ORV cleanup slated for Saturday

YAKIMA, Wash. — Volunteers from the All Wheelers Off Road Club and ORV Trail Watch are joining forces this Saturday on a cleanup effort at Beverly Dunes, a popular off-roading site.

Volunteers will be meeting up until 10 a.m. Saturday at the parking lot at Beverly Dunes, which is located off State Route 243 east of the Columbia River and south of the Interstate 90 bridge at Vantage. For more information on this and other cleanup efforts by the All Wheelers and others, go to the Eastern Washington Off Road Forum on the club’s website and see the good work some of these groups are doing.

At last month’s cleanup at the Slab — an ORV area off the end of Bonair Road in Zillah (and quite near Buena), also variously referred to as Ranks or Rankville by off-roading enthusiasts — volunteers from the All Wheelers, ORV Trail Watch and the Yakima Valley Dust Dodgers hauled off some 3,700 pounds of trash left behind by people who should know better.

Unfortunately, there remain too many knuckleheads out there who, yes, should know better. All too often those are the idiots who draw all the bad attention to off-roading, and we end up overlooking the good work being done by the solid citizens in reputable groups — folks like the All Wheelers and Dust Dodgers — who are out there cleaning up the mess those knuckleheads leave behind.

Last October, with the help and blessing from the Yakima County Sheriff’s ORV deputies, volunteers erected a sign at the Slab with posted ORV rules; within a week, there were bullet holes in the sign (courtesy of the knuckleheads) and soon after that somebody rammed the signpost over and removed the sign entirely. Those same volunteers plan on replacing the ORV signpost with a heavier post.

Just a thought: Any time you see knuckleheads out destroying the efforts of those good-citizen ORV folks who are doing the right thing, feel free to get a license plate and a description of the knuckleheads’ vehicles and report them to authorities. And when you see people putting in their own time and effort to clean up after the knuckleheads, feel free to give them a thank-you and a pat on the back.

– Scott Sandsberry

Track: Breaking the vault

Runner-turned-jumper flies to Class 4A state lead ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — One story goes that Marcus Schooley was sent to the pole vault pit as punishment for being late for a freshman training run.

Another suggests that, despite a long background in cross country, he was looking for the anti-running experience in track and field.

It’s been just two years since Schooley was introduced to pole vaulting, and even his memory is a little fuzzy on the circumstances.

 

Except to say, “it just looked crazy.”

 

Whatever it was — punishment or thrill seeking — the pairing turned out perfect since the Davis junior has broken every school class record on his way to clearing 14 feet, 7 inches last month — the highest Class 4A mark in the state this season.

“I wasn’t expecting that so early — not in the first meet,” Schooley admitted. “Our junior school record was 14-6 and after I got 14 I just figured, shoot, why not go for it today?”

Schooley has since been rock solid in all of spring’s blustery conditions, clearing 14-0 four times and 14-6 while placing second on misses to a Portland senior at the Pasco Invitational.

What once looked like “crazy” fun is now serious business for an athlete who has become, quite unintentionally, a family rebel.

Schooley’s older sister, Shawna, was a three-time state cross country qualifier for Davis and is the reigning NWAACC cross country champion at Everett Community College.

Their mother, Collette, comes from a big distance-running family, the Berniers of Selah. Her brother Shawn Bernier won the state AA cross country title for the Vikings in 1980.

So, growing up, Marcus naturally ran.

And still does in the fall.

“I’ve always liked cross country, but it’s not a huge thing with me,” said Schooley, who’s 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds during track and a trimmer 160 for cross country. “I like staying in shape and running with the team. But I guess I wasn’t really interested in running in track.”

With the vault catching his eye as a freshman, Schooley couldn’t resist and proved to be a quick study. He cleared 12-6 as a ninth-grader and 14-0 last year as a sophomore, just missing a trip to state.

Paving the way has been teammate Michael Martinez, a senior who has vaulted for four years and owns a best of 13-6.

“When I first started I was learning off of him,” Schooley said. “I watched how he jumped and how he did things. I picked things up quick and it was mostly because of Michael.”

The challenge now for Schooley and his vault coach Dennis Birley is reaching the next level, which requires using a longer, heavier pole. But the vigilant Birley cautions: Rush the progression and the groundwork falls apart.

