Shake a (turkey) leg: Spring hunting season almost here

T-minus two to turkey time.

Two weeks, that is, until the 2009 spring turkey hunting season gets underway. The season opens Wednesday, April 15,

and if you’re a turkey hunter, you know two weeks is barely enough time to get ready.

Oh sure, most of us have had months and months to prepare for another spring hunting season, but just like everything else, time flies. There’s plenty to do to be ready for turkey season and if you haven’t started the preparation, you had better get after it.

One of the first things to do to be ready by the 15th is to determine just where you are going to hunt. Most of the turkeys in Washington are in the northeast part of the state — or, at least, that’s where most of the spring gobblers are taken by hunters. In 2007, the latest year for which harvest reports are available, 3,660 of the 5,302 gobblers tagged by spring hunters came from Game Management Units 101-136, which make up that corner of the state.

Another 605 gobblers were killed by hunters in the southeast, and 487 spring turkeys were taken in Klickitat County.

In our region, South Central Washington, hunters put their tags on 221 gobblers in 2007.

So, going by the old theory that you fish where the fish are, the same goes for turkey hunting: Hunt where the birds are. And that would be the counties north of Spokane.

Unfortunately, however, you can’t simply drive up to Colville, Chewelah or Kettle Falls and go hunting. Much of the land in that part of the state is privately owned, and permission is a necessity if you are going to have a place to hunt. That’s where the getting ready comes into play. Go now to find a place to hunt when the season opens.

Same goes for hunting down in Klickitat County. The gobblers are sounding off now, so by going and doing some scouting in the days before the season opens, you will have a much better chance of putting your tag on a gobbler this spring.

It is even more true if you are planning to hunt around here. Yakima and Kittitas counties are huge, vast areas and don’t have many turkeys inhabiting the region. Just wandering out into the woods on opening day without doing some preseason scouting will be like trying to pick winning Lotto numbers. There’s a slim chance you’ll get lucky, but you’re much more likely to end up with nothing to show for your efforts.

Any more, turkey hunting involves several hundred dollars worth of clothing and gear. Getting all that gear sorted out and ready to go also takes time. Grab your hunting vest and get it organized now versus the night before the hunt. Make sure your shotgun is cleaned and ready to go. Better yet, shoot it a couple of times to make sure it hits what you’re aiming at.

Most serious turkey hunters have already been practicing their calling for weeks, if not months. The rest of us need to break out the calls and get to clucking and purring and putting.

Besides getting your gear ready, now is the time to get your rear ready. If you haven’t been walking and getting into some kind of hunting shape, do it now. By walking a mile or two every day between now and the season opener, you will at least be somewhat prepared for a day of walking the hills and valleys where turkeys live.

Turkey hunting continues to grow in participation in Washington, both because it’s one of the few hunting seasons in the spring and because it is an extremely fun and challenging pursuit. And if you are prepared when the season arrives, you might just bag a fat gobbler.

The countdown is on. T-minus two weeks until another turkey season is underway. Now’s the time to start getting ready.
• Rob Phillips is a freelance outdoor writer and partner in the advertising firm of Smith, Phillips & DiPietro. He can be reached at rwphillips@spdadvertising.com.

3/31 What’s Happening

RMEF banquet set for this Saturday

The annual Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation banquet put on by the Yakima Valley chapter is set for Saturday at the Modern Living Building of the Central Washington State Fairgrounds.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m., with dinner to begin about 6 p.m. and a live action set for 7:30 p.m. There will also be a silent auction, featuring such things as a fishing trip to Montana’s Flathead Lake and several different rifles and handguns, including a 25th anniversary RMEF handgun and rifle. This is the RMEF’s 25th year, and there will be plenty of anniversary memorabilia available in the auction and raffles. Another raffle item will be tickets to the first three days of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) finals in Las Vegas, Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

The dinner (catered by Hoopla Catering) will feature a sit-down, prime rib-or-chicken meal, not a buffet. Deadline for ticket purchase is noon Thursday. For tickets, call Barb Towsley at 966-0274.

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Trap club finals full of 25×25 shooters

The Yakima Valley Sportsmen trap club championship shoot two Sundays ago was a day of perfect 25×25 rounds, with no-miss rounds taking three of the four classes.

The men’s class, in fact, had three shooters — Jody Taylor, Bob Schefflemaier and Dale Klingele — each breaking 25 straight targets. They kept right on without missing in a lengthy shootoff until Klingele finally took the win.

The seniors division also had three 25×25 shooters in Ken Smith, Gene Wilmoth and Tom Schmitt, with Smith taking the championship trophy in the shootoff. Davis student Jason Klingele was perfect in the 10-shooter juniors division, and he needed to be; his 25 straight barely edged three shooters who had 24s.

Rene Blankenship took the women’s championship trophy with 22×25.

The club championship, decided by an Annie Oakley shoot among the 42 shooters who were winners during the club’s 10-week Button Shoot, went to Ken Smith of Selah after a very lengthy shootoff.

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Bird Alert: Signs of spring all over Valley

The signs of spring are now quite evident at back-yard thistle seed feeders, as male goldfinches are develop their bright yellow breeding plumage, as well as in the field edges, where the chips and trills of the savannah sparrow are being heard.

Other signs of spring include the return of the long-billed curlew, the largest North American shorebird, with two being heard and observed in a field near Terrace Heights. Although they are shorebirds, the long-billed curlews prefer prairies and pastures with short grass during breeding season and frequently build nests near cow patties or bushes to help hide the nests from predators. Two turkey vultures were noted riding the wind above Livengood Road and appeared to be heading to Cowiche Canyon, possibly having come from as far away as their winter grounds in South America.

Raptor sightings included an immature northern goshawk that dropped a rock pigeon carcass on the side of the road and was then observed perched in an apple tree on Mieras Road; two bald eagles perched across the Yakima River from Buchanan Lake; and another pair of bald eagles attending a nest in the Yakima River Canyon. Ospreys are being reported from around the Valley, including one pair nesting atop the platform at Central Premix.

