9/27/09 Prep Cross Country Roundup

CONNELL, Wash. — With three finishers in the top 10, Sunnyside’s boys won the 4A-3A team title in Saturday’s 22-team Connell Invitational.

Sophomores Nathan Gonzalez and Juan Reynoso finished seventh and eighth to lead the Grizzlies.

Zillah’s Johnny Barnes was the top local in the boys race, finishing second in 16:55 on the 5,000-meter course.

Prosser’s girls won the 2A team title with their top four runners finishing within two seconds of each other.

Jocelyn Yanez of Sunnyside led local girls in seventh.

BOYS

Team scores — 4A-3A: Sunnyside 25, Hanford 61, Chiawana 72, Kennewick 72. 2A: Othello 39, Clarkston 53, Toppenish 60, Prosser 114, Grandview inc. 1A: Royal 61, Zillah 69, Chelan 72, Connell 109, Kiona-Benton 111, Lake Roosevelt 131, Granger 141, Cle Elum inc., Wahluke inc. 2B-1B: Waitsburg 23, Asotin 46, Oroville 73, Riverside Christian 76.

Winner: Ethan Tonnemaker (Royal) 16:27 (5,000 meters).

Top locals: 2, Johnny Barnes (Z) 16:55; 6, Joe Salcedo (Granger) 17:14; 7, Nathan Gonzalez (Su) 17:21; 8, Juan Reynoso (Su) 17:25; 10, Jesus Mendoza (Su) 17:27; 13, Sean Ekstrand (Z) 17:36; 15, Patrick Watts (Su) 17:43; 22, Emilio Gonzalez (T) 17:59; 25, Ian Frank (T) 18:04; 26, Jordan Esqueda (Su) 18:06; 31, Koty Kollmar (Gv) 18:15; 33, Brendan Shearer (Z) 18:23; 35, Andres Cantu (Su) 18:30; 39, Uriel Gutierrez (Granger) 18:43; 42, Kennedy Sarmiento (Su) 18:45; 46, Scott Thomas (Z) 18:52.

GIRLS

Team scores — 4A-3A: Hanford 44, Kennewick 48, Chiawana inc., Sunnyside inc. 2A: Prosser 29, Clarkston 45, Othello 73, Toppenish 78, Grandview inc. 1A: Chelan 21, Cle Elum 61, Zillah 81, Lake Roosevelt 92, Kiona-Benton 139, Connell inc., Granger inc., Royal inc. 2B-1B: Asotin 32, Riverside Christian 34, Waitsburg inc.

Winner: Gaby Guillen (Chelan) 20:35.

Top locals: 7, Jocelyn Yanez (Su) 21:23; 8, April Soelberg (RC) 21:25; 13, Emma Tuning (Z) 22:19; 19, Taylor Wilkinson (RC) 22:58; 20, Carlee Kreager (CE) 23:03; 23, Kenzie Koch (P) 23:21; 24, Kali Federwisch (P) 23:22; 25, Jordan Sperl (P) 23:23; 26, Kolby Childers (P) 23:23; 28, Jessie Johnson (CE) 23:31; 32, Jill Lambert (CE) 23:38; 33, Mari Wagsholm (CE) 23:40; 34, Amanda Cowin (RC) 23:55; 38, Sarah St. Hilaire (RC) 24:15; 39, Jessica Walker (Z) 24:19; 40, Ariel Medina (T) 24:22; 41, Abbie Ziegler (Z) 24:25.

NIKE PRE-NATIONALS: At Portland, Selah’s boys placed ninth out of 20 teams in Division 1.

Sophomore Brad Kahn led the Vikings in 21st, covering the 5,000-meter course at Portland Meadows in 16 minutes, 35 seconds.

Selah results: 21, Brad Kahn, 16:35; 48, Andrew Carr, 17:14; 53, Andrew Isom, 17:16; 60, Kyle Smith, 17:22; 62, Vinny Robbins, 17:25; 109, Alex Yaeger, 18:31; 112, Brendan Leaper, 18:34.