Good shots at James Gardner’s 15-year-old school record of 15-11/2 will come in due time. He has, after all, an entire senior year ahead of him.

“We don’t want to sacrifice good form and technique just to get on a 15-foot pole,” explained Birley, a retired teacher who was a longtime head coach at Battle Ground. “There’s a balance to find when moving up and there are a lot of things that go into it. He may not get there this season, and then again he might.”

“It’s a big step up,” Schooley conceded. “Staying on the pole longer and higher, it’s way different technique than what you use on smaller poles. We’ll keep trying.”

Rather than getting obsessed with 15 feet, Schooley’s focus has been on consistency and with six meets at 14-0 or better, he’s achieving it.

“That’s a big deal for me because when I get to regionals I want to know I can make at least 14,” he said. “Making it to state is a big, big goal.”

The regional meet, which will be held at Zaepfel Stadium on May 21-22, will offer four state berths and 14 feet should easily make it. Mead’s Michael Green has cleared that height, and Yakima has two other quality vaulters at 13-6 — Martinez and Eisenhower’s Joseph Keeton.

“That’s what I liked about Pasco, it was a chance to measure up,” he said. “This Saturday we’re at (Shoreline) and that’s another big meet. I’m excited to go over there and jump well.”

Birley has enjoyed his odd pipeline into Jose Garcia’s cross country program. In his first season coaching the Pirates’ vaulters in 2005, Blake Harmon cleared 14-3, third-best in school history. Harmon was a state cross country qualifier the previous fall and a standout 800-meter runner.

“Jose sent Marcus over as a freshman and that’s turned out pretty well,” Birley smiled, remembering his version of those fortuitous events two years ago. “I keep asking him when he’s going send me another distance runner.”

Track: WV 4×200 relay lowers own state best

KENNEWICK, Wash. — West Valley’s girls lowered their state-leading school record in the 4×200 relay to 1:43.60 and won eight other events in a CBBN meet with Chiawana, Eastmont and Southridge on Thursday.

Haley Curtis, Chelsea Nell, Lindsay Burns and Chantel Jaeger joined forces on the relay and combined for five individual wins, including Burns’ Valley-best 17-11 in the long jump.

At Walla Walla, double winners Mayra Chavez and Jessica Bush led Eisenhower’s girls to dual wins over Kamiakin, Walla Walla and Moses Lake. The Cadets improved to 10-1 with one meet left next Thursday.

CBBN

AT WALLA WALLA

BOYS

Team scores: Eisenhower 82, Moses Lake 63; Kamiakin 101, Eisenhower 44; Walla Walla 101, Eisenhower 44.

Eisenhower highlights

200: 3, Mike Esparza 23.68. 400: 2, Timothy Cummings 52.51. 800: 1, German Silva 2:01.01. 1600: 2, Bryan Simison 4:26.90. 4×400: 1, Eisenhower 3:38.94.
Disc: 2, Abel Soto 129-8; 3, Alex Murchie 117-8. PV: 1, Jacob Hino 13-0; 2, Joseph Keeton 12-6.

GIRLS

Team scores: Eisenhower 87.5, Kamiakin 62.5; Eisenhower 116, Moses Lake 34; Eisenhower 77.5, Walla Walla 72.5.

Eisenhower highlights

100: 2, Shanai Campbell 13.13. 200: 1, McKenzie Arnold 27.57. 400: 1, Rachel Freeman 1:01.71. 800: 1, Mayra Chavez 2:26.41; 2, Kirsten Sheffield 2:26.75. 1600: 1, Chavez 5:20.43. 3200: 1, Berenice Penaloza 11:35.55. 300H: 2, Katherine Bravo 47.15. 4×100: 1, Eisenhower 50.73. 4×200: 2, Eisenhower 1:50.35. 4×400: 1, Eisenhower 4:07.68.
Shot: 1, Jessica Bush 40-91/4. Disc: 1, Bush 128-7. Jav: 3, Brooke Brown 95-10. LJ: 3, Beth Klingele 16-0. PV: 3, Maria Suarez 9-0.

AT SOUTHRIDGE

BOYS

Team scores: West Valley 95, Chiawana 50; Eastmont 80.5, West Valley 64.5; Southridge 119, West Valley 26.

