Pigskin Picks contest one of new items on our Website||

So, you think you can do better than us?

Here’s your chance to prove it.

If you’ve ever wondered how those numbskulls down at the paper could pick So-and-so to beat Such-and-such in prep football, show us that you know better.

And snatch some prizes along the way.

The Yakima Herald-Republic sports department is opening up its Pigskin Picks to its readers online. After quckliy logging in and creating an account, each week entrants will enter their picks and go against the Herald-Republic sports staff and other entrants.

The top picker of the week will not only earn invaluable bragging rights, but also a prize from Ron’s Coin & Book. The season winner will get an Xbox 360, also courtesy of Ron’s.

Log on to sportsyakima.com, click on the Pigskins Pick, sign up and start picking.

But that’s not all the winning we’re offering our readers.

We also will be debuting Prep Insider this week on sportsyakima.com. It will feature a short video giving you an inside look at the YH-R Sports department and what coverage will be coming in the upcoming week.

Insider will also feature Yakima Valley sports trivia. Viewers can log on to answer the question.

Of all the correct answers, one will be randomly picked to receive a gift card from the 2nd Street Grill in downtown Yakima.

It’s our hope that these contests as well as our online feature help supplement your reading experience.

Speaking of which, be sure to check out Kickoff 2010, our annual prep football preview in today’s newspaper.

And good luck picking.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The first Kittitas County Roundup, a football exhibition involving Cle Elum, Ellensburg and Kittitas high schools and Central Washington University, will be held Saturday at CWU’s Tomlinson Stadium.

Each team will stage a 30-minute scrimmage, starting with Cle Elum from 11-11:30 a.m. Kittitas will follow from 11:40 to noon, Ellensburg will go from noon to 12:30 p.m. and the Wildcats will take the field from 12:30-1 p.m.

Admission is free. Also, all participating high school players will be admitted to Central’s season opener against Minnesota Duluth on Aug. 28 at no charge.

“We’re hoping this will become an annual event,” said Central coach Blaine Bennett. “We’ll feed all the kids, and hopefully the players from the different schools will get to know each other and watch our scrimmage.

“It’s less of a recruiting thing for us than it is just to provide people in the area with exposure to our program. Some of them, whether they’re players or parents or whatever, might be coming to Tomlinson Stadium for the first time.”

YAKIMA, Wash. — The thermometer still says summer, but activity on the fields Wednesday signaled fall is around the corner.
Football practice began statewide on Wednesday. Monday the rest of the fall sports — cross country, volleyball, girls soccer and girls swimming — get under way.
The Yakima Herald-Republic sports staff is busy putting together Kickoff 2010, this year’s edition of its annual prep football preview. The 48-page section is due to hit doorsteps Thursday, Sept. 2, the eve of the first Friday night of football.
Following Labor Day, previews of the rest of the fall sports will be featured.

Davis High School's Nick Rodriguez leads the team in a cheer following a water break during the first football practice of the 2010 season Aug. 18, 2010. (Gordon King/Yakima Herald-Republic)

YAKIMA, Wash. — The thermometer still says summer, but activity on the fields Wednesday signaled fall is around the corner.

Football practice began statewide on Wednesday. Monday the rest of the fall sports — cross country, volleyball, girls soccer and girls swimming — get under way.

The Yakima Herald-Republic sports staff is busy putting together Kickoff 2010, this year’s edition of its annual prep football preview. The 48-page section is due to hit doorsteps Thursday, Sept. 2, the eve of the first Friday night of football.

Following Labor Day, previews of the rest of the fall sports will be featured.

YAKIMA — Fall sports meetings for parents and athletes at Davis and Eisenhower high schools will be Thursday at the respective schools.

Davis’ meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be in the cafeteria.

Ike’s meeting begins at 6:30, also in the cafeteria.

Selah fall meeting Monday

Selah High’s fall sports meeting will be Monday, starting at 6 p.m. in the high school commons.

The meeting is for parents and athletes turning out for football, volleyball, cross country, girls soccer, and girls swimming and diving.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Central Washington will host the Kittitas County Football Roundup on Aug. 21.

