Local report: Weedman, Louman win Best Ball

YAKIMA, Wash. — Carey Weedman and Jeff Louman teed off early enough to miss Sunday’s gusty winds and record a final-round 64 and win the Fall Central Washington Two-Man Best Ball at SunTides Golf Course.

Weedman and Louman finished at 12-under par 128.

The first-round leaders, Corey DeGrood and Dusty Frontis, finished one stroke behind at 129.

Kevin Coluccio and Gordon Rowe won the net title by two strokes over the teams of Steve Rasmusson and Rob Woodey and SunTide’s Ron Whittaker and Rod Johnston.

Gross: 1, Carey Weedman/Jeff Louman 128; 2, Corey DeGrood/Dusty Frontis 129; 3, Larry Refield/Brock Weedman 132; 3, Chris DeGrazia/Mike Hickok 133; 4, Perry McCormick/Ron Wyles 133; 4, West Campbell/Robi Raab 133; 7, Ray Gallipo/Ward Jackson 134; 7, John Onstad/Shane Snell 134; 7, George Pechtel/Steve Mercy 134; 7, Perry Page/Gary Hutchins 134.

Net: 1, Kevin Coluccio/Gordon Rowe 116; 2, Steve Rasmusson/Rob Woodey 118; 2, Rod Johnston/Ron Whittaker 118; 4, Terry Thompson/Danny Thompson 120; 4, Don Wagoner/Rudy Gasparac 120; 6, Buck Berndt/Greg Dunn 121; 6, Louis Songer/Gus Flores 121; 6, Jim Picinich/Bob McDonald 121; 9, Don Hodgson/Burton Knowles 124; 10, Dave Achziger/Richard Borgia 125; 10, Jeff Davis/Don Fisher 125; 10, Ron Knight/Zach Edmondison 125.

COLLEGE SOCCER

Early goal enough for CWU

LACEY, Wash. — Carson McKole’s goal in the second minute held up as Central Washington defeated Saint Martin’s 1-0 in a GNAC soccer match Sunday.

McKole scored on a double assist from Amy Pate and Brittany Franks.

Goalkeeper Kori Butterfield had four saves in the shutout for CWU (3-1-0 GNAC, 4-2-2 overall).

First half: 1, CWU Car McKole (Amy Pate, Brittany Franks), 1:39.

Saves: Kori Butterfield 4 saves. Ashley Engle six saves.

PREP CROSS COUNTRY

Kaluzny dominates invite

WENATCHEE, Wash. — Davis senior Kaitlin Kaluzny won the Wenatchee Invitational by over a minute Saturday at Walla Walla Point State Park.

Kaluzny covered the three-mile course in 18 minutes, 24 seconds and led the Pirates to fourth place.

Davis’ Alberto Melchor placed second in the boys race, clocking 15:50 and just missing the win by a second. The Pirates had three finishers in the top six to place second behind Central Valley.

BOYS

Winner: Michael Thorsen (Central Kitsap) 15:49.

Davis finishers: 2, Alberto Melchor 15:50; 5, Alex Palacios 16:15; 6, Joe Knox 16:23; 17, Jan Eymer 17:23; 18, Sam Fiander 17:25; 23, Bryan Islas 17:36; 26, Alejandro Mayorga 17:42.

GIRLS

Winner: Kaitlin Kaluzny (Davis) 18:24.

Davis finishers: 8, Erica DeMond 20:00; 20, Megumi DeMond 21:07; 25, Grace Whitmer 21:29; 27, Maria Beltran 21:49.

PREP SWIMMING

LATE SATURDAY RESULTS

Pullman 116, Prosser 47

(Prosser placers)

200 medley relay: 2, Brianna Garcia, Hailey Rankin, Gabby Villarreal, Karlie Lusk, 2:16.52.

200 free: 2, Danielle McKeirnon 2:16.86.

200 IM: 1, Hailey Rankin 2:16.01; 4, Gabby Villarreal 2:56.58.

50 free: 2, Karlie Lusk 28.64.

100 butterfly: 2, Kate Burnett 1:15.44; 4, Gabby Villarreal 1:23.42.

100 free: 2, Danielle McKeirnon 1:04.66; 5, Brianna Garcia 1:06.78.

500 free: 4, Karlie Lusk 7:00.06.

200 free relay: 2, Hailey Rankin, Danielle McKeirnon, Kate Burnett, Karlie Lusk, 1:54.03.

100 back: 3, Brianna Garcia 1:20.97.

100 breast: 1, Hailey Rankin 1:11.09; 5, Kate Burnett 1:27.73.

Ephrata 64, Grandview 42

(Grandview placers)

200 medley relay: 2, Samanta Castaneda, Lecie Owens, Jessica Morales, Zulema Valencia, 2:38.00.

