SVSJ preview: Red Wolves girls’ golf team looks to break out and have strong season

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Rhett Workman

EDITOR’S NOTE: We continue our spring sports preview series this morning by focusing on our first Cedarcrest High School spring team – girls’ golf.

Cedarcrest High School’s girls’ golf team looks to contend in the Cascade Conference this spring, and they will have a lot of experience to draw from in 2014.

Longtime coach David McLaughlin is back for his 10th season, and his team has a couple of top returners this spring. Senior Caitlin Brenner and junior Amanda Fairbanks both made state last year, and the two of them, according to McLaughlin, could be among several top conference golfers battling it out this season for the individual league championship.

Last season saw the Red Wolves go 2-8 overall, but McLaughlin likes his team’s chances this spring. “If we avoid illness and injury, we should be looking to challenge King’s and South Whidbey for the team title,” McLaughlin wrote in an email to the SVSJ. “Both of those schools had great seasons last year. Our advantage is that we did not have any seniors last year.” Among the other seniors McLaughlin looks to have out this spring include Ericka Stickles, who has provided strong contributions throughout her high school career, and Kendall Berens, who many CHS fans may know from her time with the Red Wolves’ volleyball team. According to McLaughlin, Berens will be the second of three sisters from that family who have been a part of the CHS golf program.

Also expected to be a top returner is junior Annabelle LaBate. According to McLaughlin, she finished in the top 10 last spring in stroke average among all Cascade golfers despite missing most of the season. If LaBate can stay healthy, she could potentially also be in the discussion later on in the season regarding the individual league championship.

McLaughlin sees his program as much an instructional one as it is competitive. “We want girls to learn the game of golf and be able to play well enough to enjoy it for the rest of their life,” the coach said. “Many of our girls that start in our program have no golf experience prior to picking up a club their first practice. Our goal is to help them improve over the course of four years and be a state level golfer when they graduate.”

He is also looking for big things from his team. “This year, our goal is to win the Cascade Conference team title, to send at least three girls to state and get a placing at state for only the second time in school history,” McLaughlin said.

Their season starts on March 21 with the first of two meetings to start the season against the other contenders for the Cascade title. The Red Wolves will meet King’s at Jackson Park Golf Course, then on March 25, will open the season at home at Blue Heron (formerly Carnation) Golf Course against South Whidbey. CHS will meet both opponents again later in the season, with King’s at home April 16 followed by a road date at South Whidbey April 18 to be played at Useless Bay Golf Course on Whidbey Island.

All league contests start at 3:00 p.m, with CHS’ home contests as previously noted being at Blue Heron Golf Course.

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College baseball and softball wrap….

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Rhett Workman

Good Monday morning. Time to wrap up the weekend with Sunday results on the college baseball and softball diamond.

Baseball
Columbia Basin 10, Olympic 4 (1); Columbia Basin 11, Olympic 4 (2) – Mount Si grad Ryan Atkinson saw action in both games for CBC as they swept their NWAACC rivals yesterday; the sophomore from North Bend was 0-5 in the opener, but went 2-6 in the nightcap, scoring a run and driving in another. Another CBC’er with Valley ties, catcher Braden Wolgamott, an Eastside Catholic HS grad, played in the opener and went 1-3 with a run.

Abilene Christian 2, Texas-Arlington 1 – ACU closed out the weekend with a win over the host school at their tournament in Arlington, TX. Freshman Gunnar Buhner, from Fall City and a 2013 MSHS grad, was 0-3 with a walk for Abilene, but played second base and recorded two putouts and three assists defensively.

Washington 9, Santa Clara 1 – The Broncos fell at home in Santa Clara, CA, to close out the weekend; sophomore pitcher Reece Karalus, from North Bend and a 2012 MSHS grad, pitched 1/3 of an inning in relief for SC and got through that without any stats of note.

Kansas State 12, Iowa 8 – KSU closed out their home opening weekend with a sweep of the visiting Hawkeyes; junior Max Brown, from North Bend and a 2011 MSHS grad, pinch-ran for the Wildcats in the seventh and scored a run; he was then inserted as the DH for K-State and went 0-1.

