A connoisseur of fine surfaces such as clay, grass and smooth cement, Federal Way High School’s Mitch Stewart will have to get used to one more this week.
Down two strokes to Fife High junior Kendall Gray with seven holes to play and a state title hanging in the balance, Steilacoom High’s Cherokee Kim took a deep breath and told herself to focus on the little things.
When Foss High School’s Marcus Chambers announced he was accepting a track and field scholarship from the University of Oregon, he added a little entertainment for the packed room of classmates and teachers.
1A golf tournament
It’s all mental to Madisen Bentley.
They might be Lions but they survived like ducks.
By his former coach’s admission, point guard Ahmaad Rorie is moving up to bigger challenges – in basketball and in life.
Meagan Hendrix has been instrumental in leading Emerald Ridge High School’s softball team to a 26-0 record and the Class 4A West Central District Championship, which the Jaguars’ won by beating Camas, 2-1, on Monday.
Alivia Brown’s fascination with golf did not start on speedy putting greens, or at some rundown driving range.
The Emerald Ridge Jaguars had yet to be truly challenged this season.
Some teams had to wait an extra day to try to earn a berth to the state baseball playoffs.
Adroit hitters and heat-throwing pitchers in high school and college baseball exist all over the country.
Strong communication on the field is a part of success for the Thomas Jefferson boys soccer team.
Emerald Ridge High School knows it has a Class 4A state fastpitch date this weekend in Spokane.
The timing couldn’t have been much worse.
The sharply hit ball was screaming toward the gap between center and right fields, appearing to be well out of Garrett Terrell’s reach.
Kyle Witzel is the designated 60-yard shooter for the Sedro-Woolley High School boys soccer team.
Again?
The injury-plagued Federal Way Eagles ran the show at the 4A West Central District meet, resulting in easy team titles for the boys (105.5 points) and the girls (65.5) at French Field in Kent on Saturday.
SHELTON — The wind was strong in the faces of runners along the frontstretch, which slowed times but did little too deter Marcus Chambers or the sprint crew from Lakes in their last stop before the state meet.
Score one for the hungry challengers Saturday at the Class 2A West Central District track and field championships.
EVERETT — Olympia High’s Michael Fairchild jumped all over a 1-2 pitch and his teammates sprinted out of the home dugout Saturday at Everett Memorial Stadium in jubilation after they saw the ball soar out of the park.
When asked early Friday to handicap the Class 4A state boys’ team championship race at next weekend’s Star Track, one coach succinctly replied, “It’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
Charles Porche couldn’t wait for his Timberline Blazers to retake the field at the 3A West Central/Southwest bidistrict fastpitch tournament Friday, especially after scoring 12 runs over the final three innings that led to an opening-round victory and a big momentum swing heading into the winner-to-state game afterward.
The Emerald Ridge Jaguars were just six outs away from the promised land of Spokane. And then came the rain.
The track at Federal Way High School was cold and damp, and the infield grass had yet to defrost. Spring was still months away.
Thomas Jefferson boys’ soccer coach Dave Hanson can finally, after seven years, breathe easy.
Aarjay Narayan knows the feeling of a well-struck soccer shot. He scored five times for the Narrows 3A-winning Wilson High Rams this season.
Playing aggressively can be both beneficial and detrimental in soccer.
Although Capital took the early lead, the skillful Tyee side was too much to handle as the Cougars lost, 4-1, on Tuesday night in the first round of the Class 2A state soccer tournament at Burien’s Highline Stadium.
It is unfortunate it had to come to this — so soon in the Class 3A state boys soccer playoffs.
Federal Way senior Odasson Pelogi wasn’t going to let a penalty-kick shootout determine the match against Gig Harbor.
They are the streaking cheetahs of the Washington state high school hurdles world — all living in the same South Puget Sound League 2A habitat.
PORT ORCHARD — It’s easy to assume that Kevin Eager’s fourth consecutive 4A Narrows League track and field title – sixth in seven years – comes only because he inherits good athletes.
Chris Kraemer knows his name gets called when it’s shootout time.
At dusk, it appeared Auburn Mountainview High School’s chances of capturing its first Class 3A West Central District baseball title seemed to be fading with the sunlight.
Hitless in the previous three games, Puyallup High School junior Tyler McDowell was starting to get frustrated.
Emerald Ridge sophomore Tenli Petty smashed two home runs to power Emerald Ridge to a 7-0 victory over Tahoma in the SPSL 4A fastpitch championship game Friday at the Service Club Ballfields in Kent.
Finally healthy after being slowed by injury the past two seasons, Federal Way senior Zeke McNeal is doing his best to make up for lost time.
