The gym was pretty full with 130 kids of all ages learning and drilling in the basics of basketball as you can see in our video here:

According to a press release from the team: “Having our Captain Jason Bloom amongst our first group of signings was very important to our organization,” said Stealth General Manager Doug Locker.  “Jason is an exceptionally talented player who provides stability on and off the floor.  He is a natural leader and we could not be happier to have him with us again this coming season.”

For more on the Stealth visit their homepage.

Nick’s mom Heidi told me this week, after the paper went to press, he jumped 21′5″ at a meet in Eugene, the last meet he’d jump in before the Junior Olympics. His mom said he could have easily jumped farther and obviously he’s hitting his goal of jumping in the 21 foot range, something he talked about during our interview.

Best of luck to him and I’ll update on how he does at the JO’s in early August.

Of course when I sat down to figure out what to talk to him about, other than the fact that he’s returning for his basketball camp on Mercer Island for the third year, the Sonics came up. It’s probably become status quo these days to ask anyone affiliated with the NBA their opinion about the Sonics, and it might be becoming a cliche, but I was still curious.

“Of course I want the NBA to come back,” Robinson told me toward the end of our conversation. “It would be the highlight of my life.” He said he wasn’t sure how they could just take a team away, especially when an NBA team would be so good for the city.

“It’s a great place and teams have a lot of good support,” he said, pointing out everyone from the Mariners to the Storm who all have large fan bases.

For the full story see tomorrow’s edition of the Reporter and you can follow Robinson on Twitter.

Islander baseball player Willy Reel was also given the honor, named to the All-State first team in baseball.

If you know of anyone else who was named to the list (these two are the only from Mercer Island I found) or has received any other awards please feel free to let me know via email at mmanagan@mi-reporter.com.

Jeff said in an email: We will have ample boards and paddles of various shapes and sizes for you to try. Expert instruction will also be provided for the uninitiated. If you happen to already own some equipment, bring it, and join us on the water. There’s nothing cooler than seeing dozens of people “walking” on the water.

From previous experience I can say paddle surfing is a blast, easy to learn and a great way to get out on the water, especially now that the weather has made a turn for the beautiful.

The duo will be gearing up for the second annual ‘Round the Rock race,  Sept. 12.

Majors All Stars
Michael Bantle
David Emanuels
Harrison Goonewardene
Griffin Kane
Eric Kim
Peter Lopes
Michael Petrie
Sam Pugel
Anthony Scalzo
Josh Stenberg
Brenden Yan
Manager: Steve Stenberg
Coach: Anne Emanuels

11U All Stars
Bligh Bjarnason
Luke Boksem
Drew Christofferson
Eric Dreyer
Jacob Evans
Devon Hayes
Noah Hsue
Kenneth Koning
Justin Myers
Scott Ramseyer
Johnny van der Velden
Alternates: Shain Scott, Spencer Fuhr
Manager: Brad Myers
Coach: Ed Dreyer

9-10U All Stars
Boissoneault, Matt
Fuchs, Greg
Ho, Justin
Jenkins, Andrew
Nayer, Nikhil
Rosenstein, Sam
Sandwith, Carson
Shanks, Alex
Simpson, Parker
Sims, David
Smith, Jack
Manager: Bob Sims
Coach: David Sandwith

There’s a story in the Washington Post about it today. Apparently a university in Connecticut is padding rosters in order to get around the Title IX issue, then either cutting or adding after the rosters are submitted to get what they want.

The lawsuit came forward because Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University cut it’s women’s volleyball team in favor of a competitive cheerleading squad. The school said it was a budgetary move and members of the team sued to keep the program. Through the process of the suit, a judge issued a temporary injunction last year to keep the school from disbanding the volleyball team as it was discovered the school over reported opportunities for female athletes and under reported the opportunities for male athletes.

The trial starts on Monday in U.S. District Court.

If judge decideds that yes cheerleading can be considered a competitive sport the implications could be long reaching. Many schools, especially during the last several years of budgetary woes, have struggled to find ways to make sure the offerings are equal, while balancing paying for coaches, equipment and fields. If a judge sets a precedent that says cheerleading counts, even if it is not recognized by the NCAA, high schools could perhaps count it as a sport, not an activity.

Under Title IX an activity can be considered a sport if certain criteria are met. To be considered the activity must have a coach, competitions as part of a defined season and have a governing organization.

Should be interesting to see what could happen in the logn run with this. Also it begs the question what is a sport? The Title IX definition seems like a pretty standard one to me, but under that the case could be made for a lot of different activities to be counted. The WIAA consideres these things to be activities: cheer, dance/drill, drama, forensics and music.

So what do you think? I know many long time cheerleaders and programs, especially those who compete at a regional and national level who consider it to be a sport, even if the WIAA and NCAA does not.

