The IssaquahPress
Sports
B4
Wednesday November 6, 2013
Kasen Williams’ football season ends with Huskies Skyline High School graduate Kasen Williams will miss the remainder of his junior season with the Washington Huskies football team after sustaining a broken foot in an Oct. 26 game against California. Williams, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound wide receiver, is expected to need two to four months to recover after a successful surgery Oct. 29, Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian said. Williams was having a strong season prior to the injury, which occurred when Cal’s Kameron Jackson tackled him during the second quarter. He was third on the team with 29 receptions and 421 receiving yards, and he led the Huskies in both categories in 2012. “We’ll get a better gauge as it goes,” Sarkisian said of Williams’ recovery process. “We won’t rush him back. We have plenty of time. And he’s been in this system so he understands it. When he comes back he’ll be fresh, ready to go and he’ll play great football for us.” Williams was an AllPac-12 Conference selection last season, and he was one of the state’s best high-school players at Skyline, finishing his prep career with 235 catches for 4,121 yards and 56 touchdowns. He was named the Parade All-America National Player of the Year as a senior in 2010.
Former Issaquah punter earns national honors Issaquah High School graduate Taylor Wyman, now a punter on the Willamette University football team, earned Beyond Sports Network’s national Special Teams Athlete of the Week Award. The honor comes after Wyman’s Oct. 19 performance against Lewis & Clark College, when Willamette defeated the Pioneers, 56-30. Wyman averaged an impressive 54 yards per punt on a total of four punts during the game. Two of his punts were almost downed by the Bearcats inside the 10-yard line, but went into the end zone for touchbacks. His longest punt of the game covered 66 yards, just one yard short of Willamette’s school record.
By Christina Corrales-Toy
Anthony Hamilton, of Newcastle, hoists the title belt he won in the Maximum Fighting Championship’s heavyweight title match Oct. 4.
Hail to the champ Anthony Hamilton wins heavyweight MMA title By Greg Farrar
Amanda Johnston (left), Skyline junior forward, and senior midfielder Aleisha Gable, fight Issaquah freshman defender Kaylene Pang for the ball early in the first period.
pounced on the rebound for Skyline’s second goal. That ended up being more than enough for the Spartans’ defense, which kept the Eagles (11-3-1) from establishing a consistent attack. “We just had the mindset that we weren’t going to let them get any shots, and we knew what we had to do,” said Abbie Litka, Skyline’s senior left back. “Our whole defensive line was strong tonight, I think.” Any thoughts of an Issaquah rally took a serious hit in the 53rd minute. Near the right touch line, Skyline’s Lauren Carson sent a pinpoint free kick to the far post, where Aleisha Gable headed the ball off the crossbar and in. “We’ve been working on (set piec-
All it took was 12 seconds. Well, 12 seconds, a swift kick to the face, and moments later, Newcastle resident Anthony Hamilton hoisted a gilded belt above his head, cementing his worth as one of the world’s top heavyweight fighters. Hamilton bested opponent Smealinho Rama in a Maximum Fighting Championship match in Canada on Oct. 4, earning the league’s title of heavyweight champion of the world. “I had never really thrown a lot of kicks in any of my other fights, but I had thrown them in practice,” Hamilton said. “So, I felt comfortable doing it, and I guess it just worked out perfectly.” Perfect may be an understatement for the move that experts are calling the mixed martial arts knockout of the year. The shot came in the match’s second round, after a tough first, in which Rama and Hamilton exchanged blows. Hamilton admitted the nerves of competing in such a significant event played a role in the preliminary bout. “I got a little tired, I think, because there was so much media buildup,” he said. “There was a little bit of pressure, it was my first time up there fighting and it was such a big fight that it’s hard not to get yourself worked up for something like that.” He is now the proud
See SOCCER, Page B5
See MMA, Page B5
CLASH FOR THE CROWN Skyline blanks Issaquah to win 4A KincCo title By Neil Pierson npierson@sammamishreview.com Skyline High School has had a stellar defensive record all season, but in the span of seven days, it got even better against one of the state’s top teams. A week after the Spartans closed their regular season with a 1-0 win over rival Issaquah, they dominated from start to finish Oct. 31, beating the Eagles 4-0 in the Class 4A KingCo Conference girls soccer championship game at Spartan Stadium. Skyline, which has allowed three goals in its first 15 matches, earned District 2’s top seed to the state tournament, and will host a firstround match Nov. 11, 12 or 13. Issaquah, meanwhile, was set to host Inglemoor Nov. 5 after press time. A win would send the Eagles to state, while a loss would force them to beat a WesCo Conference opponent Nov. 9 to move on. Issaquah coach Tom Bunnell felt his team didn’t play well in either of the back-to-back outings with Skyline (13-1-1), and indicated things had to change if the Eagles harbored hopes of repeating last season’s trip to the state-title match. “The girls have to step up and play better,” Bunnell said. “I can’t sit there and sugarcoat it and say ‘rah rah’ and all that, because then I’d be lying. “We just have to be bigger, stronger, faster, and do what we do best, and that’s play a much better game instead of just giving in.”