West Valley highlights

200: 2, Erik Larson 24.22. 400: 1, Taylor McDowell 52.71. 800: 1, Kyle Mellander 2:02.01. 4×100: West Valley 46.26. 4×400: 1, West Valley 3:37.34. HJ: 2, Taylor Moulton 5-8.

GIRLS

Team scores: West Valley 96, Chiawana 50; West Valley 84.5, Eastmont 64.5; Southridge 81, West Valley 68.

West Valley highlights

100: 1, Chantel Jaeger 12.57. 200: 1, Jaeger 25.86; 3, Ashley Packard 28.07. 400: 1, Lindsay Burns 59.20. 800: 1, Chelsea Nell 2:30.41. 1600: 1, Audrey Urlacher 5:27.65. 3200: 1, Urlacher 11:54.89; 2, Margret Parobek 12:17.15; 3, Jaden Gjestrum 12:54.65. 300H: 1, Haley Curtis 47.30. 4×100: 2, West Valley 51.28. 4×200: 1, West Valley 1:43.60. 4×400: 1, West Valley 4:10.35. Disc: 2, Aleia Gefre 96-5. LJ: 1, Burns 17-11.

CWAC

AT WAPATO

BOYS

Team scores: Selah 87, Prosser 52; Selah 85, Wapato 59; Selah 107, East Valley 29; Prosser 101, East Valley 39; Wapato 92, East Valley 46; Prosser 79, Wapato 65.
100: Kennen Pilot (P) 12.02. 200: Ignacio Romero (S) 24.90. 400: Ignacio Ibarra (W) 55.86. 800: Eduardo Torres (W) 2:06.74. 1600: Torres (W) 4:42.59. 3200: Mason Yates (EV) 10:41.49. 110H: Kyle Raschko (S) 18.02. 300H: Kailey Stroupe (S) 44.35. 4×100: Prosser 46.02. 4×400: Wapato 3:38.03.
Shot: Kody Hartley (P) 44-6. Disc: Scott Ellenberger (S) 123-8. Jav: John Rheaume (S) 158-5. HJ: Wayne Minthorn (W) 6-0. LJ: Ethan Groom (P) 16-9. TJ: Rudolfo Delgado (W) 33-9. PV: Ibarra (W) 12-0.

GIRLS

Team scores: Prosser 100, East Valley 50; Prosser 84, Selah 65; Prosser 100, Wapato 49; Selah 88, Wapato 52; East Valley 82, Wapato 53; Selah 85, East Valley 55.
100: Marlee Rees (P) 13.66. 200: Rees (P) 29.13. 400: Madison Moore (P) 1:03.18. 800: Sammi Jo Blodgett (W) 2:33.52. 1600: Blodgett (W) 5:36.77. 3200: Blodgett (W) 12:21.37. 100H: Lena Mitchell (S) 17.23. 300H: Mitchell (S) 49.78. 4×100: Selah 52.38. 4×200: Prosser 1:51.62. 4×400: Prosser 4:20.43.
Shot: Annie Martinez (EV) 39-6. Disc: Adrianna Lopez (W) 105-6. Jav: Martinez (EV) 104-6. HJ: Michelle Weeks (S) 4-8. LJ: Kelli Wilson (P) 15-6. TJ: Wilson (P) 35-9. PV: Moore (P) 8-0.

AT GRANDVIEW

Teams: Ephrata, Ellensburg, Grandview.

BOYS

100: Mather (Eph) 10.7. 200: Mather (Eph) 22.5. 400: Matus (Eph) 53.3. 800: M.Glenn (Ell) 2:05.1. 1600: Ott (Ell) 4:54.9. 3200: Ott (Ell) 10:56. 110H: Chrkavy (Eph) 16.7. 300H: Westrope (Eph) 43.7. 4×100: Ephrata 45.0. 4×400: Ephrata 3:44.
Shot: Flint (Eph) 39-7. Dis: Ellinger (Ell) 98-8. Jav: Flint (Eph) 156-6. HJ: J.Prescod (Eph) 6-0. LJ: T. Prescod (Eph) 21-2. TJ: J. Prescod (Eph) 46-2. PV: Gingrich (Eph) 11-0.