200 IM: 2, Jessica Morales 2:51.47.

50 free: 1, Samanta Castaneda 28.92; 4, Rikki Verduzco 34.60; 5, Zulema Valencia 36.59.

100 butterfly: 1, Jessica Morales 1:23.92.

100 free: 4, Lecie Owens 1:25.84.

200 free relay: 2, Samanta Castaneda, Zulema Valencia, Lecie Owens, Rikki Verduzco 2:18.83.

100 back: 2, Zulema Valencia 1:42.92.

100 breast: 1, Samanta Castaneda 1:30.65; 3, Lecie Owens 1:42.54.

On the other foot

Losing, criticism are new for Wildcats, coach

YAKIMA, Wash. — Don James’ smile was a bit forced when he spoke of the mail he received while coaching football at Washington.

“Some of it’s just ridiculous, full of profanity and things that are hard to even comprehend,” he said during a conversation we had toward the end of his 18-year tenure.

“Do you respond?” I asked.

“Sure,” James said. “I send the letters back, along with a note. I usually write, ‘I thought you were so proud of what you’d written here that you probably would like to have it and keep it.’”

And this type of vitriol would come flooding in when the Huskies had plummeted to, say, 6-5, as they had in 1988.

Today, of course, it’s much easier for the disgruntled to vent.

E-mail makes it more convenient, not to mention faster, for boosters, parents, alumni and others who first find fault with someone’s coaching, then find the need to voice strong opinions on it. Plus there are comment boards, chat rooms and radio talk shows which provide further forums for the disenchanted.

For Blaine Bennett, who lost six games during his first three seasons at Central Washington but this year lost three during the span of 16 days, an increase in negative dialogue is bound to happen.

Last week I left a message on Bennett’s cell phone. He quickly called back, saying, “Sorry I didn’t pick up, but your number came up as unavailable when my phone rang. When you’re 0-3, you become careful about answering.”

Imagine if the Wildcats stumble further.

As things stand, a return to the NCAA Division II playoffs, which CWU missed out on last year to end a three-year run, will require a miracle. And a GNAC championship, the last five of which have been won by the Wildcats, is a longshot at best.

“Right now,” Bennett said, “we’re a good team with a bad record.”

He elaborated on the “good team” assessment, insisting the ‘Cats have a deep and talented roster to go with an experienced and savvy coaching staff. Bennett also spoke to the nature of all three games, the last two of which Central has lost by a combined margin of nine points.

“All three games have been winnable,” he said. “What we need to do is play well for four quarters in all three phases, which is something we haven’t done yet.”

So far the chief culprits have been an inconsistent passing game, an ineffective running game and erratic special teams.

In the meantime, the Wildcats are using their bye week to reflect and regroup, and for now Bennett said that won’t involve re-evaluating the quarterback position.

“Ryan Robertson is still our starter,” Bennett said. “He didn’t play very well that first game, then he played really well against Humboldt State — probably one of the better games of his career. Then we go out against Western Oregon and turn the ball over five times.

“But I still think Ryan can win games for us, and he’s still our best option at quarterback.”

Defensive end Taylor Tanasse, meanwhile, said the team’s immediate need is simple.

“We need to get a win,” said the senior from West Valley. “We need to get a win to help us confidence-wise, and then go from there. We have the talent, we have the schemes and we have the coaching staff. Right now we just need to get a win.”

Bennett concurred, labeling Saturday’s game with Simon Fraser, the first of three straight home games with Humboldt and Western Oregon to follow, as pivotal.

“Time will tell,” he said, “but from where we’re at right now the perfect scenario would have us win these three at home and then make a good strong run from there. In three weeks, 3-3 would certainly not be the record we’d have wanted at the start of the year, but on the other hand we’d be feeling pretty good about ourselves.”

So what about the coach? Has he come under fire in the wake of Central’s first 0-3 start in 31 years?

“I don’t get the kind of fan mail coach James used to get back in the day,” he said. “But I try not to listen to all the great things people say when we’re 3-0 and I don’t listen to all the negatives when we’re 0-3. I try to stay as even-keel as I can.”

So did James.

When acclaimed the nation’s best college football coach by Sports Illustrated in the mid-80s, The Dawgfather produced a semi-embarrassed grin.

“I’ve never gotten up in the morning and thought of myself as the world’s greatest football coach,” he said. “That’s just something where if my parents were still living, my dad would enjoy it and my mother would believe it.”

• Roger Underwood’s Under the Radar blog is at sportsyakima.com. He can be reached at 509-577-7694 or runderwood@yakimaherald.com

Soccer: Jach leads Davis to victory

YAKIMA, Wash. — Senior Katie Jach fired in two goals in the first 14 minutes and Davis went on to beat Chiawana 3-1 in CBBN 4A girls soccer Saturday afternoon at Davis Field.