Please call your bird sightings into the Yakima Valley Audubon phone line at 248-1963

— Kerry L. Turley

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AROUND AND ABOUT

UNGROOMED TRAILS: Cross-country skiers using Pleasant Valley Loop and the North Fork Tieton trails won’t find groomed trails; grooming has ended for the season, and the Sno-Park signs will be coming down within the next day or two, after which those roads are open to motorized traffic.

KLICKITAT RIVER CHANGE: Through the end of May, Sunday has been added to the Monday-Wednesday-Saturday weekly schedule on which Klickitat River anglers can fish for chinook and steelhead, from the river mouth to the Fisher Hill Bridge. Daily limit is one hatchery chinook or hatchery steelhead.

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ON THE CALENDAR

TODAY: The Cascadians’ Tuesday hikers will do Sanford Ridge on Cleman Mountain. The group meets at 8 a.m. at the 40th Avenue Bi-Mart parking lot and carpools from there, usually breaking into slower and faster groups.

WEDNESDAY: The Mount Adams Cycling Club begins its Wednesday night ride series, a 25-mile loop ride to Naches beginning 5:30 p.m. at the Fred Meyers parking lot (by Key Bank). Faster riders generally start about 5:45.

THURSDAY: The Cascadians’ Pokies have two choices. One is a snowshoe trip for people who aren’t ready for winter to be done, to Pinegrass Ridge near Rimrock; for meeting time and place, call Bill Munson at 509-697-7128. The alternate trek is a change from the Cascadian newsletter’s “Discover Selah” walk; instead, it will be a Cowiche Canyon hike. For meeting time and place, call Jeanne Crawford 966-8608.

3/30 Valley track leaders

a-Automatic timing. c-converted from hand to automatic adding .24.

BOYS
100 — Brett Blanshan (Selah) 10.94a, Dana Wells (Riverside Christian) 11.14c, Dimitri Mandapat (Davis) 11.33a, Jonathan Newport (Eisenhower) 11.42a, Anthony Corbray (Davis) 11.54c, Kennen Pilot (Prosser) 11.54c, Kyle Gartrell (Riverside Christian) 11.54c, Jose Madrigal (Sunnyside) 11.62a.
200 — Dimitri Mandapat (Davis) 23.06a, Delwin Bazilme (Riverside Christian) 23.54c, Jose Madrigal (Sunnyside) 23.62a, Drew Goodman (West Valley) 23.82a, Kerry Duffy (La Salle) 23.94c, Oscar Ramirez (Toppenish) 24.04c, Jonathan Newport (Eisenhower) 24.30a, Roberto Rodriguez (Davis) 24.34a.
400 — Dimitri Mandapat (Davis) 51.91, Taylor McDowell (West Valley) 52.18, Vi Perez (Grandview) 53.1, Drew Goodman (West Valley) 53.72, Edwin Rainey (Davis) 53.8, Ian Hayes (La Salle) 54.07, Daniel Estrada (Zillah) 54.5, Ryan Chapman (Eisenhower) 54.90.
800 — Emmanuel Contreras (Davis) 2:02.12, Ryan Chapman (Eisenhower) 2:02.51, German Silva (Eisenhower) 2:03.75, Jade Patterson (Zillah) 2:06.9, Eduardo Torres (Wapato) 2:07.7; Doug Chartier (East Valley) 2:10.0, Sean Ekstrand (Zillah) 2:11.6, Joseph Matheson (West Valley) 2:11.95.
1600 — Emmanuel Contreras (Davis) 4:22.95, Bryan Simison (Eisenhower) 4:25.97, Kevin Aubol (Ellensburg) 4:31.08, German Silva (Eisenhower) 4:34.99, Kyle Mellander (West Valley) 4:42.23, Asa Israel (Goldendale) 4:44.51, Ivan Alfaro (Eisenhower) 4:48.45, James Currell (Selah) 4:49.21.
3200 — Bryan Simison (Eisenhower) 9:43.90, Kevin Aubol (Ellensburg) 9:58.69, Ivan Alfaro (Eisenhower) 10:19.54, Alberto Melchor (Davis) 10:32.98, Jesus Alvarez (Selah) 10:34.08, Alfredo Villasenor (Davis) 10:39.5, Devin McCrary (Ellensburg) 10:40.37, Joseph Matheson (West Valley) 10:49.53.
110 hurdles — Dana Wells (Riverside Christian) 15.34c, Kennedy Sarmiento (Sunnyside) 15.77a, Andrew Venema (Bickleton) 16.64a, Brendan Shearer (Zillah) 16.64c, Ernesto Gonzalez (Davis) 16.66a, Dustin Crawford (Prosser) 16.74c, Henry Matai (Lyle-Wishram) 17.14c, Dylan Bolt (Prosser) 17.14c.
300 hurdles — Dana Wells (Riverside Christian) 40.34c, Kennedy Sarmiento (Sunnyside) 42.10a, Andrew Venema (Bickleton) 43.98a, Henry Matai (Lyle-Wishram) 44.60a, John Gage (Highland) 44.69a, Orlando Chavez (Davis) 44.84c, Ernesto Gonzalez (Davis) 45.00a, Ricky Sanchez (Eisenhower) 45.09a.
4×100 — Davis 44.45, Riverside Christian 44.5, Selah 44.64, Sunnyside 45.72, Ellensburg 46.03, Eisenhower 46.10, La Salle 46.27, Toppenish 46.3.
4×400 — West Valley 3:34.94, Davis 3:39.94, Grandview 3:41.0, Lyle-Wishram 3:41.2, Eisenhower 3:42.54, Riverside Christian 3:42.9, Sunnyside 3:44.59, Zillah 3:46.7.
Shot — Jonathan Buchanan (East Valley) 57-6; Jake Wilcox (Naches Valley) 46-5.5, Edward Martinez (Eisenhower) 43-7, Kody Hartley (Prosser) 43-1; Andrew Cortes (Sunnyside) 42-10.5, Jim Price (Lyle-Wishram) 42-4, Kippy Brown (Prosser) 41-5.5, Abel Soto (Eisenhower) 41-1.
Discus — Jonathan Buchanan (East Valley) 161-8, Jake Wilcox (Naches Valley) 145-7, Edward Martinez (Eisenhower) 138-0, Oscar Quinones (Toppenish) 128-2, Oscar Ramirez (Toppenish) 124-0, Henry Matai (Lyle-Wishram) 120-0, Chase Janosik (Eisenhower) 120-0, Lane Pearson (Prosser) 115-8.
Javelin — Anthony Galaviz (Toppenish) 169-9, Derek Byrne (Riverside Christian) 169-6, Chase Janosik (Eisenhower) 163-10, Gus Martinez (Mabton) 160-4, Joseph Taylor (Grandview) 150-6, Tim Taylor (Grandview) 149-3, Willy McClary (Ellensburg) 146-10, Ernesto Gonzalez (Davis) 140-1.
High jump — Dana Wells (Riverside Christian) 6-0, Ryan Chapman (Eisenhower) 5-10, Eddie Garfias (Davis) 5-10, Andrew Venema (Bickleton) 5-10, Colin Anyan (Selah) 5-10, Patrick Newman (Highland) 5-10, Tyler Hunziker (Goldendale) 5-10.
Long jump — Brett Blanshan (Selah) 21-3.5, Joseph Babcock (Grandview) 20-5, Oscar Ramirez (Toppenish) 20-1, Dana Wells (Riverside Christian) 20-1, Francisco Navarro-Rodrigues (Sunnyside) 19-11, Tyler Hunziker (Goldendale) 19-8.5, Carlos Ramirez (Toppenish) 19-7, Eddie Garfias (Davis) 19-2, Kyle Gartrell (Riverside Christian) 19-2.
8-Triple jump — Joel Weise (Highland) 42-6.5, Joseph Babcock (Grandview) 42-6, Colin Anyan (Selah) 42-0, Kyle Gartrell (Riverside Christian) 41-11, Jonathan Newport (Eisenhower) 40-10.5, Nate Van Tuinen (Riverside Christian) 40-10, Jeromie Mason (Klickitat) 40-6.5, Dustin Crawford (Prosser) 39-2.
Pole vault — Kyle Stone (Selah) 14-0, Storm Shea (Grandview) 13-6, Marcus Schooley (Davis) 12-0, Joseph Keeton (Eisenhower) 12-0, Michael Martinez (Davis) 11-6, Ryan Tollackson (West Valley) 11-6, Evan Wolff (West Valley) 11-6, Kyle Glaspie (Selah) 11-0, Tyler Hakala (Highland) 11-0, Daniel Hulse (Prosser) 11-0.