The Wildcats, who will open their season on Aug. 28 at home against Minnesota Duluth in a game to be televised on SWX, have invited Ellensburg, Cle Elum and Kittitas high schools to a scrimmage event at Tomlinson Stadium.

The Warriors will scrimmage from 11-11:30 a.m., Kittitas will go from 11:30 to noon, Ellensburg will follow from noon to 12:30 p.m. and Central will take the field from 12:30 to 1 p.m.

CWU coach Blaine Bennett said admission to the event is free, and that any high school player who participates will then be admitted to the Central-Duluth game without charge.

GOLF

Graf gets ace at Country Club

Dick Graf recorded a hole-in-one on the 11th hole at Yakima Country Club on Wednesday.

Graf used a 9-iron on the 141-yard hole. It was witnessed by Jim Gilbert, Dave Lewis, Brian Harris and Steve Mercy.

ADULT FASTPITCH

Action Towing, Eagles win

Sean McCauley’s two-run homer and three RBI helped Action Towing defeat Old Town Pump-Peak Performance 12-6 in Summer League play at Gateway Complex on Wednesday.

The Yakima Eagles won the second game, beating Craft Brewing 11-4.

Old Town-PP       040    200    0    —    6    5    8
Action Towing    202    602    x    —    12    8    6
Harris, Parham (7) and Cawley-Murphee; George and Rousseau.
Highlights: Bobby Harris (OTP) 2-run 2b; Cory Worrell (AT) 2-4, 2 RBI; Sean McCauley (AT) 1-3, 2-run HR, 3 RBI; Jonathan Ripplinger (AT) 2-run 2b.
Craft Brewing          040    000    —    4    5    5
Yakima Eagles        352    001    —    11    10    8
Seward and Call, Gonzalez (5); L. McCauley and Ward.
Highlights: John Jensen (YE) 2-4, 2 RBI; Tyler Berman (YE) 2-4, 2 2b, RBI; Kevin Root (YE) 2-4, 2 2b, 2 RBI.

YOUTH FASTPITCH

Selah 16-U

NEWBERG SUMMER CLASSIC

At Newberg, Ore.

Selah 10, Oregon Warriors 4 (Selah: Ashley Wilkey 2-3, 2 runs; Mary Graf 2-2, run, 2 RBI; Morgan McCallister 1-3, run, RBI, 3b; Sarah Bersing 2-3, 2 runs, RBI; Bailey Turner 3-3, run, RBI; Kylee Morse 2-2, run; Carly Minnick 1-2, 2 runs, RBI;
Selah 10, Southview 0 (Selah: Wilkey 2-2, 2 runs, RBI; Graf 1-1, 2 RBI; McCallister 1-2, 2 RBI, 3b; Bersing 1-1, RBI, run; Turner 1-2, run, RBI; Taylor Rath 1-2, run, RBI; Sierra Weedin 1-2, run, RBI; Morse and Minnick combined for a no-hitter).

YOUTH BASEBALL

Little League

JUNIORS STATE TOURNAMENT

At Medical Lake

Thursday’s result

West Valley 23, Federal Way 10 (WV: Kanay Soderstrom 4 hits, 2 runs; Corey Hill 3 hits, 3 runs; Wyatt Peckman 2 hits, 4 runs, HR; Dillon Burlingame 3 hits, 4 runs; Nolan Cookson 3 hits, 2 runs; Jason Mains 4 hits, run; Zach Remsberg 2 hits, 2 runs; Sean McCormick 2 hits, 3 runs; Justin Bailey hit, run).

YAKIMA, Wash. — A meeting for new football officials will be held at the Yakima Police Department classrooms tonight at 6 p.m.

The classrooms are located at 207 S. 3rd Street, across the street from the police station.

Officials are needed throughout the Valley.

For more information, contact Brad Cramer at 945-5555 or Will Caethle at 895-2600.

East all-stars shut out West in second half ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — With all the talk of offensive stars, particularly on the West side, fans probably came to the 16th Earl Barden All-Star Football Classic expecting a high-scoring affair.

A determined East defense had other ideas.