Jach’s two tallies gave her seven for the season. Goalkeeper Teresa Salazar made two saves for the Pirates, who improved to 3-1 in league and 6-2 overall.

Davis plays at Eisenhower on Tuesday, starting at 7 p.m.

First half: 1, Davis, Katie Jach (Aimee Silva), 10:00; 2, Davis, Jach (Maddie Noe), 14:00; 3, Chiawana, Lexi Miller, 15:00; 4, Davis, Vickey Lopez (MacKenna Morton), 30:00.

Second half: No scoring.

Saves: Teresa Salazar (D) 2; Shelby English (C) 8.

CBBN 3A

WEST VALLEY 2, HANFORD 1: At Hanford, Ali Alderman punched home an assist from Lindsay Burns in the 38th minute to give WV the lead, and the Rams made it stand up in a scoreless second half.

Sandy Hanses’ ninth goal of the season gave the Rams a 1-0 lead in the opening minute of the match. Stephanie Gibson had four saves for West Valley (3-2, 5-2), which hosts Sunnyside on Tuesday.

First half: 1, West Valley, Sandy Hanses (Sadee Kallis), 1:00; 2, Hanford, scorer unavailable, 35:00; 3, West Valley, Ali Alderman (Lindsay Burns), 38:00.

Second half: No scoring.

Saves: Stephanie Gibson (WV) 4, Emily Busselman (H) and Cecily Bader (H) 5.

CWAC

SELAH 3, PROSSER 2: At Selah, after opening a 2-1 lead in the first half, the Vikings held Prosser at bay until Kylee Morse made it 3-1 with a score in the 77th minute.

With the league-opening victory, Selah leveled its season record at 3-3-2 while Prosser slipped to 5-2-1.

First half: 1, Selah, Frannie Bazan, 22:00; 2, Prosser, Madison Moore, 24:00; 3, Selah, Sarah Bersing, 38:00.

Second half: 4, Selah, Kylee Morse, 77:00; 5, Prosser, Makensie Forsyth, 79:00.

Saves: Rachel Mears (S) 2; Jamie White (P) 5.

TOPPENISH 1, QUINCY 0: At Toppenish, Lourds Walle scored in the 60th minute, and Liz Garisas made six saves to record the shutout and give Toppenish (3-2-2 overall) a victory in its league opener.

First half: No scoring.

Second half: 1, Toppenish, Lourds Walle, 60:00.

Saves: Liz Garisas (T) 6, Jenna Arnall (Q) 8.

EPHRATA 5, WAPATO 1: At Ephrata, Isabel Alvarado got Wapato (1-4-2 overall) on the scoreboard first, but Ephrata took over from there in the league opener for both teams.

First half: 1, Wapato, Isabel Alvarado, 13:00; 2, Ephrata, Fredline Hamm, 27:00; 3, Ephrata, own goal, 35:00.

Second half: 4, Ephrata, Chloe Spencer, 48:00; 5, Lana Sween, 53:00; 6, Ephrata, Ashley Klepec, 71:00.

Saves: Kayla Brissey (E) 8.

OTHELLO 2, GRANDVIEW 0: At Grandview, the Huskies scored in the first minute and also in the 79th in the CWAC opener for both teams.

Jamilla Shafer had six saves for the Greyhounds (3-3 overall).

First half: 1, Othello, scorer unavailable, 1:00.

Second half: 2, Othello, scorer unavailable; 79:00.

Saves: Othello 6; Jamilla Shafer (G) 6.

NON-LEAGUE

LA SALLE 2, NACHES VALLEY 0: At La Salle, the unbeaten Lightning struck for both goals within three minutes in the second half, improving its season mark to 4-0-2.

Naches Valley (4-1-1) opens SCAC play on Tuesday at Mabton. La Salle plays its conference opener at home on Saturday against Wahluke.

First half: No scoring.

Second half: 1, La Salle, Emma Avalos (Lily O’Conner), 54:00; 2, La Salle, Grace Martin, 57:00.

Saves: Stephanie Perez (L) 4, Regan Gibbs (NV) 11.

CLE ELUM 5, GOLDENDALE 4 (SO): At Goldendale, Lindsay Dearmin scored two goals in the first half for the Warriors, who prevailed in the shootout 2-1.

Andrea Keffeler recorded a hat trick for Goldendale, including the last two tallies in regulation to force overtime.

First half: 1, Go, Andrea Keffeler, 15:00; 2, CE, Lindsay Dearmin, 21:00; 3, Go, own goal, 30:00; 4, CE, Dearmin, 37:00; 5, CE, Tisha Owens, 39:00.