Coyotes unbeaten in league

WATERVILLE, Wash. — Kayvonne Vaver and Ali Killgore combined for 22 kills as Kittitas rolled to a 25-14, 25-18, 25-20 victory over Waterville in North Central 2B play on Saturday.

The Coyotes, who host Soap Lake on Tuesday, are 4-0 in league.

Kittitas highlights: Kayvonne Vaver 12 kills; Ali Killgore 10 kills; Dakota Adams 4 blocks.

TRI-CITY PREP INVITE: At Richland, Sunnyside Christian competed against Waitsburg-Prescott (12-25, 25-22 10-15), Bickleton (25-22, 20-25, 12-15) and Tri-Cities Prep (12-25, 4-25) in the tournament.

SC highlights: Janelle DeGroot 22-27 serving, 5 kills, 12 perfect passes; Ashley Haak 23-24 serving, 14 assists, 7 pp; Kathleen Dolan 12-16 serving, 4 digs, 14 pp; Maddy Wavrin 6 kills, 4 blocks, 6 pp; Alyssa Haak 14-16 serving, 7 assists, 8 pp; Kelly Newhouse 7 kills, 6 digs, 9 pp.

YVCC draws with Olympic

YAKIMA, Wash. — LeeAnn Wheeler had a goal and assist in Yakima Valley’s 3-3 tie against Olympic in non-league women’s soccer Saturday at YVCC’s homefield.

The Yaks opened a 3-1 lead with consecutive goals by Jennifer Mickey, Jasmin Rodriguez and Wheeler.

YVCC hosts Walla Walla on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

First half: 1, Oly, Ali Brown (Rachel Hardin), 5:00; 2, YV, Jennifer Mickey (Lilia Gonzalez), 12:00; 3, YV, Jasmin Rodriguez (LeeAnn Wheeler), 15:00.

Second half: 4, YV, Wheeler, 50:00; 5, Oly, Megan Montambo, 70:00; 6, Oly, Brown, 89:00.

Saves: Vaughnessa Garcia (YV) 5, Kelsey Krasas (O) 5.

NOTE: Our Internet access is down

YAKIMA, Wash. — The Yakima Herald-Republic offices lost Internet access on Saturday as a result of a power outage.

Because of this, the main Web site, yakimaherald.com, was not working as of 3 a.m., Sunday. The sports site, sportsyakima.com is functioning, but can’t be accessed from the newsroom and can’t be updated until access is restored.

Thank you for your patience, we’ll be posting Sunday’s stories as soon as possible.

A Passing Storm

La Salle hits the air to take momentum, game at Kittitas ||

KITTITAS, Wash. — In a game that saw 11 touchdowns of all sorts — long passes, short runs, an interception runback, even a 100-yard kickoff runback — and was ultimately decided by three TDs, it might not seem possible that La Salle’s 49-28 victory over Kittitas in Friday night’s Central Washington B League showdown might have been decided by one score.

No, it wasn’t Ty Toole’s length-of-the-field kickoff return. That came as too little, too late, for the Coyotes.

Nor was it Dylan Sattler’s 41-yard streak down the sideline for a Lightning touchdown after picking off an interception in full stride.

It was one very timely touchdown that came, in fact, after time had expired in the first half and broke a 14-14 tie, sending La Salle into the locker room with momentum the Lightning carried into the second half.

And Mike McGree’s 24-yard scoring pass to Ross Anderton was anything but routine. It was a drop-back pass that nearly turned into a sack, evolved into a roll-out that McGree eventually turned into what amounted to a jump pass — he leapt the instant before he let the ball fly — and was well underthrown.

Except that Anderton reacted much quicker to the ball than the two safeties covering him, raced out of the end zone to the 3-yard-line to make the catch — about the time the halftime buzzer went off — and then managed weave his way back through a crowd of defenders and teammates to paydirt.

“It was just a free-for-all,” Anderton said with a grin.

PHOTO GALLERY Click here for more photos from this game

One that nearly ended up with McGree on his back.

“They’d been rushing me pretty hard all game,” the quarterback said. “When I felt them coming from the back side, I knew I had to roll out. I held it just long enough that the cornerback came up — I think he thought I’d go ahead and run it — and then Ross came out of nowhere.”