East all-star Alex Wolf of Deer Park and teammates celebrate after his fourth-quarter interception that stopped a West drive and gave the East a 21-17 win in the Earl Barden All-Star Football Classic Saturday at Zaepfel Stadium. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Outworking their larger counterparts, the East posted a second-half shutout, which included a fourth-down stop at their own 14 and a game-clinching interception from East defensive MVP Alex Wolf, to spark a 21-17 victory on Saturday at Zaepfel Stadium.

“They (the West) were bigger … but we played harder,” said Wolf, a defensive back from Deer Park. “Our game plan was to play as hard as we can the entire game and we did that.”

“They were incredible,” quarterback Sam Fisk said of his team’s defense. “They took the challenge and met it head on. That’s why we won today.”

Fisk and his offensive mates did have a say in the victory, with the Chewelah quarterback earning East offensive MVP after directing two first-half scoring drives — both capped by touchdowns from Othello’s Devon Lind.

When DeSales’ Pat Richard hit Colfax’s Will Hatley on a 35-yard scoring strike late in the third quarter, the East moved ahead 21-17, erasing a 17-7 late-first-half deficit.

“We just stayed together as a team,” said Fisk, who finished 6-for-10 for 88 yards and a TD pass. “That’s what this team was made on. We played for each other, not as individuals.”

Even though the East had grabbed the lead, there was still plenty of work left to be done against a West offense directed in the second half by Lynden quarterback Jordan Hastings, the 2009 Class 2A state player of the year.

But the East was more than up to the challenge as the dual threat Hastings finished just 4 of 9 for 63 yards passing and he ran for a mere six yards.

“They’ve got a really tough team … but we have a lot of tough guys who just don’t want to lose,” said Selah defensive end Jake Lunceford, one of the East anchors up front. “This was just a matter of who wanted it more.”

Evidence of that came near the end of the third quarter when the West recovered a fumbled punt at the East 22. Digging in, the East surrendered eight yards on the first three downs before stopping Hastings for no gain on fourth down, taking over at the 14.

Later, after giving the West one more shot in the final minutes, the East defense delivered again.

At the East 38 with about 30 seconds remaining, Hastings fired a pass over the middle to teammate Ryan Seto near the 10.

Timing his arrival perfectly, Wolf put a resounding hit on Seto, jarring the ball loose. Then, as he fell to the turf, Wolf had the wherewithal to keep his eye on the ball, cradling with both arms as he landed to seal the victory.

“We knew he was a playmaker when he played at Deer Park,” said East head coach Craig Whitney, who coached against Wolf as West Valley of Spokane’s coach. “That just goes to show what an athlete he is.

“All the kids played fantastic. They believed in themselves and each other, and played unselfishly.”

“We took the underdog role, embraced it and took it to victory,” Fisk said.

West offensive MVP Micah Brown was a first-half force, with the Napavine running back carrying the ball 12 times for a team-best 63 yards, including a 15-yard scoring burst for the first touchdown of the game.

Jake McCoy, a linebacker from Mark Morris was the West’s defensive MVP.

West kicker Nick Swanson set an All-Star game record when he booted a 37-yard field goal in the second quarter.

West    7    10    0    0    —    17
East      7    7    7    0    —    21
West — Micah Brown 15 run (Nick Swanson kick)
East — Devon Lind 15 run (Nick Brown kick)
West — FG Swanson 37
West — Kyle Grosshans 1 run (Swanson kick)
East — Lind 13 pass from Sam Fisk (Brown kick)
East — Will Hatley 35 pass from Pat Richard (Brown kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — West, Brown 9-63, Alex Martinez 5-25, Chris Tinney 4-18, Swanson 1-15, Grosshans 2-14, D.J. Herbert 3-14, Brett Kirschner 4-10, Tanner Sturm 3-8, Anthony Tatum 2-8, Allen Erickson 3-7, Jordan Hastings 4-6, Caleb Statham 2-5. East, Richard 7-64, Tevin Heins 9-30, Sam Fisk 1-17, Lind 1-15, C.J. Lockwood 5-6, Alex Wolf 3-2, Mike McGree 1-(minus 7).
PASSING — West, Grosshans 7-12-1 67, Hastings 4-9-1 63. East, Fisk 6-10-0 88, Richard 3-5-0 57, Wolf 0-1-0 0, McGree 0-3-1 0.
RECEIVING — West, Ryan Seto 3-54, Ben Ternan 3-54, Anthony Tatum 3-16, Trevor Hurn 1-5, Brown 1-1. East, Jesse Davis 3-31, Lind 2-36, Hatley 1-35, Lockwood 1-25, Kane Koerner 1-19, Heins 1-(minus 1).