Yakima Valley 7, Skagit Valley 2 – Yakima Valley won a home game in NWAACC play over the visitors from Mount Vernon; sophomore pitcher Ross Tassara, from Fall City and a 2012 MSHS grad, pitched an inning of relief for YVCC and struck out two.

Softball
Central Washington 5, Western Washington 4 (1); Central Washington 4, Western Washington 3 (2) – The Wildcats swept the Vikings at home in Ellensburg in a GNAC twinbill, and a Valleyite was a heroine in one of the wins. Freshman Kailyn Campbell, a 2013 Cedarcrest HS grad from Duvall, was 1-3 with an RBI in the opener, but that hit proved to be huge – a game-winning single in the last inning that scored teammate Sammy Morris. Campbell played first base in that contest and recorded seven putouts. She did not play the nightcap.

George Washington 8, Wagner 3 – GW scored a home win with a little help from a Mount Si grad; sophomore Maura Murphy, from Snoqualmie and a 2012 MSHS alum, pinch ran for the Colonials in the fourth inning of the contest and scored a run.

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College action…..

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Rhett Workman

Here’s our look at the college scoreboard from yesterday.

Baseball
Central Christian (KS) 11, Manhattan Christian (KS) 7 (1) ; Central Christian 13, Manhattan Christian (KS) 2 (2) – Central Christian and Manhattan Christian both met in a twinbill, for the second straight day but this time on Manhattan’s home field in Manhattan, KS, with CC sweeping the pair. Freshman Clayton Lacher, from Duvall and a 2013 Cedarcrest HS grad, led the way for CC in the nightcap, going 3-5 with two doubles, a run scored and four runs driven in. Lacher also played first base, and recorded six putouts and an assist defensively. He went 0-1 in the opener, but walked twice, scored two runs and drove in another, and logged six putouts and two assists on defense at first to aid CC to that win.

Santa Clara 9, Pacific 8 – The Broncos scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat at home in Santa Clara, CA. The offensive rally helped sophomore pitcher Reece Karalus pick up his first win of 2014 for SC; the 2012 MSHS grad from North Bend pitched two strong innings for the Broncos, striking out four.

Lewis and Clark State 8, British Columbia 3 (1); British Columbia 8, Lewis and Clark State 6 (2) – LCSC and UBC split a pair in Lewiston, ID, with junior Gunnar Swanson pitching the nightcap for the host Warriors. Swanson, a 2011 CHS grad from Duvall, pitched five innings, giving up four runs, all earned, on eight hits, with a walk and two strikeouts; he earned a no decision.

Kansas State 5, Iowa 2 – Lacher wasn’t the only Valleyite in action on a college baseball diamond in Manhattan, KS, yesterday; junior Max Brown and his K-State team also were in action at home in Manhattan, and the North Bend product – and 2011 MSHS alum – went 2-4 with a run scored to aid the Wildcats to another win over the Hawkeyes in a non-conference battle.

Edmonds CC 11, Everett CC 6 – Everett fell on a neutral field in Wenatchee to their local rivals despite a 1-4 effort with a run scored and run batted in from sophomore outfielder Paul Wilen, a 2012 Cedarcrest HS grad from Duvall.

Centralia 3, Columbia Basin 1 – The opener for CBC did not go well, as they fell at home in Pasco to visiting Centralia. Three Mount Si grads played for CBC in the contest – sophomore Ryan Atkinson, a 2012 MSHS alum, went 3-4 with a run scored; freshman Joey Cotto went 0-2, and fellow frosh Connor Swift pitched an inning of relief, giving up two hits but striking out one. All are from North Bend.

Clark 3, Yakima Valley CC 1 – A strong outing from a Mount Si grad on the mount kept YVCC in it, but the bats weren’t able to make it happen in their home loss to the visitors from Vancouver, WA. Sophomore Ross Tassara, from Fall City and a 2012 MSHS alum, pitched three solid innings, giving up one earned run on four hits, walking one and striking out one. Tassara received a no decision.

Utah 9, Abilene Christian 8 – The Pac-12’s Utes outlasted ACU in a game at a tournament in Arlington, TX. Freshman Gunnar Buhner, from Fall City and a 2013 MSHS grad, went 0-5 for ACU, but played second base and recorded two putouts and two assists defensively.