The Wilson Rams finished third in the 3A Narrows League regular-season fastpitch standings behind champion North Thurston and Timberline.
Enumclaw junior Sarah Morrow has a definite plan when she steps in the batter’s box. And she followed it to the letter Thursday in helping the Hornets win the 3A subdistrict fastpitch championship with a 6-3 victory over Bonney Lake at Boise Creek Park in Enumclaw.
The room was full of hotshot, big-framed high school pitchers, slick-fielding infielders and fleet-footed outfielders, making up some of the best NCAA Division I baseball prospects in the Puget Sound area.
In a battle for the South Puget Sound League boys soccer title, Isidro Prado-Huerta scored in the final minute to give Thomas Jefferson a 4-3 victory over intradistrict rival Federal Way.
They post rounds in the 70s the way duffers pile up double bogeys – very regularly.
Todd Beamer exploded for seven runs in the first inning Tuesday, but the Titans had to hang on to defeat Rogers, 15-10, in the West Central District III baseball tournament at Puyallup’s Heritage Park.
At this point, no school really sneaks up on its opponent in the high school baseball playoffs. But South Kitsap High School hasn’t been trumpeting its recent success, nor has it been cheering loudly.
Repeating as Narrows League boys soccer champion wasn’t supposed to be possible for Central Kitsap.
Bonney Lake’s Michael Gretler might get fooled in one or two at-bats, but with the game on the line, the South Puget Sound League 3A’s most dangerous hitter usually pulls through.
Marc Wiese approached then Puyallup High School football coach Mike Huard 18 years ago to make a simple, direct statement."I told him, 'Coach, you know what? Puyallup is a football school,' " Wiese told the coach. "By the time I leave, Puyallup is going to be a baseball school."
The seventh-inning jitters were in full effect for the North Thurston Rams as they were down to their final three outs in Friday’s 3A Narrows League baseball tournament title game.
Puyallup High sophomore ace Brendan Illies is making it look easy. For a Vikings team gearing up for a return trip to the Class 4A state championship game, that’s good news.
Megan Hendrix’s outstanding pitching and timely hitting helped lift unbeaten Emerald Ridge High School to a 3-2 fastpitch victory Tuesday over SPSL South rival Puyallup on senior day at Emerald Ridge.
Curtis High School boasts an embarrassment of resources for its girls track and field jumping program.
LACEY — The North Thurston High fastpitch team needed 11 innings to put away crosstown rival Timberline when the two squads squared off earlier in the season.
SHELTON — Two of the state's elite 400-meter runners – Foss' Marcus Chambers and Tumwater's Andrew Brown – squared off for the final time on a high school track Saturday.
KIRKLAND — On paper, the 37th Lake Washington Invitational looked like a showcase of heavy hitters — the best girls in Washington high school track and field going head to head.
Registering a tie against the Puyallup Vikings would had given the Federal Way Eagles the SPSL South regular-season boys soccer league title Saturday night at Sparks Stadium.
Two of the state’s elite 400-meter runners – Foss’ Marcus Chambers and Tumwater’s Andrew Brown – squared off for the final time on a high school track Saturday.
Because they compete in different classifications – Foss' Marcus Chambers in Class 3A and Tumwater's Andrew Brown in Class 2A – large invitationals like Saturday’s 53rd edition of the Shelton Invitational are when the two friends get to race against each other.
Brendan Illies clenched his teeth, pumped both his fists and glided off the mound toward the Puyallup High dugout after a strike-three call against Emerald Ridge’s Chad Martinson completed a 2-0 4A SPSL South victory Thursday in Puyallup.
Wednesday’s highlights
Every fastpitch ace pitcher thinks the mound belongs to her.
All ninth-grade athletes in the Puyallup School District will get a chance to compete at a high school level beginning with the fall 2014 sports season.
Chelsey Hayes’ RBI base hit in the ninth inning lifted the Emerald Ridge Jaguars to a 4-3 win over Todd Beamer in a fastpitch game featuring the South Puget Sound League 4A’s top two teams Tuesday at Emerald Ridge.
Standing in disbelief, trying to hide the pure panic that settled in on the Stadium High School boys soccer sideline, first-year coach Adam Becker could only watch.
LACEY — Saralyn Campbell’s birthday wish list consisted of one item — a victory over Wilson.
In an effort to regulate the physical grind of year-round high school football, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association passed legislation Monday, limiting summer football participation.
Running the Lincoln Bowl stairs during track practice often leaves Lincoln High School senior Josh Eckwood’s calves and thighs burning.
PORTLAND — It was advertised as a goodwill all-star basketball game between the best high school seniors from Washington and Oregon – a showcase of Northwest talent.