Second half: 6, CE, Morgan Cross, 46:00; 7, Go, Keffeler (PK), 61:00; 8, Go, Keffeler, 67:00.

Shootout: Cle Elum 2, Goldendale 1.

Saves: Dallas Smith (Go) 11, Tashia Mosley (CE) 13.

BOYS SOCCER

RIVERSIDE CHRISTIAN 5, DAYTON 0: At Riverside Christian, Kirk Gartrell scored twice in a four-minute span early in the first half, and Isaiah Tranch added a goal and an assist to lead Riverside Christian (4-1).

First half: 1, Riverside Christian, John Stein, 8:00; 2, Riverside Christian, Kirk Gartrell (Isaiah Tranch), 14:00; 3, Riverside Christian, Gartrell, 18:00; 4, Riverside Christian, Luke Vickers, 27:00.

Second half: 5, Riverside Christian, Tranch, 72:00.

Saves: Tyler Greenwood (RC) 0, Dayton, 15.

Preps: Ike sweeps Bellevue Invitational

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Eisenhower’s top-ranked boys and leader Santos Vargas won their third straight invitational titles on Saturday as the boys and girls swept the team trophies at the Bellevue Invitational at Lake Sammamish State Park.

Vargas covered the 5,000-meter course in 15 minutes, 23 seconds. He and teammate Jaziel Rodriguez finished 1-2 in the fourth and final varsity flight.

Mayra Chavez and Elise Tello finished 2-3 in the girls’ fast flight.

Eisenhower hosts the 38th annual Sunfair Invitational next Saturday at Franklin Park.

BOYS

Eisenhower results

Flight 1-2: 1, Santos Vargas 15:23; 2, Jaziel Rodriguez 15:39. Flight 3-4: 2, Delfino Dominguez 16:39; 3, Kyle Chapman 16:43. Flight 5-6: 3, Gavin Leaverton 17:01; 5, Carter Svendsen 17:18. Flight 7-8: 2, Jose Maciel 17:11; 4, Braeden Rehfield 17:18.

GIRLS

Eisenhower results

Flight 1-2: 2, Mayra Chavez 18:40; 3, Elise Tello 18:45. Flight 3-4: 3, Tori Klein 20:01; 4, Alyssa Pena 20:07. Flight 5-6: 4, Mercedes Chavez 21:01; 10, Keana Fine 21:50. Flight 7-8: 5, Samantha Gil 21:21; 10, Kassandra Mares 22:00.

Connell Invitational

BOYS

Team scores — 4A-3A: Sunnyside 33, Chiawana 48, Kennewick 60, Richland 85. 2A: Moscow 40, Stanfield 73, Othello 81, Pullman 84, Clarkston 88, Grandview 131, Toppenish 186. 1A: Zillah 38, Royal 59, Kiona-Benton 90, Granger 107, Connell 117, Chelan 135, Naches Valley 173, Cle Elum 182. 2B-1B: Tri-Cities Prep 15, Lake Roosevelt 54.

Winner: Seth Deal (Waitsburg-Prescott) 16:51 (5,000 meters).

Local highlights: 3, Juan Reynoso (Su) 17:11; 5, Nathan Gonzalez (Su) 17:33; 16, Zach Collins (Z) 18:17; 17, Samuel Cuevas (Gv) 18:23; 18, Omar Cantu (Su) 18:25; 25, Troy Dunbar (Z) 18:43; 28, Omar Cardoza (Gr) 18:44; 35, Kody Johnson (Z) 19:00; 36, Kasey Johnson (Z) 19:00; 38, Reyes Cuevas (Su) 19:11; 44, Sergio Sanchez (Z) 19:26; 49, Eduardo Cuevas (Su) 19:33; 50, Eric Espindola (Su) 19:33.

GIRLS

Team scores — 4A-3A: Richland 23, Sunnyside 34. 2A: Pullman 33, Moscow 35, Clarkston 59, Othello 91. 1A: Zillah 33, Chelan 36, Connell 81, Royal 84, Naches Valley 125. 2B-1B: Tri-Cities Prep 19, St. John-Endicott 40.

Winner: Morgan Willson (Colfax) 18:36 (5,000 meters).

Local highlights: 21, Criselda Diaz (Z) 24:18; 22, Kayla Gonzalez (Su) 24:18; 25, Betsy Reynoso (Su) 24:31; 26, Britten Ellis (Z) 24:32; 28, Samantha Robillard (Z) 24:46; 35, Haily Sechser (Z) 25:31; 40, Caitlin Myers (Z) 25:45.

Erik Anderson Invitational

AT SPOKANE

BOYS

Team scores: 1, Shadle Park 60; 2, Lakeside 100; 3, Selah 116. 33 teams.