GIRLS

100 — Angie Zuniga (Toppenish) 12.94c, Shannon Bland (Ellensburg) 13.09a, Teaera Churchwell (Lyle-Wishram) 13.24c, Haley Curtis (West Valley) 13.26a, Shanai Campbell (Eisenhower) 13.35a, Liz Vogt (Trout Lake-Glenwood) 13.54c, Alicia Ashby (La Salle) 13.58a, Beth Klingele (Eisenhower) 13.61a.
200 — Chantel Jaeger (West Valley) 25.82a, Alicia Ashby (La Salle) 26.74c, Beth Klingele (Eisenhower) 27.88a, Lucia Walle (Toppenish) 27.94c, Liz Vogt (Trout Lake-Glenwood) 28.04c, Keely Hausken (West Valley) 28.38a, Ashley Packard (West Valley) 28.40a, Jenel Cornejo (East Valley) 28.84c.
400 — Liz Vogt (Trout Lake-Glenwood) 1:02.55, Chelsea Nell (West Valley) 1:03.42, Shawna Schooley (Davis) 1:03.8, Bethany Imperial (Riverside Christian) 1:04.57, Ashley Packard (West Valley) 1:05.13, Kylie Ott (Selah) 1:05.64, McKenzie Graf (Ellensburg) 1:06.04, Katy Allen (Eisenhower) 1:06.41.
800 — Sandra Martinez (Davis) 2:23.94, Shawna Schooley (Davis) 2:26.34, Kaitlin Kaluzny (Davis) 2:29.13, Mayra Chavez (Eisenhower) 2:29.83, Audrey Urlacher (West Valley) 2:30.27, Marisa Broesma (Sunnyside) 2:32.17, Kirsten Sheffield (Eisenhower) 2:36.09, Sammi Jo Blodgett (Wapato) 2:37.05.
1600 — Sandra Martinez (Davis) 5:07.0, Shawna Schooley (Davis) 5:19.18, Sammi Jo Blodgett (Wapato) 5:24.42, Charlie Fiander (Wapato) 5:25.00, Sara Vazquez (Mabton) 5:30.44, Berenice Penaloza (Eisenhower) 5:34.16, Mayra Chavez (Eisenhower) 5:34.69, Kaitlin Kaluzny (Davis) 5:35.62.
3200 — Sandra Martinez (Davis) 11:08.80; Berenice Penaloza (Eisenhower) 12:11.25, Hannah Kaluzny (Davis) 12:16.77, Katrina Radach (East Valley) 12:19.3, Daniela Depaz (East Valley) 12:34.5, Siena Noe (La Salle) 12:53.0, Karisma Martinez (Selah) 12:57.44, Margret Parobek (West Valley) 13:10.71.
100 hurdles — Kira Lewis (West Valley) 16.30a, Shelby Moore (Prosser) 16.54c, Samantha Brewer (Klickitat) 16.64c, Anna Schmid (Trout Lake-Glenwood) 17.34c, Trishi Williams (Mabton) 17.74c, Katherine Bravo (Eisenhower) 18.25a, Stephanie Kruger (Riverside Christian) 18.44c, Liz Vogt (Trout Lake-Glenwood) 18.44c.
300 hurdles — Anna Schmid (Trout Lake-Glenwood) 49.34c, Katherine Bravo (Eisenhower) 50.75a, Jessica Montoya (Eisenhower) 50.83a, Leticia Campos (Wapato) 53.44a, Makayla Huckabee (Selah) 53.98a, Mollie Cunnington (Riverside Christian) 54.14c, Ashley Rice (Highland) 54.40a, Sara Galliway (Prosser) 54.59a, Stephanie George (East Valley) 54.5.
4×100 — West Valley 51.11, Toppenish 52.0, Eisenhower 52.54, Ellensburg 53.18, Selah 53.1, Highland 54.7, Davis 55.88, Trout Lake-Glenwood 56.0.
4×200 — West Valley 1:49.86, Toppenish 1:55.4, Eisenhower 1:56.51, Highland 1:57.8, East Valley 1:58.8, Davis 1:59.0, Sunnyside 2:00.70, Grandview 2:00.8.
4×400 — Davis 4:18.04, West Valley 4:22.43, Ellensburg 4:24.86, Eisenhower 4:29.86, La Salle 4:35.31, Wapato 4:35.58, East Valley 4:36.6, Selah 4:37.42.
Shot — Jessica Bush (Eisenhower) 38-6, Raisa Yates (East Valley) 38-5.5, Jazmine Frazier (Eisenhower) 35-5.5, Kinzi Poteet (Grandview) 35-5, Sadie Shattuck (Goldendale) 33-8, Lindsay Bronkhorst (East Valley) 32-2.5, Courtney Hernandez (Selah) 31-10.75, Trishi Williams (Mabton) 31-10.75.
Discus — Ana Zapien (Prosser) 126-5, Kinzi Poteet (Grandview) 120-8, Jessica Bush (Eisenhower) 119-3, Raisa Yates (East Valley) 116-1, Katelynn Clinton (Bickleton) 105-0, Trishi Williams (Mabton) 102-6, Kayla Randles (Eisenhower) 99-1, Jazmine Frazier (Eisenhower) 99-1.
