BASEBALL: Ranger revenge

Naches Valley knocks off Chimacum for shot at 1A title ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — As critical as the scouting report on a postseason opponent can be, it’s also vital to know the flip side.

Naches Valley’s Rangers were well-versed in that regard Friday, enough so that their opponent in the Class 1A state semifinal might well have trashed said report after the first three innings at sunbaked Yakima County Stadium.

“The scouting report on us,” coach Bill Walker said after NV’s 13-5 defeat of Chimacum, “has been that we’re too patient. Last year we let the LaRoy kid (Kalama’s Nick) dictate the game to us. This time we changed our approach a little bit.”

Enough so to send 13 hitters to the plate in a nine-run second inning and nine more to the dish during a four-run third.

And that was more than enough to send the top-ranked Rangers (23-2-1) into today’s 4 p.m. championship game against No. 4 Kalama (24-2).

Naches Valley, having exorcised one competitive demon from its postseason past — the Rangers lost to Chimacum 4-2 in the 2007 title game — will encounter another today. But whether they’ll face LaRoy, who no-hit them in a 1-0 semifinal loss last year, remained somewhat uncertain.

Though the junior left-hander was the designated hitter in the Chinooks’ 3-0 win over Cashmere, word around the ballpark was that an arm problem might prevent him from pitching today.

Or it might not.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Naches Valley’s Joe Mills, who was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and another driven in. “Whoever pitches, we’re ready to take it to Kalama.”

Said fellow senior Thomas Wilcox, who’d gone 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI, “We were motivated today because Chimacum beat us two years ago. We’ll be motivated again tomorrow, but we still have to take care of business.”

The Rangers did so emphatically against Chimacum.

Their first three hitters in the second inning singled with the third, an opposite-field blow by sophomore Chris Walker, scoring two runs.  Wilcox’s double to right-center plated two more.

In the third, Mills singled home one run and Brandon Gillespie doubled home two more.

Acknowledging the Rangers’ offensive aggression, Mills smiled and said, “We were like animals out there.”

J.R. Weigel matched Mills with three hits while Walker, Gillespie and Adam Ranger joined Wilcox with two.

Ranger, meanwhile, doggedly adhered to Walker’s instruction to throw strikes after NV’s two-inning outburst. Though the Cowboys totaled 13 hits, the senior right-hander issued only one walk through six innings in the unseasonable heat before Ethan Flory worked a perfect ninth.

“Adam really battled,” Walker said, “and that’s exactly what we had to have.”

Naches Valley    094    000    0    —    13    15    2
Chimacum          021    200    0    —    5    13    3
Ranger, Flory (7) and Gillespie; Q. Eldridge, McConnell (2) and McConnell, Manix (2).
Highlights: Joe Mills (NV) 3-4, 2 runs, RBI; Thomas Wilcox (NV) 2-4, 2b, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Brandon Gillespie (NV) 2-5, 2 2b, 2 RBI; Adam Ranger (NV) 2-4, 2 runs; J.R. Weigel (NV) 3-4, 2 runs, RBI; Chris Walker (NV) 2-5, 2 RBI; Landon Cray (C) 2-4; C. Eldridge (C) 2-4; Lucas Dukek (C) 2-3, RBI; John Modispacher (C) 3-4, 2b, RBI.

BASEBALL: Selah reaches title game

Fife throws two-hit shutout ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — The rain had long since stopped at Yakima County Stadium, but a few more drops of water fell nonetheless.

They came from Jake Fife, in the form of joyful tears, after the Selah senior pitched his Vikings into the Class 2A state championship game Friday night with a two-hit, 2-0 shutout of Chehalis.

The victory, which improved the second-ranked Vikings to 24-1, means an all-Upper Yakima Valley championship day at the stadium today. Prior to Selah’s 7 p.m. showdown with Cedarcrest (22-5), Naches Valley will oppose Kalama for the 1A title at 4 p.m.

“That was just a great high school baseball game,” a jubilant Vikings coach Mike Archer said. “We made some great outfield adjustments, the kids played great in the infield, didn’t make an error, and late in the game we pitched them backward a little bit — snuck some fastballs by them.”

The game was delayed 55 minutes by a torrential downpour, accompanied by thunder, that forced umpires to send the teams to their dugouts after the top of the first inning.

