Lewiston fills winter coaching positions

Corey Williams can finally take some time off.

The Lewiston High athletic director just finished filling all of his winter sports head coaching positions, including the boys basketball position he held for five years.

Jayson Ulrich, a 1995 Lewiston graduate, takes over for Williams, who took over during the school year as interim athletic director until being named the permanent replacement this spring.

Ulrich, 37, was a finalist for the job five years ago when Williams was hired.

“I think the world of him,” Williams said. “He’s been loyal to the program. He’s very intelligent when it comes to basketball and he’s very passionate.”

Ulrich was a junior varsity/varsity assistant for four years prior to Williams taking over. Ulrich assisted Williams all five of his years.

“It’s one of the coolest things ever to play in a program, coach in the program and now be the head coach. It’s perfect for me. It’s the job I’ve always wanted.”

Lewiston returns three starters and a group of gym rats, Ulrich said.

• Former Lewiston boys basketball coach Dave Cornelia takes over as the school’s girls basketball coach.

Cornelia, 48, resigned as the boys coach following a state championship season in 2008-09. All eight of his teams qualified for state as they finished 142-55 overall.

Now he inherits a team that will likely be heavily favored to win a state title.

“Helping Pat (Teichmer) last year recharged my batteries a little bit,” Cornelia said. “It’s challenging in a lot of ways.”

Teichmer resigned after coaching Lewiston to two state titles and a runner-up finish.

“I’m leaving a solid program,” Teichmer said. “I’m proud of what we accomplished but it’s time for someone else to do it.”

Williams is thrilled to hand the program over to Cornelia.

“He took the girls through the summer not knowing if he was going to be the coach or not,” Williams said. “You know of his experience and pedigree. The girls are lucky to have him.”

Lewiston returns four starters and eight of its top 11.

• Colt Heger has been named Lewiston’s wrestling coach. He replaces Dan Maurer, who resigned after making a job change last spring.

Heger has been an assistant at Lewiston in recent years. Prior to that he was an assistant at Clarkston for three years.

“I’ve been an assistant and now I’ve got the opportunity to do my own thing,” Heger said. “I’ve known the kids since they were in club. It’s exciting that I’m the head coach. Words can’t describe it.”

Golf

Blake Ellingsen of Spokane won the 15-17 boys division at the 2014 Banner Bank Jr. Golf Invite at Walla Walla Country Club.

Ellingsen shot identical rounds of 71 to finish in a tie with Holden Backes of Yakima. Ellingsen prevailed in a five-hole playoff.

Ryan Maine of Spokane shot 74-72 to take third. Matthew Heckel of Spokane placed seventh.

Kelly Hooper of Spokane took second in the girls 15-17 division. She shot rounds of 75-71.

Jack and Will Reeves of Sandpoint finished third and fourth respectively in the boys 12-14 division.

Makena Rauch of Moscow took third in the girls 12-14 group.

Equestrian

Madeleine James placed third in Hunt Seat over Fences and fourth in Dressage to lead the showing of the Mt. Spokane High Equestrian team at the Pacific Northwest Regional championships June 27-29 in Redmond, Ore.

Teammate Marissa Condron finished eighth in Individual Flags and joined Niki Belobersycky and Kevin Minden to place fourth in Team Canadian Flags.

The Mt. Spokane team also includes students from Mead, Gonzaga Prep, St. George’s, Newport and Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls).

Football

Mt. Spokane will play West Valley of Yakima in the WIAA Emerald City Kickoff Classic Sept. 6 at Seattle Memorial Stadium.

The WIAA made the announcement of the four-game schedule last week.

Track

Khalil Winfrey of Rogers, who will be a junior this fall, won two championships at the USATF Region 13 Junior Olympic meet at Central Valley High School.

Winfrey took first in the boys 15-16 division in the 100 meters (10.96 seconds) and 200 (22.66).

Winfrey is fund-raising to attend nationals, which will begin a week-long competition Monday in Houston, Texas.

The Spokane Mercury track club had 29 qualify for nationals. Not all are planning on competing in Houston, though.

The top five in each event at regionals earned a berth to nationals.

Other winners were: Summer Kastning of Spokane in the pentathlon 800 meters in the girls 11-12 division (2:36.24); Katherin Thronson of Spokane in the girls 13-14 1,500 (4:59.08); Alexander Ayers of Spokane in the boys 15-16 400 (1:02.54); Elisha Allred of Spokane in the girls 17-18 hammer (131-5); and Logan Feasline of St. Maries in the boys 17-18 discus (161-7).

Softball

A 1-2 finish by Liberty Lake Lightning and Lakesiders in 16-U B in Yakima led a strong showing by a half-dozen Spokane teams in a pair of Washington ASA state tournaments during the weekend.

Pitcher Rachel Valdez, who’ll be a freshman this fall at Gonzaga Prep, and an offense that featured three .500 hitters led the Lightning to the state title, capping a 4-0 tournament with a 5-3 championship-game win over Lakesiders after beating the Nine Mile Falls team 5-2 in the winner’s bracket final.

Valdez had 17 strikeouts in three games and Kailey Sanford (University) hit .545, Morgan Ulbright (West Valley) .538 and Shayden Clark (Central Valley) .500 behind leadoff hitter Alex Surbey’s (U-Hi) .461 for coach Dan Harder’s Lightning. Lakesiders finished 3-2.

Spokane Diamonds-Christensen finished fourth with a 2-2 tournament record.

• For the second straight year and third time in four years the Spokane Mudhens reign as the 18-U A/B state champions, finishing a 4-0 tournament with a 7-2 championship-game win over Something Special after a 2-1 semifinal win over the Vancouver team in eight innings on a walk-off, RBI single by Zoe Clark (Coeur d’Alene) in Selah.

Coach Octavio Morales, whose Mudhens finished third in the ASA 18-U Gold Regional in late June, said it took a team effort to repeat as state champion after losing two players to injuries, leaving it with the nine for the majority of the tournament. “We played very aggressive,” said Morales, in support of Carli Riordan (Central Valley), who struck out 12 in pitching a pair of five-hitters on Sunday.

Spokane Diamonds-Vulcano went 0-2 in the tournament.

• Spokane Stealth ’98 finished third in the 16-U A tournament in Selah, dropping an 8-0 decision to Blaze Dynamite of Brier, Washington, which climbed through the loser’s bracket to win the tournament. Stealth compiled a 4-2 record.

• The Idaho Sliders of Meridian defeated Coeur d’Alene-based North Idaho Xtreme ’97 8-0 in the championship game Sunday of the Idaho state 16-and-under ASA tournament at Ramsey Park in Coeur d’Alene.

Riley Jensen went 3 for 4 with four RBI for the Sliders, and Kayler Detmer hurled a four-hitter with four strikeouts.

Alex Douglas had two hits for Xtreme.