Lower Columbia 9, Lane CC 6 – The two Valleyites playing for LCC both contributed to their home win in Kelso over Lane, from Eugene, OR. Cedarcrest grad Tanner Marty, from Duvall, went 1-4 with a run scored and run batted in, and Mount Si grad Trevor Lane, from North Bend, also went 1-4, but drove in two runs. Both are sophomores.

Softball
Central Washington 9, Simon Fraser 1 (1); Central Washington 7, Simon Fraser 5 (2) – The Wildcats swept their GNAC conference-opening twinbill at home in Ellensburg over the visiting Clan. Freshman – and 2013 Cedarcrest HS grad – Kaliyn Campbell of Duvall went 2-3 in the opener for Central, and drove in a run to aid the winning Wildcat effort.

George Washington 5, Binghamton 2 – GW scored a win at home in Washington, DC, with sophomore Maura Murphy, from Snoqualmie and a 2012 MSHS grad, pinch-running for the Colonials and scoring a run in the fifth inning of the contest.

George Washington 6, Howard 1 – The Colonials closed out the day with a win over city rival Howard; Murphy also pinch-ran in this contest for GW, but unlike the first game of the day, did not score a run.

Lynchburg 15, Rutgers-Newark 5 (1); Lynchburg 9; Rutgers-Newark 5 (2) – Another twinbill on neutral ground for LC in Salisbury, MD, meant another dominating sweep, this time over New Jersey-based opposition. Freshman Lauren Smith, from Snoqualmie and a 2013 MSHS grad, went 2-4 with a run as LC’s designated hitter in the opener

Rugby
Central Washington 95, Boise State 12 – Central Washington’s rugby program is interscholastic this season, as part of the Northwest Collegiate Rugby conference, and there are a few Mount Si grads playing this spring for Central, led by Aladdin Schirmer. He scored one “try” in yesterday’s win, resulting in five points for the Wildcats, who are undefeated on the season thus far. A “try”, for those unaware, is akin to a touchdown in football. Schirmer now has five of those on the season. His brother, Maverick, and fellow ex-MSHS football teammate Shelby Williams are the other Mount Si grads on the roster. Also listed on the roster is another name that should be familiar to MSHS football fans – that being Liberty High School grad, and former Patriots football star, Chandler Jenkins.

Track & Field
PLU meet, Parkland – Central Washington junior women’s distance runner Brenna Eldredge, from Duvall and a 2011 Cedarcrest HS grad, finished 13th in the women’s 5000 meter race at this meet hosted by Pacific Lutheran. She clocked just under 20 minutes for the full distance.

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SVSJ preview: Mount Si baseball looks to maintain successful run, but pitching will be key

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Rhett Workman

EDITOR’S NOTE: Today we start our series of spring sports previews for selected Mount Si and Cedarcrest High School sports teams. In the coming days, we will feature various Wildcats and Red Wolves teams in this segment, as we preview for you what to look for from the teams in 2014. Today’s feature focuses on Mount Si’s baseball team.

The Mount Si High School baseball program continued their state playoff streak in 2013, and finished fourth overall after a strong 18-7 season. The 2014 edition has a number of returners from last season’s team, but the main question coming into this season will be pitching, pitching, pitching.

Mount Si's baseball team will be anchored by returning senior outfielder Evan Johnson, seen here during the 2013 state playoffs. (Courtesy photo)

Mount Si’s baseball team will be anchored by returning senior outfielder Evan Johnson, seen here during the 2013 state playoffs. (Courtesy photo)

Back as head coach for his second season, and third overall as part of the Mount Si staff, is Zach Habben. Habben is looking to replicate the 2013 success. “Same kind of work ethic; we’re putting in the same philosophy in again,” Habben said. “We’ve got some younger guys that are going to step up big this year and (we’re) looking forward to getting after it.”