By Greg Farrar
Jordan Branch (left), Skyline senior midfielder, watches the ball kicked by teammate Lindsey Fujiwara sail past Issaquah defender Kaylene Pang (20) and senior keeper Meg Hannan for the Spartans’ first goal. Skyline coach Don Braman credited his players for having a high energy level early in the game, which led to a 2-0 halftime lead. “I didn’t think the score was indicative of the way the game was,” Braman said. “It was competitive the whole way through, and when we get scoring chances and we finish them, then we feel like we’re a capable team.” The Spartans probed the Eagles’ back four for the first 10 minutes, then struck in the 12th minute on a quick counterattack down the right sideline. Amanda Johnston lofted the ball to Lindsey Fujiwara, and the sophomore forward was able to deflect a shot past Issaquah goalkeeper Meg Hannan at the far post. In the 35th minute, Hannan couldn’t corral a long blast from Jordan Branch, and Johnston
By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com
Liberty’s boys cross-country team makes history By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com
Photos by Greg Farrar
Above, the chanting in a rally huddle deafens as the Liberty High School boys’ varsity cross country team prepares to race, and the girls’ varsity joins in for support after their finish minutes before, as both teams made state together for the first time in school history Oct. 24 during the SeaKing District 2 championship at Lake Sammamish State Park. At right, senior Aaron Bowe heads up the backstretch of the final lap to a second-place finish.
Heading into the 2013 Sea-King District meet Oct. 31, the Liberty boys cross-country team knew it would take the perfect race to qualify for state. They knew they had the talent, Liberty coach Mike Smith said, but nothing is ever a given in the competitive Sea-King District. “As a team, that was their goal, they wanted to go to state and they knew with the senior group we had this year, it was probably the best chance we’ve had in a long time,” he said. The Liberty boys managed to pull it off, punching their ticket to state with a fourth place finish in the Oct. 31 meet and making school history along the way. The 2013 Patriots are
the first Liberty boys crosscountry team to qualify for the state competition in Pasco. Senior Aaron Bowe led the team with a second place finish overall, just behind defending state champion Joe Hardy of Seattle Prep. Bowe finished the 3.1-mile Lake Sammamish State Park course in 15 minutes, 51 seconds. Bowe led Hardy through the first mile, before the Seattle Prep senior caught up and never looked back. Collin Olson, also a senior, was the second-best finisher for the Patriots, crossing the finish line seventh, with a time of 15:58.66. Sophomore Andrew Cooper and junior Trevor Sytsma each finished in the top 30, followed by senior Mason Goodman, junior Nick Bliesner and Michael Daly, who all finished in the top 65.
The boys edged KingCo rival Interlake for the fourth and final spot to state. They also beat Bellevue for the first time this season at the district meet. “When they announced the awards, it was like we had won,” Smith said of the fourth place finish. “The seniors were very, very happy, and I’m proud that they were the ones that did it.” Liberty girls continue dominance It was just another successful day in the park for the Liberty girls cross-country team, which continues to acquire new hardware for its trophy case. A week after the Patriots claimed the KingCo title, they returned to Lake Sammamish State Park where See LIBERTY, Page B5