Javelin — Trishi Williams (Mabton) 128-8, Kierstin Wilson (Selah) 126-8, Taylor Herzog (West Valley) 115-6, Kinzi Poteet (Grandview) 113-2, Brittany Price (Lyle-Wishram) 106-8, Noehly Tzintzun (White Swan) 106-1, Lindsay Bronkhorst (East Valley) 105-7, Zoe Lindner (Klickitat) 104-4.
High jump — Daria Winckler (Davis) 5-0, Samantha Brewer (Klickitat) 5-0, Acacia Young (Ellensburg) 4-10, Alicia Cikauskas (Selah) 4-8, Blythe Monoian (Toppenish) 4-8, Katelynn Clinton (Bickleton) 4-8, Megan Hopp (Riverside Christian) 4-8, Marisa Broesma (Sunnyside) 4-8.
Long jump — Justine Benner (Naches Valley) 16-7, Chantel Jaeger (West Valley) 16-2.5, Danielle Van Tuinen (Riverside Christian) 15-7, Beth Klingele (Eisenhower) 15-7, Samantha Brewer (Klickitat) 15-5.25, Bethany Imperial (Riverside Christian) 15-5, Kira Lewis (West Valley) 15-4.25, Claire Boutillier (Naches Valley) 15-2.
Triple jump — Danielle Van Tuinen (Riverside Christian) 33-10, Kira Lewis (West Valley) 33-4, Bethany Imperial (Riverside Christian) 32-9.5, Erin Smith (Selah) 32-3.5, Claire Boutillier (Naches Valley) 32-3, Kelly Snyder (Naches Valley) 31-11, Samantha Brewer (Klickitat) 31-8.5, Megan Hopp (Riverside Christian) 30-9.
Pole vault — Sabrina Galaviz (Toppenish) 8-3, Shelby Moore (Prosser) 8-0, Star Kibby (Bickleton) 8-0, Lety Clark-Olivero (Eisenhower) 8-0, Colleen Newell (La Salle) 8-0, Edith Martinez (Davis) 7-6, Belen Lopez (Selah) 7-6, Hannah Swigart (Goldendale) 7-6, Haydee Mendoza (Eisenhower) 7-6.

 

‘Very much a fulfilled man’

Longtime coach, administrator Purdom dies at 65 ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — If Wayne Purdom didn’t know the full extent of his positive and encouraging influence on decades of athletes and students in the region, it became abundantly clear in recent months.

As the longtime coach and educator wrestled with declining health, people came from near and far to visit, reconnect and reminisce. All of which, his son Wayne Jr. believes, brought an immense calm to the inevitable.

Purdom died Saturday evening after a three-year battle with prostate cancer, which had recently spread to his brain. He was 65.

“No one can be fully prepared to watch someone die, but we had our family here at Dad’s side and he was at peace,” said Wayne Jr. “He was very much a fulfilled man.”

Purdom’s wife, Biz, and their two sons, Brett and Wayne Jr., are planning a memorial service for this Saturday with details to be set later in the week.

When Purdom’s cancer escalated during the winter, not long after Biz was diagnosed with lung cancer, their hometown of Selah began organizing efforts to help the family. Among them was a February fundraiser at the high school during a basketball doubleheader.

“Dad was first thinking maybe he shouldn’t go because nobody would show up,” Wayne Jr. said. “But there were all sorts of people there, it was like he was a movie star. It was just amazing. He has touched so many people.”

A graduate of West Valley and a standout in wrestling and football at Yakima Valley College and Montana State, Purdom spent 40 years in the Valley as a coach, referee, teacher and administrator.

“The joy in his face at the fundraiser was wonderful to see,” said longtime family friend Gene Ramos. “People were all over him, sharing stories and catching up. Wayne was always such a positive person — people never forget that.”

