Gant shines, earns league’s top honor

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Mackenzie Gant won the 100-yard butterfly, placed second in the 100 back, led off a meet-record 200 medley relay and was named the league’s swimmer of the year at Saturday’s Class 2A-1A district swim meet at Central Washington University.

Teammate Hailey Rankin set a meet record of 2:20.57 in the 200 individual medley and joined Gant, McKenna Mussel-white and Hanna Rankin on the record-setting 200 medley, which clocked 2:01.69.

Hanna Rankin won the 100 back ahead of Gant.

The top two in each event, plus those with qualifying times, advance to the state meet in Federal Way in two weeks.

Wapato’s Bethany Imperial won the 50 free in 25.78 and anchored the Wolves’ first-place 200 free relay, and East Valley’s Kendra Gartrell won the diving competition.

Team scores: Clarkston 303, Selah 289, Pullman 253, Ellensburg 221, Prosser 214, Cheney 209, Wapato 161, Naches Valley 151, East Valley 54, Cashmere 30, Toppenish 26, Chelan 9, Ephrata 6, Medical Lake 3.

Winner, local placers

200 medley relay: 1, Prosser (Gant, Han. Rankin, Hai. Rankin, Musslewhite) 2:01.69 (meet record); 2, Selah 2:05.05; 5, Wapato 2:11.44; 6, Naches Valley 2:13.18; 8, Ellensburg 2:16.44.

200 free: 1, Hanna Berg (Cl) 2:07.07; 2, Hanna Rankin (Pro) 2:10.98; 5, Lisa Garrigues (NV) 2:13.83; 7, Ana Masters (Ell) 2:19.17; 8, Kirsten Cleveringa (Wap) 2:19.31.

200 IM: 1, Hailey Rankin (Pro) 2:20.57 (meet record); 2, Emily Gonseth (Se) 2:32.05; 5, Katie Masters (Ell) 2:41.78; 6, Kelsey Clifton (Se) 2:45.24; 8, Natalie Walker (Ell) 2:48.98.

50 free: 1, Bethany Imperial (Wap) 25.78; 2, Kaitlin Kelsch (EV) 26.70; 3, Nicole Bannister (Se) 26.94; 6, Ariel Valdez (Wap) 27.69; 7, Sabrina Galaviz (T) 27.80; 8, Aricka Smith (Se) 27.92.

Diving: 1, Kendra Gartrell (EV) 209.25; 2, Azalea Koestler (Se) 200.90.

100 fly: 1, Mackenzie Gant (Pro) 1:04.48; 2, Emily Gonseth (Se) 1:07.42; 5, Sabrina Galaviz (T) 1:11.37; 7, Micaela Clark (NV) 1:17.82.

100 free: 1, Hanna Berg (Cl) 57.42; 2, Bethany Imperial (Wap) 59:07; 3, Kirsten Cleveringa (Wap) 59.62; 5, Emily Carbaugh (Ell) 1:01.36; 8, Holly Seely (Ell) 1:03.63.

500 free: 1, Angelina Tenwick (Cl) 5:52.59; 5, Rainan Viernes (Se) 6:22.21; 7, Natalie Walker (Ell) 6:46.49; 8, Gabby Villarreal (Pro) 6:56.95.

200 free relay: 1, Wapato (Valdez, Owens, Cleveringa, Imperial) 1:49.08; 3, Selah 1:51.84; 4, Prosser 1:51.97; 6, Ellensburg 1:56.49.

100 back: 1, Hanna Rankin (Pro) 1:04.15; 2, Mackenzie Gant (Pro) 1:04.96; 3, Ariel Valdez (Wap) 1:09.20; 7, Nicole Bannister (Se) 1:12.55.

100 breast: 1, Abby Hulbert (Pull) 1:12.94 (MR); 2, Kaitlin Kelsch (EV) 1:13.24; 4, Lisa Garrigues (NV) 1:15.99; 5, Katie Masters (Ell) 1:17.12; 6, Ashley Anderson (Se) 1:20.19; 8, Kelsey Clifton (Se) 1:27.06.

400 free relay: 1, Clarkston 4:04.10; 3, Naches Valley 4:16.48; 4, Ellensburg 4:17.03; 5, Selah 4:18.38; 7, Prosser 4:56.34.