Selah results: 4, Matt Schwittay 16:03; 5, Brad Kahn 16:08; 13, Ethan Smith 16:27; 41, Ben Hoffman 17:23; 51, Cameron Ford 17:39; 65, Matt Schrank 17:48.

GIRLS

Selah results: 88, Olivia Riel 24:21; 94, Jacqlyn Sauve 25:14; 99, Kylee Cardon 25:56; 104, Kaiti Dell 26:41.

VOLLEYBALL

RC improves to 3-0 in league

Onyx Gibbs put away nine kills and Ashley Borello served seven aces as Riverside Christian remained unbeaten in North Central 2B play with a sweep over Lake Roosevelt on Saturday.

Breezy Byrne collected 18 assists for the Crusaders, who improved to 3-0 in league with a 25-9, 25-18, 25-11 victory.

Riverside Christian highlights: Onyx Gibbs 9 kills; Nicole Nobbs 4 aces; Mikayla Brown 4 kills, 4 aces; Breezy Byrne 18 assists; Ashley Borello 7 aces; Sarah Roberts 5 kills.

WHITE SWAN 3, SOAP LAKE 1: At Soap Lake, Amber Jones had 10 kills and produced 17 service points with four aces to lead the Cougars to a 25-23, 19-25, 25-12, 25-21 win.

White Swan highlights: Amber Jones 10 kills, 17 service points, 4 aces; Evelyn Hawk 7 kills; Shelby Clark 12 sp, 11 assists, 2 kills; Maria Spencer 18 sp, 5 aces, 10 assists; Emily Boykin 3 kills, 5 blocks; Jessica Sheppard 3 kills, 3 blocks.

NON-LEAGUE

SUNNYSIDE CHRISTIAN WINS TOURNAMENT: At Tri-Cities Prep, the Knights won all three of their matches in the Tri-Cities Prep Invite, downing Bickleton 25-14, 25-15, Burbank 23-25, 25-21, 15-8, and Tri-City Prep 25-16, 26-15.

Maddy Wavrin and Stormee Van Belle had 18 kills each for SC, which improved to 11-2.

Sunnyside Christian highlights: Alyssa Haak 31-32 serving, 8 kills, 29 assists; Alexandra Newhouse 27-28 serving, 7 kills, 23 perfect passes; Stormee Van Belle 20-22 serving, 18 kills; Danika DeGroot 22-22 serving, 10 kills, 26 assists; Maddy Wavrin 18 kills, 17 pp; Ashleigh Oswalt 23-24 serving, 19 pp.

THORP 3, HIGHLAND 0: At Highland, Katelyn Pendley’s 17 kills powered the Tigers to a 25-8, 25-13, 25-11 win. Thorp (1-0, 2-2) travels to Easton on Tuesday.

Thorp highlights: Katelyn Pendley 17 kills, 3 aces; Christina Price 7 kills, 12 digs; Haley Lindelof 6 aces, 10 digs; Kerry Hanks 17 assists, 4 aces.

Highland highlights: Jessica Pellicer 4 digs; Kendyl Preston 5-5 serving, 2 digs, 2 assists; Aly Tiepsort 9-10 serving, 2 kills; Chelsey Fisk 3 digs, 2 pp; Liz Garcia 3 digs; Erin Duncan 3 kills; Skyler Clark 4-4 serving; Tamson Reed 3 kills, 3 blocks.

Yaks fend off Geoducks

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Yakima Valley scored twice in the first 12 minutes and then relied on its defense for a 2-1 victory over Evergreen State in a non-league women’s soccer match Saturday.

The victory improved the Yaks to 4-2-1 going into a Friday home match against Southwestern Oregon.

Elizabeth Figueroa and Katie Allen struck quickly for YVCC, with assists from Brianna Mares and Kaylah Gonzales, respectively.

The Geoducks got a goal from Anastasia Daniels in the 40th minute, but that was it as Yakima Valley goalie Amanda Freisz recorded eight saves.

First half: 1, YVCC, Elizabeth Figueroa (Brianna Mares), 7:00; 2, YVCC, Katie Allen (Kaylah Gonzales), 12:00; 3, Evergreen, Anastasia Daniels, 40:00.

Second half: No scoring.

Saves: Amanda Freisz (YV) 8, Lauren Davidson (E) 5.

COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY

Locals see action for CWU

SPOKANE, Wash. — With the vast majority of its runners resting, Central Washington fielded a small contingent for Saturday’s Erik Anderson Invitational.

Sophomore Taylor Kartes of Federal Way completed the women’s 6K course in 25:44 and was the lone CWU runner in the top 200 individually.

Freshman Ryan Loutsis topped the men with a 29:08 clocking over the 8K course while junior Matt Nodine of Ellensburg finished in 29:27 and freshman Peter Troianello of Eisenhower had a time of 30:34.