Purdom coached YVCC’s football program from 1974 to 1988, with an additional stint as wrestling coach, and was inducted into the NWAACC’s Hall of Fame in 2001. That was the same year he retired after eight years as East Valley’s athletic director.

That meant retirement only as a teacher and administrator. Purdom was the head coach at Grandview for three seasons before sticking closer to home and joining Jeff Jamieson’s staff at Selah in 2004.

Even while under the heavy influence of chemotherapy last fall, Purdom was buoyed by doing what he dearly loved, coaching. As Selah’s defensive coordinator, the Vikings recorded three shutouts and reached the Class 2A state playoffs.

“You could see he was getting worn down, but he was always there and always putting all his energy into it,” Jamieson said. “He wasn’t going to let (the cancer) keep him from coaching.”

And the Vikings were better for it.

“The way he got along with kids — the connection he made so easily — always impressed me,” Jamieson added. “And it was all kids, not just football players. There will be teams and players who always remember him, but he touched far more people than that.”

Ramos knew Purdom for nearly 50 years. He refereed some of his high school wrestling matches, and he coached with him on Jamieson’s staff.

“I admired his fairness and his tenacity about things,” he said. “He coached my son in football (at YVCC) and he was the kind of man you would want coaching your kid.

“I was real pleased to coach with him the last couple years,” he added. “We’re both retired so we would always show up early and talk about things, reflect back. It’s tough to lose someone like that.”

In the final months, as the illness closed in on him, Purdom had an opportunity to see that impact he made. And he cherished it, according to Wayne Jr.

“The volume of people that came forward was tremendously satisfying to dad,” he said. “Our family loved for him to see that. Maybe he didn’t know that feeling was out there, but it was and it made a huge difference. It helped him, and us, see the full life he had.”

Colvin returns to lead La Salle

YAKIMA, Wash. — One of the biggest returns of the Yakima Valley prep tennis season came well before the spring’s first serve.

Cheryl Colvin, who guided the Eisenhower girls tennis team to five straight league titles from 2002-06, is back. She is taking over the La Salle boys and girls teams.

In the Lightning, Colvin takes over a program that’s still building but has had recent success. The girls tied for second place at the 2007 Class 2B-1B state tournament and boys standout Seth Gibbons has made it to two straight state tournaments, placing fourth last spring in the 1A-2B-1B event at the Yakima Tennis Club.

“There is this unbridled enthusiasm and respect from the athletes,” said Colvin, noting that for the first time La Sale is fielding a complete boys team. “It’s what I needed to re-energize as a coach.”

Both Lightning squads will be in the Class 1A postseason mix because of the lack of 2B or 1B teams. The boys have had a 1A-2B-1B tournament the past two years while the girls had 1A and 2B-1B events.

“Playing the tougher schools and better athletes are going to make my kids better,” Colvin said.

Colvin coached eight years at Eisenhower, maintaining the success of predecessors Faye Fulton and Bonnie Scoggins, who guided the Cadets to shares of the state title in 1998 and 1990, respectively.

Ike’s run of accomplishments under Colvin included district championships in 2003 and ’05, and perfect 10-0 dual-match records from ’03-05.

“Over my eight years at Ike there are kids that are very special to me and always will be,” she said. “It was very difficult to leave.”

Colvin joins a cast of Lightning coaches whose resumés were solid well before joining the young school:

• Football coach Jack McMillan is a Hall of Famer with 214 career wins.

• Boys basketball coach Dick Trudgeon won a Class B state title with Liberty of Spangle in 1986.

• Golf coach Pat Fitterer, while maybe not Butch Harmon on the links, is nonetheless in the state coaching Hall of Fame for basketball with more than 600 wins.

And it’s been the breeding ground for up-and-comers:

• Ann Newell’s girls soccer team won its first state championship in its fourth straight trip to the title game.

• Todd Kent and then Alyssa Goins have each guided the girls basketball teams to state titles.

“First of all we’re very fortunate people like that are available and that they want to be here,” said McMillan, who’s also the school’s athletic director.

As for Colvin, McMillan knows the school got a good one.

“She feels like she can develop a heckuva program and I know she can,” he said.

The resources might be fewer at La Salle for Colvin — she has no paid assistants and getting to matches requires carpooling from players and parents — but it’s those hurdles that Colvin believes adds to the La Salle atmosphere.

“The school is like a family; people are coming out of the woodwork to help out,” she said.

Prep tennis preview capsules

Columbia Basin Big Nine

Boys

ONES TO WATCH: Hudson Barnhart, fr., Wenatchee (stellar club player); Jeff Carlson, jr., West Valley (fourth-place finisher at districts, 2009 Coke Classic runner-up in No. 1 singles); Jake Knox, sr., Hanford (fourth place at Class 3A state tournament); Curtis Lan, sr., Hanford (consolation semifinalist at Class 3A state tournament); Nathan Mount, jr., Eisenhower (fourth place at district); Josh Thornton, jr., Kamiakin (consolation semifinalist at Class 3A state tournament); Clint Vidano, so., Wentachee (state singles qualifier, district runner-up); Troy Zuroske, jr., Richland (state consolation semifinalist, district champion).

AROUND THE LEAGUE: There is no divisional alignment in the CBBN for tennis, so the 14 teams will play each other once this season. … Longtime Davis singles standout Abe Chang graduated last spring, but the Pirates will be led by his younger brother, Ben, a sophomore, and fellow returner Chris Parrish. … Eisenhower has many new faces after Mount. Tanner Briggs, Gabe Martinez and George Ygona are among those with varsity experience… West Valley has some depth behind Carlson, including the team of Daniel Wenker and Brandon George, who took second in No. 1 doubles at the Coke Classic earlier this month. … Macario Solis takes over at Sunnyside and looks to rebuild the Grizzlies. … Hanford finished third in the Class 3A state tournament last year, while Kamiakin tied for seventh. … Richland tied for ninth at 4A state and Wenatchee notched a couple points.