The Wildcats’ top returners are all in the field, led by shortstop Carson Breshears. Breshears, who has signed to play collegiately at the University of Oregon for next season, is expected to provide a big lift for Mount Si this spring. “Looking forward to him stepping up (and) really being a leader this year like he was last year,” Habben said. Breshears last season hit .363 with 20 runs batted in and was one of the Wildcats’ top hitters. Joining him as part of a potent senior class is outfielder Evan Johnson. Johnson was Mount Si’s top offensive threat in 2013, hitting .449 with two homers and 24 runs driven in. He is looking forward to the season ahead.

“We’re going to be on the younger side compared to last year, but I’m really looking forward to seeing who’s going to step up,” Johnson said. “He’s going to do a little bit of everything this year for us,” Habben said of his senior outfield star, who has narrowed his college choices down to Whitworth or Pacific Lutheran, but is not expected to sign with a school until after the season ends.

Another player to watch will be Zach Usselman. The senior returns behind the plate this season after a solid campaign in 2013, where he hit .280 with a home run and 15 runs batted in. He, like Breshears, has found a college home, having signed with Bellevue College back in January to play in the local community college ranks next year. “(He is) great defensively. Nobody should run on us,” Habben said.

The pitching, though, could be a wild card this season. After three seasons of strong pitching helping lead the Wildcats to state, this year, it’s a little bit different. “We’re going to go by committee,” Habben said, indicating that competition and who’s doing the best at any given moment will get the opportunities. “Whoever’s hot, throwing well is going to be out on the mound,” he said. Look for Usselman, fellow returners Tanner Simpson and Chris Solomon and junior newcomer Colin Brown to be the main candidates for those top pitching spots.

Competition in general is a big theme this spring. And the senior class looks to ensure that. “We’re always just making sure that we’re leading by example and not just really telling them what to do, but showing them, and our biggest thing right now is that we need to just realize that nothing’s guaranteed as far as spots we got to earn it,” Johnson said, “so we’re making sure those younger guys know that it’s up for grabs if you work hard.”

Mount Si will be in the hunt for the Kingco title this spring, and will have the likes of Bellevue, Mercer Island and Lake Washington chasing them. All three of those teams look to have strong teams this spring, and will give the Wildcats good tests. “It’s going to be another tough year. We’re going to be up there; we’re going to compete with everybody,” Habben said.

The highlight of the season once again will be the game at Safeco Field. A tradition that started during the tenure of former coach Chaz Carr is now in its sixth season, and this year’s game will be against future Kingco 4A rival Newport on March 22 at 12 noon.

Johnson expects this team to go far. “I think this group is going to be a state contender once again,” he said. “I think that we’re going to outwork everyone and that’s what’s going to separate us.”

Mount Si’s baseball team has its jamboree this Saturday up at Inglemoor High School, and opens the season next Thursday at Peninsula in Gig Harbor. They open their home schedule April 4 against Juanita, in the league opener for both teams. Game times for all Mount Si home games are 4:30 p.m.

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College news and notes, plus a note about what’s ahead here at the SVSJ

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Rhett Workman

Time now for our Saturday morning news and notes. We have a quick note for you to start and that is we are in the process of gathering information and interviews for our spring sports preview series, which we plan to start tomorrow and run throughout the coming days here at the SVSJ. Selected Mount Si and Cedarcrest High School spring sports teams will be featured in our preview coverage.

Now to the colleges.

Baseball
Manhattan Christian (KS) 4, Central Christian (KS) 3; Central Christian 1, Manhattan Christian 0 – We feature this doubleheader to start this morning because, thanks to a reader tip, we learned that a Cedarcrest High School grad was playing in the contests yesterday in McPherson, KS. Freshman Clayton Lacher, a 2013 CHS alum from Duvall, played first base for CC in the two contests, going 2-4 with two RBI’s in the opener to aid CC, and 0-3 in the nightcap. He was busy defensively, recording a total of 19 putouts in the double-dip. Lacher had been slated to play for Central Washington this spring, but his plans changed, resulting in him joining the NAIA squad in Kansas.

Kansas State 3, Iowa 2 – The Wildcats opened their home schedule in Manhattan, KS, with a win over the Big 10’s Hawkeyes. Junior Max Brown, from North Bend and a 2011 Mount Si HS grad, played in left field for KSU and went 1-2 with a double, and recorded two putouts defensively.