There are certain weather conditions in which a track and field athlete knows a personal-best time or mark will be hard to get. Not so for David Durden.
TACOMA — Elliott Loague was as focused on the weather as he was on his morning classes at Olympia High School on Friday.
Billy Landram spent many nights lighting up the scoreboard against opposing teams in the Pierce County League as a star guard at North Mason High School.
LACEY — One of the United States’ top high school javelin throwers resides in Olympia, attends a school with an enrollment of 130 students and is part of a team without an on-campus track.
Led by pitcher Melissa Charron, the Bonney Lake Panthers were able to hang on in the seventh inning to defeat SPSL 3A-leading Enumclaw, 5-3, in a fastpitch game at home Tuesday.
When Kim Klock drives in a run, or makes a catch in the outfield, she’s thinking about her mom. These days, it’s impossible not to.
Olympia needed to play a mistake-free match if it wanted to have a chance to knock off Bellarmine Prep, which has dominated the series between the two schools for more than a decade.
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Jake Heaps and Justin McCay had an entire season to get accustomed to each other.
OLYMPIA — The Olympia Bears’ motivation for a victory over Gig Harbor on Wednesday wasn’t about staying unbeaten in 4A Narrows League play and extending their winning streak to seven games.
Emerald Ridge senior Kyle Rossman beat the Rogers Rams with his arm and his bat in a battle for South Hill bragging rights Wednesday night at Heritage Park.
Dominic Yarrington, who has been the football coach at four high schools in Washington, has been hired by Black Hills as its coach, athletic director Don Farler said Thursday.
Puyallup Vikings senior pitcher Ryan Harris was in the zone against the Emerald Ridge Jaguars in a battle between South Puget Sound League baseball powerhouses.
April Fools’ Day might as well have been Bad Luck Day for the Olympia Bears.
With arguably her toughest competition of the season looming next weekend at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational track meet in Southern California, Curtis High senior sprinter Kennadi Bouyer wanted to make sure she was ready to meet the challenge.
Steilacoom High School’s Daniel Zmuda is a bit of a dirt dog. Hurdlers in track and field kind of have to be.
RENTON - For Zach Johnson, the regional scouting combine at the Seattle Seahawks' facility on Saturday offered his first real opportunity to show what he could do in front of NFL scouts.
Connor Patterson knows his 10-day trip to France will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And while he will soak up all that the country has to offer, it is also a trip about football.
The Fife High School boys soccer team made it look easy last year. Things likely won’t be quite as easy this season, as Fife lost nearly its entire roster to graduation.
An all-star showcase suddenly turned into a real basketball game.
They call her The Mom. “All of my friends call me that,” Wilson High senior Kaysha Fox said with a laugh. “I’m disciplined … I even make sure my friends do their homework.”
Shawn Guinn throws from the left, Nick Brooks from the right. Both are Auburn Mountainview High School seniors, both play pitcher and first base, and both are 3A South Puget Sound League MVP-caliber athletes for what they do both on the hill and at the plate.
Gig Harbor High boys basketball coach Craig Brooks has resigned his position after two seasons, the school’s athletics director confirmed Wednesday.
Rogers High School junior Eric Simpson said he refuses to let the disappointment of last May affect his performance on the track this spring.
High school track star Marcus Chambers announced plans to attend the school he dubbed “track city” – Oregon – over Baylor, Louisiana State, UCLA and Southern California on Wednesday at a ceremony in the Foss High School theater.
As the NCAA Division I basketball scholarship offers increased, so did Dezmyn Trent’s desire to play for one school.
Clear out a spot in the trophy case - the Curtis High boys basketball team is bringing home a state title. A sizable crowd made the trip from University Place to the Tacoma Dome to watch the Vikings outlast previously undefeated Jackson, 60-56, in the Class 4A state basketball title game Saturday evening.
YAKIMA — Right before Clover Park’s game for fourth/sixth place at the 2A boys state basketball tournament Saturday morning, David Crisp still didn’t know if he would be able to play.
Corey Langerveld scored 20 points and Pullman rallied past Anacortes to claim the Class 2A boys state basketball championship Saturday at the Yakima SunDome.
It was as if the Wilson High School girls woke up Saturday morning and wanted to bring their leftover hurricane of emotion to the Class 3A state basketball tournament.
Amid the postgame celebration, Mead High’s Jade Redmon spotted her sister, Jazmine, and her tear-covered face standing along the sideline.
How hard is it to beat the same opponent four times in one season?