GIRLS

100: S. Bland (Ell) 12.9. 200: S. Bland (Ell) 27.4. 400: Graf (Ell) 1:03.7. 800: Tate (Ell) 2:31.4. 1600: Friend (Eph) 5:08.3. 3200: Friend (Eph) 12:32. 100H: Navarro (Eph) 16.5. 300H: Navarro (Eph) 48.9. 4×100: Ephrata 52.8. 4×200: Ephrata 1:56. 4×400: Ellensburg 4:21.
Shot: Murray (Eph) 39-2. Disc: Quirk (Ell) 89-9. Jav: Valencia (G) 102-4. HJ: Hintz (Eph) 4-8. LJ: Novik (Eph) 13-71/4. TJ: Pope (Eph) 31-11/2. PV: Hintz (Eph) 8-0.

Soccer/Fastpitch: Vikings clip Ellensburg

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Eliseo Montiel punched in two goals in the first 27 minutes and Selah held on for a 2-1 victory over Ellensburg in CWAC play on Thursday.

The Vikings boosted their second-place record in the North Division to 8-4.

In other North play, Othello handed Quincy its first loss with a 3-2 double overtime win at Othello.

First half: 1, Selah, Eliseo Montiel (Danny Hernandez), 14:00; 2, Selah, Montiel (Anthony Hemphill), 27:00.
Second half: 3, Ellensburg, Blake Barrett, 70:00.
Saves: Corey Boboth (S) 2, Andrew Yoder (E) 5.

WAPATO 3, GRANDVIEW 1: At Grandview, Sergio Sanchez had a goal and an assist to help Wapato win its fourth straight match.

First half: 1, Wapato, Sergio Sanchez (Jose Espinoza), time not reported; 2, Wapato, Jesse Chavez.
Second half: 3, Grandview, Ramiro Ceverantez; 4, Wapato, Osvaldo Martinez (Sanchez).
Saves: Edgar Grimaldo (W) 6, Grandview 11.

PROSSER 1, TOPPENISH 0 (SO): At Toppenish, the Mustangs prevailed in the shootout 4-3 to lift their South record to 5-7.

First half: No scoring.
Second half: No scoring.
Shootout — Prosser 4 (Edgar Moreno, Salvador Orozco, Mario Cervantes, Brian Molina). Toppenish 3 (Luis Alcala, Armando Robles, Victor Lopez).
Saves: Brian Molina (P) 5, Leo Fuentes (T) 4.

CBBN

HANFORD 1, SUNNYSIDE 0 (SO): At Hanford, the Falcons earned their first conference win by surviving the shootout 5-4.

First half: No scoring.
Second half: No scoring.
Shootout — Hanford 5 (Andrew Yabusaki, Bobby Johnson, Dan Pack, Jack Goodwin, James Hayes), Sunnyside 4 (Alfredo Gomez, Mark Meza, Javier Contreras, Isaac Meza).
Saves: Luis Garcia (S) 4, Kyle Stewart (H) 5, Christian Tenney (H) 2.

SCAC

NACHES VALLEY 2, GRANGER 1: At Granger, the Rangers scored a goal in each half to earn its first league win.

First half: 1, Naches Valley, Porfi Navarro, 15:00.
Second half: 2, Naches Valley, Shane Mahoney, 60:00; 3, Granger, Uriel Gutierrez, 80:00.
Saves: Not reported.

PREP SOFTBALL

ZILLAH 9, RIVER VIEW 2: At River View, Cassidy Ruggles drove in two runs, Alexa Krueger went 3-for-4, and Samantha Robillard added two hits and also pitched a four-hitter for Zillah.

Zillah              102    203    0    —    9    9    1
River View    000    001    1    —    2    4    5
Robillard and Ruggles; Hess and McGill.
Highlights: Samantha Robillard (Z) 2-4, 4 K; Alexa Krueger (Z) 3-4; Cassidy Ruggles (Z) 2 RBI.

4/30/10 Prep tennis results

CBBN

Eisenhower boys 5, Sunnyside 2

Singles: Nathan Mount (E) d. Kyle Scott 6-0, 6-0; George Chen (E) d. Joey Zijstra 7-6, 6-3; Kameron Torres (E) d. Victor Nunez 6-0, 6-0; Andre Gurule (E) d. Andrew Rodriguez 6-2, 6-0.

Doubles: Matt Johnson-Jorge Pacheco (S) d. Tanner Briggs-Bryan Klingele 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Jeremy Rodriguez-Jessie Leija (S) d. Logan Patterson-Jordon Chen 6-3, 6-4; Gabe Martinez-Edwin Llamas (Ike) d. Adrian Soberanes-Anthony Salcedo 6-2, 6-1.