“Everybody knows you have to come back for the ball,” Anderton said. “If a quarterback is scrambling, sometimes you just have to find a way to get open and then get to the ball.”

That was something McGree’s receivers did all night long. The senior quarterback completed 13 of 18 passes for 196 yards, including scoring tosses to Dylan Sattler, Anderton and Mike Stiekema.

“That was a heck of a night for him, and our kids caught the ball well,” La Salle coach Jack McMillan said. “That play at the end of the first half, that was a big lift for us. It gave the kids a lot of spark, and then we came right out and drove the length of the field the first time we got the ball in the second half.”

And that gave the Lightning a two-touchdown lead, one the Coyotes immediately trimmed back down to 28-21 on the second touchdown run of the night by Kittitas senior Paul Oursland. And with Kittitas quarterback Tom Studer doing a nice job of passing — he was 5-for-8 for 71 yards at that point, including a 34-yard scoring toss to Spencer Slyfield — it looked like the battle was far from over.

But La Salle (4-0) kept right on scoring — scoring on three of their own possessions and one of the Coyotes’ as well, Sattler’s interception runback for a touchdown — and the Coyotes (2-1) couldn’t keep up the pace. They had already lost one of their primary weapons when running back Gunnar Genge suffered an ankle injury on the Coyotes’ fifth play from scrimmage.

Oursland finished with 93 yards on 13 carries, a couple of receptions, and a ton of respect from the Lightning.

“He’s a great guy,” Anderton said. “After plays, telling you, ‘Nice play, good job.’ Great player, and one of the nicest guys.”

“That Oursland, he’s a great kid,” McMillan said. “And they’re a good team.”

La Salle was just better. Especially on the one play that counted the most.

La Salle-Kittitas Photo Gallery

Photos from Friday night’s game between La Salle and Kittitas at Kittitas High School. All photos by Gordon King of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Lions Break Away

Kennewick overpowers Davis in second half ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Recovering from a two-touchdown deficit to tie Kennewick at halftime, Davis’ often spectacular athleticism was finding a way to keep pace Friday night at Zaepfel Stadium.

But to have any chance in the second half against the physical Lions, who were commanding in the trenches, Davis needed to cut down or eliminate one specific misstep — turnovers.

It was a hope that didn’t last long.

Kennewick erupted for 22 points in the first eight minutes of the third quarter — a sudden breakaway aided by consecutive short-field turnovers by the Pirates — and rolled to a 48-32 victory in CBBN Columbia play.

A fumble and interception were among Davis’ first four plays of the second half, and Kennewick turned both into quick touchdowns for a 32-19 lead.

The Lions’ defense followed with a safety, and two plays after Davis’ free kick the Lions were in the end zone again with their third rushing touchdown of the quarter for a 41-19 cushion.

“We made a lot of young mistakes,” said Davis coach Rick Clark. “We made some good plays, but the mistakes kept pulling us down.”

PHOTO GALLERY Click here for more photos from this game

In all the Pirates had six turnovers, four interceptions and two fumbles. And Kennewick converted four into touchdowns.

With the Lions all but shutting down Davis’ ground game, the Pirates needed to go to the air more and even with the interceptions quarterback Deion Wright turned in some big numbers.

The 6-foot sophomore threw a career-high five touchdowns — more than the first three games of the season combined — and completed 17 of 28 for 250 yards.

Wright hit eight different receivers but David Trimble was clearly the troublemaker for Kennewick, catching touchdown passes of 12, 49 and 10 yards. The 49-yarder came with 10 seconds left in the first half, and it came with a leaping nab between double coverage near the 20-yard line.

Trimble finished with five catches for 93 yards and picked up 21 yards on a reverse run. He also had an interception and fumble recovery.

But Kennewick had big numbers, too, as quarterback Trent Brown ran for three touchdowns and threw for 169 yards and two scores out of a shotgun formation. The Lions rushed for 204 yards and amassed 377 in total offense, discouraging results for a Davis squad coming off a big defensive effort in last week’s win at Lake Washington.

“Up front they just beat us,” said Clark, who suspended two key defensive starters Friday for missing a practice earlier in the week. “They knocked us off the ball and we didn’t have an answer for that.”

