Area High Schools Enter the Field of Play this Week

The Toledo Cheer Squad pulls out the tradional banner during a football game in 2008.

With the beginning of school, also starts a season where coaches start sorting out the damage done by graduation on the field of play. While the first football games started last Friday, Volleyball, Soccer and Cross Country all start this week and next in our local high schools.

While Napavine dominated the local sports scene with powerful football (state champions), basketball and baseball (3rd place in state) teams, it looks like an exciting year for Onalaska with many exciting athletes returning to all sports.

The Napavine Football team is well positioned to make another run at state under the leadership of Head Coach Josh Fey.

In football, the Tigers won the 2B state championship in 2008 with a unit that developed as a smooth, effective operation through the season. They replace a few athletes, but return most of their skill players. Onalaska has perhaps the most exciting athlete in the area in Dalton Richey. With a couple of receivers developing, Onalaska could dominate the local 1A scene. Winlock takes on a dark-horse status after a two-win season with a young team barely affected by graduation and a couple of new athletes added to the campus. Toledo returns one of the best passers in the person of Andrew Blair, to grace area football fields in recent history. Expect the Indians to play total team ball and compete for a spot to state. Toutle Lake may be in a rebuilding year after graduating many great athletes, but expect Castle Rock to field a solid team despite the loss the great Zach Gehring and Kyle Karnofski among many others.

Onalaska Volleyball Coach Susan Gordon has a bevy of returning talent in the Lady Logger athletic program.

The Lady Loggers look to compete very well with Toledo on the Volleyball court as both schools bring back athletes and coaches in very proud programs. Other volleyball programs to watch include 2008 State Runner-up Castle Rock. Even with the graduation of five seniors off the 2008 team, the pipeline of talent will continue.

Olanlaska takes pride in not only its ability to field a competetive team, but host large meets like this one last fall.

Onalaska Cross Country will also bring back huge numbers of harriers to compete at the district level.

Rock-On and Castle Rock split two classic battles in 2008. Rock-On went on to State, could 2009 be the year for a rapidly developing CR program?

Count on three very good soccer programs from Castle Rock, Rock-On (a combined group from Onalaska and Napavine) and Toledo-Winlock United to battle for local supremacy.

Yes, it is that time of year; Entire communities come out to support their local student-athletes on the field of play and old rivalries are renewed with a new generation of athletes and fans.

League meet @ Stevenson Results

Boy's Team Scores

1. Woodland 123
2. Stevenson 84.5
3. White Salmon 79
4. Castle Rock 38.5
5. Vancouver Christian 30

100 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Evan Nystrom 11.80a 10 CSAL
2 Enrique Granados 11.86a 12 CSAL
3 Jordan Shaw 11.93a 12 WDLD
4 Elliott Moss 12.29a 12 WDLD
5 Josh Gleason 12.41a 10 WDLD
6 Eric Barragan 12.55a 10 WDLD

200 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Zachary Mart 24.45a 11 CSAL
1 Enrique Granados 24.45a 12 CSAL
3 Eric Barragan 24.88a 10 WDLD
4 Josh Gleason 24.93a 10 WDLD
5 Matt Maddux 25.33a 9 STEV
6 Sebastian Mael 25.39a 9 CSAL

400 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Dylan Bybee 57.27a 11 STEV
2 Tyler King 57.60a 12 WDLD
3 Aaron DeBolt 62.11a 9 WDLD
4 Luke Donald 62.86a 10 WDLD
5 Lane Newburn 63.51a 9 WDLD
6 Austin Bashaw 63.66a 9 WDLD

800 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Tyler Eccles 2:11.36a 12 CSRK
2 Andrew Olsen 2:11.40a 11 STEV
3 Jonathon Frost 2:12.22a 10 CSAL
4 Richard Shultz 2:24.36a 10 VNCR
5 Nick Watts 2:24.90a 10 WDLD
6 Neal LaGrander 2:25.45a 11 CSAL

1600 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Jared O'Brien 4:49.45a 12 VNCR
2 Andrew Olsen 4:49.87a 11 STEV
3 Andrew Ladesma 5:16.14a 9 STEV
4 Tanner Taylor 5:16.51a 10 STEV
5 Isiah Arn 5:24.94a 11 WDLD
6 Miguel Reyes 5:26.07a 11 CSAL

3200 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Jared O'Brien 10:52.19a 12 VNCR
2 Andrew Ladesma 12:03.23a 9 STEV
3 Isiah Arn 12:13.46a 11 WDLD
4 Derrick Seymour 12:14.56a 12 WDLD
5 Miguel Reyes 12:16.96a 11 CSAL
6 Alex Wedwood 13:15.08a 10 STEV

110m Hurdles - 39" - Varsity - Finals
1 Elliott Moss 16.18a 12 WDLD
2 Brody Pestana 17.48a 10 STEV
3 William Davis 17.53a 10 WDLD
4 Jenson Ladiges 17.88a 11 CSAL
5 Denman Curry 17.98a 11 CSAL
6 Caleb Bell 18.53a 11 CSAL

300m Hurdles - 36" - Varsity - Finals
1 Justin LaCasse 44.72a 11 VNCR
2 Denman Curry 45.25a 11 CSAL
3 Caleb Bell 45.29a 11 CSAL
4 Jenson Ladiges 45.62a 11 CSAL
5 Josh Bell 50.44a 10 CSAL
6 Keagan Foss 52.59a 10 WDLD

4x100 Relay - Varsity - Finals
1 Evan Nystrom Jenson Ladiges Enrique Granados Zachary Mart 45.84a CSAL
2 Josh Gleason Tyler King Elliott Moss Jordan Shaw 46.17a WDLD
3 Tyler Eccles Jon Byerly Cody Martin Jed Lomer 47.79a CSRK

4x400 Relay - Varsity - Finals
1 Enrique Granados Evan Nystrom Denman Curry Zachary Mart 3:42.91a CSAL
2 Jed Lomer Cody Martin Zeke Lomer Tyler Eccles 3:45.74a CSRK
3 Jared O'Brien Justin LaCasse Richard Shultz Ben Root 3:58.60a VNCR

