Sports
PAGE 12
SEPTEMBER 15, 2011
Mount Si stuns Bothell on record-setting night By Sebastian Moraga The Mount Si Wildcats turned in a promising performance Sept. 10, defeating 4A school Bothell 26-14 on the road. The Wildcats (1-1) avenged a home loss to Bothell last year and erased much of the sour taste from last week’s home loss to Woodinville. “It was a total team effort,” head coach Charlie Kinnune said. Bothell struck first, with a 13yard pass from quarterback Austen Dahl to wide receiver Trent Sewell in the end zone. Mount Si punted on its next drive and left Bothell starting at the 50-yard line. Just when it looked like Dahl might engineer another Cougar score on a short field, Mount Si’s Josh Mitchell collided with the Bothell center with 12 seconds left in the first quarter. The game was stopped for about 20 minutes while the trainers tended to the Cougar player, who left the field on a gurney. Instead of galvanizing the team, the injury left the Cougar offense in flux, with Dahl dealing with errant snaps for the rest of the night. On the first post-injury drive, early in the second quarter, Bothell had the ball on first-and15 at the Mount Si 35. A bad
By Calder Productions
Cameron VanWinkle kicking during the Mount Si-Bothell game. VanWinkle broke the school’s career record for field goals, broke the school’s record for field goals in a single game, tied the school’s record for field-goal distance, and is two shy of the school’s record for field goals in a season. snap cost the Cougars 18 yards. The Cougars would eventually punt on fourth and 41. Wildcat QB Ryan Atkinson, took over at his own 24 yardline, and began moving the chains up. On second-and-eight, he connected with Tyler Button twice to find the end zone. On the next Bothell drive, a holding penalty erased Dahl’s 80-yard touchdown run.
Forced to punt, the Bothell snap rolled between Dahl’s legs and Mount Si got the ball at the Cougars’ 20. The drive stalled, and kicker Cameron VanWinkle was asked to nail a 47-yard- field goal. The ball sailed easily through the uprights. The Wildcats had the lead and VanWinkle had himself a tie for the 30-year-old school record for distance.
Ahead 13-7 at halftime, Wildcat fans fretted over a repeat of last week, when the Mount Si team emerged lifeless after the break. For a while, their fears looked well-founded, too. After forcing Bothell to punt on the first drive, Button touched the punt as it slipped behind him. Bothell recovered and on the next play, Sewell had his second touchdown of the night.
Unlike last week, Mount Si shoved back. With four minutes left in the third, Van Winkle kicked his team back into the lead, with the third of his schoolrecord four field goals in a game. With a minute left in the third, Mount Si’s defense came up large and shut the door on the Cougars for good. On second-and-goal at the 7, Dahl connected with Nick Anthony for six yards. On thirdand-goal at the 1, the defense stuffed the Cougars and on fourth-and-one Dahl overthrew to Anthony. On the next Cougar drive, Mount Si’s Zach Usselman picked off Dahl at the 50-yard line, and the Wildcats were in business again. With 3:43 left in the game, on first-and-goal at the Bothell nine-yard line, Riley Reed took it to the 1 and then Elijah Mayfield punched it in. Mount Si had a 23-14 lead. A late field goal by Van Winkle and a Nick Mitchell interception of Dahl with 50 seconds left in the contest sealed the victory. “It felt great,” Josh Mitchell said. “We came out, played all four quarters and stuck together as a team.” Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
Duo trades in the gridiron for putters and a nine iron By Sebastian Moraga They have heard the jokes and the putdowns. They have seen the disappointment in their friends’ eyes, and their disbelief. Switching high school football for golf? Really? Hut-hutfore? “The switch was pretty difficult,” said Erik Stai, one of two varsity golfers at Mount Si High School who traded the gridiron for the links this year. “Telling my coaches and teammates was really hard because I was going into my junior year and was fighting for the starting varsity quarterback decision.” A quarterback since fifth grade, Jake Archambeau became a defensive end last year. This year, he did not turn out for football. “People have said, ‘Golf is a wimpy sport, and you’re just scared.’ I just say when you have to make a 10-foot putt to win a tournament, that’s just as scary as many situations in football,” Archambeau said. The teammates have played
golf for years, but only this year did they begin playing competitively. The individual nature of golf, after years of team sports, enticed them. Stai had a practical reason, too. A longtime skier, it had become too difficult to balance skiing and football. “Football is a big commitment in the Valley and my passion is skiing,” he said. “I chose to play golf to keep me doing something in the fall that wasn’t as much a commitment.” Golf has the shortest schedule of all the school’s varsity sports. The duo still miss certain things about football, like the big crowds on Friday nights that Stai never got to experience as a starting quarterback. That atmosphere, he said, is the only thing that would make him consider putting the pads on again. If given the choice between being drafted by the NFL or handed a PGA tour card, Stai said he would take the card and travel the world. Archambeau was more hesitant, mentioning