The Pirates (0-2, 1-3) have a short week coming. They play Southridge at Lampson Stadium on Thursday.

Davis-Kennewick photo gallery

Photos from Friday night’s game between Davis and Kennewick at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima. Photos by Andy Sawyer of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Reunion on hold for game

CWU focuses on Idaho State, not former coach ||

POCATELLO, Idaho — It was unseasonably warm when Central Washington’s football team arrived here Friday, and the glow involved more than the sun.

Greeting the Wildcats on the front sports page of the Idaho State Journal was a large color photograph of John Zamberlin reaching up to high-five fans during halftime of Central’s 2006 Battle in Seattle defeat of Western Washington. In the background was his close friend and offensive coordinator, John Picha.

Today, at Idaho State’s Holt Arena, their ongoing friendship and various other warm and fuzzy storylines will be put on hold while Bengals head coach Zamberlin and Wildcats assistant Picha, from opposite sidelines, participate in what promises to be a compelling contest.

And among the many questions to be answered is this: Can Central win?

“Our players,” CWU head man Blaine Bennett said, “go into every game thinking they can win. I think if you took a poll of our team, the result would be that collectively, yes, they believe they can win this game.”

Said Johnny Spevak, one of eight Zamberlin recruits on Central’s roster, “Yeah, I think we can beat ‘em. I’m not saying we will, but if we play really well it could happen.”

For what it’s worth, one of seven State Journal prognosticators picked the fifth-ranked, 4-0, Division II Wildcats over the 0-3, Football Championship Subdivision Bengals who have opened with unbeaten Arizona State, 10th-ranked Oklahoma and defending Big Sky Conference champ Weber State — all on the road. The State Journal is Pocatello’s daily newspaper.

It’s true that CWU has a history of success as an underdog in such matchups. Two of Zamberlin’s biggest Wildcat wins, in fact, were a 2002 triumph at Montana State on the Bobcats’ homecoming, and a 2006 defeat of Paul Wulff-coached Eastern Washington.

Last year, Bennett took CWU to eventual FCS finalist Montana and lost 38-35 on a late field goal. And the fallout from that game serves to underscore the importance of this one.

“We played Montana to a virtual standoff,” Bennett said, “and the next week we dropped three places in the polls. So in my opinion we’ll have to win this game to stay in the top five, and maybe even in the top 10.”

Whether Central gains its third consecutive playoff berth, of course, will depend on regional rankings which are due to be compiled soon. But a win here would no doubt be a feather in Bennett’s cap, as well as a boon to Central’s national reputation.

“There are a couple of things that will be important for our players to deal with,” Bennett said. “One will be the speed of the game, which is one of the things you deal with when you play a program that has 60-some full scholarships while we’re at 24. The other will be adjusting to (artificial) turf.”

Zamberlin, meanwhile, said that from his standpoint emotion will not be a factor. Even though he, wife Mary Ellen and their two children remain tight with Picha and his family (Kenny Zamberlin and David Picha, both 10, were born four days apart at Kittitas Community Hospital), that ISU assistants Brian Jensen and Brandon Valeria played for him at Central, and that eight Wildcat seniors were his recruits.

“I’m glad they’re all doing well, and it’ll be great to see them all again,” Zamberlin said. “But I haven’t got time to be nostalgic. We need a win.”

Champion Huskies headed to Selah

YAKIMA, Wash. — Local fans will be able to watch the University of Washington fastpitch team open defense of its first NCAA championship today, when the Huskies meet Boise State at Carlon Park.

The doubleheader is part of a weekend-long visit by Wash-ington, which will take part in a dinner and auction tonight at the Selah Civic Center, and then conduct youth clinics Sunday.

There are still some spots available for the dinner and auction, which begins at 6 p.m. The cost is $25.

The clinics are full.

Today’s doubleheader begins at 11 a.m., with the second game starting at approximately 1 p.m.

This marks the second consecutive fall that Washington has traveled to Selah to play. The Huskies capped last season with a sweep of Florida in the best-of-three final at the NCAA softball championship series.

For more information about the dinner, contact Bill Harris at 961-1588.

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