CLASS 3A

Sundlee repeats diving title

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — West Valley sophomore Robyn Sundlee won her second straight diving title at Saturday’s 3A district swim meet at Central Washington University.

Sundlee’s winning score was 290.55 for the Rams, who finished second to Hanford in team scoring.

Heather Seaman and Keely Hausken won the 50 free and 100 back, respectively, and they swam the last two legs of the first-place 200 medley relay.

Winners in each event, plus those with qualifying times, advance to the state meet in Federal Way in two weeks.

Team scores: Hanford 221, West Valley 146, Sunnyside 26.

Winner, local highlights

200 medley relay: 1, West Valley (McDowell, Poston, Hausken, Seaman) 2:01.63.

200 free: 1, Megan Maynes (H) 2:09.82; 2, Chezla Cadwell (WV) 2:14.65; 4, Jordyn McDowell (WV) 2:15.02.

200 IM: 1, Kristen Bennett (H) 2:14.12.

50 free: 1, Heather Seaman (WV) 26.03; 3, Toni Castillo (S) 26.12; 4, Marisa Broersma (S) 26.95; 5, Sammy Poston (WV) 27.40.

Diving: 1, Robyn Sundlee (WV) 290.55.

100 fly: 1, Christine Tixier (H) 59.72; 3, Toni Castillo (S) 1:03.18; 5, Jeszica Cadwell (WV) 1:12.31.

100 free: 1, Stephanie Tixier (H) 54.58; 2, Heather Seaman (WV) 56.19; 3, Keely Hausken (WV) 56.54; 5, Sammy Poston (WV) 58.34.

500 free: 1, Kristen Bennett (H) 5:18.15; 3, Chezla Cadwell (WV) 6:05.97; 5, Jeszica Cadwell (WV) 6:23.67.

200 free relay: 1, Hanford 1:41.09 (MR); 2, West Valley 1:44.40.

100 back: 1, Keely Hausken (WV) 1:01.87; 4, Shae Sunwold (WV) 1:12.25.

100 breast: 1, Christine Tixier (H) 1:09.90; 2, Marisa Broersma (S) 1:12.62; 4, Katherine Rodriguez (WV) 1:21.09.

400 free relay: 1, Hanford 3:46.31; 2, West Valley 4:27.48.

CLASS 4A

Pleger double winner for Ike

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Eisenhower’s Emilie Pleger repeated her title in the 100 breaststroke and tied for first in the 50 free at the 4A district swim meet at Central Washington University on Saturday.

Pleger, a junior, clocked a career best 1:08.33 in the 100 breast and shared the first-place time of 25.39 with Wenatchee’s Samantha Bennett in the 50 free.

Ike’s Laura Ruiz finished a state-qualifying third in the 100 fly.

The top three in each event, plus those with qualifying times, advance to the state meet in Federal Way in two weeks.

Team scores: Wenatchee 335.5, Richland 326, Moses Lake 296, Walla Walla 288, Southridge 285, Eastmont 277, Eisenhower 144.5, Kennewick 112, Davis 64, Kamiakin 56.

Winners, local placers

200 medley relay: 1, Southridge 1:58.95; 7, Eisenhower 2:02.95.

200 free: 1, Nicole Weinman (R) 2:01.35.

200 IM: 1, Erica Burmood (WW) 2:15.74.

50 free: 1, Emilie Pleger (Ike) 25.39.

Diving: 1, Katie Smoot (S) 361.15; 8, Cecily Wilson (Ike) 247.65.

100 fly: 1, Erica Burmood (WW) 1:00.47; 3, Laura Ruiz (Ike) 1:01.87.

100 free: 1, Samantha Bennett (Wen) 55.34.

500 free: 1, Hailey Murphy (Kenn) 5:20.77.

200 free relay: 1, Wenatchee 1:45.94; 8, Davis 2:00.81.

100 back: 1, Mackenzie Ruby (R) 1:01.09.

100 breast: 1, Emilie Pleger (Ike) 1:08.33.

400 free relay: 1, Wenatchee 3:49.09; 8, Eisenhower 4:27.98.

11/01/09 Prep Volleyball Roundup

KENNEWICK, Wash. — After starting with a five-game battle against eventual champion Richland, Eisenhower settled for fourth place and a regional berth at Saturday’s CBBN 4A district volleyball finals at Southridge.