Once the rain stopped, personnel from the stadium’s permanent tenant, the Yakima Bears, cleaned up the base paths and removed the tarps from the pitcher’s mound and hitter’s area.

Fife, with substantial help from his friends, did the rest.

“I’m speechless,” he said, wiping away tears, after bumping his record to 10-0 with his fifth shutout this season and second successive in postseason play. “I really don’t know what else to say. This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”

From a statistical standpoint it wasn’t Fife’s most dominant outing, since he struck out only four and fanned none after the third inning. He walked one and hit a batter, but allowed only a two-out single in the second and an infield hit to lead off the bottom of the seventh.

But after Robert Pehl, the Bearcats pitcher who was nearly Fife’s equal, lined to center, Tyler McCarty popped out in foul territory to third baseman Justin Windsor and then Edgard Burgos bounced out to Windsor, Selah’s celebration began.

Though the Vikings are playing in their 10th final four and tonight will compete in their second championship game in three years, they’re looking for their first state title.

“That’s an extremely good baseball team,” Archer said of the sixth-ranked Bearcats, who lost for only the second time in 26 games. “Their kids can really swing it. We had to pitch great and play great to win, and we scratched out a couple of runs the ended up being enough.”

Selah got two of its five hits in the second inning, when the Vikings scored the game’s only runs.

With one out Matt Snider singled up the middle, after which Trevor Dallman lined an opposite-field triple into the right-field corner. Snider scored on the play, and Dallman followed on a wild pitch.

The Vikings had threatened in the first, just before the rainstorm, on Fife’s one-out triple, but he was stranded and Snider was thrown out at the plate on an infield grounder in the fourth.

Chehalis, too, had a runner cut down at home. With runners at first and third and one out in the second, Fife stepped off the rubber when Brennan Casteel broke for second, then spun away from the rundown to fire to Snider who tagged out McCarty.

Chehalis did not advance a runner past first for the rest of the game.

The Bearcats did hit several balls hard early, but Selah’s fielders were ideally positioned. So was Kyle Fickes in center when Pehl, Chehalis’ cleanup hitter, hit a laser to him in the seventh.

“That’s just the way it is with this team,” Fife said. “Everybody’s got the other guy’s back.”

Selah    020    000    0    —    2    5    0
Chehalis    000    000    0    —    0    2    1
Fife and Snider; Pehl and Schoelkopf.
Highlights: Matt Snider (S) 2-2, 2b; Trevor Dallman (S) 1-1, 3b, RBI; Jake Fife (S) 1-3, 3b; Alex Fickes (S) 1-3; Brennan Casteel (C) 1-2; Cody Ray (C) 1-2.

BASEBALL: Rams miss their chance

SEATTLE — Missed opportunities with the bases loaded ended West Valley’s shot at the Class 3A baseball championship with a 7-3 loss to O’Dea on Friday at Safeco Field.

In the bottom of the fifth, with the score tied at 2, West Valley loaded the bases with no outs, yet only scored one run on a wild pitch.

O’Dea’s second baseman Paul Sitkowski and shortstop Shane Smith each made great plays on ground balls, and third baseman Andre Popich snared a hard-hit line drive could have cleared the bases.

Trailing just 3-2 after the inning, the Irish (17-7) made a late comeback for the second consecutive game. With a hit, a walk and a hit batter, O’Dea loaded the bases with no outs. Sitkowski drew an RBI walk to tie it at 3, and then senior designated hitter Billy Shanks hit a two-run single to put the Irish ahead for good.

“In my humble opinion,” West Valley coach Klayton Wyckoff said, “if we get the big hit that we have gotten all year long, that game is 11-3 in our favor. And that big inning isn’t allowed to happen, because our pitchers have the momentum.”

O’Dea refused to let West Valley shortstop Cory Urquhart, the MVP of the Columbia Basin Big Nine’s Cascade Division, do too much damage, intentionally walking him twice. The rest of the Rams’ lineup stranded five runners in scoring position.

West Valley will play top-ranked Timberline today at 10 a.m. for third place, while O’Dea will meet Bainbridge for the championship at 4 p.m.

