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Meg Wochnick specializes in high school sports coverage for The Olympian and has been with the newspaper since March 2007. She earned a journalism degree from Pacific Lutheran University, where she was an NCAA Div. III All-American in track and field. She maintains this blog and will provide insight on high school sports in South Sound. She can be reached at: mwochnick@theolympian.com.
Assistant Sports Editor
Adam Thaler
253-597-8512
athaler@theolympian.com
Sports Reporter
Gail Wood
360-754-5443
gwood@theolympian.com
Sports Reporter
Meg Wochnick
360-754-5473
mwochnick@theolympian.com
The first set of basketball all-league teams rolled into my e-mail inbox this morning. Here's the All-Narrows League Bay and Bridge Division teams, as voted on by the league's coaches. ...
The Olympia boys and girls begin Narrows League tournament play Thursday (girls) and Friday (boys) against Gig Harbor at Foss High School.
Bay Division
BOYS
MVP: Alex Weber-Brader, jr., Olympia
Coach of the year: Bernie Salazar, Bellarmine
First team
Joshua Lord, sr., Mount Tahoma
Xavier Bazile, jr., Mount Tahoma
Donald Gaddy, jr., Bellarmine
Tommy Joyce, sr., Bellarmine
Christian Wesley, sr., Central Kitsap
Second team
Drew Vettleson, sr., Central Kitsap
Adrian Smitherman, jr., Mount Tahoma
Jordan Cain, sr., Bellarmine
Tyler Baumgarter, sr., Central Kitsap
Nathan Henley, sr., Stadium
Ricky Fujita, sr., Stadium
GIRLS
Co-MVPs: Sarah Hartwell, jr., Bellarmine and Deborah Anderson, jr., Mount Tahoma
Co-coaches of the year: Kevin Meines, Bellarmine and Calvin McHenry, Mount Tahoma
First team
Mechela Barnes, sr., Bellarmine
Marnie Brown, sr., Olympia
Kaitlyn Bunger, soph., Mount Tahoma
Olivia Rethwill, jr., Olympia
Krista Stabler, soph., Central Kitsap
Second team
Simonne Potts, jr., Bellarmine
Grace Beardemphl, jr., Bellarmine
Charly Williams, jr., Mount Tahoma
Shelby Swofford, sr., Bellarmine
Jessi Williamson, jr., Mount Tahoma
Bridge Division
BOYS
MVP: Jordan Russell, jr., Lincoln
Coach of the year: Aubre Shelton, Lincoln
First team
Jamal Byrd, sr., Foss
Demetrius Smith, sr., Wilson
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, jr., Gig Harbor
Mikey Hope, sr., Wilson
Dontae Davis, sr., Foss
Second team
Brandon Gagliardi, jr., Gig Harbor
Chris Repar, jr., Gig Harbor
CJ Wright, sr., Lincoln
Denzel Dansby, sr., Lincoln
Anthony Little, sr., Foss
GIRLS
MVP: Kelsey Callaghan, jr., South Kitsap
Coach of the year: Mark Lutzenhiser, South Kitsap
First team
Cassi Fawcett, sr., Gig Harbor
Angela Romonsky, jr., South Kitsap
Bethany Montgomery, fr., Wilson
Molly Werder, sr., South Kitsap
Dana Goularte, jr., South Kitsap
Second team
Quincey Langworthy, sr., Gig Harbor
Keana Magalei, jr., Lincoln
Kristina Pietroski, sr., Shelton
Kaysha Fox, fr., Wilson
Max Kelly, sr., Foss
The sub-district tournament in the 1B Pacific Coast League tips off tonight for the girls, and Tuesday for the boys. The Oakville girls team, the No. 2 seed from the PCL, will host Taholah at 7 p.m. Monday in a winner-to-district, loser-out game. The Oakville boys, league champions of the PCL by a coin flip, will host Mary M. Knight at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Elma senior Brandi Thomas has been nominated to play in the McDonald's All-American game, set for March 31 in Columbus, Ohio. The teams will be announced Feb. 11. Thomas, a 6-foot-1 Washington State-bound post, is the Evergreen Conference's reigning co-MVP and has led the third-ranked Eagles to a 14-2 record, and 9-1 in the EvCo.
Looking for a good high school postseason event to see this weekend? You have many choices.
The Olympia-Mount Tahoma boys basketball game scheduled for Friday at Mount Tahoma has been moved to Pierce College. Tip-off remains at 7 p.m. The JV game, which is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip-off, will be played in the auxiliary gym at Mount Tahoma, Bears coach Luke Salme said.
One of the reasons why the Yelm boys basketball team is in the hunt for a postseason berth coming down the stretch of Western Cascade Conference play is because of guard Brandt Hetland.
One year removed from a mediocre 7-7 season, the Timberline bowling team will be one of two South Sound teams competing at the state bowling championships, slated for this Friday and Saturday at Narrows Plaza Bowl in University Place.
You gotta be nuts about these Acorns. The Oakville girls basketball team is having one of its bigger turnaround seasons. The Acorns posted their ninth win Saturday -- a 76-46 win over Taholah-- to boost their record to 9-3.
