Prep notebook: Lakeside boys basketball coach Ron Cox retires

Ron Cox, boys basketball coach at Lakeside, announced his retirement from coaching and teaching last week, according to Lakeside athletic director Jeff Pietz.

“Ron touched the lives of a multitude of student-athletes and their families over his 30-plus years of coaching,” Pietz said.

Lakeside went 7-14 overall and 4-8 in the Northeast A League this season.

“He was a role model and mentor to many and was a Hall of Famer, not only as a coach and player, but also as a human being,” Pietz said. “While we are sad to see his coaching career come to a close, we wish him the best in his new adventure of retirement.”

During his playing career at Eastern Washington, Cox established career records for points (1,741), rebounds (1,273) and field-goal percentage (62.9).

Pietz said the position will be posted early next week and will close mid-March. He hopes to have a new coach in place before spring break.

Sartz inducted to state track Hall of Fame

In a ceremony on Jan. 17, longtime track and field coach Barry Sartz was inducted posthumously into the Washington State Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Sartz’s career spanned more than 30 years, first as an assistant at his alma mater, Shadle Park. He left Shadle for an assistant position at Mead, then took over as head coach at Newport in 2001, guiding the Grizzlies program from a dirt track to a 1A powerhouse.

Sartz coached 17 individual state champs at Newport, including athletes who competed in the NCAA championships, became All-Americans and went to the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Sartz also coached at Deer Park and Lakeside, where he was an assistant tutoring the team’s sprinters and hurdlers at the time he died in September 2018.

Sartz “was track and field,” Lakeside coach Jim Pettet said in May. “You couldn’t ask for a better team player.”

Fall all-state soccer announced

Five Greater Spokane League players were named to the 16-player 4A all-state first team by the Washington State Soccer Coaches Association earlier this week.

Central Valley senior defender Dori Ames and sophomore forward Zoe Crockett, Gonzaga Prep senior midfielder Chelsea Le and junior goalie Eden Elliot, and University senior midfielder Gracen Crosby were honored.

G-Prep junior defender Alaina O’Connell and junior forward Campbell Siebold earned second-team honors, as did Mead senior forwards Margo Schoesler and Megan Cardenas and senior midfielder Kendal Houston.

Ferris senior forward Yacine Bitibale received honorable mention.

In 2A, East Valley senior forward Kaitlyn Harvey and senior defender Raylynn Bucher were second team.

In 1A, Deer Park senior defender Hannah Hodgson and sophomore midfielder Livvy Moore were named to the first team.

St. George’s dominated the boys B team, with five of 11 first-team selections: senior defender Noah Galow, senior midfielder Oscar Angell, sophomore midfielder James Gunn, frosh midfielder Tanner Watkins and frosh goalie Finn Kelly.

Dragons’ Galow signs letter of intent

Noah Galow, a senior at Saint George’s, signed a letter of intent to Eastern Oregon University men’s soccer. He will play goalkeeper for the Mountaineers.

Galow played keeper on the Dragons team that won the 2016 State 2B championship. He played midfielder for the 2017 state second-place team and for the 2019 state champions.

Coeur d’Alene calls up baseball coach Karns

Coeur d’Alene hired Eirk Karns as head baseball coach in January, replacing Nick Mahin, who resigned after four seasons on the job.

Karns, who coaches the CdA Lumbermen American Legion team, was an assistant under Mahin.

Karns played college baseball at Whitworth.