USA Today/Coaches Poll, college football ‘08-’09:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm

Discuss.

USA Today/Coaches Poll, college football ‘08-’09:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm

Discuss.

The TDN sports blog has been comatose for weeks, so in hopes of reviving it, here goes…

* R.I.P. to a great high school basketball season

The season seemed longer than usual, but maybe that’s just a case of this reporter being tired of long drives, late nights and deadlines that crashed down like a faulty roof.

That said, what an entertaining year.

Rainier won it all and is in good shape to repeat next year, when Mollee Schwegler is a senior. Her headband should be in the school Hall of Fame.

Toutle Lake made it all the way to the state championship game without a loss, marking the second time in two seasons that a local team (MM did it in ‘06-’07) ran the table until the title game. The Ducks’ run was even more impressive given the fact that the core of Toutle’s team also played football and missed the entire first week of practice while it was busy playing for a state championship in THAT sport!

The Ducks certainly established that they have the best collection of athletes in the state at the B level —- and that they are the best public school B football and basketball team.

And I’m fairly certain Hoff got fouled…

Mark Morris had a great season. The Monarchs simply had the misfortune of running into a red-hot Ephrata squad in the semifinals.

Some of my favorite moments happened off the court. There was this exchange, between MM head coach Bill Bakamus and assistant Steve McCallum, during a heated stretch in the third quarter of the Monarchs’ district title game against River Ridge:

Bakamus, after calling a time out following a RR run, to McCallum: “Talk to them.”

McCallum: “What do you want me to say?”

Bakamus: “Make something up.”

I didn’t hear what McCallum told the players, but they responded with a game- and title-clinching run. THAT, my friends, is coaching chemistry.

Then there was this (truly awesome) exchange between the Wahkiakum scorekeeper —- I forget her name, but she has been keeping the Mule book for many years —- and Wahkiakum cheerleader Valle Ledtke, during the third quarter of the 2B district semifinals at W.F. West High School.

The scorebook keeper calls Valle over, mid-cheer, and says, “Tell Bill he has two time outs left.”

And Ms. Ledtke, without skipping a beat, says, “Full?”

If you don’t get why that is such a great answer, I can’t help you. And if that doesn’t prove that Wahkiakum is a TRUE basketball school, I don’t know what does.

Anyhow, its baseball/fastpitch season now. Some folks on the forum have been asking me, ‘Who is the team to beat?’

The short answer is Castle Rock fastpitch. The Rockets are defending state champs and with Lacey Seidl back, I see no reason CR can’t do it again.

Rainier will be great again, and Kelso has the pitching to go deep in the 3A state tournament.

In baseball, I’d keep an eye on the Trico race. Castle Rock has great left-handed talent —- on the mound with Mikey Murray and Drew Pettit, and in the dugout with skipper Jason Mackey. Kalama is just…good, and anyone who saw what Nick LaRoy did for the Kelso 15-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars has to be salivating to see what the young lefty has in store for an encore.

The 2As are tougher to handicap, but I think Mark Morris (with its 1-2 punch of Matty Minium and Kyel Lambert), R.A. Long (with a huge cast of veterans) and Hockinson (with enough firepower left over from a state semi run last year) will duke it out for the crown —- once it stops raining.

Kelso looks extremely impressive so far and could be the frontrunner in the GSHL 3As. Next week, I hope to start a new online feature with my attempt at a podcast; topic No. 1 will be the Hilanders pitching staff.

Anyhow, its time to get back to the NCAA tournament. A hearty ‘WOOT’ to the Pac 10, which has quietly demonstrated its supremacy by advancing three teams to the Sweet 16, including the Cougars’ jaw-droppingly impressive dispatch of ESPN man crush Notre Dame.

Sad to see Bob Knight’s championship pick, Pittsburgh, get waxed in the second round.

Second poll of the year released today.

Local ranked teams:

Boys
Class 3A – none
Class 2A – Mark Morris, No. 1
Class 1A – Castle Rock, No. 9 (tied); Winlock, No. 15 (tied)
Class 2B – Toutle Lake, No. 1; Wahkiakum, No. 7; Naselle, No. 12

Girls
Class 3A – Kelso, No. 11
Class 2A – Woodland, No. 11; Mark Morris, No. 13
Class 1A – none
Class 2B – Toutle Lake, No. 11

Complete polls will be in TDN, 1/24

How long can this thread avoid talking of transfers and recruiting?

Over/under: 3 posts

Here’s my random interjection: Top 5 Games I’ve Witnessed So Far (in terms of excitement)

(*Also –> Check out the first AP polls, in the blog below this one…)

1. Kalama vs. Castle Rock boys, 01/15/08: This one had it all. A great CR comeback, clutch shooting from the floor and the stripe, a pair of would-be game-winning shots just missed…

2. Hudson’s Bay vs. Kelso boys, 01/04/08: Kelso overcomes a second-half deficit and Nate Downs scores 11 points in 50 seconds as the Hilanders sweat out a three-point victory and snap a minor losing streak…

3. Lynnwood vs. Kelso boys, 12/28/07: Simi Fajemisin (what a great, unpronounceable name) lifts the visitors to a 52-50 win with a circus shot at the buzzer…

4. Camas vs. Kelso girls, 01/11/08: Not so much exciting as entertaining. The Lassies, I would discover following the game, felt very disrespected by something they read in the paper, and they took it out on Camas in a clean, physical manner that was fun to watch. The officials who worked the game usually ref boys basketball and they let these two talented teams go at it…

5. Kelso vs. Mark Morris boys, 12/01/07: The Scotties snap a 10-year losing streak on the Monarchs’ home floor. Great crowd, huge win…