Here's the WCC/EvCo all-league bowlers ... The 2A/3A District IV tournament begins Friday morning at Tumwater Lanes, while North Thurston, Timberline and Yelm will take part in the West Central Distirct III tournament Saturday at Bowlero Lanes in Lakewood.
With five straight victories and an 11-4 overall record (4-0 WCC), the Capital girls basketball team crept into the 3A girls rankings, coming in at No. 9. For the past two weeks, Yelm was ranked in the top 10, but fell out after suffering three straight losses.
From my bird's eye view at the top of the Black Hills High School bleachers, I watched the Black Hills student body stormed the court in celebration after the Wolves swept Tumwater in both games Tuesday night. The boys team has now won five straight Evergreen Conference games, and the girls team improved to 4-3 in league play.
The Chehalis boys basketball team will honor its 1960 Class 1A state title team in celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the state title Wednesday night.
Tuesday night will be Round 1 of the battle between the state's top teams in Class 2A for girls basketball. No. 1 River Ridge (12-0) will host No. 2 Elma (11-1) Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Winners also gets sole possession of first place in the Evergreen Conference at the halfway point in the league season.
Timberline defensive back John Ferreira has given a verbal commitment to play football next season at Davidson College, Timberline coach Nick Mullen said.
Stephanie O’Neill, who has been the Tumwater girls soccer coach for the past five seasons, has resigned from her position. “It was a hard decision for me,” O’Neill said Thursday. “It took me a long time to come to the decision, but I think ultimately, it was best for the program. I initially started coaching there for the sport, and ended up staying for the girls.” O’Neill cited personal reasons for stepping down. One of those reasons is her 2-year-old son, Vann.
No major changes in the Week 2 Associated Press state boys and girls basketball rankings.
When information about Coaches vs. Cancer came across Louise Webb’s desk, she didn’t hesitate to act on it. And when the Olympia girls basketball coach asked how cancer has affected the varsity the junior varsity teams in some way, she was amazed by the response.
Centralia High School will hold a "Shave Your Head Night" fund raiser Tuesday night during the boys and girls basketball teams' games to benefit Centralia coach and teacher, Darrin Canfield. Canfield was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia and is undergoing a second round of chemotherapy at St. Peter’s Hospital
This is the third installment of statewide wrestling rankings from the Washington Wrestling Report Website. Everything from all-classification team rankings to rankings done by individual weight classes.
Capital senior Michael Marshall already has qualified for the boys swimming state championships in three individual events, but he's now the state leader in one event - the 100 backstroke.
Ashley Wirtzberger, the daughter of former River Ridge girls basketball coach Bill Wirtzberger, set a national record for career 3-pointers during her high school basketball team’s victory Wednesday night.
With an unbeaten record and defeating opponents by an average of 29.7 points per game, the River Ridge girls basketball team received all 11 first-place votes in the first Associated Press statewide basketball rankings. These rankings are done by writers and editors at daily newspapers across Washington, including The Olympian.
Prep football guru Ron Siegel, known as the man who knows where they are, recently released his all-decade Washington prep football team.
The conclusion of the home-and-home series between the Capital and Olympia boys basketball teams will take place Monday night at 7 p.m. at Capital High School. Last Monday, Alex Williams scored 20 points as Capital gave up a season-low 36 points in a 56-36 win over Olympia.
KING and KONG-TV featured Olympia senior Marnie Brown this morning on their segment, "Academic Achievers." Brown, who has a 3.91 GPA, is active in student government and the National Honor Society. She's also big into politics, as you'll see in the clip.
Players at the River Ridge-Black Hills girls basketball will be sporting pink socks and laces at during Friday's 2A Evergreen Conference showdown in honor of breast cancer awareness and research.
As part of a weekly segment on KING-5 Morning News, Academic Achievers spotlights high school students who excel both academically and athletically. Tumwater senior Cara Olden was featured Dec. 17. Olden led the Thunderbirds to a share of the 2A Evergreen Conference title in the fall. She sports a 3.992 grade-point average.
Timberline senior wide receiver Delas Raiford gave himself an early Christmas gift when he gave an oral commitment to play football for the Air Force Academy.
The all-state volleyball and girls soccer teams were announced Friday night -- they came into my e-mail inbox as I was about to sign off and head out of town on vacation.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association released the final classification numbers Friday afternoon, and one major change will may be the change in the Class 2A Evergreen Conference. You can view the entire list here.
Six Yelm wrestlers are in the top six at their respective weight classes in the current all-classification rankings put out by Dave Gilbertson and the Washington Wrestling Report.
The Capital girls basketball teams will play their next two home games (Dec. 22 and Dec. 29) at Olympia High School, because the Capital High School is having a heating unit placed on the roof, district spokesman Peter Rex said.
The Centralia boys and girls basketball teams spent two-plus years in planning and preparation for their trip to Sitka, Alaska, to play in the 2009 Holland America Holiday Shootout tournament. The team leaves Wednesday and the tourney begins Thursday.
The Black Hills football team has won the sportsmanship award from the South Sound Football Officials Association for the 2009 season, Wolves coach Jack Zilla said. It's the fourth time in the program's history it has won the sportsmanship award -- '99, '01, '07 and now '09.