Monday Night Football and the fact that golfers who don’t make the cut make no money. Still, they love their new game. They love the focus and commitment it takes to improve. They love the solitude of it and how they are in control of their own performance. Well, sort of. Sometimes they swing and that little dimpled ball does its own thing. “Makes me want to get back out on the gridiron and hit some people,” Archambeau said. The only thing that would make him return to high school football, he said, is if someone else returns with him. “Jake Locker,” he said. “If he decided to go back to high school and play for the Wildcats and I would get to play wide receiver.” Until the former Husky ditches the National Football League for the KingCo Conference, Archambeau will keep golfing, and so will Stai. Both want to make it to state before they graduate. The fact that it’s state golf
By Sebastian Moraga
From left, Erik Stai and Jake Archambeau. The Mount Si golfers share a passion for the game and a past as varsity football players. and not state football matters little to them, but not everyone is as lenient. “My coaches were very understanding about how important skiing was to me and felt like I should follow my dream,” Stai
said of the Wildcats’ football staff. “My teammates are still mad I’m not playing.” Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
Sports
PAGE 12
JANUARY 26, 2012
Mount Si basketball star overcomes injury, gets herself back in the game By Amanda Austin It was the week after Christmas 2010. The Mount Si Lady Wildcats basketball team was facing off against the Shorewood High School Thunderbirds in the KingCo WestCo Challenge Tournament. In the second quarter, Jordan Riley had gone up for a lay-in just as a defending player hit her knee from the inside. That’s when the tell-tale popping noise indicated something had gone wrong, and she fell immediately. As it turned out, the basketball star had suffered a tear to her anterior crusciate ligament, better known as the ACL, an injury that demanded reconstruction surgery. Wasting little time, Riley got into surgery last February and her physical therapy regimen began soon after. Riley’s ambition was clear, her goal finite: She had to get back in the game. Today, it’s been almost a year since the Mount Si High School senior had surgery, almost seven months since she began running again, and just about four months since she got back on the court. In a word, her recovery was “difficult,” but that goes without saying.
“It felt really weird,” Riley said. “You never realize how hard it is to make your knee move until it hasn’t been moving for months. I had to teach my muscles how to work again.” Riley got encouragement from numerous people. She said her mom and dad were among the most powerful sources of inspiration to her, fondly repeating the line she heard so many times throughout her recovery: “Jordan, keep going.” Her parents drove her to countless appointments, she said, and always ensured she was icing her knee. Riley’s physical therapist, John Zanas, of Peak Sports and Spine, was also a huge source of support to her. She said the key to the success of her recovery was doing all of the exercises that Zanas prescribed to her and, of course, “taking no shortcuts.” Zanas said that as a patient, “Jordan was determined and stubborn, but in a good way. She always wanted to do more. She wouldn’t let anything get her down,” not her inability to play nor the tremendous workload she faced. “The year she’s having, after what she’s went through, is phenomenal,” he added. The pressing desire to play
again weighed on Riley more than anything. “I watched my team’s games during the second half of the season,” she said, “and not being able to play was a huge bummer.” Mount Si basketball coach Megan Botulinski recalled that Riley traveled with the team to tournaments over the summer and even attended team camp. Despite not being cleared to play, she went so she could still participate as a captain and be a part of the team bonding, Botulinski said. But now Riley said she can feel her game getting stronger after each game she plays. “I can feel myself getting back into the swing of things,” she said. Botulinski said Riley is very coachable and positive. She was “so focused on rehabbing that knee,” she added. “She was even cleared earlier than predicted because of that determination.” This season, Riley is sporting a heavy-duty metal brace that keeps her still-healing ACL in place. One might assume that would slow her game down, but her stats suggest otherwise. In her top scoring game of the season so far, against Sammamish
By Bob Wachtendonk/A Moment In Time Fotography
Jordan Riley, Mount Si High School’s 6-foot senior post, puts up a shot Dec. 20 against Nathan Hale High School, won by the Wildcats, 60-39. High School on Jan. 6, Riley racked up 17 points. Botulinski said Riley is the
team’s leading shot-blocker, its See BASKETBALL, Page 13
Standout kicker Cameron Vanwinkle dreams big, works hard By Sebastian Moraga
Photo by Calder Productions
Mount Si High School junior Cameron Vanwinkle, in action for the Wildcats, has caught the eye of some big universities thanks to his kicking and punting prowess.