Shot Put - 12lb - Varsity - Finals
1 Evan Koering 45-08.00 11 WDLD
2 Chase VanCleef 42-08.00 10 WDLD
3 Tra Givens 42-04.00 10 WDLD
4 Steven Graham 39-08.00 11 WDLD
5 Josh Andersen 38-10.00 11 STEV
6 Ty Plummer 38-09.00 11 CSAL

Discus - 1.6kg - Varsity - Finals
1 Evan Koering 132-08 11 WDLD
2 Steven Graham 130-07 11 WDLD
3 Ty Plummer 125-05 11 CSAL
4 Ryan Ward 117-10 10 CSRK
5 Josh Andersen 113-04 11 STEV
6 Cameron Erdelbrock 109-10 12 CSRK

Javelin - 800g - Varsity - Finals
1 Jace Spencer 166-08 12 CSRK
2 Morgan Glessing 130-04 11 WDLD
3 Cameron Erdelbrock 125-00 12 CSRK
4 Nick Gavenas 124-09 11 STEV
5 Jake Elliott 120-10 10 WDLD
6 Zeke Lomer 120-08 11 CSRK

High Jump - Varsity - Finals
1 Lewis Meyers 6-04.00 12 STEV
2 Tyler King 5-10.00 12 WDLD
3 William Helton 5-02.00 9 CSAL
4 Mike Crimmins 5-00.00 9 CSRK
4 Tanner Taylor 5-00.00 10 STEV

Pole Vault - Varsity - Finals
1 Austin McCrum 11-00.00 11 STEV
2 William Davis 9-00.00 10 WDLD
3 Tanner Taylor 9-00.00 10 STEV
4 Jeramiah Yatzee 8-06.00 12 STEV
5 Jackson Creaon 8-00.00 10 STEV

Long Jump - Varsity - Finals
1 Lewis Meyers 20-03.00 12 STEV
2 Jordan Shaw 20-00.50 12 WDLD
3 Zachary Mart 19-00.00 11 CSAL
4 Evan Nystrom 18-09.00 10 CSAL
5 Jon Byerly 18-06.00 12 CSRK
6 Jenson Ladiges 18-00.00 11 CSAL

Triple Jump - Varsity - Finals
1 Jordan Shaw 41-05.50 12 WDLD
2 Lewis Meyers 39-01.50 12 STEV
3 Jon Byerly 37-06.50 12 CSRK
4 William Davis 37-00.00 10 WDLD
5 Dylan Bybee 36-06.50 11 STEV
6 Nick Gavenas 34-09.50 11 STEV


Varsity - Womens
1. Woodland WDLD 134
2. Stevenson STEV 110
3. White Salmon CSAL 57
4. Vancouver Christian VNCR 47
5. Castle Rock CSRK 19

100 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Amanda Stump 13.18a 12 STEV
2 Alex Coons 13.20a 10 WDLD
3 Samantha Sturdivan 13.42a 12 WDLD
4 Aleigha Rude 14.07a 9 CSAL
5 Kirsten Larsen 14.12a 10 CSAL
6 Ellis Koch 14.18a 10 STEV

200 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Amanda Stump 26.84a 12 STEV
2 Alex Coons 26.99a 10 WDLD
3 Shavenor Winters 29.22a 12 VNCR
4 Kelsey Spadaro 29.47a 10 CSAL
5 Josie Hurn 31.09a 10 CSAL
6 Ellis Koch 32.51a 10 STEV

400 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Aleigha Rude 66.38a 9 CSAL
2 Michelle Kooiman 67.33a 10 WDLD
3 Kali Stump 68.40a 9 STEV
4 Whitney Reynier 68.41a 12 CSAL
5 Kristina Cupp 69.55a 11 VNCR
6 Ashley Derrick 73.58a 9 CSRK

800 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Anna Anderson 2:35.18a 12 CSAL
2 Lauren Dameron 2:42.34a 12 VNCR
3 Sammy Sullivan 2:42.65a 11 STEV
4 Sarah Gibson 2:44.29a 9 CSAL
5 Amber Terry 2:55.67a 10 STEV
6 Kari Hunt 2:58.87a 12 VNCR

1600 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Lauren Dameron 6:02.07a 12 VNCR
2 Sammy Sullivan 6:02.55a 11 STEV
3 Sarah Gibson 6:03.57a 9 CSAL
4 Charlotte Carlson 6:46.16a 10 VNCR
5 Alice Gerelli 7:55.40a 12 STEV
6 Giulia Manari 7:57.95a 11 VNCR

3200 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Charlotte Carlson 14:16.59a 10 VNCR
2 Gates Curry 15:24.58a 10 CSAL
3 Linda Muthandi 15:25.41a 10 WDLD
4 Melanie Jakobs 15:26.56a 9 STEV

100m Hurdles - 33" - Varsity - Finals
1 Charity Arn 17.09a 10 WDLD
2 Jerika Burton 18.07a 12 WDLD
3 Ta'lor Stafford 18.17a 10 STEV
4 Kali Stump 18.57a 9 STEV
5 Jessica Watts 19.51a 9 WDLD
6 Michelle McMillen 20.49a 12 CSAL

300m Hurdles - 30" - Varsity - Finals
1 Amanda Stump 48.48a 12 STEV
2 Jen Rathgerber 52.27a 9 STEV
3 Michelle McMillen 54.49a 12 CSAL

4x100 Relay - Varsity - Finals
1 Samantha Sturdivan Lauren Davis Michelle Kooiman Alex Coons 52.48a WDLD
2 Kristina Biava Jacque Dent Emmy Dolan Marissa Carpentier 53.57a - CSRK
3 Whitney Reynier Michelle McMillen Anna Anderson Kirsten Larsen 55.03a CSAL


100 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Amanda Stump 13.18a 12 STEV
2 Alex Coons 13.20a 10 WDLD
3 Samantha Sturdivan 13.42a 12 WDLD
4 Aleigha Rude 14.07a 9 CSAL
5 Kirsten Larsen 14.12a 10 CSAL
6 Ellis Koch 14.18a 10 STEV
7 Kristina Cupp 14.20a 11 VNCR
8 Shavenor Winters 14.37a 12 VNCR
9 Krista Barela 14.85a 9 WDLD
10 Jamie Kay Christianson 14.97a 12 VNCR
11 Ashley Davis 15.49a 10 CSRK
12 Erika Heltemes 16.25a 9 CSRK
13 Rebeca Daluz 17.47a 9 STEV
Catherine Kha DQ 10 WDLD
Kristina Biava DQ 11 CSRK