O’Dea                  020    004    1    —    7    8    0
West Valley      100    110    0    —    3    10    1
Moberly, Trojen (4), Ng (7) and Buhrman; Johnson, Jones (6), Vetsch (6) and Andreas.
Highlights: Billy Shanks (O) 2-3, 2 RBI; Paul Sitkowski (O) 1-2, RBI; Andre Popich (O) 1-2, 2b, RBI; John Buhrman (O) 2-3, 2b; Gabe (O) 1-3, 2b, 2 run; Cory Urquhardt (WV) 2-2; Garrett Olsen (WV) 1-4, RBI; Kyle Johnes (WV) 2-4; Kyle Siekawitch (WV) 2-4, run.

BASEBALL: Surprise: DeSales in final

YAKIMA, Wash. — The DeSales tradition continued Friday at Parker Field on the Yakima Valley Community College Campus.

The Irish scored four unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to advance to the Class 2B state championship game against Northwest Christian, a 4-3 winner against Asotin.

DeSales will be playing for its second straight and 17th overall championship today at 4 p.m.

Napavine committed four errors in the fourth inning.

Nick Klicker pitched a complete game for the Irish, giving up two runs on four hits while striking out 16 Tigers.

Napavine    000    011    0    —    2    4    4
DeSales        000    400    x    —    4    6    2
Pratt and Alexander; Klicker and Wujek.
Highlights: Nick Klicker (D) 16 K’s.

NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN 4, ASOTIN 3: At Parker Field, the Navigators held on to beat the Panthers to advance to the 2B state championship game today.

The Panthers, who finished fourth in last year’s state tournament, had a chance to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning, but the runner on second was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a single to the outfield.

Northwest Christian’s shortstop cut off the throw and fired home in time to end the threat.

Ryan Heinze went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs for the Navigators.

Asotin                   000    021    0    —    3    5    2
NW Christian    002    011    x    —    4    7    0
Alford and Darnall; Burres and P. Turk.
Highlights: Ryan Heinze (NC) 2-3, 2 RBI.

SOCCER: Rams keep streaking

Basmeh’s goal sends West Valley to final ||

TACOMA, Wash. — Just like Jesse Esquivel and Salvador Pulido before him, Khalil Basmeh had scored just one goal in the regular season for West Valley’s boys soccer team.

But when infused with the confidence from how his teammates had contributed crucial goals during the Rams’ remarkable postseason run, Basmeh had no trouble delivering in the clutch on Friday.

Sparking his team with an early goal when defenders collapsed on offensive ace Junior Ayala, Basmeh gave the Rams a lead they would never yield en route to a 3-2 victory over Franklin Pierce in the Class 3A state semifinals at Harry Lang Stadium.

“The way we’re playing now, anybody can score. It was just my turn,” said Basmeh, a midfielder whose goal in the 27th minute was set up by Ayala. “I was the one in the box when Junior saw me. What a great feeling to step up like that.”

That feeling pervades these fearless Rams, who have now won 14 straight and will represent their storied program in today’s championship final for the seventh time and first since West Valley won the 1999 title.

“That first goal was huge,” said senior A.J. Vargas. “We always try to do that and we’ve been getting it done. We’ve been getting the lead and making the other teams react to us.”

Not contained for long, Ayala made it 2-0 late in the first half off a feed from Pulido. It was his 28th goal of the season.

But as was the case in their 3-2 quarterfinal win over defending champion Camas, a 2-0 lead has been difficult to protect.

Pierce hit a penalty kick in the final minute of the first half to make it 2-1, leaving the Cardinals dangerously close despite getting outshot 11-6 in the opening half.

Esquivel, last week’s hero with the winning goal against Camas, made his third goal of the season a huge one, pounding in a shot from the left wing off a pass from Pulido in the 49th minute.

That 3-1 margin stood up for most of the second half before Pierce cut it to 3-2 with just over nine minutes left.

“That 2-0 lead, it’s hard to keep from letting up a little,” Vargas said. “But we always seem to get our full effort back again. We stay positive and get our focus back.”

The older brand of field turf at the Clover Park High School sports complex made for some odd bounces and skiddish passing, but West Valley didn’t worry about any of that. The Rams drove over from Yakima on Friday and didn’t practice on the field.

“I didn’t want to put that idea in their head, that they should be worried about the surface,” said coach Jake Sagare. “Sleep in our own beds, come over and play. Just play and focus on the game – what a great job they did with that.”

“It was different out there, but we just played with our confidence,” said goalkeeper Phil Lopez. “Once we got going, it was all the same. We got used to it.”