The Cadets won two of the first three games against Richland and led the fourth 14-6 before the Bombers rallied for a 25-20, 22-25, 15-25, 25-22, 15-10 semifinal win.

Eisenhower, which got 51 kills, 36 digs and eight aces from Tori Fisher, then defeated Wenatchee in four to clinch a regional berth and fell to Kamiakin in the seeding final for third and fourth.

The Cadets will open regional play Friday in Spokane against top-ranked Mead, the Spokane district champ. Lewis & Clark and University are the other GSL regional qualifiers.

SATURDAY’S SCORES

Semifinals: Richland d. Eisenhower 25-20, 22-25, 15-25, 25-22, 15-10; Southridge d. Kamiakin 25-16, 18-25, 25-20, 26-24.

Loser out: Kennewick d. Walla Walla 25-16, 20-25, 15-25, 25-18, 15-13; Wenatchee d. Eastmont 21-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-23.

Consolation: Kamiakin d. Kennewick 25-15, 23-25, 25-14, 25-17; Eisenhower d. Wenatchee 25-19, 25-10, 22-25, 25-13.

Fifth-sixth: Wenatchee d. Kennewick 25-17, 25-19, 25-16, winner to regionals, loser out.

Third-fourth: Kamiakin d. Eisenhower 25-16, 25-17, both to regionals.

Championship: Richland d. Southridge 25-21, 25-14, 22-25, 25-19, both to regionals.

Eisenhower highlights: Tori Fisher 51 kills, 36 digs, 8 aces; Kayla Randles 43 kills, 6 blocks, 5 aces, Shelby Fitterer 15 digs, 5 aces; Carrie Johnston 64 assists, 20 digs, 4 aces; Jazmin Hernandez 30 digs, Brianna Skahan-White 12 assists.

NORTH CENTRAL 2B

KITTITAS 3, LIBERTY BELL 0: At Kittitas, the Coyotes completed a perfect regular season with a 25-16, 25-16, 25-11 sweep.

Jordan Paul had 10 kills for second-ranked Kittitas, which en route to a 15-0 record went 61-0 in games played, counting tournaments and jamborees.

The Coyotes open district play Tuesday at Entiat, meeting Waterville at 6 p.m.

Kittitas highlights: Jordan Paul 10 kills; Kayvonne Vaver 8 kills; Ali Kilgore 7 kills; Morgan Uceny 4 aces; Natalie Gibb 9 digs.

NON-LEAGUE

LA SALLE 3, GOLDENDALE 2: At Riverside Christian, the third-ranked Lightning prepped for next Saturday’s 2B district tournament with a hard-fought 25-18, 25-21, 22-25, 25-27, 15-7 win.

La Salle highlights: Whitney Anderson 13-13 serving, 3 aces, 13 perfect passes, 10 digs, 6 kills; Hanna Fischer 16-17 serving, 3 aces, 8 pp, 14 digs; Rachel Gasseling 17-18 serving, 15 digs, 3 kills, 46 assists; Tori Gonzalez 14-16 serving, 18 pp, 11 digs; Tori Heckart 13-14 serving, 10 digs, 9 kills, 2 blocks; Danielle Juarez 10 kills; Jenessa McElrath 12-12 serving, 16 pp, 20 digs, 10 kills, 4 blocks; Regine Standley 18 kills, 6 blocks.

Goldendale highlights: Haley Hoffman 29 assists, 12 digs, 20-20 serving; Monique Scherf 23 digs, Sadie Shattuck 12 kills, 4 blocks, Lexie Cameron 9 kills, 17 digs; Cassie Kelley 11 digs; Alex Counts 5 kills, Allison Hutchins 2 kills 2 assists; Tayler Bradley 7-7 serving, 3 digs, Asia VanHorn 27-27 serving, 7 digs; Karissa Ihrig 2 aces, 5 digs, 4 kills.