200 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Amanda Stump 26.84a 12 STEV
2 Alex Coons 26.99a 10 WDLD
3 Shavenor Winters 29.22a 12 VNCR
4 Kelsey Spadaro 29.47a 10 CSAL
5 Josie Hurn 31.09a 10 CSAL
6 Ellis Koch 32.51a 10 STEV
7 Elise Ju 35.34a 12 WDLD
8 Linette Dahl 36.37a 10 CSAL
Heidi Nybroten DQ 10 CSAL
Samantha Sturdivan DQ 12 WDLD

400 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Aleigha Rude 66.38a 9 CSAL
2 Michelle Kooiman 67.33a 10 WDLD
3 Kali Stump 68.40a 9 STEV
4 Whitney Reynier 68.41a 12 CSAL
5 Kristina Cupp 69.55a 11 VNCR
6 Ashley Derrick 73.58a 9 CSRK
7 Nellie Miller 76.35a 9 STEV
8 Emylia Denis 76.99a 10 WDLD
Ashley Price DQ 10 WDLD
Lauren Dameron DQ 12 VNCR
Emmy Dolan DQ 12 CSRK

800 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Anna Anderson 2:35.18a 12 CSAL
2 Lauren Dameron 2:42.34a 12 VNCR
3 Sammy Sullivan 2:42.65a 11 STEV
4 Sarah Gibson 2:44.29a 9 CSAL
5 Amber Terry 2:55.67a 10 STEV
6 Kari Hunt 2:58.87a 12 VNCR
7 Leticia Jones 3:11.47a 9 CSRK
8 Rebeca Daluz 3:20.41a 9 STEV
9 Tiffany Epperson 3:22.80a 10 CSRK
10 Eun Jung Kim 3:22.83a 10 VNCR

1600 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Lauren Dameron 6:02.07a 12 VNCR
2 Sammy Sullivan 6:02.55a 11 STEV
3 Sarah Gibson 6:03.57a 9 CSAL
4 Charlotte Carlson 6:46.16a 10 VNCR
5 Alice Gerelli 7:55.40a 12 STEV
6 Giulia Manari 7:57.95a 11 VNCR
7 Deanna Ryan 9:22.47a 9 STEV
Linda Muthandi DQ 10 WDLD
Tiffany Epperson DQ 10 CSRK
Leticia Jones DQ 9 CSRK

3200 Meters - Varsity - Finals
1 Charlotte Carlson 14:16.59a 10 VNCR
2 Gates Curry 15:24.58a 10 CSAL
3 Linda Muthandi 15:25.41a 10 WDLD
4 Melanie Jakobs 15:26.56a 9 STEV

100m Hurdles - 33" - Varsity - Finals
1 Charity Arn 17.09a 10 WDLD
2 Jerika Burton 18.07a 12 WDLD
3 Ta'lor Stafford 18.17a 10 STEV
4 Kali Stump 18.57a 9 STEV
5 Jessica Watts 19.51a 9 WDLD
6 Michelle McMillen 20.49a 12 CSAL
7 Gabby DeBuse 21.33a 10 WDLD
8 Courtney Tipton 21.96a 9 WDLD

300m Hurdles - 30" - Varsity - Finals
1 Amanda Stump 48.48a 12 STEV
2 Jen Rathgerber 52.27a 9 STEV
3 Michelle McMillen 54.49a 12 CSAL
4 Jessica Watts 59.36a 9 WDLD

4x100 Relay - Varsity - Finals
1 Samantha Sturdivan
Lauren Davis
Michelle Kooiman
Alex Coons 52.48a WDLD
2 Kristina Biava
Jacque Dent
Emmy Dolan
Marissa Carpentier 53.57a - CSRK
3 Whitney Reynier
Michelle McMillen
Anna Anderson
Kirsten Larsen 55.03a CSAL
4 Jamie Kay Christianson
Shavenor Winters
Kristina Cupp
Kari Hunt 55.65a - VNCR
5 Ellis Koch
Aisha Stafford
Kali Stump
Ta'lor Stafford 56.07a STEV

4x200 Relay - Varsity - Finals
1 Marissa Carpentier Alyssa Hensley Emmy Dolan Jacque Dent 1:59.69a - CSRK
2 Jamie Kay Christianson Shavenor Winters Kristina Cupp Kari Hunt 2:02.04a - VNCR
3 Ashley Chappell Kali Stump Ta'lor Stafford Aisha Stafford 2:03.22a STEV

4x400 Relay - Varsity - Finals
1 Kelsey Penner Sammy Sullivan Amanda Stump Jen Rathgerber 4:23.32a STEV
2 Josie Hurn Anna Anderson Michelle McMillen Whitney Reynier 4:33.42a CSAL
3 Michelle Kooiman Lauren Davis Mia Patterson Jerika Burton 4:37.32a WDLD

Shot Put - 4kg - Varsity - Finals
1 Bailey Nelson 34-11.00 12 STEV
2 Mackenzie Ripp 32-08.00 12 WDLD
3 Brianne Koering 27-06.00 9 WDLD
4 Kani Bazrafshan 26-05.00 12 STEV
5 Tale Solfjeld 26-02.00 11 CSAL
6 Paige Trewhella 22-10.00 10 WDLD

Discus - 1kg - Varsity - Finals
1 Brianne Koering 97-09 9 WDLD
2 Mackenzie Ripp 92-11 12 WDLD
3 Bailey Nelson 86-02 12 STEV
4 Tale Solfjeld 71-02 11 CSAL
5 Julia Adolf 60-07 12 WDLD
6 Deanna Ryan 52-08 9 STEV

Javelin - 600g - Varsity - Finals
1 Mackenzie Ripp 118-11 12 WDLD
2 Megan Quintrell 109-01 12 WDLD
3 Jamie Kay Christianson 109-01 12 VNCR
4 Heidi Nybroten 94-05 10 CSAL
5 Charlie Hamilton 91-09 10 CSRK
6 Aisha Stafford 83-06 11 STEV