Photos from Saturday’s 16th Earl Barden All-Star Football Classic at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima, Wash. All photos by Andy Sawyer of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

EVERETT, Wash. — The joy was visible in Joe Fuerst’s blue eyes. If only his nose felt better.

Fuerst played his final football game wearing an Eisenhower Cadets football helmet Saturday.

The East’s 28-9 victory over the West in the East-West All-Star Football Game was a culmination of a week-long stay in Everett that Fuerst called “an experience of a lifetime.”

A trainer examines the injured nose of Eisenhower’s Joe Fuerst during the East-West All-Star Football Classic on Saturday at Everett Memorial Stadium. Fuerst’s nose was not broken. (Ron Newberry/For the Yakima Herald-Republic)

Fuerst started at outside linebacker wearing his familiar No. 7 and played every quarter for an East defense that shut down the West. At times, he lined up alongside University of Washington-bound defense lineman Sione Potoa’e, one of the state’s most heralded signees from Lakes.

The game was a showcase featuring the state’s best players from the Class of 2010.

“It’s been awesome,” said Fuerst, the Columbia Basin Big Nine Conference Cascade Division’s co-most valuable player last fall. “Coming over here and being one of the top players in the state and being noticed for that. It was more about getting to know other guys on the team than playing the game of football.

“It’s one of those things you’ll never forget.”

Fuerst, who will play running back at Central Washington University, did have one experience he could have done without.

As he tackled West quarterback Andy Smith of Arlington on one play early in the fourth quarter, his nose was struck. Smith barely got off the pass to avoid the sack, prompting East players to yell Fuerst’s name in approval from the sideline.

“Coach, I broke my nose,” Fuerst said as he came to the sideline.

A trainer examined Fuerst’s nose and determined it wasn’t broken.

“I heard a crunch,” Fuerst said. “The guy said it wasn’t broken. He kind of straightened it out a little bit and bandaged it up and it was good to go.”

The next series, the East marched 68 yards for a touchdown to go ahead 21-9. Union’s 6-foot-6 receiver, Mitch Saylor, grabbed his second touchdown pass of the game and had seven catches for 118 yards in all to earn East most valuable player honors.

East quarterbacks Austin Dodge of Skyview and Travis Ward of Mount Spokane split time with each having success under coach Dave Miller’s air attack.

Dodge threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Saylor in the first quarter to open the game’s scoring. Ward later found running back Nathaniel Penaranda of Union wide open for a 67-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

Levi Taylor of Lewis & Clark capped the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run for the East with just over 3 minutes to go. That was set up by a fumble recovered at the West 5.

“They’re a pretty lethal combination,” West coach Mark Stewart said of Dodge and Saylor. “And they probably live about five minutes from each other.”

“We wanted to use our size advantage,” said Miller, who coaches at Lakes. “We actually had four or five pretty good receivers. Christian Wesley (6-4 receiver from Central Kitsap) didn’t get the ball his way very much but he’s a very good receiver. Greg Logan (from Graham-Kapowsin) made a couple of big catches for us.”

But, clearly, the focus was on getting the ball into the long arms of Saylor, who’s headed to the University of Montana.

“I just came here to have fun,” Saylor said.

So did Fuerst. And he did, playing linebacker and special teams. Everything was perfect until the nose incident.

“It isn’t bad,” he said. “As the adrenaline wears off it’s starting to hurt more.”

The East won in the series for the third year in a row. The game moves to Spokane next summer.

— Ron Newberry/For the Herald-Republic

East     7    7    0    14    —    28
West    7    0    2    0    —    9

First quarter

East – Mitch Saylor 56-pass from Austin Dodge (Jake Miller kick).
West – Trenton Pinson 3-run (Dominick Vizzare kick).

Second quarter

East – Nathaniel Penaranda 67-pass from Travis Ward (Miller kick).