GOLDENDALE 3, RIVERSIDE CHRISTIAN 2: At Riverside Christian, Sadie Shattuck’s 21 kills helped the Timberwolves prevail 25-21, 25-18, 19-25, 23-25, 15-8. Goldendale will host Burbank in a SCAC district opener on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Goldendale highlights: Lexi Cameron 3 aces, 9 digs, 9 kills; Sadie Shattuck 17-17 serving, 21 kills, 3 blocks; Haley Hoffman 6 aces, 9 digs, 32 assists, 2 kills; Monique Scherf 13-13 serving, 25 digs; Amber Ihrig 12 assists, 4 digs; Cassie Kelley 5 digs; Alex Counts 10 kills; Karissa Ihrig 9 digs, 7 kills, 2 aces; Asia VanHorn 7 digs, Krista Counts 5 pp; Tayler Bradley 2 digs 5 pp; Carley Lawson 3-3 serving; Allison Hutchins 5 kills.

11/01/09 Prep Soccer Roundup

ROYAL CITY, Wash. — Short time has turned into prime time for Highland’s girls soccer team.

For the second straight postseason match, the Scotties scored in the final minutes to snatch a victory and this time it earned them the SCAC district championship.

Suzi Jimenez’s goal in the 76th minute, assisted by Alma Garcia, lifted Highland to a 1-0 victory over defending champion Connell at Royal High School on Saturday.

In Tuesday’s semifinals, Caitlin Long scored in the 77th minute in a 2-1 win over Naches Valley.

Highland goalkeeper Melissa Cervante made four saves in the shutout, which was a big turnaround since Connell’s 6-1 win over the Scotties on Sept. 29.

Highland (16-3) will host the District 6 runner-up in the first round of the Class 1A state tournament on Nov. 10.

First half: No scoring

Second half: 1, Highland, Suzi Jimenez (Alma Garcia), 76:00.

Saves: Melissa Cervante (H) 4; Maci Whtby (C) 6.

NACHES VALLEY 2, WAHLUKE 0: At Royal City, Wash., the Rangers struck in the 47th and 52nd minutes and goalie Kelsie Taylor made three saves to earn the district’s No. 3 seed to state.

Brittany Elston broke a scoreless tie with a penalty kick, and Shyiel Molano made it 2-0 just five minutes later.

The Rangers (11-7-1) will play at Connell (16-3) in the first round of the 1A state tournament on Nov. 10.

Kiona-Benton claimed the SCAC’s No. 4 state seed with a 1-0 win over Royal.

First half: No scoring.

Second half: 1. NV, Brittany Elston (PK), 47:00; 2. NV, Shyiel Molano (Kellie Bernhardt), 52:00.

Saves: Kelsie Taylor (NV) 3; Yolanda Solis (W) 6.

CBBN 4A DISTRICT

MOSES LAKE 2, EISENHOWER 1 (SO): At Marquette Stadium, the Cadets fell 4-3 in the shootout, ending their season at 12-4.

Jennifer McKenna tied the score for Ike in the 78th minute after the Chiefs’ Sidney Kimbro scored the first goal of the contest seven minutes earlier.

Kamiakin won the district title by clipping Richland 1-0. In the other loser-out matches, Southridge blanked Wenatchee 2-0 and Pasco beat Chiawana 2-0.

First half: No scoring.

Second half: 1. ML, Sydney Kimbro (Megan Sutherland), 71:00. 2. Eisenhower, Jennifer McKenna (Ashlyn Keller), 78:00.

Shootout: Moses Lake 4, Eisenhower 3 (ML: Kimbro, Kelsie Grant, Colby Happer, Sutherland. Eisenhower: Baylee Jones, McKenna, Keller).

Saves: Sophia Pedemonte (E) 1. Bailey Ritchie (ML) 7.

2B DISTRICT

LA SALLE 9, MANSON 0: At Marquette Stadium, Ally Hernandez scored three goals in the first 17 minutes, lifting her season total to 28, and Savannah Bonny had two goals and an assist in the Lightning’s postseason opener.

La Salle (16-1) will play Liberty Bell, a 3-0 winner over Bridgeport, in the district championship match Saturday in Wenatchee at 3 p.m. Both teams will advance to state.

First half: 1. LaS, Ally Hernandez, 3:00; 2. LaS, Emma Avalos (Savannah Bonny), 7:00; 3. LaS, Hernandez (Avalos), 10:00; 4. LaS, Hernandez (Kathryn Zirkle), 17:00; 5. LaS, Julia Kennedy (Hernandez), 22:00; 6. LaS, Danielle Davis (Kellie Roy), 30:00; 7. LaS, Karley Kester (Kat Carter), 32:00.