High Jump - Varsity - Finals
1 Charity Arn 5-00.00 10 WDLD
2 Lauren Davis 4-10.00 12 WDLD
3 Jen Rathgerber 4-09.00 9 STEV
4 Ashley Chappell 4-08.00 10 STEV
5 Paige Trewhella 4-08.00 10 WDLD
6 Tale Solfjeld 4-06.00 11 CSAL

Pole Vault - Varsity - Finals
1 Charity Arn 8-00.00 10 WDLD
2 Kari Hunt 7-06.00 12 VNCR
3 Aisha Stafford 6-06.00 11 STEV

Long Jump - Varsity - Finals
1 Kelsey Penner 16-01.00 12 STEV
2 Charity Arn 16-00.50 10 WDLD
3 Jen Rathgerber 14-09.00 9 STEV
4 Whitney Reynier 14-00.50 12 CSAL
5 Brianne Koering 13-07.50 9 WDLD
6 Anna Anderson 13-05.00 12 CSAL

Triple Jump - Varsity - Finals
1 Kelsey Penner 32-07.50 12 STEV
2 Jerika Burton 30-10.00 12 WDLD
3 Emmy Dolan 30-01.50 12 CSRK

Area Fastpitch back for Another Year of Domination

Last Spring just like baseball, District 4 fastpitch dominated the bracket with three out of the top four finishers. It was Montesano that defeated Castle Rock 3-0 in the final. Montesano had to climb over La Center in the semi-finals and Onalaska had a first round win.

Onalaska's Amber Durand slaps at a pitch during last spring's District playoffs.

In fast pitch, most coaches will tell you it is all about pitching and the Lady Bulldogs have it. They bring back to pitchers from last years team. Mikayla Shumate and Devyn Baker that were 1st team all Evergreen. La Center returns Natasha Moore as well as Trico League first-teamers Mariah Dawson and Brooke Gaston.

Castle Rock has to be considered a favorite with the number of returning players. While they graduated Samantha Watkins, they return all but two of their all-district players from a team that went to the state championship.

Onalaska has big shoes to fill on the mound with the departure of Kaylie Stanley, but remember the plethora of athletes available to make the Loggers competitive. Kalie Ritchey, Amber Durand, and Sophomore Hailey Givens all return with Givens probably laying claim to a specific role rather than a utility position this season.

Toledo's Alyssa Gallow brings sure solid pitching to her team.

Toledo will bring back Hillary Roeder, Jolaina Crawford and Evergreen League 2nd team pitcher Alyssa Gallow for her senior year

Baseball Begins on Saturday

For many teams, baseball begins in earnest this week with a number of scrimmages and jamborees taking place on Saturday (look for a detailed schedule late Friday night or early Saturday here on Southwest Preps).

Since three of the four 1A teams came from the Trico and Evergreen, we have to look there for a lot of the talent.

The Rockets Zach Gehring at home plate after his third home run against Ilwaco last spring (he hit five on the day). Gehring joins a number of veteran Rocket players on this year's Castle Rock Baseball team.

Kalama has several players returning from their state runner-up team. La Roy, Brandon Walker and Robbie Sanders (remember the latter two from basketball?)bring the Chinooks a lot of talent. Castle Rock also brings a tremendous edge that gives them possiby their best squad among the football, basketball and baseball programs. I watched Zach Gehring hit five home runs in a game last spring and while the solid play of Dustin Hamilton and pitching of Mike Murray begins to illustrate the team's talent, the depth is substantial.

Rochester graduated a significant number of athletes, but still need to be considered a threat in the Evergreen Conference.

Rochester's Roster

Winlock Cuts District 4 1A Nets

Angel Sanchez, Tyler Hertz (#3), Nathan Booth (#21) Jordan Davis (#20) and rest of the District 1A Champions hold up the trophy on Friday night.

Winlock Cardinals basketball:

Effective, vigilant, astute, keen, brisk, striking, capable, athletic.

Ready for State.

Finding adjectives to describe the play of the Winlock Cardinals on Friday night was more difficult than the time they had dispatching Castle Rock 65-42 in the SWWA 1A District Championship game.

Winlock's floor leader Tyler Hertz (#3 in white) had 12 assists on the night.

Looking for THE source of success was almost as difficult. There was big Jake Brown who had 24 points, seven rebounds and several assists. There was the sparkling leadership of Tyler Hertz who scattered 12 assists. Finally, there was the lunch pail twins Nathan Booth and Jordan Davis. Booth accounted for 19 points, generally within the paint and 6 rebounds while Davis quietly produced a double-double with 10 rebounds and 11 points. He also had three assists.

Jake Brown (#24) and the rest of the Winlock defense held Rock big man Zack Gehring (#5) to just 10 points on the night.

A long paragraph only covered the offense. Winlock’s extended defense allowed only one Rocket three pointer and the inside game gave up only 10 points to Rocket big man Zack Gehring. The occasional Rocket score usually resulted from individual athleticism by Chris Tinnney, Steven Horsley, Kyle Karnofski and Dustin Hamilton.

“We came out hitting on all cylinders,” said a pleased Winlock Head Coach Gary Viggers Sr. about their start to finish domination. The Cardinals jumped out to a 9-2 lead and were never behind.

Only three times did the Rockets even score consecutive baskets to make up any ground on the Cards. Down 39-25 in the 3rd quarter . Gehring sank a 6 foot fade-away followed 30 seconds later by Steven Horsley drive through the key.

While Winlock was deliberate, Castle Rock frequently pushed the ball in transition, having only limited success.

It was Winlock that kept applying the pressure with run, after run. The most crushing was a 10-0 run in the 4th quarter that took the score to 63-38.

“You could tell that we wanted it”, said Viggers. “We packed a pair of scissors with us”

During the 1st quarter, Winlock scored 8 of its points when Hertz found Brown roaming the baseline without proper homage. In fact, much can be said about the play of Jake Brown; As a rebounder, a prolific scorer and a defender. It was the team that made Brown this evening.

“It was our best game as a team,” he said when asked if this was his best game of the year.