Third quarter

West – Safety, punt blocked by Brandon Blinn out of end zone.

Fourth quarter

East – Saylor 10-pass from Dodge (Miller kick).
East – Levi Taylor 1-run (Miller kick).

QB Hastings beat teams with his arm and legs||

As a junior, Jordan Hastings considered himself primarily a throwing quarterback. A year later his position stayed the same but his opinion changed, thinking himself more of a running signal-caller.

Either way success reigned.

Lynden quarterback Jordan Hastings (4) faces Prosser in the 2008 Class 2A state championship game in the Tacoma Dome. Hastings, the 2009 2A state player of the year, helped Lynden win back-to-back titles. He will play for the West in today's Earl Barden All-Star Classic at Zaepfel Stadium.||SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic file

Hastings directed Lynden to back-to-back Class 2A state football titles, was named the 2A player of the year last fall and will be part of a loaded West squad in today’s 16th annual Earl Barden All-Star Football Classic at Zaepfel Stadium.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Hastings certainly put the ball up last season, throwing for 2,400 yards and 23 touchdowns. But the dimension he added on the ground — 959 yards and 15 scores — made the Lions unbeatable.

“That’s sort of the Lynden way — they always want a quarterback who can run,” Hastings said. “In our spread one of the quicker options is to pull it down and run and I did more of that last season. As a junior I was definitely more of a throwing quarterback.”

Really? Could have fooled Prosser.

Hastings broke the Mustangs’ heart in the 2008 state title game, passing for 245 yards and three touchdowns — but adding a game-high 84 yards on the ground with 20 tough carries — while rallying the Lions to a 35-34 victory in double overtime.

“That game was pretty crazy and by far the most exciting I ever played in,” said Hastings, whose team trailed by 15 points with two minutes left in regulation. “We couldn’t get anything going and couldn’t stop them. But we just stuck with it. Actually, I wish that was our senior year — what a great way to go out.”

Lynden was junior-dominated in ’08 and a good bet to repeat, until it was humbled in the ’09 season opener 34-20 by Archbishop Murphy.

“We came back with a lot of us thinking we were No. 1 and then we got beat right away,” Hastings said. “That was good for us because we thought we were better than we really were.”

The Lions were that good eventually, reeling off 13 straight wins capped by a 16-6 victory over West Valley of Spokane to complete the repeat.

WATCH OUT WEST: On paper, the West looks formidable with most of the game’s major-college signees from the Feb. 3 national letter-of-intent day.

North Mason lineman John Fullington has the highest profile of the group, having signed with Washington State. The West also has the Black Hills tandem of lineman Ben Westrum (Idaho) and Marshall Green (Central Washington) and Hastings’ teammate Ryan Seto, a two-way standout going to Eastern Washington.

The East’s top college recruit is Asotin tight end Jesse Davis (Idaho).

The next level of college recruiting scooped up a bunch of skill kids on the West team — quarterbacks Trevor Hurn (Woodland, Southern Oregon) and Nick Fairhart (Eatonville, Linfield) and running backs Brett Kirschner (Interlake, Montana), Caleb Statham (Blaine, Montana) and Tanner Sturm (Aberdeen, Linfield).

ROOT ON THE LOCALS: The Selah trio of Quincy Davis (No. 8), Justin Lamson (66) and Jake Lunceford (71) comprise the Yakima-area representation from the CWAC on the East squad.

Ellensburg’s Blaze Affholter, an all-state defensive end alongside Lunceford, was on the roster until a spring injury forced him out.

The SCAC West has three players — offensive player of the year Nic Lukehart (34) of Naches Valley and Zillah’s all-state pair of Cameron Bounds (22) and Kane Koerner (44).

The Mid-Valley 2B League will have Mike McGree (10) and Josh Bartlett (76) from La Salle in the field.

ON THE SIDELINE: Chewelah’s Will Lohman, a 220-pound linebacker for the East, was a four-time 1A state throws champ in track. He was the overall state leader in the shot last spring at 61 feet, 5 inches. … Adna’s Kyle Grosshans, who will play for his coach K.C. Johnson today on the West team, was the 2B state player of the year. The 6-3, 200-pound QB led Adna to a 13-0 season and 32-24 win over Colfax in the title game. … Willapa Valley’s Will Rockett, a lineman for the West, is headed to Montana State for track as a discus thrower. His father, Bob, was a four-time NCAA All-American in the javelin while at the University of Washington. … Tickets prices for today’s 1 p.m. game are $6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors.