So the snowstorm had a plus side to it, after all. At least it did for Cameron Vanwinkle. The power outages kept the Mount Si High School junior and record-breaking kicker from watching one of his heroes stumble on national television. As part of his education as a kicker, Vanwinkle has attended kicking camps directed by Billy Cundiff. Cundiff, the Baltimore Ravens kicker, missed a 32-yard kick Jan. 22 that kept his team from advancing to the Super Bowl. “I was a little surprised,” he said of hearing about Cundiff’s mishap. “The pressure must have gotten to him.” The student of the game, and of kicking in particular, has other hypotheses as to what might have happened. “If it’s a bad hold and you hit the laces,” he said, “it is a guaranteed miss. My dad and I
watch kicks and if the kicker misses, we look to see if it’s a good hold.” Such attention to detail — that and a powerful foot that belies his 165-pound frame — have several Division I universities eyeing Vanwinkle as a possible recruit. Oregon, Missouri, Washington, and this week Tennessee, have approached Vanwinkle, who broke a handful of school records last year. Much like his hero from Crab Town, Md., Vanwinkle feels the pressure. “I’m a little nervous,” he said, “I’m trying to help my parents out.” He said he hopes to get a full ride to a Division I university and save his folks some money. Then, he said he hopes to make it to the National Football League, something that stood just above impossible the first time he played high school football his freshman year. See KICKER, Page 13
SnoValley Star
JANUARY 26, 2012
Games rescheduled Basketball games against Lake Washington postponed due to the snowstorm have been rescheduled as a doubleheader for Feb. 3. Games start at 5:45 and 7:30 p.m. The games against Interlake are set for 6:30 and 8 p.m. Jan. 28 at home.
Wrestling meets have been rescheduled. The meet against Mercer Island was scheduled to take place Jan. 26, and the meet against Sammamish will occur 1:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at Bellevue High School. Check start times at www.mountsihighschool.com to confirm.