Perhaps no moment marked the night better than when Hertz found Brown with a perfectly executed ally-oop dunk that grabbed the loudest cheer and extended murmur. This wasn’t a lower echelon team that the boys could play with before the coach replaced them with subs. This was a rival and a good one at that. A team that blew them out in this same game a year ago, 52-32. This wasn’t about revenge. This was about momentum. Something to pack-up for a trip to Yakima.

Both teams now head to the WIAA State Tournament, but only one has a pair of nets and the District IV trophy.

Retiring Winlock Coach Gary Vigger's Sr. makes use of the scissors he brought to W.F. West on Friday night.

Cardinals 65 Rockets 42

CASTLE ROCK 42-Mike Murry 3, Chris Tinney 4, Zack Gehring 10, Steven Horsley 7, Kyle King 0, Travis Johnson 0, Brad Williamson 0, Kyle Karnofski 8, Dustin Hamilton 6, Cameron Erdlebrock 0, Sam Reebs 0

WINLOCK 65-Tyler Hertz 5, Collin Kuppers 0, Tyler Diamond 2, Mike Kent 4, Angel Sanchez 0, Jordan Davis 11, Nathan Booth 19, Nick Hoven 0, Tyler McCarthy 0, Jake Brown 24, Matt Hoven 0, Bryson Coleman 0

Castle Rock 12 10 13 7-42
Winlock 19 16 14 16-65

A Reporter's View of Local Success

Sometimes we take so much pride in our work, that we live vicariously through it. Such is the case for me this week. I watched the success of the six schools that I cover on for my local newspaper and I beamed with pride. So far, four of the schools that are on my beat (Castle Rock, Toledo, Onalaska and Winlock) have qualified teams for the 1A and 2B State Tournament. Two schools, Napavine and Toutle Lake are just one away. Napavine is almost certain to qualify their unbeaten and #1 ranked girls. The Napavine or Toutle Lake boys will get at least one of their teams into the elite 2B tournament in Spokane because their next game is against each other. The loser will be forced to play a “loser-out” game for one of the final spots in the state tournament. This week, I am in heaven as my local teams celebrate their success and I take pride in their success.

After all, it is my job, to support my local schools and their athletic teams. It is a professional responsibility!

Toutle Lake

Coach Larry Hoff meets with his team during a time out early this season.

The Toutle Lake girls scored a first round victory 39-29 over Naselle as Christian Carlson
scored 11 of her 19 points in the 2nd quarter to keep the Lady Ducks in the game. Their defense stepped up and held Naselle to just 9 points in the second half. Meanwhile the Lady Ducks erupted for 25. On Thurs. the Lady Ducks took on the top seed from the Pacific League and dealt them a 46-25 loss. The Ducks went on a 30 to 8 run during the middle quarters. Carlson scored 13 points while Kiana Saluni produced nine. The Lady Ducks are one win away from a state birth. The Toutle Lake girls will face North Beach on Wednesday, February 25th at 5:30pm at W.F. West.

The Toutle Lake boys feature (top left) Dan Schilter (#42), Chris Foster (#24), Jeff Campbell (#32), Brian Nash (#22), Cody O' Connor (#5),
Tyler Elam (#20), Michael Chambers (#1), Zack Hayes (#10), Sage Chapman (#4 not currently with the team, Matt Toney (#2) not pictured Connor Vickaryous and Anthony Heintzman.

The Duck boys survived their first game in the 2B tournament when Tyler Elam hit a last second shot to force overtime with South Bend. Chris Foster exploded for 7 points in the overtime to propel the Ducks to a 50-42 win. On Wednesday, Foster scored 23 of his teams’ 38 points as the Ducks held the tempo in a 38-34 defeat of Adna. The Pirates led by as much as 16 in the 3rd quarter, but the Ducks are developing a reputation for engineering comebacks. The Ducks need just one win for a trip to state but they face Napavine at 6:30pm on Tuesday at W.F. West in Chehalis.

Napavine



The Napavine boys are playing well with a big win over Willapa Valley on Monday and then followed up with an overtime victory against Pacific League #1 seed Naselle. In the opening round , Blake Anthony, Jordan Brown, Justin Smith and Devin Carroll all scored in double figures as they mauled Willapa Valley 69-31. On Wed. it was Blake Anthony that nailed a 3 pointer as time expired as the Tiger overcame the number one seed Naselle. Anthony had 31 points in the game. The boys can punch their ticket to state with one more victory. They face Toutle Lake on Tuesday at 6:30pm at W.F. West.



Thus far, the Napavine girls have not been challenged in the 2B regional tournament. They handled Wahkiakum 51-31 on Thursday. The Tigers highlighted balanced scoring as Ali Brossard, Kristin Lantau and Nicole Hamre, all scored 10 points. Two other players scored 8. The Lady Tigers can earn a trip to state with one more win this week. Napavine will face White Pass at 8:00pm on Wednesday, February 25th at W.F. West in Chehalis.


Onalaska

Samantha Gordon is a floor leader for the state tournament bound Lady Loggers.

The Onalaska girls are perhaps the team playing the best basketball. Amber Durand had a huge night as she led all scorers with 29 points and seven rebounds in an outstanding victory over the Trico League Champion La Center 58-41. Sam Gordon added 10 assists, and six rebounds. On Sat. the Lady Loggers defeated Rainier, a team that had beat them twice before, to earn a trip to the state tournament and a third match against rival Toledo at 8:00pm at Kelso High School on Saturday, February 28th for the District Championship.

Highly respected Coach Dennis Bowers has a talented group of young athletes.

The Onalaska boys continued their winning ways in the SWWA 1A Tournament by defeating Ilwaco 57-38 on Wednesday night. Cody Naillon led the Loggers with 18 points, but a close game became more distant thanks to the defense of Eric Messal and Dalton Ritchey in the 4th quarter. In that eight minute period, the Loggers outscored the Fishermen 24-7.
On Friday night, the Loggers met Castle Rock and suffered their 3rd loss, of the season to one of the hottest teams in the region. Dalton Richey scored 12 points in the 53-41 defeat.

Winlock

Coach Gary Viggers Sr. is in his 11th and final year of coaching at Winlock.