Selah’s Lunceford a menace on both sides of the line ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — With Jake Lunceford, there are no trade-offs.

He has size and speed.

He’s agile and stout.

He excels on offense and defense.

Selah’s Jake Lunceford (71) blocks West Valley’s Scott Epperheimer (26) on a run play during a Sept. 4 game at Clasen Field. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic file)

He can stand his ground in the trenches and chase with abandon in the open field.

That’s how it was for the omnipresent Selah standout during his final football season last fall, and that’s how Lunceford assembled cred-entials on par with anyone in Saturday’s 16th annual Earl Barden All-Star Football Classic at Zaepfel Stadium.

“Everybody knew who he was,” said Selah head coach Jeff Jamieson. “Even if they didn’t know his name, they knew No. 71.”

At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Lunceford was a three-year starter at offensive tackle and defensive end for the Vikings, who won 22 games over that span. It was on defense, however, where his presence was felt most as a unanimous first-team CWAC and all-state selection at defensive end.

There’s no mystery why that is. To Lunceford, offense is an assignment and defense is an attitude.

“I prefer defense, absolutely,” he said during a break from two-a-day practices this week. “I guess the best way to describe it is that the attitude I like to play with is easier to display on defense. Offense is more reserved, kind of holding back. I don’t like that as much.”

Of course, there are 70 of the state’s best Class 2A, 1A and 2B senior players in town this week, including two of his teammates in Quincy Davis and Justin Lamson, who also have a zeal for turning it loose. The idea of raising his game to meet higher demands is a thrill, even in a summer out-of-season game.

“It’s awesome seeing all the talent here,” Lunceford said. “It’s a big challenge. One thing that helped me — and I hate to sound cocky about it — is that I was faster than a lot of quarterbacks and running backs in the league and I could come off the edge and chase them down. This week, obviously, it’s different.”

That speed blended into a 6-4 frame is what made Lunceford such a menace in the CWAC. And just on offense and defense — he blocked two field goals last season.

“Jake can play strong against a tight end and when we saw a spread (offense) he could really play in an open formation,” Jamieson noted. “With his size and speed he could cover a lot of ground.”

Having been a two-way starter for three years, Lunceford was a constant presence on the field for 33 games. But one Friday night stands out from all others — Selah’s 28-27 home win over Prosser last fall. The Vikings trailed 19-0 at halftime but rallied ahead with 11 seconds left in a game that ultimately decided a state berth.

“Definitely, by far that was the best game,” he said. “And I honestly have no idea what happened, how we came back. It was just something between us — we found a way to click all of a sudden.”

Saturday’s 1 p.m. all-star game will be Lunceford’s final time on the football field. But his future will continue to be dictated by his confident and physical nature. He has joined the Army and will report for Airborne infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga., in October.

EVERETT, Wash. — While eight local players participate in the Barden Classic, Eisenhower’s Joe Fuerst will be the lone area player in Saturday’s Class 4A-3A East-West all-star football game.

Fuerst is one of three players from the CBBN on the East squad, joining Southridge’s Austin Graves and Brent Anderson. The Cadets’ CWU signee expects to get playing time at running back, linebacker and on special teams.

The game at Everett Memorial Stadium is set for 1 p.m. Spokane will host next year’s game.

YAKIMA, Wash. — When 70 of the state’s top Class 2A, 1A and 2B football players began gathering in town Tuesday, Devon Lind was among the smallest.

At 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, some of the linemen invited to play in Saturday’s 16th annual Earl Barden All-Star Classic — like Black Hills’ 6-7, 308-pound Ben Westrum — could have carried the Othello grad under an arm.

“He’s 170 pounds?,” questioned one slender coach of Lind’s weight. “If he’s 170 pounds I’m 250.”

Maybe so, but for those who follow CWAC football Lind played like a 500-pound monster who wouldn’t leave the field. The conference’s defensive player of the year was a 2A all-state pick at defensive back and as a kick returner and he led the Huskies in receiving.

