Prep watch: Kudos to all in post-season play
Congrats to all the teams who made it to postseason. Specifically Mt. Spokane which negotiated the necessary three games through the tough eight-team bracket with Columbia Basin League teams to make its first state breakthrough.
It did sort of shoot down my theory about the impossibility of negotiating the eight-team bracket. If any team had the arms to do it, the Greater Spokane League champion Wildcats did.
Mt. Spokane coach Alex Schuerman said that the final outcome was fitting because, in reality, the best two teams (Kamiakin and the Wildcats) in the tournament have moved on.
Who knows? They could be playing Saturday in Yakima for a berth in the 3A State final four.
In 4A, University’s young team plays in State 4A region IV this weekend in Richland. The Titans had a great year, tying Mead for second in the GSL and clearly were on target last weekend, with two solid pitching performances and 21 runs on 20 hits. Sixteen of those hits will be back in the lineup next year so the 14-4 and 7-2 wins over Ferris and Mead respectively could be merely a prequel of things to come.
“I had a real good feeling,” coach Scott Sutherland said following Saturday’s district championship win. “The kids brought out the lumber against Ferris, we had a great season-ending doubleheader with Rogers and played (Mt. Spokane pitcher) Paul Smith tough. The kids really have it going.”
For whatever reason, I picked U-Hi sixth in the GSL (something Sutherland reminds me of from time-to-time). I knew they had a solid one-two pitching punch. But I let their youth – 10 juniors or sophomores on the roster (And CV’s early season sweep of Gonzaga Prep) cloud my judgment. But what are preseason predictions for other than to put the bulls-eye on some unfortunate team or two and cause others to take it as an affront and play with chips on their shoulders.
Further kudos go to Ferris, which like Mt. Spokane, was in a loser-out situation three times, needing to win two games or else Saturday after losing Friday to the Titans. Without pitching depth for a variety of reasons, gutted it up and won both.
Peaceful coexistence
The dichotomy of club and high school sports has been discussed quite a bit in this blog.
Recently there was an article by Mike McLaughlin in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer pointing out the importance of soccer clubs in that expose players to major college programs as well as improving the product statewide.
There has been no argument here that club athletes are the pick of the litter as it were. They also make a high school program better and the two are the better for it if they co-exist.
Who’da thunk it?
Who would have believed that only East Valley would still be around in state soccer after Tuesday’s first-round?
Not only did University fall to visiting Olympia, 1-0, but Cheney – which figured to be a State 2A title contender – went down to visiting Prosser 1-0 in a shootout.
In 1A, Lakeside also was defeated 1-0, meaning only the Knights remain, who defeated Sunnyside last Saturday are left standing. They host Camas, 1 p.m. Saturday at Gonzaga Prep for a shot at the final four.