The Winlock boys escaped their 1st round District 4 Tournament game with a 31-28 win over a very clever Kalama team. The Chinooks slowed the pace of the game and hit key shots. Tyler Hertz scored 10 points while Jake Brown added 13 on several assists from Hertz. Stevenson awaited them on Friday evening, but the Cardinals were up to the challenge as they sent the Bulldogs to a 63-46 defeat and earned a trip to the state tournament in Yakima. Jordan Davis led the team with 23 while Jake Brown added 18 points. Both Davis and Brown were the beneficiaries of nine assists by Tyler Hertz.

Castle Rock

Big 6'5" Zack Gehring anchors an offense that features several sharpshooters on the outside.

The Rocket boys drew a SWWA 1A tournament match with Montesano and handled them easily 57-42. Zack Gehring led the Rockets with 18 points and 8 rebounds. On Friday, Castle Rock met up with highly touted Onalaska in the 2nd round of the tournament. Excellent defense and balanced offense amounted to a 53-41 victory over the Loggers. Kyle Karnofski led the Rockets with 11 points, but five other players scored at least 6 points. Castle Rock earned a state birth tournament and will meet Winlock for the district championship on Friday, February 27th at W.F. West in Chehalis.

Toledo

Toledo Head Coach Mandy Olson has her girls playing tenacious defense and taking advantage of every mistake.

The Toledo girls survived a first round match with district rival Forks with a 42-33 win. Kelsy Stone hit a late 3 pointer that went a long way to sealing the victory. On Saturday night, The Lady Indians played wicked defense while Tiffany Tornow nearly had a record breaking night when she buried eight three pointers and amassed 27 points in an 82-47 win over Ilwaco. Candi Zion added 21 points in the victory that gave them a pass to the state tournament. The Lady Indians will face Onalaska at 8:00pm at Kelso High School on Saturday, February 28th for the District Championship.

La Center Ends Rockets Season

La Center's Lauren Baker and Marissa Moore have Castle Rock's Kelsey Bishop in a double team late in the 4th quarter.

It took a major come back in the 4th quarter, but La Center came out on top in yet another rematch between the Wildcats and Castle Rock in the SWWA 1A Tournament on Saturday night. The Lady Rockets jumped out to as much as an 8 point lead in the 3rd, but La Center fought back in the 4th quarter for a 54-50 victory.

The Wildcats had three players, Katrina Chamberlain (20), Marissa Moore (13) and Lauren Baker (11) in double figures. Baker made 4-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Castle Rock’s Kelsey Bishop (#23) handles the ball while Lauren Baker covers.

Lacey Seidl scored 12 points for the Rockets while Kayleigh Klingberg added 10.

Castle Rock ended their season at 12-7.

La Center will face Ilwaco on February 26th for a shot at the WIAA State Tournament.

Evergreen/Trico Boys Tournament Discussions

With Rainier beating Winlock on Tuesday, that put them in a position to claim the a high seed in the Evergreen Conference. Meanwhile Toledo's loss to Forks and then Fork's overtime loss to Rochester knocked out Toledo and then dropped the Spartans to the 5th place spot in the Evergreen.

Kalama and Ilwaco ADs will be in phone contact with each other . The boys' teams are tied now and if both win or both lose there will be a playoff Saturday at La Center.

The loser hosts Forks on Monday.

The game on Monday now looks more competitive depending which team from Froks shows up.

Evergreen
Winlock, Onalaska, Rainier, Montesano and Forks

Trico
Castle Rock, Stevenson, Ilwaco and Kalama

Wildcats Out Run Lady Rockets

When you are small, being fast gives an extra advantage and La Center ran by the Lady Rockets of Castle Rock, 51-35 in Girls 1A Trico League action on Tuesday night.

Look for more early tomorrow...




LA CENTER-Lacey Dykgraaf 0, Sydney Wise 2, Emily Vis 0, Annie Baker 0, Katrina Chambertain 7, Kiley Monson 1, Hannah Trigg 11, Araceli Santos 0, Marissa Moore 14, Hannah Hendrickson 0, Lauren Baker 16
CASTLE ROCK-Samantha Moore 0, Kayleigh Klingberg 6, Bailey Mitchell 0, Chelsea Mitchell 2, Lacey Seidl 13, Kelsey Bishop 6, Megan Moore 0, Ashley Moore 0, Maddi Klingberg 0, Shelby Wason 0, Taylor Swanson 8.

LA CENTER 8 18 13 12-51
CASTLE ROCK 6 7 12 10-35

Big Games Tonight

I made a last minute choice. Instead of heading up to Rainier to see the Loggers and Mountaineers mix it up for the second time in four days (this time I assume Rainier will have Jacob Fox), and if your are in that area, don't pass up the opportunity! I am going to head to Castle Rock to see La Center against Lacey Seidl and the Lady Rockets.

You see, the Trico League van is humming along with Ilwaco as the driver but Castle Rock and La Center trying to act of the co-pilot. One of them is not belted in. Hopefully, we will see a healthy Lauren Baker against a healthy Seidl in a great Trico League game.


1A TRICO League
W L
Ilwaco (9-5) 4 0
La Center (9-4) 3 1
Castle Rock (7-3) 3 1
White Salmon (7-5) 1 2
Stevenson (3-8) 0 3
Kalama (0-11) 0 4

Thursday Surprises

Besides the Winlock Toledo game a couple of other surprise wins (or losses) struck me hard this morning.

Castle Rock 61 Kalama 40

Castle Rock not only took out Kalama, they took them out by 21 on their home court. Kalama's leader Point Guard Brandon Walker, Robby Sanders and Matt Pollock all got into foul trouble in the 2nd quarter. The Rockets took a big lead in the 2nd quarter and extended it in the 4th. The Rockets have solid players in the starting line-up and are probably second to none in depth.

Black Hills 61 Hoquiam 56

After taking out Centralia a couple of weeks ago, Black Hills took down another highly ranked team in the form of Hoquiam. In the process of defeating the Grizzlies 61-56, they were able to hold streaky Joey Wayman to just 13 points.

Ilwaco Gains Momentum in the Trico

Sometimes, I speak too quickly or have a short memory. Both conditions were in force this morning as I wrote that I was only surprised about Forks 61-49 defeat of Toledo. Right after I read a post about Toledo's loss, another post informed the world of the Ilwaco girls defeat of Castle Rock.