West Valley (17-3), which has yet to trail in four postseason matches while scoring 16 goals, faces Shorecrest (21-1) in today’s championship final at 5 p.m. The Scots defeated top-ranked Mercer Island 2-1 in Friday’s first semifinal.

“We’re probably the underdog, but that’s OK,” Basmeh said. “We keep stepping up every time. It’ll be a good match.”

“I don’t think there’s a more fit team out there,” Sagare added. “If we show that fitness we could come out on top.”

First half: 1, West Valley, Khalil Basmeh (Junior Ayala), 27:28; 2, West Valley, Ayala (Salvador Pulido), 35:33; 3, Franklin Pierce, James Hoag (PK), 38:53.
Second half: 4, West Valley, Jesse Esquivel (Pulido), 49:48; 5, Franklin Pierce, Derek Johnson, 70:49.
Saves: Phil Lopez (WV) 5, Pedro Arreola (FP) 6.

SOCCER: Prosser loses in semifinals

SUMNER, Wash. — Cheney beat Prosser 2-1 in a state semifinal on Friday night at Sunset Chev Stadium.

No further details were reported.

Prosser will play Archbishop Murphy for third place at 3 p.m. today.

Cheney will face Squalicum for the state championship at 7 p.m.

TRACK: Buchanan soars to shot title

TACOMA, Wash. — For anyone else, the circumstances would surely have been overwhelming. Jonathan Buchanan did fight against the weight of the day for an uncomfortable duration, then simply exploded through it.

Taking the lead on his second-to-last throw and then surpassing 60 feet for the first time on his last heave, the East Valley senior repeated as Class 2A state shot-put champion and lifted a double weight off his shoulders.

Buchanan’s rise to the top of the awards podium at Mount Tahoma High School was a moment he shared with Toppenish’s Anthony Galaviz, who earlier won the 2A javelin with three throws over 180 feet.

The second day of the three-day, three-classification state affair involved mostly field events and several other local boys from the CWAC earned high-placing 2A medals. Selah’s Kyle Stone placed third in the pole vault, and Grandview seniors Joseph Babcock (triple jump) and Joseph Taylor (javelin) both earned fifths.

Buchanan’s triple-headed quest of repeating his shot title, reaching 60 feet and surpassing his grandfather’s all-time Valley record seemed to weigh heavily as he trailed Sehome’s Nelson Westlin, who opened with 58-8, through the first four of six throws. But after a nasty looking line-drive foul to start the finals, Buchanan unloaded 58-11 1/4 to take the lead.

“I really wasn’t that worried about winning,” he claimed. “What I wanted was to throw well and get that 60.”

Relaxed and in the lead, the EWU-bound Buchanan got his wish on his last attempt, hitting 60-1 1/4 to become just the second thrower in Valley history to exceed the 60-foot barrier. Bill Buchanan’s 52-year-old record while at Moxee High is 60-7.

“It felt great when I let that last one go,” said Buchanan, who will clash with Westlin again today in the discus. “Hearing 60 feet was one of the best feelings in the world.”

Buchanan is considering taking another crack at grandpa’s record next Saturday in the Washington-Oregon Border Clash but it’s the same day as East Valley’s graduation.

“Not sure about that yet,” he said. “Right now I’ll just be happy about this and get ready for the discus.”

Galaviz entered the javelin with the top district seed but he didn’t wait around to see if something in the 170s would hold up. After two personal-best throws over 180, Galaviz finished the event with a final cast of 182-6, which was over five feet ahead of second.

“When I stepped on the runway for the last time I thought, “OK, last throw in high school.’ I wanted to make it count,” said the Top-Hi senior. “I wasn’t sure how this would go. Anything can happen at state.”

Galaviz is a two-time state champion as a senior with the rare combination of sprint swimming and javelin throwing. He won the Class 2A state 50-meter freestyle last winter.

“The swimming title is the one I didn’t think I’d be close to,” he admitted. “Things just worked out for me.”

Galaviz plans to swim for Concordia College in Irvine, Calif.

Stone didn’t match his season best of 14-6, but his clearance of 14-0 was good for third — four places better than last year.

Taylor and Babcock both recorded big season bests to earn their fifth-place medals. Taylor threw 172-2 in the javelin behind Galaviz, and Babcock reached 44-10 3/4 in the triple jump.