Second half: 8. LaS, Bonny (Hannah Berndt), 51:00; 9. LaS, Bonny (Jody Tyrrell), 71:00.

Saves:  Chelsea Adkins (L) 0, Stephanie Perez (L) 2; Alexis Castro (M) 13.

CWAC DISTRICT

ELLENSBURG 5, PROSSER 4 (SO): At Prosser, the Bulldogs rallied with two goals in the final 15 minutes of regulation and then won the shootout 6-5 to claim the first-round victory.

Hadli Farrand scored Ellensburg’s first three goals, and teammate Hannah Hugo tied the match at 4-4 in the 76th minute. The Bulldogs play a semifinal at Selah on Tuesday.

Helen Petersen scored all four goals for Prosser, which plays a loser-out contest on Thursday.

In Saturday’s other district opener, Ephrata edged Othello 1-0. The Tigers play at East Valley in Tuesday’s other semifinal.

First half: 1. Prosser, Helen Petersen (Zaret Zavala), 5:00; 2. Prosser, Petersen (PK), 7:00; 3. Ellensburg, Hadli Farrand (PK) 38:00; 4. Ellensburg, Farrand, 40:00.

Second half: 5. Prosser, Petersen (PK) 43:00; 6. Prosser, Petersen, (Madison Moore), 61:00; 7. Ellensburg, H. Farrand, 65:00; 8. Ellensburg, Hannah Hugo, 76:00.

Overtime: No scoring.

Shootout: Ellensburg won 6-5  (Prosser: Karly Crawford, Lein Markhus, Kelli Wilson, Alex Hart).

Saves: Jaime White (P) 7; Lianne Day (E) 13.

BOYS SOCCER

RIVERSIDE CHRISTIAN 3, MOSES LAKE CHRISTIAN 1: At Riverside, Derek Byrne had a pair of first-half goals to help the Crusaders win their ninth straight.

Jeremy Pynch capped the scoring with a second-half goal, and Jason Bjur and Kyle Gartrell each had an assist for the Crusaders (12-1-1), who play Northwest Christian in a regional opener Thursday at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane.

First half: 1. MLC, Isaac Murrell, 4:00; 2. RC, Derek Byrne (Jason Bjur), 10:00; 3. RC, Byrne, 26:00.

Second half: 4. RC, Jeremy Pynch (Kyle Gartrell), 62:00.

Saves: Stefan McNamara (MLC) 5. Michael Stein (RC) 3.

Pate paces CWU to upset of No. 6 SPU

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Amy Pate scored twice and Central Washington stunned sixth-ranked Seattle Pacific 3-1 in a GNAC women’s soccer match Saturday.

The win snapped an eight-match losing streak to the defending national champion Falcons and was CWU’s first win against SPU since 2001.

The Wildcats improved to 4-5-1 in conference play and 7-9-1 overall.

Pate scored in the third minute off an assist from Monique Cornier, then added a 50th-minute goal with Cornier and Kaycie Hutchins assisting.

Central later got an own goal for a 3-0 lead before SPU’s Brandi Hamre scored.

First half: 1, CWU, Amy Pate (Monique Cornier), 3:16.

Second half: 2, CWU, Pate (Cornier, Kaycie Hutchins), 50:07; 3, CWU own goal, 74:45; 4, SPU, Brandi Hamre (Jenkins), 80:38.

Saves: Maddie Dickinson (SPU) 7; Amber Easterbrook (CWU) 5.

YVCC falls 4-1 at Wenatchee

WENATCHEE, Wash. — Beth Joya scored twice in the first 16 minutes and Wyatt Piro added two more goals as Wenatchee Valley downed Yakima Valley 4-1 in Eastern Region women’s soccer Saturday.

Jennifer Mickey scored for YVCC (0-12-1 in region and overall) while Joya added two assists for the Knights (3-9-2).

First half: 1, WVC, Beth Joya, 13:00; 2, WVC, Joya, 16:00; 3, WVC, Wyatt Piro (Joya), 20:00; 4, YVCC, Jennifer Mickey, 37:00; 5, WVC, Piro (Joya), 42:00.

Second half: No scoring.

Saves: Not available.