Do you consider cheerleading to be a sport?
(polls)

Player of year — Willy Reel, Mercer Island

First Team
P/SS Willy Reel, Sr., Mercer Island

OF Jordan Richartz, Jr., Mercer Island

Second Team
DH Cameron Ogard, So., Mercer Island

3B Evan Thompson, Jr., Mercer Island

Honorable Mention
Mercer Island — Max Dammeier, Ben Emanuels, Kirby Ingram, George Jiranek, Mike Potoshnik.

2010 Varsity Schedule (preliminary)
Home games in bold
• Sept 3: at Seattle Prep (West Seattle stadium)
• Sept 10: Newport
• Sept. 17: at Juanita
• Sept 24: Interlake
• Oct. 1: at Bellevue
• Oct. 8: at Mt. Si
• Oct. 15: Liberty (homecoming)
• Oct. 22: at Sammamish
• Oct. 29: Lake Washington
• Nov. 5/6: Playoff or Metro crossover game

According to a press release, Clarkson, a quarterback expert, will invite the top seven QB’s in the country to a retreat in Maui in July.

The others named to the Super 7 list include:

• Kyle Boehm from San Jose, Calif. (committed to UC Berkley)
• Jerrard Randle from Hollywood, Fla. (undecided)
• Brett Hundley from Chandler, Ariz. (undecided)
• Bennie Coney from Plant City, Fla. (undecided)
• Jeff Lindquist from Mercer Island, Wash. (undecided)
• Max Wittek of Santa Ana, Calif. (committed to USC)
• Jacoby Brissett of West Plam Beach, Fla. (undecided)

The group was selected from Clarkson’s Dreammaker tour across the country from February through June where Clarkson and a team did evaluations of players, workouts and interviews.

Clarkson has long been regarded as one of the top authorities on quarterback coaching, having coached players like Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart and Jimmy Clausen.

For more information visit the Dreammaker Web site.

As of now only Colorado has been added to the Pac-10 which I guess makes it the Pac-11 (doesn’t quiet roll off the tounge like before), but I, and many others believe that number will be expanded on in the coming days and weeks. Speculation is that it will become the Pac-16 with the inclusion of the Texas and Oklahoma teams.

While the changes to the conference wouldn’t happen for another season or two, it will certainly change the way schools in the area, and out of it, recruit. As programs look to gain the upper hand on their competition, isn’t it likely that they will look to where those schools recruit?

WSU head coach Paul Wulff has made a point of recruiting closer to home the past several seasons, and UW has had success finding local talent and keeping them local. While the WSU football recruiting patterns isn’t likely to get anyone in Texas excited, UW’s certainly could.

So the question, along with the million others, is will this affect who is looking at local kids? I’d think to a certain extent it could be a factor. If a local athlete is good enough to garner attention from Oregon, UW or USC, whats to say they couldn’t suddenly be getting attention from Oklahoma or Texas A&M (not that those schools don’t already have a depth of places to recruit from)? Perhaps in the next five years local recruits could see some orange or Sooners red in the stands?

At the same time this goes both ways, as a colleague pointed out. Kids at high schools in Texas, Oklahoma and other places who might get some attention from their local colleges and universities could attract West Coast recruiters as well.

So who knows what’s going to happen, expect it looks like college athletics on the West Coast will be forever changed. I won’t even start on the Gonzaga, Boise State speculation…

How do you feel about the Pac-10 expansion?
(polls)

TUCSON, Ariz. – Oregon State utility player Matt Boyd has been named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team, Collegiate Baseball announced Wednesday morning. Boyd was selected as a utility player since he split time as a designated hitter and pitcher this past season.

As a pitcher, Boyd was dominant in 42 2/3 innings, making 20 appearances, two of which were starts. He led the Beavers with a 7-1 record and posted a 1.90 earned run average while opponents batted just .200 against him. Boyd had a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and opponents collected just 31 hits off him in 2010.

Offensively, Boyd, a native of Mercer Island, Wash., had a fine season, batting .264 with six doubles, three home runs and 19 runs batted in. He hit his first career home run while making his first career start on the mound, March 4 against UC Riverside, and a week later, drove home three runs on a double to right against Utah, send the Beavers to the victory.

His success at both positions earned the lefty All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention honors in just his first season in Corvallis.

He and the Beavers recently completed their 2010 campaign after going 1-2 at the Gainesville Regional in Florida. Oregon State finished the season 32-24.

As the Mercer Island girls and boys were busy finishing up their state tournament, the 1A girls finished at Columiba Point Golf Club in Richland, Wash. I mention this tournament because for the fourth time, in a row, Chelan High School’s Kelli Bowers has won the individual state title.

I covered Chelan and it’s surrounding vacinity during my time with the Lake Chelan Mirror and watched Bowers win. During a post state interview she said her goal was to win four in a row, one each year of her high school career. Last year she nailed it, sweeping away the competition. This year, she ended day one four strokes behind Alyssa Maine from Freeman High School, the one golfer thought to possibly challenge Bowers for the title.

Yesterday, Bowers finished the first round an 84 and followed it with a 70 Wednesday, shooting two under course par for the winning overall score of 154. Maine had an 80 the first day and a 75 today to finish just one stroke behind Bowers with a 155.