Just to fill out his senior year, Lind was also an all-conference outfielder in baseball and starting guard in basketball.

“I kind of had a heavy load my senior year so I considered dropping basketball,” he admitted. “But after three years of playing I just couldn’t give it up.”

Kind of heavy load?

While putting in all that time in athletics, Lind was the school’s ASB president and graduated has the top student with a career 4.0 grade-point average.

“I’ve always had a very hard-nosed attitude about goals,” he said. “Ever since getting a 4.0 as a freshman I wanted to keep that going all the way through high school. It got tough this year with all I was doing — (Advanced Placement) Government was the hardest to keep at an A level.”

Lind isn’t planning to restrain his diversity any time soon. He’s headed to Whitworth with an idea toward majoring in computer science with a minor in theology. He would also like to someday serve as an officer in the military.

Given all this, how would you like to be this kid’s younger brother? Justin Lind will be a sophomore this fall.

“He does three sports, too,” Devon said. “Yeah, I tell him he’s got a lot to live up to but it’s just teasing. He’s a hard worker and he’ll be a good one.”

ALL-STAR CLASSIC WEEK: The East and West rosters were finalized with 36 and 34 players, respectively. The teams have been practicing at Eisenhower since Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s 1 p.m. game at Zaepfel Stadium.

The Herald-Republic will feature Selah’s Jake Lunceford with full rosters in Friday’s edition and spotlight Lynden’s 2A state player of the year Jordan Hastings with a notebook in Saturday’s edition.

YAKIMA — Rallying with four runs in the ninth inning, the Sobe-Toyota Lizards from Centralia defeated the Yakima Pepsi Beetles 8-5 in non-league Legion baseball Tuesday night at Parker Field.

The Beetles, who led 5-4 heading into the ninth, outhit Centralia 11-9 with Marcus McClurkin going  3-for-5 with an RBI.

Yakima (2-2 league, 12-13 overall) will resume Central Washington League play today with a doubleheader at Hanford and then leave directly for a tournament in Salem, Ore.

Centralia    001    002    014    —    8    9    2

Yakima    010    120    010    —    5    11    3

Stuart, Witters (6) and Housden; Roddy, Jensen (5), Hartwig (7), Clements (9), Reyes (9) and Reyes, Lombardi (9).

Yakima highlights: Marcus McClurkin 3-5, RBI; Max Kovatch 2-5; Michael Calderon 2-4, 2b.

SOCCER

Strikers to host Sidekick demo

The Sun City Strikers will be hosting a demonstration of the SideKick machine they hope to purchase at 6 p.m. today at the Perry Soccer Complex next to J.M. Perry Tech.

Jeff Alger of Seattle Sports Sciences plans on demonstrating the machine, which simulates passes and shots to help train field players and goalkeepers.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Thorson takes Mabton grid job

Shane Thorson has been hired by Mabton High School to coach its varsity football team this fall. Thorson was an assistant coach at Pasco in 2009.

Thorson, who will be Mabton’s fourth coach in six years, replaces Brandon Harting, whose head coaching contract was not renewed after his second season.

YOUTH BASEBALL

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

Yakima Valley Peppers 11, East Valley 4 (YVP: Garrett Fife 2-2, 3 runs, 2b, RBI; Jack Cavanaugh 1-3, run, 2b, 2 RBI; Mason Hall 1-3, 2b; Caron Peatre 2-3, run, RBI).

Walla Walla 18, West Valley Baseball Club 4 (WV: Kyle Conrad 1-2, 2-run HR; Mikey Bonnett 1-2, 2b, RBI).

West Valley Baseball Club 4, Walla Walla 3 (WV: Cody McDonald 2-3, 2 runs; Tyle Ueltschi 3-3, game-winning RBI).

Junior Beetles 7, Wenatchee Blues 4 (JB: Nate Villegas 2-4; Josh Piper 2-3, 4 RBI; Lavonte Allen 2-4, 2 RBI; Trent Dupre CG, 6 K).

Wenatchee Blues 3, Junior Beetles 1 (JB: Andrew Melhorn CG).