Basketball
tion at a university where she can also play basketball, possibly in an intramural league. She has been accepted to From Page 12 Seattle University, Gonzaga third leading scorer and secand the University of Portland. ond leading rebounder. Riley plans to pursue a degree “I’m very proud of how she in nursing as she said helping bounced back,” she said. “She’s other people has always been a an inspirapassion of She’s an inspiration … and hers. tion … and just an allAfter spendjust an all-around amazing around ing her fair individual.” amazing share of time individual.” in hospitals — Megan Botulinski and clinics, Zanas said Coach whether to get Riley’s unparalleled her tonsils or determination will take her appendix taken out or have “well beyond high school basher ACL reconstructed, Riley ketball,” adding, “She learned said she just “really wants to a lot about adversity and hard return the favor.” work and how well that will Amanda Austin is a student in the pay off for you in the long University of Washington Department of run.” Communication News Laboratory. After graduation, Riley Comment at www.snovalleystar.com. hopes to continue her educa-
Kicker From Page 12 “I just wanted to try a new sport out,” he said, “make new friends. Soccer was my sport before.” Vanwinkle’s football coach Charlie Kinnune said he had already turned some heads as a middle schooler. “I was told, when he was a seventh- or eighth-grader,” Kinnune said, “that we had this kid coming up.” The “kid” took over kicking duties his freshman year and had to earn the trust of his teammates slowly. Those same teammates nowadays call him or his kicks “Money” for Vanwinkle’s almost-guaranteed accuracy. Kinnune said he has never had a kicker recruited at this high level. “I’m just sitting back, going, ‘Someone’s going to get themselves a really good kicker,’” Kinnune said. Although conscious that college is still a year away, Vanwinkle works toward preparing himself for the college game. In college, kickoffs happen at the 30-yard line, which will
PAGE 13
“I’m just sitting back, going, ‘Someone’s going to get themselves a really good kicker.’” — Charlie Kinnune Coach
require a 70-yard kick to get to the goal line. “Right now, I’m guessing, I’m averaging 63 or 64 yards on kickoffs,” Vanwinkle said. Kinnune said college kickers tend to be about 30 pounds heavier than Vanwinkle. “He’s got to get heavier, stronger,” he said. “He’s got to gain weight.” Other things, he can’t prepare for in a weight room. “In high school, you look to the side and see fans,” Vanwinkle said. “In college, there’s going to be fans everywhere you look.” Vanwinkle has not decided yet which college those fans will
root for or what he will major in, but he said he is done with year-round rain. “I’d like to go somewhere warm,” he said. Ultimately, the decision will come down to whoever helps his parents pay for college the most. If it’s warm there, all the better. If after four years, the NFL comes calling, better still. “He’s got a bright future,” Kinnune said. “He’s a great decision-maker on and off the field.” A couple of years in the league might help set him up financially for a long time, Vanwinkle said. Nevertheless, he said, it’s not about the money for him. It’s about rubber on leather and leather taking flight, be it round or oval-shaped. “Even before I kicked the football, I just loved kickball,” he said. “I have always loved kicking a ball.” Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
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sports
PAGE 16
NOVEMBER 24, 2011
Mount Si grad aims for bigger prizes at nationals By Sebastian Moraga At the fort, she proved her forte. Mount Si High School graduate Alex Rudd had one of the best races of her cross-country season at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championship Nov. 19. The race, held at Fort Vancouver in southwestern Washington, was the second time Rudd raced at cross-country Nationals for her college, Southern Oregon University. She also competed at track nationals in Indiana in May, finishing 20th in the 10,000-meter run. The race in Vancouver was the culmination of an emotional season for Rudd, filled with subplots. This was her first year under “new” cross country coach and Southern Oregon alum Grier Gatlin, who coached the Raiders from 1999 to 2005. Also, the team lost five of its top seven runners from 2010, three of them to what Rudd called unexpected transfers. “We had to approach the sea-
Contributed
Alex Rudd (329) competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics cross-country championships. son with an open mind and build a new team dynamic,” she wrote in an email, “while stay-
ing focused on our individual goals during all the changes.” Through all the upheaval, she
managed to thrive, breaking the 19-minute barrier with a personalbest of 18 minutes, 54.47 seconds at the Charles Bowles Invitational in Salem, Ore., in October. She earned All-Cascade Collegiate Conference honors and an individual spot at nationals, where she improved upon her 2010 performance. Last year, according to the NAIA website, she finished 173rd overall. This year, she finished 57th, with a time of 18:58. “I put the icing on the cake,” she wrote of her jump in the standings. The improvement at nationals makes her ultimate dream a possibility. “I am much more within reach now of All-American honors,” she added. The top 30 runners at nationals earn that accolade. The season, Rudd said, was a success, even if tempered by the absences of her former teammates. “It was bittersweet to be on the start line of the race without a full women’s team around me this year,” she wrote.