In Friday’s prelims, Selah’s Brett Blanshan dazzled the crowd with his 10.67 dash in the 100, best of the day for all classes. He also advanced to today’s finals in the 200 and anchored the Vikings to a prelim victory in the 4×100.

TRACK: Ike’s Bush sets career best

TACOMA, Wash. — All season long, Jessica Bush has stared out at the 40-foot line each time she’s picked up a shot.

But no matter how hard she tried, the Eisenhower junior couldn’t make that chalk fly.

Until Friday.

When she wanted it most.

Sitting in sixth entering the finals of the Class 4A shot put, Bush didn’t just reach the chalk she flew over it, landing at 40 feet, 83?4 inches for third place and a career best by a foot and a half.

“I’ve been shooting for that all season and it was getting a little frustrating,” she said. “I’ve been consistent around 38 and 39 but I always knew I had 40 in me. When I finally got it, it was so easy and light. To get it here against this competition makes it even better.”

Just to confirm the achievement, Bush added a toss of 40-2 later in the finals. The top four placers were within less than five inches of each other.

And she wasn’t done.

Bush returned to the sun-sweltering throwers area at Mount Tahoma High School for the discus in the late afternoon. She earned a second third-place medal but wasn’t thrilled with the distance of 123-0.

“I’m very proud of third place because I didn’t make here last year,” said Bush, who moved up from sixth to third in the finals. “But the throw and distance wasn’t what I wanted.”

East Valley’s Raisa Yates, who has led Bush most of the season with her previous Valley best of 39-7, settled for fourth in the 2A shot at 37-8. Matching her best would have been worth second, but Yates still improved on last year’s ninth-place finish.

“Fourth was not what I was hoping for,” she said. “I felt real confident that I’d be competing with the top two girls.”

In the 3A meet, West Valley’s Kira Lewis was also a former ninth-place finisher who earned her way onto the awards podium this time. The versatile senior, who’s been busy here with relays, hit a career best of 36-101?2 in the finals of the triple jump to take fourth place.

West Valley sophomore Chantel Jaeger successfully advanced to today’s finals in four sprint events. Her schedule today, in sequence, will be the 4×200, 100, 4×100 and 200.

“That’s a lot, but I love the opportunity to race that much,” she said. “Last year I made only one final, so four is just awesome.”

TRACK: Riverside within striking distance

CHENEY, Wash. — On a scorcher of a day, Riverside Christian turned up the heat on the rest of the field at the Class 2B boys track and field meet.

Triple jumper Kyle Gartrell leapt a mere quarter-inch shy of 45 feet — one of five jumps of his over 44 feet — as he won the state championship Friday at Eastern Washington University’s Woodward Field.

Almost joining him atop the podium was javelin thrower Derek Byrne, who came within two feet and one throw of a title with a nine-foot personal best of 178 feet exactly. He settled for second place, still an important eight points in the Crusaders’ title quest.

On the track, Riverside Christian stayed on track as Dana Wells qualified for today’s finals in the 100-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles. He also ran on the 4×100 relay that clocked 43.89 seconds, first among qualifying teams for today’s finals.

They weren’t just podium and qualifying marks. Gartrell and Byrne set school records, as did Wells in the 110 hurdles (14.86), and the 4×100 team.

Add to that Delwin Bazilme, whose 51.30 was the second fastest qualifying time in the 400 meters, and the Crusaders are in a strong position to challenge Tacoma Baptist for the team title today.

“Everything went just about as well as could be expected,” said coach Scott Wells. “We had some big marks.”

Gartrell’s big mark followed some early nerves as he scratched on his first triple jump. No problem. “I just focused and did what I do in every meet,” he said.  The next jump went 44-9, then the top one.

His coaches have been there: They are Scott Wells progeny Aaron, who won this event last year, and Sharelle, the 2004 champion on the girls side. “They know a little something about jumping,” said Wells the elder.

Out at the javelin, Byrne overcome a broken finger that he suffered three weeks ago on his throwing hand to toss the spear 178 feet, a personal best, on his second throw. From there it was a matter of what the competition came up with.

Cody Hutchinson of Liberty Bell came up with180 feet even on his final throw, sending Byrne to second.

CLASS 1A: Jake Wilcox of Naches Valley had a great start in the discus, and from there it just got better.

His 158-foot-plus first throw was a five-foot personal best. The next toss went 164 feet, 8 inches, a Class 1A state best that would hold up and win him a championship.