Eisenhower girls 7, Sunnyside 0

Singles: Kayla Long (E) d. Kiana Ramos 6-3, 6-0; Ali Selstead (E) d. Claudia Gonzalez 6-0, 6-0; Jazmin Okbinoglu (E) d. Cindy Lazares 6-0, 6-0; Tori Klein (E) d. Janet Cuevas 6-0, 6-3.

Doubles: Kacie Kross-Carlie Ruff (E) d. Jessie Robert-Hannah Marro 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Kelsey Racy-Kristina Friesz (E) d. Alissa Martin-Daniela Ramos 6-1, 6-3; Sarah Lopez-Annie Hodges (E) d. Emily Meyer-Christine Kim 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-7).

West Valley girls 5, Eastmont 2

Singles:  Bekah Waterhouse (E) d. Alexis Filliol by default; Taylor Bobovsky (WV) d. Nicolette Kruz 6-0, 6-2; Carly Reihl (WV) d. Sara Martin 6-1, 6-1; Sophia Ro (WV) d. Natalie Merrill 6-3, 6-1.

Doubles: Becca Sherman-Carley Schmidt (WV) d. Holly Gale-Sarah Waterhouse 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5); Kelly Komro-Emily Albrecht (E) d. Carrie Reierson-Mackenzie Saxton 6-4, 6-1; Hannah Klaybo-Dannielle Tanasse (WV) d. Shannon O’Rourke-Mackenzie Banning 6-3, 5-7, 11-9. Record: WV 10-0 in league.

SCAC

Zillah boys 4, Naches Valley 1

Singles: Troy Dunbar (Z) d. Garrett Roberts 6-0, 6-0; Jesse McDonald (Z) d. Matt Doehle 6-4, 7-6 (7-1).

Doubles: Terrance Kleeschulte-Jeremy Gaudette (NV) d. Marco Rodriguez-Oliver Ames 7-5, 2-6, 6-2; Jose Godoy-Mike Cardenas (Z) d. Luke Gillespie-Tyler Mills 6-3, 6-4; Elvis Rublacava-Aaron Elizondo (Z) d. Aaron Schmitt-Noble Stoneman 6-2, 6-2.

Naches Valley girls 4, Zillah 1

Singles: Larissa Fossum (NV) d. Rossetti Celis 6-0, 6-2; Felina Razey (Z) d. Mariah Elsner 6-3, retired.

Doubles: Taylor Ranger-Shelly Johnson (NV) d. Briana Rhode-Elizabeth Fernandez 6-2, 6-1; Satinder Kaur-Karrin Forsman (NV) d. Bobbi Wyatt-April Rohrbach 6-1, 6-4; Rosie McFarland-Samantha Conger (NV) d. Caitlin Myers-Keirsten Richie 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4.

Goldendale boys 5, Highland 0

Singles: Tom Kussmann (G) d. Sam Tuesley 6-0, 6-0; Zack Shattuck (G) won by forfeit.

Doubles: Keith Bighorn-Adrian Sanchez (G) d. Ryan Martin-Dakota Clark 6-2, 3-6, 6-1; Seth Convoy-Kurt Wilkins (G) d. Anthony Solorio-Kelley Welsh 4-6, 6-4, 6-0; Dylan Beierle-Bobby Koffler (G) won by forfeit. Record: Goldendale 6-2 league.

Goldendale girls 3, Highland 2

Singles: Taylor Ollie (H) d. Kendal Bloom 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3; Thais Dutra (G) d. Vanessa Castro 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles: Stacey Thompson-Kelsey Walker (G) d. Tavi Wise-Joseline Velasquez 6-1, 6-0; Rachel Kipfer-Leigh Montgomery (G) d. Emily Sorenson-Lisa Sorenson 6-4, 6-4; Jessica Pellicer-Kalynn McIntyre (H) d. Amanda Stelter-Dallas Smith 6-2, 6-0. Record: Goldendale 4-4 league.