Stepping to the line with the game tied at 56 and a little more than one second remaining, Lakeside High guard Tramaine Isabell had a chance to wrap up the Class 3A boys state basketball title for the Lions.
YAKIMA — Karley Eaton missed her first nine 3-point attempts for Mark Morris against W.F. West on Saturday.
This back-and-forth affair came right down to the wire – with the No. 4 Bullpups (25-4) ending the game with five guards on the floor because of foul trouble.
Sira Toure scored 21 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, as the Braves (17-9) finished fourth.
It wasn’t the 4A title the No. 2 Rams were hoping for, but another day and another big performance from Brittany McPhee (25 points, 18 rebounds) pushed the SPSL champions to a third-place finish.
Once the battle for third place was over, Rams post player Tia Briggs summed up the win-after-a-tough-loss experience in one word.
Keep the No. 4 Bears (24-3) in mind – their best days are yet to come.
Michael Lotz’s 3-pointer with 26 seconds to go in the third quarter triggered the Hawks’ knockout run, and the Wesco champions’ breakneck style finally wore down the Panthers to give No. 5 Mountlake Terrace fourth place.
Tucker Haymond and the No. 1 Bulldogs did not want to leave Tacoma with another disappointing performance – and they didn’t by clinching third place.
Once again, senior Tre’Shaun Fletcher got it all rolling for the Abes, giving a masterful performance in his final game – 31 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots – as the Narrows 3A and West Central District champions claimed third place.
Sounders FC had plenty of chances, but the Montreal Impact scored the only goal Saturday in the 2013 Major League Soccer opener for both clubs.
Olivia Tuttle’s game-winning 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds remaining capped a 20-point fourth-quarter comeback by the Cougars, lifting them to the fourth/sixth-place game at 8 a.m. today against Lynden Christian.
YAKIMA — The fourth quarter came, and the Clover Park Warriors seized the opportunity.
YAKIMA — As time wound down in W.F. West’s Class 2A girls state semifinal game Friday night, and Jamika Parker and the rest of the starters headed to the bench, congratulatory hugs ensued. They knew what was next: a spot in tonight’s championship game.
YAKIMA — Mark Morris forced overtime with a game-tying basket, then Raimee Sluder and Kourtney Eaton combined to make four free throws in the final 28 seconds of the extra period to lift the Monarchs to a 49-46 win over River Ridge in the Class 2A girls state semifinals Friday night at the Yakima SunDome.
It was ugly, but the No. 6 Vikings pulled off the win over the No. 8 Spartans.
The Knights, who got 24 points from Will Ferris, held off the Cougars’ late charge.
Otiona Gildon scored 30 points and had 12 rebounds to help the Bullpups rout the Conquerors.
Central Valley shot a sizzling 59 percent from the field in the first half to build a big lead and cruise to a victory.
The basket was good as soon as the ball left her fingers. Bethany Montgomery could tell. It was her shot, her moment.
No ifs, no ands, no buts about it: Mount Rainier High’s Brittany McPhee is the best girls’ basketball player in the state.
The Braves, led by Sira Toure’s 26 points, never trailed in beating the Islanders.
Hawks guard Marquis Armstead was expecting the weak side help defender to come shut down his path to the basket.
The Titans used some late defense and the strong all-around game from Kayleigh Valley to hold off the Grizzlies.
Noticeably bothered by a bum ankle, Seattle Prep’s D.J. Fenner, son of former Seattle Seahawks running back Derrick Fenner, scored 26 points, and his two free throws with 5.5 seconds to go iced the victory over the Blazers.
Andre Lewis barreled out of his crouch position, and put on a move any NFL free safety would sign off on.
The word “zone” does not roll easily off the tongue of Curtis High coach Tim Kelly, whose teams traditionally play an intense man-to-man defense.
Not once, but twice Bethany Montgomery thought she was sending the Wilson High Rams to overtime. And in both moments she and the Rams had their hearts ripped out in the most peculiar of circumstances.
Lincoln’s dream of winning a state title for the first time since 2002 came crashing down on Friday night, as the Abes were blown out by Lakeside in a Class 3A state semifinal game at the Tacoma Dome.
Because they are overly superstitious, Arlington High School boys basketball players and staff members met in coach Nick Brown’s classroom at 7:14 a.m. Thursday in their final meeting before the Class 4A state championships.
Almost 300 miles separate Mead and Mount Rainier high schools, but the two have strikingly related girls’ basketball teams.
Logan Werner is his name, and excitement for Wilson High girls basketball is his game.
YAKIMA — None of the W.F. West players were aware of their record-setting performance.
YAKIMA — Normally calm and collected at the free-throw line, Jazzlynn Brewster was nervous.
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