Girls

ONES TO WATCH: Alexis Filliol, jr., West Valley (2007 Class 3A state champion, 2009 Coke Classic No. 1 singles champion); Kate Kunkel-Patterson, sr., Davis (sixth at district, fifth in 2009 Coke Classic No. 1 singles);  Molly Mayer, sr., Eastmont (half of Class 3A state fifth-place doubles); Demie Moore, jr., and Ali Welch, jr., Kamiakin (Class 3A state doubles champions); Amy Scheumann, jr., and Tatiana Wood, sr., Wenatchee (third place doubles at Class 4A state tournament).

AROUND THE LEAGUE: Varsity veteran Robin Klein is the top returner for Eisenhower. Also back for the Cadets are Erin Brassington, Kacie Cross and Kami Cross. … Briana Tamaki returns for the Davis varsity. Jessica Sachara and Brooke Lybeck are among the other returners. … Filliol will try to bounce back from last season, when she just missed qualifying to defend the Class 3A state title she won as a freshman. Rebecca Sainsbury (fourth in No. 2 singles at the Coke Classic) and Sophia Ro (sixth No. 2 singles) bolster the Rams lineup. … Madonna Gonzalez and Avalon Valencia are among those back for Sunnyside. … Defending Class 3A state champion Kamiakin returns half its state champions in the Moore-Welch duo. Singles champion Brittney Reed, a Tri-Cities Prep student, moved out of the district and is not playing this high school season. … Wenatchee, which tied for fourth in state last season, lost its two top singles players.

CWAC

Boys

ONES TO WATCH: Kevin Bertelsen, jr., Selah (Class 2A state qualifier, fourth at district); Rogi Fajardo, sr., Grandview (district champion, consolation quarterfinalist at state); Sam Harris, sr., and TD Peterson, jr., Othello (fifth place at Class 2A state tournament, third at district); Josiah Jackson, jr., and Aaron Porter, jr., Ellensburg (third place at Class 2A state tournament, district champions); Rogelio Ruiz, sr., Wapato (state quarterfinalist, district runner-up); Devin Teske, jr., Selah (half of Class 2A state doubles runners-up).

AROUND THE LEAGUE: Selah (tied for fourth), Ellensburg (seventh) and Othello (ninth) all finished in the top 10 at the 2A state tournament, which again will be held at the impressive Nordstrom Tennis Center on the University of Washington campus. … Of those players that qualified for the state tournament, only Selah’s Cody Alliston, who made three trips to the state tournament, graduated. …Prosser’s Matt Young, Toppenish’s Jakee Stahi are among the players who also qualified for the district tournament last year.

Girls

ONES TO WATCH: Cintia Gil, sr., Toppenish (district qualifier); Rosi Godinez, sr., Grandview (district qualifier); Sydney Mottice, sr., Grandview (half of Class 2A state doubles consolation quarterfinalist and district runners-up); Chloe Schmidt, jr., Ephrata (district qualifier).

AROUND THE LEAGUE: Graduation hit the league hard as all of last year’s state qualifiers were seniors, except for Mottice. … Ellensburg, which finished second at the 2A state tournament, was hit hardest by graduation as two singles state qualifiers and a doubles team were 12th-graders last year. The Bulldogs do welcome back Abigail Pellett and Emily Carbaugh. … Jaime Miller and Karlee Harris return to the East Valley varsity. … Tiana Baker tops the Prosser lineup. … Wapato’s Bertha Valencia, a district qualifier in doubles last year injured her knee during basketball season and is out. Sophomore Lizette Melendez will play No. 1 singles for the Wolves.

SCAC Locals

Boys

ONES TO WATCH: Cody Dunbar, sr., Zillah (state quarterfinalist, district runner-up); Seth Gibbons, jr., La Salle (fourth place at Class 1A-2B-1B state tournament, district champion); Matt Paul, sr., Granger (district qualifier in doubles); Ben Villa, sr., Granger (state qualifier, fourth at district).

AROUND THE LEAGUE: The destination is once again the Yakima Tennis Club where the Class 1A-2B-1B state tournament will be held on the last weekend of May. … Gibbons led the Lightning to a seventh-place tie at state and for the first time La Salle is fielding a complete boys squad. … Goldendale tied for fifth at state but was hit by graduation. The Timberwolves do return Chase Wing. … Ryan Martin is again one of the top singles players at Highland.

Girls

ONES TO WATCH: Kylee Bellamy, sr., Goldendale (Class 1A state consolation quarterfinalist, fifth at district); Larissa Fossum, so., Naches Valley (Class 1A state consolation quarterfinalist, fourth at district); Zori Fossum, sr., Naches Valley (lass 1A state qualifier, third at district).

AROUND THE LEAGUE: Because of the lack of Class 2B and 1B programs, the state tournament at the Yakima Tennis Center will be a 1A-2B-1B event as it is for the boys. … Kayla Long, fifth at last year’s Class 2B-1B state tournament, has transferred away from La Salle. Freshman Katherine Busey tops the Lightning lineup this spring. … Highland finished ninth at the 1A state tournament last year. … Wahluke standout Justine Gallacci, third at last year’s state tournament, graduated.

Central splits twinbill with Western

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Central Washington split a fastpitch doubleheader with Western Washington on Sunday at the CWU Softball Field.

Central lost the opener 10-9 despite five RBI from Liz Wallace and two from Holly Rossman.

Central (14-6 GNAC, 16-9 overall) bounced back in the second game to win 14-10.

Rossman hit a two-run homer in the first inning and drove in four for the game. Wallace had a triple in both games.

Game 1

Western       200    042    2    —    10    13    0
Central          001    230    3    —    9    16    5
McEnroe and Rutherford. Vlahovich, Reime (5), Baxter (6) and Rossman.

Game 2

Western      210    105    1    —    10    16    7
Central        800    015    x    —    14    15    5
Rosencrants, Malland (1), McEnroe (1) and Sherrill. Vlahovich, Baxter (5), Reime (6) and Rossman.