My instinct was to look for reason why Castle Rock lost. Could it be that Lacey Seidl didn't play after her injury on Tuesday night? Did Ilwaco have a gimmick defense that shut her down? I was assured that she played and was a big part of the game.

Castle Rock's Lacey Seidl shooting a free throw against Stevenson.

It was simple. Ilwaco outplayed the Lady Rockets in their gym. It happens and while we try to build up teams to be unbeatable, every coach expects his or her team to have a chance to win against anyone when the ball is tipped. The Ilwaco girls have the upper hand in this match-up, but there are obstacles ahead. The Lady Fishers are tied for the Trico league lead with La Center at 3-0. Castle Rock is now 2-1.

Ilwaco gets to take their momentum to La Center next Friday, January 23rd.

Castle Rock Shows Versatility in League Victory

From a sloppy start, the Castle Rock Lady Rockets left no doubt they are a force to be reckoned with as they defeated Stevenson 50-24 in a Trico League game on Monday evening.

Senior Guard Lacey Seidl finished a transition lay-in ahead of Stevenson's Jen Rathgeber during the Lady Rockets 50-24 victory over the Bulldogs on Tuesday night.

The Lady Bulldogs came out quickly with a 4-2 lead but couldn’t cash in on the aggressive, foul-prone play of Castle Rock in the 1st quarter. Powder blue at the free throw line was a common sight as Castle Rock was guilty of 12 fouls in the first half, but converted charity shots were few and far between. Stevenson made just 4 of 14 free-throws in the first two quarters.

The initial half was also a tale of two quarters. Castle Rock led by a slim margin of just 11-8 after the 1st, but in the first 2:15 of the 2nd quarter, the Rockets blasted off on a 14-0 run that led to a 29-12 halftime advantage.

Make no mistake, Castle Rock’s offense goes through 5’6 Senior Guard Lacey Seidl who scored 20 points and accomplished 8 thefts in less 3 quarters of play but the Lady Rockets pass on few open shots. Kayleigh Klingberg added 12 points and 9 rebounds while sharpshooter Kelsey Bishop contributed 9 points.

“When Kelsey and Taylor are shooting the ball well, we are pretty tough to defend because Lacey is so quick and gets the ball to the open man, “ said Castle Rock Head Coach Scott Spencer. “When they are shooting like that, we are a pretty tough team to beat“.

Action and scoring ground to a halt in the 3rd with a technical foul on Stevenson’s Mandy Stump for a flagrant foul. Two exchanges later Stump and Seidl had a violent collision in the front court while pursuing a lose ball. Stump hobbled off the floor not to return while Seidl continued to play briefly.

A few minutes later, Seidl was involved in another collision as she attempted a transition lay-up and chipped a tooth when she struck the floor, apparently face-first. She did not return to the game.

By the time of Seidl’s injury, the game belonged to Castle Rock. Bench players came into to assure the contest got into the records.

“Two freshmen, Maddie Klingberg and Bailey Mitchell that went in and played real well and got some quality minutes and that is what you need out of your subs,” assured Spencer. “You need them to get on the floor and not make mistakes, take care of the basketball and get a rebound and play some defense. And of course, (Junior) Kayleigh Kingberg kind of took over when Lacey was gone. She is coming into her own. They just fill the gaps,” said Spence of his bench players. “Certainly when Lacey is not on the floor, we are a different team, but I thought they did a good job“.

Spencer was also pleased with his undersized team on the boards who out rebounded Stevenson on both offensive and defensive boards. Smanatha Moore grabbed 11 rebounds for the Rockets.

“I was very pleased with Sam Moore inside, blockin’ out and getting some boards for us. She is just a hustler,” Spencer admitted.

Castle Rock (6-1 and 2-0) will host a non-conference game with Astoria next Tuesday. Stevenson (4-7 and 0-2) will host league leading La Center on Friday.

Stevenson 8 4 6 6-24
Castle Rock 11 18 12 9-50

STEVENSON
Kelsey Penner 9, Mandy Stump 6, Jen Rathgeber 0 Amanda Picklesimer 5, Taylor Mesa 0, Rebekaah Hodges 0, Chaleah Stump 0, Chelsea Zibolsky 2, Kali Stump 2, Deara Canada 0
CASTLE ROCK
Smaantha Moore 2, Kayleigh Klingberg 12, Bailey Mitchell 0, Chelseas Mitchell 0, Lacey Seidl 20, Kelsey Bishop 9, Megan Moore 5, Ashley Moore 0, Maddi Klingberg 2, Taylor Swandon 0.



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A Mid-Season Look at the District IV 1A and 2B Favorites

Now that we are beginning the league Season, some stories are starting to write themselves. One of my favorites (Napavine Boys) has an uphill climb while two others are standing tall. The excitement is just beginning so put on your seat belts and get read for a wild ride in the various District IV leagues.

Follow these links for discussion about the Evergreen Boys 1A and the Trico 1A. Castle Rock had a key victory over Ridgefield to confuse the discussion, but the return of Kalama’s Brandon Walker still gives the Chinooks the advantage.

Central 2B Boys

Napavine is smarting from two losses this week that shows the depth of the Central 2B Boys. Mossyrock applied a box and one defense to essentially deny Napavine’s Blake Anthony the ball. It worked and Mossyrock ran away with the home victory. On Saturday night, Toutle Lake’s starless team had too many weapons for the Tigers to overcome. With Mossyrock’s 47-44 home victory over Toutle Lake in their pocket, the 2B Central is theirs to lose. The caveat of course is that they must visit both Toutle Lake and Napavine later in the season. Great for my upcoming calendar!

Pacific 2B Boys

Naselle took the first big opportunity and cashed it in with a 60-57 victory over South Bend last week. They are unbeaten in conference and their lone loss comes to a larger (756 student, a 2A Washington equivalent) Astoria, Oregon school. South Bend will host Naselle again on February 3rd. Their only other loss was to thus far undefeated 1A Onalaska.

