Beavers' McNeal wins state wrestling division
Tuesday, February 24, 2004 7:35 AM PST
By Staff
Printable version
E-mail this articleWoodland's Katelin McNeal was one of 70 girls who participated in the first-ever girls wrestling invitational state tournament, held in conjunction with Mat Classic XVI boys tournament Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
McNeal won Group 9 of the round-robin tournament with pin victories over Kristen Kozak of Vashon Island (18 seconds), Emma Zelenko of Garfield (1 minute, 30 seconds) and Christina Crow of Raymond (26 seconds).
According to Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) assistant executive director Jim Meyerhoff, girls could have their own high school championship tournament as early as 2007.
"It's not very far away," Meyerhoff said in a story that appeared in the Seattle Times. "It's just a numbers game."
Meyerhoff said as soon as schools get enough girls to participate, separate programs will then develop. When 20 schools field girls teams, then a separate girls state tournament would be sanctioned by the WIAA.
Prior to Friday's invitational, Meyerhoff placed the girls in divisions according to their size.
Sedro-Woolley, Othello, Warden win team crowns
Wrestling teams from Sedro-Woolley, Othello and Warden won their respective divisions at Mat Classic XVI held Friday and Saturday in the Tacoma Dome.
Sedro-Woolley had nine wrestlers reach the medal rounds as the Cubs collected 160 points to win the Class 3A title, followed by Kelso with 106 and Ferndale with 95. Mark Morris placed 19th out of 64 teams with 33.5, and R.A. Long finished 33rd with 14.
In Class 2A, Othello slipped past Mount Baker 140-138.5, with Vashon Island placing third with 112 points among 45 teams participating. Castle Rock placed 31st with 18.5, and Woodland finished 34th with 16.
Warden easily outdistanced Liberty Bell 220-155 to win the Class 1A/B team title. Kalama placed 11th out of 52 teams with 50 points, with Winlock placing 21st (37), Wahkiakum 27th (20) and Toledo 37th (six).
Lassies join MM as academic state champs
The Kelso girls basketball team joined the Mark Morris boys as academic state champions for the winter term, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced last week.
Kelso had the top cumulative grade-point average among Class 3A girls teams with a 3.857. The Mark Morris had the top cumulative GPA among Class 3A boys basketball teams with a 3.66.
Rister, Campbell are Academic Champions
Castle Rock's Judah Rister and Kalama's Chase Campbell have been selected state Coaches Academic Champions in wrestling for their respective divisions and weight classes.
All candidates must be either a junior or senior, have at least a 3.0 grade-point average, must have a winning record and have wrestled in the district tournament.
Rister had a 3.8 GPA as a 160-pound senior in Class 2A, and Campbell had a 3.93 GPA as a 189-pound junior in Class 1A.
Kelso's Hamilton, CR's Hughes make history
Columbia River senior Kelly Hughes averaged 22.7 points per game this season to lead all Clark County girls basketball players in scoring, edging Kelso junior Tricia Hamilton (20.4) for the Greater St. Helens 3A League scoring title.
According to GSHL historian Kevin Greenwood, these totals mark the first time that two GSHL girls have averaged more than 19 points per game in the same season.
Hamilton destroyed the Kelso record for regular-season scoring, which was previously 14.5 per game by Ty Maher (1997-'98).
Perry continues to climb all-time scoring ladder
R.A. Long senior Adam Perry has scored 569 points in 21 games this season and has 1,559 points in his career. Perry's 23-point performance against North Thurston on Saturday moved him past current University of Oregon player James Davis (Evergreen, 1996-'00) into third place on the all-time career scoring list. Davis scored 1,539 points in his career.
Gonzaga freshman Derek Raivio is second all-time with 1,568 points. Raivio played for Mountain View from 1999 to 2003.
Perry poured in 28.4 points per game in league action this season and continues to lead all Class 3A players in state scoring.
Last MM loss is No. 1 Bethel's closest game
Bethel (21-0), ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, won the South Puget Sound League title by beating Auburn 60-51 Saturday in Puyallup. The Braves defeated Mark Morris 52-51 on Jan. 17 at KeyArena, the closest Bethel has come to losing a game all season.
The Braves have outscored opponents by an average of 15 points per victory this year.
The Monarchs (18-3) have not lost a game since the near-miss against Bethel, and go for their 10th straight win ---- and a berth in the Class 3A state tournament ---- in a District 4 semifinal contest against Aberdeen on Wednesday at Tumwater High School.
Polis closing in on season assist record
Mark Morris junior point guard Mickey Polis has dished out 138 assists in 21 games this season, leaving him 13 shy of the single-season record of 151 established by Jason Breitenbucher in 1992-93. Polis handed out 141 assists last year.
At his current pace (6.57 assists per game), Polis could surpass Breitenbucher in the Monarchs' third district playoff game, which will occur either Friday at Columbia River High School or Saturday in the District 4 title game at St. Martin's College in Lacey.
Polis has 307 assists in his career. His 13-dime explosion in MM's league finale against Washougal moved Polis past Mike Roberts (Class of '87) into second place in career assists. Polis trails all-time assists leader Evan Kirkpatrick ('93) by 113 assists.
Someone cover him! Rivers drains 15 treys
K.C. Rivers of national top-ranked prep powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia netted a school-record 15 3-pointers in a recent 115-48 victory over Bishop McGuinness of Kernersville, N.C.
According to the 2003 National High School Record Book, Rivers' effort tied him for seventh all-time. Rivers scored 45 points ---- all from behind the arc ---- as Oak Hill rolled to a 115-48 victory.
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