CWU drops pair at W. Oregon

MONMOUTH, Ore. — Central Washington lost the completion of a suspended game and then lost Sunday’s regularly scheduled game to Western Oregon.

In the suspended game, Central lost 7-5.

Kevin Walkenhauer hit a sixth-inning solo home run in the losing effort. Eric Renander and Justin Speer each hit solo homers for WOU.

Western Oregon pounded Central 24-9 in the regularly scheduled contest.

J.J. Mascolo had six RBI for the Wolves (5-0-1 GNAC, 12-6-1 overall), while Speer chipped in with five. Kyle Boe and Griffin Boyd each had a pair of RBI for Western Oregon.

Danny Myers had two RBI to lead the way for Central Washington (2-7, 6-15)

Game 1

Central            200    001    101    —    5    12    0
W. Oregon      001    101    40x    —    7    9    0
Shoemaker, Warne (7) and Snowdon; Keitzman, Carter (4), Nunley (7), Bobnick (9) and Mieras, Breda (8).

Game 2

Central            303    000    3    —    9    10    2
W. Oregon      132    (10)35    x    —    24    24    5
Grimm, Crowe (4), Tarver (4), Reed (5), Millbauer (6) and Snowdon, Schuster (5). Lynch, Phillips (3), Brock (4), Gamble (7) and Mieras, Breda (6).

YVCC splits with Big Bend

MOSES LAKE, Wash. — Yakima Valley split a doubleheader with Big Bend on Sunday.

In the first game, Big Bend prevailed 12-6.

Gibby Briones was 4-5 in the first game for Yakima Valley (2-2 in the NWAACC East, 10-11 overall), while Saby Martinez was 2-for-3 with a bases-loaded triple in the third inning.

In the second game, Yakima Valley scored seven runs in the fifth inning to win 10-7.

Briones and Martinez each had a double and a triple. Briones had three RBI. Nick Hayter was 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI.

Game 1

Yakima Valley    003    001    011    —    6    11    4
Big Bend               021    033    30X    —    12    13    2
Mitchum, Welton (7), Hayter (8) and Pleger; Hauser, Randall (8) and Plughoff.
Highlights: Gibby Briones 4-5; Ryan Hill 3-5; Saby Martinez 2-3, 3b, 3 RBI (bases loaded triple in third).

Game 2

Yakima Valley        000    070    102    —    10    11    2
Big Bend                    201    030    100    —    7    10    4
Miller, Boynton (8), Hill (8) and Berkram; Swennumson, Key-Darlington (6) and Hepner.
Highlights: Chris Demond 3-5, RBI, 2r; Briones 2-5, 2b, 3b, 3 RBI, 2r; Nick Hayter 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; Saby Martinez 3-5, 2b, 3b, r.

A Pirate’s life

Davis’ Martinez sets meet record in 3,200, leads victory in distance medley ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Chilly temperatures and dark clouds didn’t make for ideal conditions at Saturday’s 35th annual Holder Invitational, but Sandra Martinez and her Davis teammates didn’t seem to mind much.

With the one thing that could have truly made a mess of things — high winds —  thankfully missing at Zaepfel Stadium, Martinez set a meet record in the first event of the day and nearly anchored Davis’ distance medley to another record six hours later.

The day-long meet drew 25 teams from Oregon to British Columbia, but there was still plenty of room for local athletes to shine. The team trophies did, however, leave the area in the hands of Oregon City’s boys and Pasco’s girls.

Meet-host Eisenhower did well in the throws and distances as three boys’ wins led to a third-place finish. Ike’s Ryan Chapman won the fan-favorite 2,000-meter steeplechase, and teammate Bryan Simison repeated in the 3,200 ahead of five Jackson runners who all broken 10 minutes.

Ike’s Edward Martinez won the discus, and Jessica Bush and Jazmine Frazier finished 1-2 in the girls shot put for the second year in a row.

Sprinters from the CWAC swept the 100 races. Selah’s Brett Blanshan won his third straight Holder title, clocking 10.94 seconds in his first dash of the season, and Ellensburg’s Shannon Bland won the girls race in 13.09.

Blanshan’s teammate Kyle Stone cleared 14-0 for second in the pole vault, pushing Oregon City’s Jared Hippler to a meet record of 15-0. Stone and Blanshan ran on Selah’s second-place 4×100.

Davis’ boys picked up two wins within an hour. Emmanuel Contreras lowered his season best to 4:22.95 in the 1,600, and Anthony Corbray, Edwin Rainey, Dimitri Mandapat and Roberto Rodriguez combined for a swift 44.45 run through the 4×100.

Martinez dominated the 3,200, winning by 34 seconds in a time of 11:08.80. That lowered a four-year-old meet record by four seconds.

When the girls distance medley started close to 5 p.m., the wettest squall of the day drifted through and Davis’ leadoff runner Shawna Schooley had to run her 1,200 leg through it.

But Schooley, who was runner-up in the 1,600, posted a solid split of 3:55 and two freshmen — Lucia Gamboa (400) and Kaitlin Kaluzny (800) — took it from there and opened a wide lead for the Pirates.

That set up Martinez’s 1,600 anchor, which she covered in 5:15 to bring Davis home in 12:44.77, less than a second off the meet record. It was second-fastest time in school history.

Big-meet action will return to Zaepfel Stadium in two weeks when the Pirates host the 83rd Davis Invitational.

BOYS

Team scores: Oregon City 76, Jackson 69, Eisenhower 50, Abbotsford, BC, 35, Davis 31, South Whidbey 30, Selah 29, Nathan Hale 28, Marysville-Pilchuck 28, Cedarcrest 27, Woodinville 24, Bellingham 18, Newport 12, Highland 8, Glacier Peak 7, Ellensburg 5, Langley, BC, 4, Goldendale 4, Sunnyside 3, Riverside 3, Richland 3, La Salle 2.