Growing lacrosse team can’t wait for spring By Sebastian Moraga It's Nov. 17 at Mount Si High School. Football is five days into its hibernation, but the stadium lights are on and so are the helmets. The rain is pouring and so is the sweat. Soccer has also left the building, but there's still a round ball, a goal, someone minding the net and a high schooler hurling shots at it, but with a stick. It's lacrosse time. The practice Everybody has a stick, but nobody speaks softly, least of all the coach. “You're lollygagging out here. C'mon,” Dennis Simmons tells the boys, sounding like the lacrosse version of Kevin Costner's manager in “Bull Durham.” He has reason to sound irritated. This is not a practice as much as it is an audition. The man they all audition for sits in the stands — Woodroe Kiser, Mount Si Lacrosse's varsity head coach. Since lacrosse is a spring sport, Kiser cannot coach or contact a player until late February. Until then, his youth-division coaches take the reins and he
watches. “Fall ball,” Kiser said, referring to autumn practices and games, “is a way to develop your incoming freshmen and hone the skills of existing players.” So what Kiser watches is the future of the program, wearing shorts, getting soaked and goosebumpy, but learning and improving. This fall ball season, almost 30 children turned out. With youth programs producing a pipeline of talent, more than 50 players are expected to suit up next season. “These past years, we've fielded just a varsity team,” Kiser said. “This year, we hope to have varsity, JV and a C-team.” The program is growing, Kiser said. Two years ago, the varsity team won no games in its inaugural campaign This year, the team won two, including the season finale. “It makes everyone feel good about going into next year,” Kiser said of the win against South Kitsap. “It gives them confidence.” The game It's Nov. 19 at the Overlake School in Redmond. It's a frigid, yet sunny day and the last chance for a while that these players will have to prove themselves worthy — the
In 2010, then-freshman Rudd had seven teammates wearing the university’s red uniform at nationals. The Raiders finished seventh in team scores. This year, only junior Seena Frantz wore Rudd’s same attire. She finished 37th. Southern Oregon did not rank among the top 32 squads. “There was a different kind of pressure on Seena and I this year as individual qualifiers and it produced good results,” Rudd wrote. “Qualifying individually was definitely a confidence booster.” A sophomore, Rudd wrote she feels lucky to have already participated twice in a race she considers unlike any other. The fort rocks, the crowd cheers and the adrenaline rushes. “Like I tell the new freshmen on my team, it’s hard to explain,” she wrote. “But once you’ve ran at nationals once, you’ll understand why you just have to get back there.” Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
On the Web Learn more about spring lacrosse registration, for grades two through 12, at www.mountsilacrosse.org.
By Sebastian Moraga
Nick Crandell (35), and the rest of the Mount Si High School varsity lacrosse team, participate in ‘fall ball’ offseason games to stay sharp until spring. last game of fall ball. Kiser is not here, but Gary Moorhead, co-president of the program's board of directors, is and so are a handful of grown-ups. Nobody's lollygagging today. The team takes a three-goal lead before halftime, and the rivals from Everett look overwhelmed. Still, this is fall ball: nobody
keeps score, nobody tracks stats and nobody goes at it with the intensity of a spring ball game either. In fact, if this were spring, this game would have never begun.. “Everett showed up with eight players,” Moorhead said, “so we gave them two of ours.” In spring season, senior and
captain of midfielders Andrew Bottemiller said showing up two sticks short means a forfeit. Not in fall ball. Flurry of firsthalf goals aside, the rules are looser, the pace is slower, the game is less physical and a running clock makes games shorter. “It's a lot more laid back,” Bottemiller said. Moorhead agreed. “The whole point of fall ball is to get playing time and practice,” he said. All of the available players get some time on the field, although some have to play for Everett for a little while. The players roll with it, vying for some playing time. Still, for some, it's not the same as playing Ballard in front of a big crowd or taking one away from South Kitsap as the denouement for the year. It's just fall ball. The real fun is still months away. “I can't wait for spring season,” Bottemiller said. Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
Sports
PAGE 16
OCTOBER 6, 2011
Mount Si takes to the air in win at Interlake By Dan Catchpole Mount Si started strong, wavered and refocused to win 26-14 at Interlake. The Wildcats dominated the first half, taking a 17-0 lead into
By Calder Productions
Wildcats wide receiver Tyler Button pulls down a 12-yard pass during the first quarter.