Central’s top runners are expected to compete in next Saturday’s Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational in Salem, Ore.

AWAY AT SCHOOL

Curtis earns conference honor

YAKIMA, Wash. — Utah Valley’s Haley Curtis, a sophomore from West Valley, was recently named Great West Conference soccer player of the week.

Curtis scored the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Idaho, then scored the first goal in a 2-1 victory over Montana in the same week.

Plaudits for unbeaten Pirates

Heartiest congrats to Davis on Friday night’s 34-27 overtime conquest of Richland, a victory that ended a 13-year victory drought against the Bombers and confirmed the Pirates as true CBBN 4A title contenders.
It also might have been one of the most dramatic and entertaining games in recent Valley history.
Once we’d finished another frenzied evening in the office, Scott Spruill and I spent perhaps 20 minutes on the sidewalk outside as Scott repeatedly marveled at what he had only minutes earlier witnessed and reported on.
Kudos to Rick Clark and his 4-0 Pirates on their impressive capacity for being both resilient and resourceful, and I’m very much looking forward to watching and writing about the Davis-Ike matchup on Oct..
It’s true that yours truly picked Richland in our weekly predictions, but it’s also true that in my 38th year of covering high school football, I cannot recall being happier at being wrong.

FROM THE QUOTE FILE
“I think Bill Clinton was president the last time this happened.”
— Rick Clark, after Davis’ 2-0 start last season
“I’d say it’s the biggest win here since the Lyndon Johnson presidency.”
— Rick Clark, after Friday night’s OT thriller against Richland

Week 4 football logs

CLASS 4A

DAVIS (2-0, 4-0)
W, 54-28, @ Eastmont
W, 26-18, Sunnyside
W, 35-18, @ Moses Lake
W, 34-27 (OT), Richland
Next: @ Walla Walla

EISENHOWER (0-1, 3-1)
W, 54-12, Rainier Beach
W, 44-13, @ West Valley
L, 13-42, Chiawana
W, 55-31, @ Evergreen-Van
Next: Wenatchee

CLASS 3A

SUNNYSIDE (0-2, 1-3)
W, 51-14, Grandview
L, 18-26, @ Davis
L, 19-20, @ Southridge
L, 12-22, West Valley
Next: @ Kennewick (Thursday)

WEST VALLEY (1-1, 2-2)
W, 21-13, @ Selah
L, 13-44, Eisenhower
L, 6-7, Hanford
W, 22-12, @ Sunnyside
Next: Kamiakin

CLASS 2A

EAST VALLEY (1-2, 2-2)
W, 48-14, @ Naches Valley
L, 7-8, Ellensburg
W, 20-18, @ Quincy
L, 7-34, Prosser
Next: @ Othello

ELLENSBURG (3-0, 3-1)
L, 13-56, @ Archbishop Murphy
W, 8-7, @ East Valley
W, 47-6, Wapato
W, 56-20, @ Grandview
Next: @ Prosser

GRANDVIEW (0-3, 0-4)
L, 14-51, @ Sunnyside
L, 7-15, Toppenish
L, 12-55, @ Selah
L, 20-56, Ellensburg
Next: @ Quincy

PROSSER (3-0, 3-1)
L, 12-41, @ Kamiakin
W, 36-17, @ Ephrata
W, 33-14, Othello
W, 34-7, @ East Valley
Next: Ellensburg

SELAH (3-0, 3-1)
L, 13-21, West Valley
W, 46-21, @ Wapato
W, 55-21, Grandview
W, 17-15, @ Ephrata
Next: Toppenish

TOPPENISH (2-1, 2-2)
L, 21-28, River View
W, 15-7, @ Grandview
W, 28-14, Ephrata
L, 0-47, @ Othello
Next: @ Selah

WAPATO (0-3, 0-4)
L, 12-42, @ Zillah
L, 21-46, Selah
L, 6-47, @ Ellensburg
L, 13-30, Quincy
Next: Ephrata

CLASS 1A

CLE ELUM (1-0, 3-1)
W, 72-20, Kittitas
L, 21-50, Cashmere
W, 49-14, @ Chelan
W, 51-0, @ Naches Valley
Next: Goldendale

GOLDENDALE (1-1, 2-2)
W, 41-16, @ White Salmon
L, 26-34, River View
W, 50-20, @ La Salle
L, 14-20, Zillah
Next: @ Cle Elum

GRANGER (1-0, 2-2)
L, 10-13, Burbank
W, 52-7, @ Mabton
W, 47-0, Highland
L, 21-28, Wahluke
Next: @ La Salle

HIGHLAND (0-2, 0-4)
L, 0-34, Kiona-Benton
L, 21-39, Brewster
L, 0-47, @ Granger
L, 14-49, La Salle
Next: @ Zillah

