Locally: Justin Spurlock, Alex Hollenbeck win Junior Bowlers Tour doubles
Justin Spurlock and Alex Hollenbeck got hot at the right time and rode it to the championship of the Junior Bowlers Tour doubles tournament last Sunday at Lilac Lanes.
After jumping from eighth to claim the fifth and final spot in the five-team playoffs, Spurlock and Hollenbeck knocked off one contender after another to reach the championship match against top qualifiers John Hilden and Clint Norlen.
On a day that saw some tight matches, the title was decided in the final frame with Spurlock and Hollenbeck prevailing 391-362.
Nick Young and Mason Georgeadis finished third, losing to Spurlock and Hollenbeck 428-398; Toby Mertens and Anthony Huck were fourth; and David Worthey and Blake English fifth.
Jake Van Stralen had the day’s high game, a 279, while Raymond Worthey rolled the high four-game series, a 902. Grace Remendowski and Jaylah Young shared high game for the girls, a 212.
The next JBT is Dec. 11 at Sunset Bowling Center in Coeur d’Alene.
Broadcasting
Dave Tester, originally of Post Falls, is the 2016 recipient of the Idaho State Broadcasters Association Best Play-by-Play award for his work calling games last fall for College of Idaho football.
It is the 10th time Tester, a graduate of Post Falls High School (1982) and the University of Idaho (1986), has won the ISBA award. He has also been named Idaho Sportscaster of the Year three times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame.
Tester, who lives in Boise, started in broadcasting at Coeur d’Alene radio station KVNI as a disc jockey in eighth grade. His college football credits include the universities of Montana and Idaho, and Boise State.
College scene
Gunnar Kayser, a Montana Tech senior defensive back from Mead, was a first-team selection and Matt Lickfold, a Montana Western wide receiver from Post Falls, repeated on the second team when the All-Frontier Conference football teams were announced.
Joey Biel, the Northwest Christian graduate who is a freshman kicker on the Monmouth College football team, led the Midwest Conference in kick scoring with 89 points, finishing fourth overall in scoring.
Biel made 10 of 19 field goals, including a 50-yarder that missed the school record by 1 yard, and 59 of 62 extra points for the Fighting Scots, who finished 10-1 after losing 21-14 to Coe College in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs last weekend. He was first in the conference in extra points and second in field goals.
When Natalie Herring, a Lewis-Clark State sophomore from Timberlake, posted the second-best time of her career (19 minutes, 17.93 seconds for 5,000 meters) to finish seventh in the Frontier Conference women’s cross country championships, it earned her a spot on the all-conference team.
She was the Warriors’ fourth finisher (19:28.74) when L-C State placed 26th at the NAIA Nationals.
Alec Johnson, a Gonzaga senior midfielder from Lake City and North Idaho College, earned honorable mention on the WCC All-Academic team in men’s soccer with a 3.24 GPA in business. Johnson’s GPA earned him bronze status on the WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2015-16.
Callie Harwood, a Whitworth junior forward from Snohomish, Washington, was the Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week in women’s basketball for Nov. 14-20 after she surpassed her career high in points (14) twice in a 1-1 week for the Pirates.
Harwood had 16 points in a loss and 27 in a 67-65 win over California-Santa Cruz, augmenting the scoring with a pair of 11-rebound games to tie her career high. To the two double-doubles, she added five assists and a blocked shot.
High school scene
Lexi Mikkelsen and Keeley Morrison led a list of five players from State 1A volleyball champion Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) to be selected to the Washington State Coaches Association all-tournament team.
Mikkelsen, an outside hitter, and Morrison, a middle hitter, were named to the 1A first team. Teammate Joelle Mahowald, a middle hitter, was selected to the second team and setter Olivia Mikkelsen was honorable mention.
Freeman, which placed fourth, landed middle hitters Alisa Hansen on the second team and Hayley Damon on honorable mention.
Carmen Gfeller, a middle hitter for fifth-place finisher Colfax, was named to the State 2B first team while Bulldogs outside hitters Johanna Stolle and Piper Cai were on the second team.
Sixth-place Wilbur-Creston placed middle hitter Danaca Colvin on the second team and Bee Elliott on honorable mention.
Letter of intent
Montana State-Billings baseball – Wyatt Setian, INF, Post Falls, first-team All-IEL 5A.
Softball
Jim Wyer, who has been in sports officiating in Spokane for more than 40 years, received the Spokane Softball Umpires Association’s Presidential Pride award from president Steve Quaid at the association’s annual awards banquet.
Wyer, who has the endearing nickname “Turtle” for his diminutive size and gait around the field, revealed that health issues will force him to curtail a career that has also included baseball and basketball officiating.
Norm Fredrickson, an SSUA member for 29 years doing exclusively slowpitch, received the Campbell-Stewart Award for longevity, dedication and service to softball umpiring from retired former longtime Spokane ASA umpire in chief Chuck Stewart.
Other awards went to: Craig Adams, umpire of the year-adult; Marty Boles, umpire of the year-youth; Joe Geach, most improved-adult; Andy Dalziel, most improved-youth; Sean Harrington, rookie of the year; and Stewart, home run award.
Adams and Dallas Williams received Meritorious Service awards from the Washington Officials Association.
Steve Quaid was re-elected to a two-year term as president of the Spokane Softball Umpires Association.
Other officers for 2017: Chuck DeBruin, vice president; Gary Kuck, Carl Durr and Karen Nelli, members at-large; Brian Hall, secretary; and Ron Snyder, past president.