halftime. The offense faltered in the second half, but still managed to tack on another nine points. Despite the school’s reputation for smash-mouth football, the team wasn’t afraid of putting the ball in the air. “In our attempt to diversify our offense, which means passing for us, you know, it would be second and four, and we’d pass the ball,” Wildcats head coach Charlie Kinnune said. “So, normally, a Mount Si offense would be second and four, and we’d jam it down their throat.” But not this year. Passing figures to play a bigger role for the Wildcats, who improved their league record to 2-0 with the win (3-1 overall). “We have to become a better, more efficient passing team,” Kinnune said. Mount Si’s offensive line and quarterback Ryan Atkinson are giving Kinnune the confidence to take to the air with more frequency. “We’re always going to play to our strengths,” Kinnune said.
By Calder Productions
Mount Si quarterback Ryan Atkinson gets plenty of protection from the Wildcats’ offensive line while picking out a receiver during the team’s 26-14 win at Interlake. Still, there is room for improvement, Atkinson said. “After a game like that, I feel
like we have a lot of work to do,” he said. He and the rest of the offense
need to work on their mental See FOOTBALL, Page 17
Pint-sized pigskin pals at Chief Kanim put the ball in football By Sebastian Moraga With brains, brawn and wit, eighth-graders at Chief Kanim Middle School can’t wait until they play football with the big boys. Jeff Hanley, Nick Polito, Cory Cotto and Cam Page want ninth grade to get here but they won’t rush. “I just like playing football,” said Cotto, a linebacker with two siblings in the Mount Si High School football program. “I would like to be better than my brothers.” Polito wants to play for the Wildcats. Hanley wants to play in college. Page just wants to play. “I’m not going to Mount Si,” he said. “I’m going to Redmond. My sister went to Mount Si and she didn’t really like it.” The boys don’t like the idea of Page not playing for Mount Si, especially Cotto, who has known Page since birth. “My mom and his mom were in the same area of the hospital when we were born,” Cotto said. “It sucks that he’s going to Redmond.” Two years ago, the boys took their first Chief Kanim snaps with knees knocking. In his first practice, Hanley broke a thumb and lost a tooth. Soon, the pain healed, fear
By Sebastian Moraga
Chief Kanim Middle School football players have a blast while waiting for their turn as high school players. From left are Jeff Hanley, Nick Polito, Cory Cotto and Cam Page. turned into excitement and excitement turned into confidence. Now, years later, some deny they were ever scared. “I never thought football was scary,” Page said, “because I’m
fairly large, compared to Nick.” Polito smiled. Another Nickis-short joke. Oh well. Besides one-liners, the boys learn responsibility, discipline and toughness. The coaches, Cotto said, treat them like foot-
ball players. “It helps me be focused,” Hanley said. Also, Page said, girls love it. Yes, Cotto said, “because we are so cute.” Two girls eavesdropping to
the right of Hanley nodded. Polito likes soccer and so does Hanley, but the lessons learned on the gridiron will stick regardless of the sport. “Football showed me I can get it if I work for it,” Polito said. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” The boys smirked. “It also helps people,” Page said, “create clichés like that.” Polito might have a point, though. Against Snoqualmie Middle School, Polito ran for 209 yards, while Cotto and Page ran for 1. Cotto is a linebacker and Page is a defensive end. Polito is a running back. Still, it was SMS, their archrivals. Pressure to win is never higher than against the Eagles, especially since this year is the group’s last shot at something wonderful. “My brother told me this was the funnest time of his life,” Cotto said. After this year, they will trade their mid-afternoon contests for the lights of Friday nights, in Redmond or Snoqualmie. They think they are ready. At least three do. The fourth one just knows. “Cottos just get better,” Cotto said, pointing at himself. “But this is the best Cotto.”
SnoValley Star
NOVEMBER 3, 2011
PAGE 17
Mount Si soccer drops heartbreaker to Bellevue in postseason loss By Sebastian Moraga The Mount Si Wildcats’ soccer season came to an abrupt end in just four minutes, with the team losing 3-2 to Bellevue in a playin match at Lake Washington. Mount Si played well enough to win, but dropped its guard toward the end. The Wildcats surrendered the tying goal with two minutes left in regulation and then the winning goal in the second minute of overtime. “We played better,” forward Miranda Rawlings said, “but we let it go and they took advantage of that.” Teary-eyed Wildcats gathered around coach Darren Brown, who told the team it had been a privilege to lead them through the 2011 season.