It didn’t stop there, as all six of his throws cleared 150 feet. He qualified for state last week with a throw of 150-3. “I just felt it. It was a good day,” said Wilcox, who placed seventh last year with 132-11.

Goldendale got a pair of fifths, Asa Israel in the 1600 (4:27:42) and Tyler Hunziker in the high jump (6-0). Israel ran the top qualifying time in the 800 with a 2:01.65; that final is today.

CLASS 1B: It was lonely at the top, and that was a good thing for Patrick Maeder of Bickleton.

Competitors in the five-member pole vault field dropped out early, and it was all Maeder after Trout Lake-Glenwood’s Nicky Rubesh went out after 10 feet.

Maeder, a senior, kept reaching new heights, topping out at a personal-best 12 feet, 9 inches, which tied the state meet record set last year by TL-G’s Patrick Rubesh.

Maeder, runner-up behind the now-graduated, elder Rubesh in the event in ’08, improved by nine inches over that mark.

Alec England of Trout Lake-Glenwood placed fourth in the 1600 in 4:49.72, followed by Junior Hernandez, sixth in 4:56.53.

TRACK: Mabton’s Williams wins javelin

CHENEY, Wash. — Mabton’s Trishi Williams saved her best for first, and it was good enough to last.

Williams threw the javelin 135 feet, 10 inches in her initial toss, then saw it hold up for the gold medal in the Class 1A state track and field meet Friday at Eastern Washington University.

Winning on the first throw is a pattern for Williams, who has flung as far as 138 feet in her career. “My first one is always my best. I knew it was a good one,” said Williams, a senior.

Even with her best, she refused to rest. Four of her throws topped 130 feet as the other girls tried to come close — but the closest was nine feet short.

Among other Class 1A athletes from the Yakima Valley, a pair of long jumpers covered a lot of distance for the Naches Valley girls.

Freshman Justine Benner covered 17 feet 0 inches, a personal best by five inches, and junior Claire Boutillier added a 16-31/2 as the Ranger duo placed third and fifth.

CLASS 1B: Klickitat’s Samantha Brewer performed the three leaps that the triple jump entails, then couldn’t stop jumping for joy after seeing her PR of 33 feet, 1/4 inch.

It turned out to be much better than a PR; it was the best in the state.

Brewer’s jump, along with a surprise championship toss by teammate Charice McConville in the discus, led the way for Klickitat in Friday’s field event finals.

On the track,  distance runner Emily Paxson kicked off Trout Lake-Glenwood’s run at a championship with an easy victory in the girls 3200.

But Friday belonged to Klickitat, which has hopes of gaining a top-four trophy behind the Trout Lake-Glenwood machine.

Brewer’s jump came on her second attempt, just a quarter-inch into the lead. Then she had to sweat it out in 90-degree temperatures as her competition kept coming up short. “It took all the quarter-inch that she had,” said a relieved coach Jim Reed.

Teammate Kali Fargher added a fifth in 30-43/4.

Brewer also took third in the high jump with 4 feet, 9 inches, off her qualifying mark of 5 feet. Katelynn Clinton of Bickleton also cleared 4-9, but Brewer had fewer misses and was awarded third.

Discus thrower McConville also found herself battling the Pirates’ Clinton, finally moving ahead on her fourth throw of 100-0. “I knew it was going to go far,” said McConville, who qualified for state with a 102-4.

Clinton, the district champion in 105-11, settled for second with 97-5.

Distance runner Paxson, the 3200 victor in 2007 and runner-up last year in that event, led from the gun in Friday’s race and hit the 1,600 mark with a 5:59 time and a 50-meter lead. She stretched that to 100 meters with two laps to go and lapped two competitors in the final 400 meters.

Her time of 12:14:39 was her best of the year and on target despite warm, muggy conditions. “I was shooting for 12:15,” said a satisfied Paxson.

Danielle Raschko of Bickleton placed fourth in 13:17.87.

Klickitat’s Brewer will run both hurdles events in today’s finals, and look for Trout Lake-Glenwood to bring out big guns Anna Schmid, Neola Putnam, Liz Vogt and Paxson as TL-G seeks a repeat state championship.

CLASS 2B: La Salle qualified three relay teams for today’s finals. The 4×100 was fourth in 52.43, the 4×200 fifth in 1:50.09, and the 4×400 sixth in 4:18.12.

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