LA SALLE (1-1, 1-3)
L, 7-39, @ DeSales
L, 20-30, Burbank
L, 20-50, Goldendale
W, 49-14, @ Highland
Next: Granger

MABTON (0-2, 0-4)
L, 13-28, @ White Swan
L, 7-52, Granger
L, 7-39, @ Wahluke
L, 0-51, Royal
Next: @ River View

NACHES VALLEY (0-2, 0-4)
L, 14-48, East Valley
L, 21-49, Cascade
L, 6-28, @ Zillah
L, 0-51, Cle Elum
Next: @ Kiona-Benton

ZILLAH (2-0, 4-0)
W, 42-12, Wapato
W, 14-12, @ Kiona-Benton
W, 28-6, Naches Valley
W, 20-14, @ Goldendale
Next: Highland

CLASS 2B

KITTITAS (0-0, 1-3)
L, 20-72, @ Cle Elum
W, 45-0, @ Pateros
L, 13-36, Lind-Ritzville
L, 13-46, Reardan
Next: White Swan

WHITE SWAN (0-0, 1-3)
W, 28-13, Mabton
L, 6-25, at Wahluke
L, 16-42, DeSales
L, 6-20, @ Asotin
Next: @ Kittitas

CLASS 1B

SUNNYSIDE CHRISTIAN (0-1, 1-3)
L, 0-36, King’s Way Christian
L, 0-14, Lyle-Wishram
W, 58-44, Mansfield
L, 8-52, @ Touchet
Next: @ Pomeroy

LYLE-WISHRAM (1-0, 3-1)
L, 6-36, Dufur, Ore.
W, 14-0, @ Sunnyside Christian
W, 52-14, South Wasco County
W, 50-20, Wishkah Valley
Next: @ Lake Quinault (Saturday)

Overtime pays off for Davis

YAKIMA, Wash. — After four quarters of giving everything it had and fighting back from three deficits, Davis’ football team was forced to try and find something more.

So the Pirates simplified things and did what they do best: Just go up and make a play.

 

PHOTO GALLERY Click here for more photos from this event. SPACER Click here for information on purchasing photos.

Cooper Kupp rose up in the northwest corner of the Zaepfel Stadium turf to grab his third touchdown pass, and two plays later teammate Chris Chapman leapt off his feet for the game-winning interception and Davis had its history — a 34-27 overtime victory over Richland in a showdown of CBBN 4A unbeatens.

“This was total desire and heart — a complete team effort and the best feeling ever,” said Kupp, whose 12-yard scoring catch in OT was followed by Daniel Guzman’s kick conversion. “This team has learned to fight through adversity and never give up. That’s how we’ve grown together as a team.”

After Cameron Simpson’s 16-yard run on Richland’s first play of its OT possession, Bombers’ quarterback Colter Quick looked to the end zone for the equalizer but slightly underthrew his target and Chapman was there to finish it off for Davis.

“I wanted to blitz because I was sure they would run, but then I saw (Quick) roll out and thought, ‘Get back!,’” Chapman said. “I just reacted and when the ball went up, I knew I could get there.

“It was all heart for us,” he added, “and it feels unbelievable.”

Not only did Davis end a 13-year losing streak to Richland and reach 4-0 for the season, but the Pirates did it in the most unlikely way — overcoming the league’s best defense while turning back a long history of second-half fades against upper-tier teams.

“I’d say it’s the biggest win here since the Lyndon Johnson presidency,” Davis coach Rick Clark said with a smile. “It’s true, it’s been hard for us to hold up in the second half against deeper teams but tonight we did it. These kids wanted it that much.”

Quarterback Deion Wright equaled his career-high five touchdown passes from last week against Moses Lake, finishing 15 of 29 for 395 yards. He tried for David Trimble in the southwest corner of the end zone twice before turning his attention to Kupp.

“It was a perfect throw,” said Kupp, who hauled in scoring passes of 73, 28 and 12 yards. “I just told myself to go up and make a play.”

The Bombers enjoyed superiority on the ground with 315 yards rushing on 58 carries. B.K. Robinson bulled 26 times for 149 yards and two TDs, and Simpson added 92 yards on 21 carries.

But Wright’s deep passing consistently burned Richland, which could not handle Trimble, who had five catches for 130 yards, or Kupp, who finished with six receptions for 179 yards. Both are career highs.

Wright also hooked up with Chapman for a 65-yard touchdown early in the final period to put Davis up 27-21 after it had fallen behind in each of the first three quarters.

Chapman’s score capped a flurry of three huge plays that got front-running Richland on its heels.