Scoreboard Prep football KingCo Conference 3A/2A Standings: Bellevue 7-0 (L), 90 (S)*; Mercer Island 6-1, 7-2*; Mount Si 5-2, 6-3*; Juanita 3-4, 4-5; Interlake 3-4, 3-6; Liberty 34, 3-6; Sammamish 1-6, 1-8; Lake Washington 0-7, 2-7. *advanced to preliminary round of state playoffs
Prep girls soccer KingCo Conference 3A/2A Standings: Liberty 14-0-0 (L), 15-1-0 (S)*; Interlake 10-3-1, 123-1; Lake Washington 9-4-1, 9-52; Mount Si 5-6-3, 6-7-3; Bellevue 5-6-3, 5-6-4; Mercer Island 3-9-2, 3-11-2; Juanita 2-83, 3-10-3. *league champion, state qualifier Oct. 25 Game MOUNT SI 2, BELLEVUE 0 Bellevue 0 0 – 0 Mount Si 0 2 – 2 Second half scoring: 1, Miranda Rawlings (MS, Claire Larsen assist), 46:00; 2, Larsen (MS, Rawlings assist), 47:00. Shutout: Sophia Rockow. Oct. 27 Game MOUNT SI 3, MERCER ISLAND 3 Mount Si 12–3 Mercer Island 3 0 – 3 First half scoring: 1, Emily Lightfood (MI, Laura Harrison assist), 4:00; 2, Michelle Day (MI, Isabelle Stribling assist), 11:00; 3, Day (MI, Harrison assist), 25:00; 4, Laura Barnes (MS), penalty kick. Second half scoring: 5, Alyssa Proudfoot (MS, Miranda Rawlings assist), 49:00; 6, Leah Corra (MS, Rawlings assist), 55:00.
Leah Corra, a first-team KingCo selection in her first season of varsity soccer, called the year “amazing. “We just got unlucky,” she said. “Overtime is anyone’s game and we just came up short. I’m really excited about next year, though.” Bellevue will play Nov. 2 against the winner of Mercer Island-Lake Washington. The Wolverines were the rivals for Senior Night at Mount Si, when the Wildcats played one of their best games of the season. Mount Si beat the Wolverines, 2-0, Oct. 25, with back-to-back goals by Rawlings and Claire Larsen in the sixth and seventh minutes of the second half, respectively. Then, two days later and four
Prep volleyball KingCo Conference 3A/2A Oct. 27 Tournament Game MOUNT SI 3, LAKE WASHINGTON 0 Lake Washington 13 15 15 – 0 Mount Si 25 25 25 – 3 Mount Si statistics: Kailey Capelouto 11 digs, Lyndsay Carr 11 kills, Rachel Hayford 14 digs, Sarah McDonald 13 kills, Lauren Smith 14 assists, 5 aces; Noelle Stocksland 7 assists. Oct. 29 Tournament Title Game MOUNT SI 3, MERCER ISLAND 1 Mercer Island 18 25 19 17 – 1 Mount Si 25 21 25 25 – 3 Mount Si statistics: Kailey Capelouto 6 kills, Lyndsay Carr 12 kills, 10 digs, 4 aces; Rachel Hayford 17 digs, Sarah McDonald 11 kills, 9 aces; Lauren Smith 31 assists, 3 aces.