Central 2B Girls

The Napavine girls made a big statement this week by defeating Mossyrock at the Lady Viking’s gym. Those two teams look like the class of the Central 2B with Wahkiakum and Adna lurking in the distance. Mossyrock will travel to Adna this week, but mark February 9th on you calendar if you like high quality girls basketball as the Vikings visit Napavine.

Remember that Mossyrock and Napavine both fit well in with the areas best 1A schools in the area. Both Mossyrock and Napavine already have victories over Onalaska.

Pacific 2B Girls

To be honest, the Girls on the coast are going to have a tough time matching up with the big four of the Central . Raymond has played the toughest schedule of all, sampling the best basketball teams of the area. They lost to both Onalaska and Toledo, but defeated a tough Rainier team at the Napavine 1A/2B Challenge and Northwest Christian. Northwest Christian of Lacey is 7-2 and has been less than dominant. They split with Pe Ell in a home and home series and defeated South Bend. Of course one of their two losses was to Raymond. North Beach looks like a distant third in this division.

Evergreen 1A Girls

The Evergreen 1A girls heart is in Toledo. The Lady Indians put themselves in the driver’s seat with a big win over Winlock in late December and then a hard fought win over Rainier last week. In this league, it is never easy, but Toledo is making it look that way. In second is Onalaska which faces Toledo on January 20th. The Lady Loggers have two non-league losses to neighboring Napavine and Mossyrock from the 2B Central. They took care of Winlock this week, but Montesano, Rainier and Forks are all solid opponents in a very competitive league.

Trico 1A Girls

La Center appears to be the class of the Trico with big wins over 2A Washougal and large margins of victory most of the time. The Lady Rocket of Castle Rock has a similar resume with wins of Rochester and Knappa of Oregon. La Center and Castle Rock will meet for the first time on January 27th. Ilwaco’s One loss to impressive 2B Raymond also makes them look like a contender. Ilwaco will visit Castle Rock this Friday to clear up that picture a little.

My Early Season All-Stars

Call it my own early season All-Star team, but after having observed a few teams this year, there are a number of ball players that have been striking.

First of all, I can’t help but have my share of bias. I was a “true” point guard and love to watch a good #1 at work. Second, I have been to six of eight Winlock games and there is a good probability that I won’t miss another.

Having that, here are some of the players on my All-Star team at this young point in the season.

Point Guards

Brandon Walker, Kalama
Robby Sanders, Kalama
Tyler Hertz, Winlock
Mason Keller, Napavine

Wings
Blake Anthony, Napavine
Jordan Davis, Winlock
Nathan Booth, Winlock
David Wallace, Toledo

Post
Jake Brown, Winlock
Zack Gehring, Castle Rock

Honorable Mention
Jeff Campbell, Toutle Lake
Sage Chapman, Toutle Lake
Dustin Hamilton, Castle Rock
Cody O’Connor, Toutle Lake

Top Defenders
D.J. Herbert, Toledo
Matt Waltenberg, Napavine

Castle Rock Strikes Back

It was just a day or two ago that I declared my allegance to Kalama based on my observations of both teams and their performance against 2A Ridgefield.

!

Ridgefield defeated the Rockets earlier in the season and Kalama dropped a loss on them earlier this week. Last Night Castle Rock hosted the Spudders 52-38.

So, let's go back to the start The Rockets and the Chinooks are a match to really look forward to

It's Official, Kalama Becomes My Favorite for the Trico

It was hardly a blip on anybody's radar screen this morning, but one score buried deep in the list caught my attention.

Kalama 47 Ridgefield 45

I have made it no secret that Kalama and Castle Rock are my favorites in the Trico. After watching powerful Winlock paste the Chinooks earlier this season 61-30 at the Cardinal's "Bird Cage" and then struggle with a 59-45 win at Kalama, I was impressed! Yes, by Winlock and Kalama.

Robby Sanders (#2) has impressed many after the injury to Brandon Walker early in the season.

Since that time, Kalama had done nothing but win.

The next question is how good is Castle Rock? I watched them last week and was mildly impressed in a good defeat of Clatskanie from across the Columbia River in Oregon. A solid front court with shooters and big Zack Gehring in the middle; A formidable force.

One statistic that a few might have missed.

Ridgefield 51 Castle Rock 26.

Regardless, two dates circled on my calendar include January 22nd and February 10th when the Chinooks and Rockets meet home & home!

Game Shorts

Girls Basketball

Toutle Lake 32 Adna 31

Kelsey Kent made a key shot and two free throws while Kiana Saluni blocked a shot with two seconds left to preserve a huge Central 2B league 32-31 victory over Adna. Kelsey Kent led the Lady Ducks with 10 points while Payton Hoff added 7.

Kelsey Kent (#10 at the right) scored four final points against Adna to win an important league match this week. Also in this photo are Janie Wall (#1) and Toledo's Candi Zion (#30).

Castle Rock 44 Knappa OR 31

Lacey Seidl and Megan Moore combined for 12 steals as Castle Rock put the clamps on the Knappa (Oregon) and secured a 44-31 non-league victory for the Lady Rockets. Taylor Swanson had 11 points for the Lady Rockets while Kayleigh Klingberg totaled 9nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Boys Basketball

Adna 41 Toutle Lake 27

Zack Hayes and Chris Foster each scored 7 points for the Fighting Ducks, but the team camp up short dropping a Central 2B League game to the Pirates of Adna. The Ducks started slow but were outscored 14-4 in the 4th quarter to erase any chance of a comeback win.

Knappa OR 68 Castle Rock 59

Castle Rock big man, Zack Gehring battles down low against Clatskanie in December. He unleashed a 26 points scoring barage against Knappa High School of Oregon, but the Rockets still came up short.

The Knappa Loggers of Oregon defeated the Rockets of Castle Rock 68-59 during a non-league game using superb long-range shooting. Castle Rock Senior Zack Gehring scored 26 points during the loss but the Rockets never could regain their footing after a 28-13 1st quarter blitz by Knappa.

Napavine 73 Vancouver Christian 24

The Tigers stormed out to a 19-4 lead on their way to a 73-24 Central 2B victory over Vancouver Christian. Blake Anthony hit four threes and had a total of 24 points. Tyson Hunt added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. Napavine forced a total of 37 turnovers in the lop-sided victory.