Wildcats down NW Nazarene

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Marcy Hjellum had 16 kills and 22 digs as Central Washington beat Northwest Nazarene 3-1 in GNAC action Saturday. Kady Try added 16 kills and 10 digs as CWU won 18-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-16. The Wildcats are 5-7 in conference and 13-10 overall.

Central highlights: Marcy Hjellum 16 kills, 22 digs; Kady Try 16 kills, 10 digs; Brandie Vea 24 digs; Deidre Scheidt 10 digs; Carlee Marble 44 assists, 10 digs.

The West is Won

Zillah runs away from NV in conference showdown ||

NACHES, Wash. — Six touchdowns, six different players.

Eleven running backs, 433 yards.

Add in a pass to be honest, and it found the end zone.

Zillah’s streaking fifth-ranked football team simply has too many weapons to account for these days and that was in full evidence Friday night with the SCAC West title on the line.

Averaging nearly nine yards a run, the Leopards capped a second consecutive unbeaten run through the West with a 41-7 victory over Naches Valley.

PHOTO GALLERY Click here for more photos from this game

“We have athletes at every position and we have depth,” said a beaming Kane Koerner, Zillah’s senior standout at defensive end and tight end. “It keeps our legs fresh and helps us keep coming at people. Everybody made this happen tonight.”

Rodney Treece bolted 82 yards for a score on Zillah’s third play of the game and finished with 121 yards, and Chris Castillo contributed 89 yards with a touchdown on the Leopards’ third play of the second half.

“We spread it around — that’s our strength,” Castillo said. “We lost our first game (an overtime non-league contest at Toppenish) and that made us hungry to improve. Ever since we’ve been getting better and better and I think maybe tonight was our best game so far.”

After a quick ice-water soaking from his players, Zillah coach Rock Winters gathered his Leopards together and simply pointed at the scoreboard.

“To win a league championship by that score says a lot about how far we’ve come,” Winters said to his team. “That’s what hard work can do.”

What Zillah accomplished offensively was nearly matched by the defense, which shut Naches Valley out for three quarters and forced three turnovers in the second half.

The Rangers had two solid drives in the first half — 11 plays for 70 yards in the first quarter and 12 plays for 57 yards in the second period — but both stalled on downs in Zillah’s red zone.

NV quarterback Billy Craig completed nine passes for 151 yards, and West-leading running back Nic Lukehart gained 85 yards on 27 carries.

“Their quarterback has been doing well lately and we wanted to make him feel not so comfortable back there,” Koerner said. “And we needed to contain Lukehart. That’s what we went after and I think we did pretty well.”

Koerner was involved in a crucial swing of events at the end of the first half.

Down 14-0, the Rangers’ second impressive drive advanced to Zillah’s 17 and cutting the margin in half appeared imminent. But the Leopards’ defense — which hasn’t allowed a first-half offensive score in West play this season — turned the ball over on downs, giving Zillah’s fastbreak offensive another shot with just over a minute left.

After Castillo sped for 14 yards, quarterback Joe Burns used play-action for a rare pass attempt and connected with Koerner, his tight end, for a 64-yard touchdown that stretched the lead to 21-0 heading into the locker room.

It’s an effective play. Koerner has four receptions for the season and three have gone for touchdowns.

“I do a ton of blocking so it’s nice to catch a ball once in a while,” he said with a smile. “It was the perfect time for it.”

In next week’s SCAC crossover playoffs, Zillah (6-0, 8-1) will host East No. 4 Wahluke and Naches Valley (5-1, 6-3) will host East No. 3 River View.

Zillah-Naches Valley Photo Gallery

Photos from Friday night’s game between Zillah and Naches Valley in Naches, Wash. All photos by Gordon King of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Cadets keep on rolling

Fuerst sets records; eighth-ranked Ike improves to 9-0 ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Had Dan Eyman suggested last summer that his Eisenhower football team would go 9-0, he would have been roundly proclaimed to have been all wet.

And there he was Friday night in Zaepfel Stadium, all wet, while his Cadets celebrated their first 9-0 season since 1992 after a 37-15 defeat of Pasco.

Ike’s victory in its CBBN crossover means it will meet Walla Walla in a regional playoff next Friday night, also at Zaepfel.

