one quarter Italian and one quarter Korean.

Payne is none of that.

Payne’s father, Bryan, the former Mt. Spokane track coach, and Jacob’s mother, Mary, married six years ago. The boys remember the first time they met – they watched a UFC pay-per-view package together in the sixth grade.

The union of their parents was a sweet deal for them. It gave them free run of the basement. Their bedrooms are across the hall from each other, and they enjoy a family room, game room and share a bathroom.

When they reached high school, both played football. But Payne gave up the sport following his second ACL surgery on his right knee following his sophomore season. He focused all of his energy on throwing the discus and shot put.

Lionello continued playing football. He was a two-year starter at center and was used frequently as a lineman on defense.

He took up throwing as a sophomore – well behind Payne, who had begun tossing the implements around in sixth grade.

Lionello was behind in the learning curve, which explains why last spring he started the season on the junior varsity after never breaking the 100-foot mark in the discus the year before.

He was promoted to varsity quickly last year. And by season’s end, much to the chagrin of Payne, placed fifth at the State 3A meet, one spot ahead of his stepbrother.

“He’s a better thrower than me,” Lionello said. “He’s worked at it longer and put more hours into it.”

But Payne knows being better doesn’t always translate into a better result.

“One mistake in your throw can mess up the rhythm more than anything else you do,” Payne said.

Payne is ranked first in 3A in the discus (172-11) and Lionello is third (160-4). They expect to fare well at state.

They broke out of the gate fast this spring. In their second meet at the Don Holder Relays in Yakima, Payne heaved the discus 172-11 and Lionello cracked 160-4. Both marks are their career bests.

Shortly thereafter, both slipped into a slump. Payne, who is ranked eighth in the state in shot put (50-5), believes he’s on the verge of moving past his bests in both throws. He showed good signs in a league dual last week when he threw 166-8 and 50-3.

Lionello also believes his best is around the corner. It was this time last year that he took big strides. He had an all-time best at regionals by 10 feet and he increased it another 9 feet at state.

Both bleed red, white and blue. They will take their patriotism to military academies – Payne to the Air Force and Lionello to West Point. Both plan to throw.

By their junior years, both must decide if they’re going to fulfill 5-year commitments in service beyond college. For Lionello, it’s probably a done deal. He wants to forge a career in the military. Payne also is considering becoming a pilot, which could mean at least 10 years in service beyond college.

After they graduate in early June, they’ll head off to six weeks basic training in late June.

Mt. Spokane coach Pat Kostecka, a thrower back in the day, has much respect for the stepbrothers.

“Trevor and Jacob are the kindest kids and so, so nice,” Kostecka said.

Because they’re so gentle by nature, Kostecka has to remind them about intensity sometimes.

“I sometimes tell them they need to get angry out there,” Kostecka said.

Kostecka believes if the throwers quit thinking about technique and just trust their feel, big throws are ahead.

“In throwing, you have to keep kids optimistic,” Kostecka said. “It’s really a dance and finding rhythm. Sometimes you can overcoach. You have to get them to quit thinking about technique and just feel it.”

Bear moving

One of the best girls soccer players in Central Valley school history and one of the best in the state, if not the best, is moving to Phoenix.

Sophomore Kelsey Turnbow, who led the Bears to a second straight State 4A championship last fall, is moving with her family. Her father received a job transfer.

Turnbow is also on CV’s talented track team. So it’s a double blow for the school.

“Her next school is getting an unbelievable gift,” CV girls track coach Geoff Arte said. “She’s a great team kid. She does all the right things.”

Turnbow, who hasn’t nailed down a potential school to attend, knew of the pending move about two months ago but agonized over telling her coaches and friends.

“I’ll miss CV greatly,” Turnbow said. “CV has done so much for me. Once a Bear, always a Bear. We’re a family at CV so it’s really hard because I’m close to everybody there.”

At the same time, though, Turnbow is embracing the move.

“I’m really excited, I like change,” she said. “It’ll be a good experience to meet new people.”

Postseason upon us

The Greater Spokane League wraps up the regular season today, but over in Idaho the chase for state berths begins today.

• The 5A and 4A Region I meets are at Coeur d’Alene today with mostly field events and conclude Friday in Lewiston.

• The 3A District I meet is today and Friday at Timberlake.

• The 2A and 1A meets are Friday and Saturday at Lapwai.

• The Idaho state meets are next week in the Boise area.

Bell lap

Talk about depth. In a dual last week, the CV girls had four go 5 feet in the high jump. “That might be a first,” Arte said. “I’ve never seen anything like that.” … The CV girls and boys can wrap up outright league titles today when Lewis and Clark visits. The LC-CV girls dual could be entertaining. LC doesn’t have the depth, but it has some outstanding sprinters and jumpers. Last week, freshman Anna Rodgers broke a GSL record in the long jump when she leaped 18-9. The old mark was 18-4 1/4 set by Linda Lester of LC in 1985. Rodgers’ personal best is 19-1 done at the Pasco Invite. … Tanner Anderson of North Central broke 9 minutes in the 3,200 (8:58.12). … Mack Baxter of West Valley continues to lower his hurdle times. He ran 14.38 in the 110 and 37.84 in the 300, the top time in the state. … Tristan Downing of Riverside ran 38.97 in the 300 hurdles. … Jack Ammon of Northwest Christian posted 1:54.92 in the 800.