Kupp scored his second touchdown with 51 seconds left in the third quarter but the conversion was missed, leaving the Pirates down 21-20. But the Pirates immediately got the ball back when Carlos Perea-Vijarro intercepted Quick at midfield.

Four plays later Chapman gave Davis its first lead.

Richland drew even on Simpson’s second TD with 4:37 left and had a subsequent shot for the win, but the Pirates’ defense held near midfield and forced a punt.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” Kupp said. “We’ve worked so hard for this. It’s our year.”

Click here for scoring summary and statistics.

9/24/11 Davis-Richland photo gallery

Photos from Friday’s CBBN 4A game between Davis and Richland at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima, Wash.

Click here for information on purchasing any of these photos.

Late rally pushes Leopards to victory

GOLDENDALE, Wash. — His Zillah teammates were already gathered together, whooping and hollering as their coaches prepared for the routine postgame on-field rehashing of a not remotely routine 20-14 victory over Goldendale. But Ricky Cuellar was the last one through the handshake line, and the Leopards weren’t about to start without him.

Because without him, they wouldn’t have finished the game like they did.

 

PHOTO GALLERY Click here for more photos from this event. SPACER Click here for information on purchasing photos.

After being largely shut down by the Timberwolves’ ultra-reactive defenders for most of the game, Cuellar threw a picture-perfect 34-yard halfback pass to Derick Ross for one touchdown and then scored the game-winner himself on a 20-yard burst up the middle with just 27 seconds remaining.

“We just came ready to play,” Cuellar said. “Our guys never gave up, and that’s all there is to it.”

For all but the last 10 minutes of the game, though, the night was all Goldendale. The Timberwolves’ junior quarterback, Lucas Denney, dominated the first half, accounting for 110 total yards — 58 on 4-for-5 passing, 52 on eight rushes — and the half’s only touchdown, a 17-yard rollout pass to Elias Briseno that capped a 12-play, 80-yard march.

Zillah, meanwhile, had field position the entire first half and nothing to show for it. And when Denney scored on a diving six-yard keeper with 10:10 remaining and Braydon Ross booted his second extra point, the Timberwolves had a 14-0 lead.

But, as it turned out, not the game.

“Those kids,” Zillah coach Tim Strother said, “they dug down and got it.”

The guy doing much of the digging was Ross. On the Leopards’ next possession, he turned a short catch into a 15-yarder to the Goldendale 8 with a great second effort; then, after a procedure penalty set up on a first-and-goal play from the Zillah 13, he snared a quick pop pass from Jace McKay that at first glance seemed too high.

“Nah. I just thought, ‘It’s there,’” said Ross, who snared the ball and trotted into the end zone. “We do that all the time, me and Jace, before practice and after practice. He’s a great quarterback. If he’d have put the ball anywhere else … well, he’s a great quarterback. It was perfect.”

Just as perfect was Cuellar’s halfback pass.

Zillah was still down 14-7 when the Leopards got the ball back with 3:30 to go on their own 19. They marched downfield but, with time becoming critical for the wishbone-running visitors, they went for the halfback pass.

“We’ve only practiced that pass once,” Ross said.

“We’ve practiced it more than once,” Strother said. “We’ve practiced it … a couple of times.”

Did it work both times?

“Oh yeah,” Strother said. “Rick’s going to throw it up there and Derick’s going to go get it. He’s a very good receiver on a running team.”

Cuellar took the handoff and swept to the right, where he unloaded the long spiral to Ross. The receiver was double-covered, but he grabbed it and tumbled into the end zone.”

That made it 14-13 with 1:14 remaining and Zillah brought in the absolutely reliable Luis Medina for the extra point. But there was a glitch in the substitution, and only 10 men were on the field for the Leopards, and in the scramble to get set up, the snap and the kick were hurried and Medina’s kick sailed wide left.

But then Zillah recovered the onsides kick, and Cuellar went back to work. Twice he caught passes on the sideline — once wrestling the ball away from a defensive back when the play seemed destined to be a game-deciding interception.

And on third-and-5 from the 20, Cuellar — whose first 11 carries had netted exactly 20 yards — matched all of that on the game-winning touchdown run, right through the heart of the Timberwolves’ defense.

The touchdown dropped to their knees and their backs, quite literally, many of the Timberwolves on a night they looked very much like the better team.

“I don’t know if they’re the better team,” said Tim Strother, whose twin brother Don — older by three minutes — coaches Goldendale. “But they played like it tonight.”

But the Leopards had Ross and Cuellar. And on this night, they were the difference.

“He’s an athlete,” Ross said of Cuellar. “Anything he sets his mind to do, he can do, pretty much.”

On Friday night, after all — at least for Zillah’s followers, Cuellar’s heroics were worth the wait.

Click here for scoring summary and statistics.

« Previous Page — Next Page »