It also meant a postgame water-bucket dousing of Eyman, who would never have hinted at an unbeaten regular season even if he’d thought it.

“Obviously,” he said, “these kids have exceeded everyone’s expectations. And it’s funny — we always say to act like we’ve been there, but then we giggle and remind ourselves that we haven’t. But this is great.”

So were a host of Cadets, including program pillars Ryan Watson and Seth Kline, who led a swarming defense that held the Bulldogs (2-6) to 64 first-half yards and kept them off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter with Ike leading 37-0.

And then there was record-breaking Joe Fuerst, whose 215 yards on 19 carries broke Matt Plaster’s school-record of 1,210 set 10 years ago. Fuerst now has 1,418. And his 8-yard touchdown run eclipsed the Ike mark of 17 established by Steve Dale in 1964.

“When we got Joe and Dylan (Hudson) in here, with all the other seniors we have here, I knew we’d be a good team,” said Kline. “This is something I’ve dreamed of ever since I stepped into this high school. It’s just … it’s an overwhelming feeling.”

Much like Pasco might have felt from the opening kickoff, which Ike’s Daniel Ortega returned 66 yards for a touchdown.

James Lopez followed with a 3-yard touchdown run, then threw scoring strikes of 19 yards to Hudson and 39 yards to Antonio Martinez.

Andre Arcand kicked a 35-yard field goal that put the Cadets up 30-0 at halftime, after which Fuerst’s TD capped the scoring.

“I started thinking (about going unbeaten) after we won at Walla Walla (37-7 on Sept. 11),” said Watson, who had an interception and, from his tight end position, caught two passes for 15 yards. “We were all disappointed last year, when we went 5-5 and didn’t even get to the playoffs. This year we wanted to go out and make a statement.”

And, in the process, make their coach all wet.

Shutout, win slip Selah’s grasp

Othello touchdown in the final minutes drops Viks to third ||

SELAH, Wash. — Devon Lind has returned punts for touchdowns so often over the past couple of years that the Othello senior isn’t even sure how many it’s been.

“Last year around six, this year maybe three, so … nine-ish?” Lind said after scoring the winning touchdown with 2:25 remaining in Othello’s 7-3 CWAC victory over Selah.

The Huskies’ victory relegated the Vikings to third place — and a road trip in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs, probably to West Valley of Spokane — while setting up Othello (8-0 CWAC, 8-1 overall) for its home game next week against Ellensburg for the league title.

PHOTO GALLERY

Click here for more photos from this game

Lind’s heroics didn’t come on his specialty. In fact, it was Lind’s muff of a second-quarter punt return — recovered by Selah’s Klayton Fleming — that set the Vikings (6-2, 7-2) up for Daniel Hernandez’s 28-yard field goal and a 3-0 Selah lead that lasted until the hectic final few minutes.

“I was wearing some different cleats at the beginning of the game — moldy cleats. I slipped and lost my balance,” Lind said of the muffed punt. “You just gotta keep your head up. I told the team at halftime, I’ll make it up. I said it’s my fault we’re behind, but I’m gonna make a play and we’re gonna get it back.”

As it turned out, that play came on a 33-yard scoring pass from Jeremy Cerillo on a fourth-and-12 play, but the turning point came 11?2 minutes earlier. With Selah needing only to run out the clock to protect its 3-0 lead, a holding penalty forced the Vikings into a third-and-long situation, and Trent Douglass’ pass was picked off by Mando Deleon. That gave Othello new life at the Selah 38-yard-line with just under four minutes remaining.

Selah had had a sensational defensive performance to that point, led by Jake Lunceford (16 tackles and a blocked field goal), Travis Luke (16 tackles and a fumble recovery) and Chris Lyon (13 tackles). But  on fourth-and-12, Lind turned a short pass — “It was an option, a curl or an in, and I took the in,” he said — and caught the ball for a 13-yard gain, then used his speed and elusiveness to weave across the field through seemingly the entire Selah defense for the score.

“I knew we had the first down,” Cerillo said, “and Devon just did his thing.”

And broke the Vikings’ hearts.

“They played their butts off. They played hard, and I’m proud of them,” Selah coach Jeff Jamieson said. “To play that hard for that long and come up short … that’s unfortunate. They’re pretty bummed right now, because that’s a tough way to lose it.”

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