La Salle boys 5, White Swan 0

Singles: Brian Carlson (L) d. Alvaro Gonzales 6-0, 6-0; Danny Paganelli (L) d. Juan Raboden 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles: Ryan Voelker-Jacob Tri (L) d. Alex Craig-Zach Tenney 6-1, 6-1; Luke Nichols-Jeremy Klarich (L) d. Xavier Valldares-Christian Galvin 6-2, 6-0; La Salle won No. 3 doubles by forfeit.

4/30/10 Prep golf results

CWAC

GIRLS

Team scores: Selah 446, East Valley 504, Ellensburg 506.

Medalist: Briana Nelson (S) 102. At Yakima Country Club, par 72.

East Valley: Allyson Ingraham 120, Heather Pepper 124, Danae Holzer 128, Katie Gibbs 132.

Ellensburg: Jessica Schademan 124, Autumn Grassel 125, Taylor Canini 127, Jennifer Perrie 130.

Selah: Ashley Anderson 112, Cassy Burns 115, Taylor Jones 117.

Non-League

BOYS

Team scores: East Valley boys 335, West Valley 344, Davis 394, Eisenhower 449.

Medalist: Tyler Jensen (East Valley) 75. At Yakima Elks, par 71.

East Valley: Jensen 75, Corbin Perrault 82, Dan Assink 82, Chad Cameron 96, Jake Crisman 110, James Hart 113.

West Valley: Conor O’Brien 80, Bryce Gout 86, Matt Mickelson 88, Kameron Schmidt 90, Dustin DiBenedetto 93.

Davis: Martin Medina 79, Eddie Espinoza 100, Jose Campos 104, Jamison Bauer 111, Will Chapman 114.

Eisenhower: William Flett 100, Jacob Schwher 108, Patrick Conklin 120, Vaughn Gilmore 121, Jaen Luck Jackson 126.

Breaking down future of state hoops begins

YAKIMA, Wash. — Hold on folks, this is going to be a bumpy ride.

The WIAA’s wholesale change in the format of state basketball tournaments is a sudden and jolting development, the consequences of which are still being digested a week after the announcement was made.

Naturally, at this early stage, little of the reaction has been positive. Especially in Yakima, which will have its days of state basketball in the SunDome — and all the associated economic benefits — reduced from 12 to three.

Mike Colbrese, the WIAA’s Executive Director, agreed on Wednesday that the Executive Board’s decision was aggressive and bold but necessary.

“The Board was extremely proactive with what it felt had to be done,” he said. “Going into a new two-year cycle, the Board, I think, came together very solidly to take an appropriate step that needed to be taken sooner rather than later.”

Declining attendance — across the board in all six classifications, according to Colbrese — is the primary driving force behind the new format, which will regionalize the first round and have all those tournaments contested at the same time.

To review, four regionals in each class will be held Feb. 25-26 with two qualifiers from each advancing to a field of eight that will play under one roof over three days — March 3-5 — for six trophies. There will be three sites — 4A and 3A in the Tacoma Dome, 2A and 1A in the SunDome and 2B and 1B in the Spokane Arena.

Colbrese stressed that the new format still starts with 16 teams and is “close to what was in place before.” He did clarify one important aspect of the modified double-elimination format.

Each regional will have two No. 1 seeds playing for a spot in the final eight and a pair of No. 2s playing a loser-out game on the first day. The next day, the No. 1-seed loser will play the No. 2-seed survivor for the second berth to the quarterfinals.

This, incidentally, is the exact same format used in the Class AAA and AA boys and girls state tournaments as recently as 1987. In the 23 years since then, all state tournaments have been contested over four consecutive days under one roof with eight trophies awarded.

In switching to regional sites for the first round, the WIAA hopes having more games closer to home for schools will boost attendance. And culling the field to eight before heading to arenas will reduce the consolation games that hurt overall attendance the most.

A lot of people — especially coaches — don’t like the WIAA taking such a bottom-line attitude with the coveted tradition of the four-day state experience. To some, it’s sacrilege.

But with attendance going down, the creation of an additional tournament with Class 1B in 2007 and only three suitable venues — Spokane being available only one week and Tacoma being the most costly — some fiscal move was bound to happen.

“We need to make sure we develop quality events for kids, and be prudent at the same time,” Colbrese said. “This format would reduce costs and still create exciting tournaments. It’s a big change but it was needed.”

How will it work here?

To house the modified 2A and 1A tournaments simultaneously over three days, tournament manager Gene Rostvold will need to handle 44 games in the SunDome, starting with 16 quarterfinal games on Thursday.