Prep boys cross country Sea-King 3A District 2 Championships At Lake Sammamish State Park Varsity race Top Mount Si finishers: 36, Richard Carmichael 17:08.49; 46, Ben Houldridge 17:19.30; 71, Dominick Canady 18:02.65. Open Race Mount Si finishers: 18, Tommy Kirby 17:56.00; 38, Spencer Ricks 18:34.00; 44, Sam Egan 18:37.00; 70, Timothy Corrie 18:59.00; 84, Justin Klock 19:10.00; 85, Ryan 19:11.00; 110, Colby Bentley 19:33.00; 129, Landon Storrud 19:57.00; 180, Paul Nelson 20:59.00; 223, Sam Isen 22:01.00; 224, Kevin Carter 22:02.00; 226, Seth Houldridge 22:07.00; 240, Aaron Robey 22:29.00; 271, Sean Hecker 23:34.00; 273, Dean Sydnor 23:36.00; 285, Quinton Cook 23:49.00; 286, Bailey
“We came back and we battled our hardest and we are so ready for playoffs.” — Sophia Rockow Goalkeeper
days before playoffs, the Wildcats played some of their flattest soccer in the first half of the regular season finale, trailing 3-1 to the normally beatable Mercer Island Islanders. The ‘Cats had surrendered three goals before scoring on a late penalty kick before halftime. Brown warned his starters at the break: Get it together in 10 minutes or I empty the bench. With one minute left of
Brown’s deadline, Alyssa Proudfoot connected on a header from a Rawlings free kick. Six minutes later, a Rawlings’ corner kick found Corra’s head and tied the match at 3-3. Mount Si would dominate the rest of the way, but no one would score again, ending with a double-overtime 3-all tie. “This was good for the girls to understand that maybe this happened for a reason,” Brown said. “So the girls can experience this, going into Monday’s game knowing what we need to do.” Goalkeeper Sophia Rockow agreed. “It’s perfect timing, because we have playoffs next week and everyone’s playing together as one unit,” she said. Falling short of a win matters
little when the team fights the way it did to claw back from three-nil down, Rockow said. “We came back and we battled our hardest and we are so ready for playoffs,” she said. The win against Bellevue and the comeback against Mercer Island gave the Wildcats reason to hope. The flip-flop nature of the game against the Islanders gave them reason to pause. “The way we played in the second half of the game, we are going to go through districts and we are going to get to state,” Brown predicted. “But if we played like we did out of the gates, one-and-done.” Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
Rosenberger 23:50.00; 287, Jordan Engen 23:54.00.
Prep girls cross country Sea-King 3A District Championships At Lake Sammamish State Park Varsity race Mount Si finisher: 11, Bailey Scott (Mount Si) 19:39.33. Open race Mount Si finishers: 8, Angelina Belceto 21:42.66; 20, Erin Rylands 22:04.26; 38, Delaney Hollis 22:37.72; 45, Ashley Jackson 22:46.02; 74, Annie Shaw 23:46.77; 80, Ella Thompson 23:54.98; 106, Daniele Curley 24:41.20; 128, Madelynn Esteb 25:07.40; 144, Sally Miller 25:39.26; 146, Madeleine Bezanson 25:41.06; 162, Mari Patis 26:06.46; 166, Jordan Koellen 26:09.07; 223, Stena Peterson 29:43.01; 232, Emma Bateman 30:06.71.
Prep girls swimming KingCo Conference 4A/3A/2A Championships Oct. 29 at Mary Wayte Pool, Mercer Island Team scores: 19, Mount Si 62. Individual results 200 medley relay: prelims, 19, Mount Si (Emma Gieseke, Maddie Hager, Hallie Lynn, Jessica Brady) 2:26.78. Diving: 12, Darbie Dunn (Mount Si) 257.20. 200 freestyle relay: C final, 18, Mount Si (Kelly McCracken, Gieseke, Lynn, Hager) 2:22.24. 100 backstroke: prelims, 43, Brady (Mount Si) 1:14.77. 100 breaststroke: prelims, 40, Brady (Mount Si) 1:22.54. 400 freestyle relay: C final, 15, Mount Si (Lynn, Gieseke, Hager, Brady) 4:54.76.
By Calder Productions
Mount Si’s Kailund Williams almost evades a Sammamish tackle in the first quarter.
Football From Page 16 league record. The Wildcats are advancing to the state playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. They will travel to Gig Harbor to take on the Peninsula Seahawks at 7 p.m. Nov. 5, at Roy Anderson Field,
Peninsula High School. The winner of that game will play a Metro League team. The two schools met in 2008, when Mount Si won 339. Wildcats running back Sean Snead set a school record for most touchdowns in a single game with five. Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.