Edmonds CC 10, Everett CC 6 – Over in Wenatchee, Edmonds won a slugfest with Everett; Cedarcrest HS grad Paul Wilen played center field for Everett and went 0-4 in the contest.

Missouri State 12, Abilene Christian 3 – ACU fell in the opener of a tournament in Arlington, TX. Freshman Gunnar Buhner, a 2013 Mount Si HS grad from Fall City, went 1-2 and recorded a putout and seven assists playing second base for Abilene.

Everett CC 8, Wenatchee Valley CC 7 – Duvall’s Wilen had a hot bat for Everett, going 3-5 with three runs to aid the Everett victory over the host WVCC team.

Lower Columbia 9, Lane 6; Lower Columbia 5, Lane 1 – The hosts from LCC swept a pair from the Eugene, OR, school. Mount Si grad Trevor Lane pitched the opener; the LCC sophomore and 2012 MSHS alum was dinged up a bit on the statsheet, giving up four earned runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. Lane got a no-decision on the mound, and at the plate, was 0-3 with a run. Fellow LCC sophomore – and Cedarcrest HS grad – Tanner Marty was also hitless in two at-bats in that contest, scoring a run. In the nightcap, Lane, from North Bend, played left field, and the transfer from NCAA Division I Campbell (NC) went 3-4 with a run and RBI. Marty, from Duvall, also had a hit and RBI in the second contest.

UW 6, Santa Clara 4 (Thursday) – The Huskies defeated the Broncos late Thursday night in Santa Clara, CA, but saw a Valleyite pitch against them. SC sophomore reliever Reece Karalus, from North Bend and a 2012 MSHS grad, pitched an inning, giving up one hit and striking out two with a no-decision to show for it.

Softball
Lynchburg 22, Wilkes 1; Lynchburg 12, Wilkes 2 – Virginia’s Lynchburg College outscored Pennsylvania’s Wilkes 34-3 in the doubleheader sweep on neutral ground in Salisbury, MD. Freshman Lauren Smith, from Snoqualmie and a 2013 MSHS grad, played in both games for LC; in the opener, she played in left field and went 1-2 with two runs scored and an RBI; all of that came in an explosive fourth inning for LC, in which they scored 11 runs to put the game away. In the nightcap, Smith played first base, and also went 1-2 there, scoring a run.

Thiel 5, Rose-Hulman 4 – The final day of their Florida swing saw Thiel open with this victory; junior catcher Danielle Massengill, from North Bend and a 2011 MSHS grad, went 0-3, but reached base on a walk and scored a run. She also recorded two putouts and an assist on defense.

Howard 2, George Washington 1 – GW opened their home schedule finally in Washington, DC, with a narrow loss to their nearby rivals (Howard is located cross-town from GW within the District). Sophomore Maura Murphy pinch-ran for a teammate in the sixth inning, and the 2012 MSHS grad from Snoqualmie did not score a run, as she was forced out at third base in her appearance.

Lebanon Valley 7, Thiel 3 – Thiel wrapped up the Florida action with a loss; Massengill doubled as part of a 2-3 effort which saw her drive in a run. She also recorded a pair of putouts and an assist defensively.

Basketball
Loyola Marymount 67, Portland men 64 (Thursday) – The Pilots’ season came to an end at 15-16 after a heartbreaking loss in the opening round of the WCC tournament in Las Vegas Thursday. With the season’s end comes the end of the college career for North Bend’s Tanner Riley. The 2010 MSHS grad –and UoP senior – saw seven minutes of action off the bench for the Pilots and recorded two points.

Gymnastics
Utah State def. San Jose State 195.525-195.1 – SJSU fell on the road in a conference dual meet in Logan, UT, to the host Aggies. SJSU junior Cami Guyer, from Fall City, rebounded from a rough start to have a nice meet for the Spartans. The 2011 MSHS grad recorded a 37.7 in the all-around; she started out on a down note with an 8.4 on the bars, but recovered well the rest of the way, scoring a 9.7 on the vault followed by a pair of 9.8’s on both the balance beam and floor exercise events.

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