That will be one heck of a day, hoop fans, and followed directly by eight semifinals and eight loser-out games on Friday. That will be a serious crowd-management chore, but the task with bigger consequences comes Saturday with eight trophy games plus four championship games.

With 12 games on Saturday, Rostvold and company will have to abandon its one-court, expanded-seating configuration — unique to Yakima — that has been so popular over the years.

“That’s one of the things that has made Yakima special and set us apart,” Rostvold said. “Unless the fifth-sixth-place games were moved to another facility, we wouldn’t be able to it. The most we can do on one court in a day is eight.”

There is no doubt that the SunDome will push capacity all three days with a loaded lineup of games, but the reduction in overall days is a hit Rostvold feels for his town.

“I feel bad for the Yakima community because the people here have really stepped up and embraced these tournaments,” he said. “We’ve done the best job of anybody putting on a state tournament — the community has done a fantastic job making it a special experience for visitors — and now we’re down to three days. That hurts.”

About the first week

Aside from the aforementioned details for the three games, the regional weekend has a ton of details that still have to be worked out. Where these sites will be and how teams will be seeded will be the primary topic of discussion at a WIAA meeting on June 1 with final plans coming in July, Colbrese said.

There is a good possibility that some of Yakima’s lost tournament days could be recouped by hosting one or more regionals in the SunDome. That would require a two-day rental expense but it could be cost effective.

“Would we rent Tacoma or Spokane, probably not,” Colbrese said of the regional weekend. “But the SunDome and the Tri-Cities, maybe.”

As for seeding, that’s the hornets’ nest for both the initial 16 qualifiers and the eight that move into the quarterfinals. There will not likely be a tournament draw in the traditional sense, but eight No. 1 and eight No. 2 seeds will still need to be determined for regional pairings.

“It’s too early to tell,” Colbrese said. “We’ve asked the districts and coaches association to deliberate over this. There’s a lot to go over.”

Yakima keeps volleyball

One other piece of business the Executive Board tended to at last week’s spring assembly was extending the commitments to Yakima and the Tri-Cities for the state volleyball championships.

The SunDome will continue to host the Class 1A, 2B and 1B tournaments while the Tri-Cities Coliseum will host 4A, 3A and 2A. A bid by the Everett Events Center for the big-school tourneys was rejected.

• Scott Spruill’s prep blog is at sportsyakima.com He can  be reached at 577-7686 or sspruill@yakimaherald.com

4/30/10 Prep hot tickets

SATURDAY

TRACK AND FIELD: The 21st annual Keith Jewett Invitational at Ellensburg’s Andreotti Stadium will have eight local teams in its 14-team field. Events start at 10 a.m.

FASTPITCH: Selah (12-0, 13-1) will put its unbeaten CWAC record on the line when it hosts Ellensburg (10-2, 11-2) in a doubleheader that starts at 11 a.m.

TENNIS: Eisenhower, Davis and West Valley will compete in the annual Yakima Invitational, starting at 9 a.m. The boys will play at the Yakima Tennis Club while the girls are at Kissel Park.

4/30/10 Prep spotlights

CLASS 4A-3A

Chris Beehler, Eisenhower soccer, senior

A center defender and co-captain, Beehler is a four-year starter for the Cadets. The Whitworth recruit also plays for Snohomish United Black, a Premier team that won the U-18 state title.

CLASS 2A

Mary Graf, Selah fastpitch, sophomore

Batting .615 over four games last week, Graf scored six runs in a CWAC doubleheader against Quincy and had a double, triple and two RBI against West Valley in Seattle.

CLASS 1A

Lillian Mitchum, Highland golf, junior

Leading a field of 90 players, Mitchum won the Highland Invitational at SunTides Golf Course last week by five strokes with a round of 88. She started playing just two years ago.

CLASS 2B-1B

Josh Bartlett, La Salle track, senior

A first-team all-state defensive lineman in football, Bartlett won the discus at Friday’s Lion’s Club Invitational in Goldendale with a season best of 133-3.

QB Club luncheon Monday

YAKIMA, Wash. — The Yakima Monday Morning Quarterback Club will hold its monthly luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Shari’s restaurant at 40th Ave. and Fruitvale Blvd.

Lunch service will be available, and the public is invited.

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