Winners, local placers

100: 1, Brett Blanshan (Se) 10.94; 5, Jonathan Newport (Ike) 11.56; 6, Anthony Corbray (Dav) 11.58.

400: 1, Adam Candland (Cedar) 50.75; 2, Dimitri Mandapat (Dav) 51.91.

1600: 1, Emmanuel Contreras (Dav) 4:22.95; 3, Bryan Simison (Ike) 4:25.97; 6, Kevin Aubol (Ell) 4:31.08.

3200: 1, Simison (Ike) 9:43.90; 7, Aubol (Ell) 10:09.22.

300H: 1, Andy Bennett (SW) 40.88; 5, Kennedy Sarmiento (Su) 42.10.

2,000 steeple: 1, Ryan Chapman (Ike) 6:33.20; 8, Alfredo Villasenior (Dav) 7:12.19.

4×100: 1, Davis (Corbray, Rainey, Mandapat, Rodriguez) 44.45; 2, Selah 44.64; 5, La Salle 46.27; 8, Ellensburg 47.05.

4×400: 1, Oregon City 3:29.25; 5, Davis 3:39.94; 6, Sunnyside 3:44.59; 7, Goldendale 3:50.24.

Distance medley: 1, Jackson 10:56.27.

Shot: 1, Freddie Stevens (Cedar) 50-93/4.

Disc: 1, Edward Martinez (Ike) 138-0.

Jav: 1, Tyler Ferguson (OC) 160-0; 2, Chase Janosik (Ike) 158-0; 4, Willy McClary (Ell) 146-10; 6, John Rheaume (Se) 139-4.

HJ: 1, Django Lovett (Abbot) 6-101/2; 7, Patrick Newman (High) 5-10.

LJ: 1, Jared Heldman (Abbot) 22-4; 3, Blanshan (Se) 21-31/2.

TJ: 1, Ferguson (OC) 43-5; 2, Joel Weise (High) 42-61/2; 4, Newport (Ike) 40-101/2; 5, Colin Anyan (Se) 40-71/2.

PV: 1, Jared Hippler (OC) 15-0 (Meet Record); 2, Kyle Stone (Se) 14-0; 7, Marcus Schooley (Dav) 11-6.

Frosh-soph winners

100: Brennan Gademans (Lang) 11.58. 400: Stuart Ellenwood (Lang) 51.60 (MR). 800: Blake Nelson (Jack) 2:03.17. 1600: Nelson (Jack) 4:32.80. 110H: James Duper (New) 17.45. 4×100: Langley 45.96 (MR). Shot: Abel Soto (Ike) 39-51/2. HJ: Jordan Wood (Riv) 5-6. PV: Joseph Keeton (Ike) 12-0.

GIRLS

Team scores: Pasco 59, Marysville-Pilchuck 54, Newport 43, Jackson 41, Richland 38, Davis 38, Eisenhower 31, Woodinville 22, Ellensburg 21, Langley, BC, 21, Bellingham 20, Cedarcrest 18, Oregon City 15, Riverside 14, South Whidbey 12, Nathan Hale 10, Abbotsford, BC, 10, Selah 10, Sunnyside 8, La Salle 4, Goldendale 4, Glacier Peak 2.

Winners, local placers

100: 1, Shannon Bland (Ell) 13.09; 4, Shanai Campbell (Ike) 13.35.

400: 1, Becca Friday (Bell) 58.44.

1600: 1, Friday (Bell) 5:04.63; 2, Shawna Schooley (Dav) 5:19.18.

3200: 1, Sandra Martinez (Dav) 11:08.80 (MR).

300H: 1, Jade Vaughan (Lang) 47.07; 6, Katherine Bravo (Ike) 50.75; 7, Jessica Montoya (Ike) 50.89.

2,000 steeple: 1, Lauren Ainsworth (Marys) 8:42.3.

4×100: 1, Pasco 51.53; 4, Eisenhower 53.15; 6, Ellensburg 53.18; 7, Selah 53.43.

4×400: 1, Pasco 4:13.35; 4, Ellensburg 4:24.86; 8, La Salle 4:35.31.

Distance medley: 1, Davis (Schooley, Gamboa, K. Kaluzny, Martinez) 12:44.77.

Shot: 1, Jessica Bush (Ike) 37-0; 2, Jazmine Frazier (Ike) 35-2; 5, Sadie Shattuck (Go) 33-8; 8, Sarah Kilian (Su) 31-9.

Disc: 1, Maggie Roe (New) 107-9; 2, Bush (Ike) 104-7; 5, Frazier (Ike) 94-5; 6, Carrie Johnston (Ike) 92-10; 7, Kayla Randles (Ike) 90-10.

Jav: 1, Jenna Welsh (Marys) 136-4; 2, Kierstin Wilson (Se) 126-8.

HJ: 1, Andrea Vicic (Lang) 5-2; 5, Daria Winckler (Dav) 4-10.

LJ: 1, Dacia Heckendorf (Marys) 18-83/4; 6, Beth Klingele (Ike) 15-5.

TJ: 1, Shaniae Lakes (Rich) 38-8 (MR); 6, Erin Smith (Se) 32-31/2.

PV: 1, Emma Beckett (Abbot) 9-6; 6, (tie) Belen Lopez (Se) and Lety Clark-Olivero (Ike) 7-6; 8, (tie) Hannah Swigart (Go) and Haydee Mendoza (Ike) 7-6.

Frosh-soph winners

100: Carolyn Sutherland (Lang) 12.92 (MR). 400: Alexis Ford (NH) 1:04.96. 800: Georgia Ellenwood (Lang) 2:25.75. 1600: Kaitlin Kaluzny (Dav) 5:35.62. 100H: Carla Vicic (Lang) 17.20. 4×100: Nathan Hale 54.16. Disc: Shaamute Azure (Yakama Tribal) 84-10. HJ: Ellenwood (Lang) 5-4 (MR). LJ: Sutherland (Lang) 16-73/4 (MR).

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