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THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2014 • VOL. 112, NO. 13
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Local Athletes Ready For Busy Spring Sports Slate
By Erick Peterson GRANGER Dave Pearson, Granger High School athletics director, said that his school is solid heading into the spring. Now in his fourth year as athletics director, he is enthusiastic about the teams. Boys Soccer Pearson said that he is optimistic about the soccer team, which should be excellent under the leadership of Coach Alejandro Ortiz. Ortiz said that he has set the bar high for the team. “Our expectation is to battle for the league championship,” he said. “We have set high expectations for the team this year. We have a group of kids who are more experienced and ready to take our team to the next level. We are working hard at practice every day, and we take games one game at a time. We know that we must work hard to compete in our league.” This year’s team will feature a few standout athletes, according to Ortiz. “Hector Franco is one of our captains and a player who has been nominated for league first team since he was a freshman,” he said, “He continues to provide the team with leadership and guidance during games. “Misael Franco, his younger brother, is our creative force and a player that provides leadership and defensive skills in the middle.
“Freddy Sojo, our main forward, brings aggressiveness and goals to the team. We hope he has a great season.” “Javier Chavez and Ramiro Castillo both bring much-needed speed to our offense. They provide the team with great skills on the wings and great shot-taking abilities from outside the 18-foot range,” the coach said. “We have a well-rounded squad that we hope can help the team have a great season.” He said that the team has strengths that include experience. “Our students have a better understanding of what it takes to be a well-rounded student athlete,” he said. “Students understand the importance of keeping their grades up and working hard inside and outside the classroom to achieve our goals.” But this is not the end of his goals. “Our goal this year is to defeat both Wahluke and Highland away and at home,” he said. “If we accomplish this goal that will set the tone for our season.” Baseball Despite difficulty in recent years and a loss in the team’s first game, the athletics director thinks that players have potential to pull off some big wins this year. “Baseball’s been a struggle the last few years in terms of getting kids out and as far as being competitive on the field,” Pearson said. That said, he sees signs of improvement. Players look committed and improving. Fast-pitch With a big turnout, the Granger fast-pitch squad should be good, Pearson said. At the very least, the large number of players will allow the school to field a junior varsity team, which will provide opportunities to several developing athletes. “This allows us to build a program,” he said. “We can have young kids get some games without throwing them to the wolves of varsity-level players.” Coach Jaime Vasquez has her own expectations for the team and plans. “Our main focus is to improve every game as a team,” Vasquez said. “Our team consists of mainly freshman and sophomores, so my hope is that by mid season, we can start competing for a district playoff spot. Top athletes include Kayla Cardenas, who started every game as pitcher last year; three-year starter and left fielder Ritz Reyes; and first
Zillah sophomore Alexis Redfield was the 2013 SCAC 1600 and 3200 champion. (Photo by Sean Carter.)
baseman Vanessa Vasquez, who is a two-year starter an three-sport varsity letterer. Boys and Girls Tennis Pearson has high hopes for the
both boys and girls tennis teams. “As far as the girls go, we have some returners that we’re expecting big things from,” he said. “A couContinued on page 2�
Editor Still Recovering
By Bruce Smith Publisher
Please bear with us as we print a couple of abbreviated editions of the Review-Independent. Our editor, Erick Peterson, has undergone hipreplacement surgery and is unable to work for a few weeks. In the meantime, story ideas and other information can be referred to Randy Luvaas, our company’s senior editor. You can call him directly at 509-457-4886 or email Randy at rluvaas@yvpub.com Thank you for your patience.