Bowers will be attending the University of Washington in the fall where she’ll be playing golf.

Things kick off tonight with the boys lacrosse state semi-final game against Issaquah. The game starts at 8 p.m. at Islander Stadium. The Islanders are undefeated this season, 19-0 overall and 14-0 in league. Issaquah, the two time defending state champs are 16-4 overall and 12-2 in league. In the two teams only meeting this season, Mercer Island won the game 9-7 in a rematch of last year’s state final game.

Tomorrow, members of the Islanders track team will travel to Mt. Tahoma High School for the state meet. Molly O’Callahan, Carly Andersen, Lauren Ellis, Cora Miller and Aaron Elefson are all competing at the event.

The girls 3A 3,200 race, which O’Callahan is competing in will take place on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. The boys 3A 3,200 race, which Elefson will compete in, also takes place Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

Andersen and Ellis will both compete in the 3A girls javelin contest, which will take place on Friday, May 28 at 12:30 p.m.

The 300-meter hurdles race, which Miller will compete in, begins with heat 1 at 1:55 on Friday. Heat 2 will race at 2 p.m. The finals will be held on Saturday at 12:15 p.m.

For a full list of the track and field state schedule, and the heat sheets for each competition visit the WIAA track and field page.

The state tennis competition starts on Friday, May 28. Jordan Smith, Max Franklin, Andrew Smith, Chelsea Bailey, Julia Schubach, Kelly Crandall, Julia Zook and Nora Tan will all play for the Islanders. You can find the various doubles and singles brackets here for both boys and girls.

The girls and boys state golf tournament will wrap up this afternoon. Here’s a look at the first day scores for the Islanders and I will be updating the final scores as soon as they become available.

Best of luck to all the MI teams!

The MIHS division II team earned the team sportsmanship award for division II.

Named to the division I first team included: senior Ellen Haas, who was also named to the first team last year. Named to the second team were seniors Catherine Laplant, defender, Talia Homchick, midfield and Hannah Bahn, attack.

On the division I first team from Mercer Island was sophomore defender Megan Jemley and to the division II second team was freshman Dulce Moll, who play midfield.

The team is heading to Centralia on Saturday for a 1 p.m. game at Wheeler Field in the first state game against Sumner (16-7).

Our sister paper, the Bonney Lake Sumner Courier-Herald has a piece online about the Spartans first trip to the state tournament in 25 years.

If Islanders (17-6, ranked 7th in state) win they will face the winner of the Colubmia River/Highline game at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Wheeler Field (essentially they would start the second game right after the first finishes).

Another win would push Mercer Island into the semifinals which would be on May 28 at 1 p.m. at Safeco Field.

Here’s a look at the state bracket, which the WIAA will update as scores become available.

For those who will be heading south for the game don’t forget tickets are $8 for adults and students with an ASB card and seniors are $6.

I will update the games with team information as it becomes available.

Tuesday May 11

Game #1          4PM    Liberty vs. Sammamish (Final score: Sammamish 4-1 over Liberty)

Game #2          7PM     Juanita vs. Bellevue (Final score: Bellevue 5-4 over Juanita)

Thursday May 13

Game #3          4 PM   Sammamish vs. Mercer Island

Game #4          7 PM   Bellevue vs. Mount Si

Friday May 14

Game #5          7PM Mercer Island 4 v. Bellevue 3 (#1 to state)

Saturday May 15

Game #6          1PM Sammamish v. Mount Si

Game #7          4PM Bellevue v. Sammamish (Winner #2 to advance against Metro #3)

All games will be at Bannerwood Sports Park (Weather permitting)

Thursday, May 6 at Mount Si HS

Boys Results

Team scores – 1, Mercer Island 66; 2, Mount Si 65; 3, Cedarcrest 50.
100 meters – 2, Kurtis Rosengreen 11.20. 200 meters – 7, Kyle Nakagaki 25.00. 400 meters – 2, Colin Strong 52.8; 4, Aaron Azose 53.50. 800 meters – 1, William Clausen 2:06.00; 3, Aaron Elefson 2:08.2. 1,600 meters – 1, Aaron Elefson 4:37.8. 3,200 meters – 1, Aaron Elefson 9:50.9; 2, Nicholas Ford 9:57.6. 110 meter hurdles – 2, Elliot Blasich 16.3; 3, John Hammerstrom 17.00. 300 meter hurdles – 2, John Hammerstrom 43.00. 4×100 meter relay – 3, Mercer Island (Aaron Azose, Jeff Lindquist, Reid Jackson, Christopher Caluza) 46.4. 4×400 meter relay – 2, Mercer Island (Colin Strong, Kurtis Rosengreen, Aaron Azose, Jeff Lindquist) 3:33.9. Shot put – 3, Jonathan Witz 45’09.5; 4, David Kuhn 43’03. Javelin – 2, Kennan Adams 163’03; 5, Reid Jackson 142’09. High jump – 3, Jeff Lindquist 5’06; 4, Kyle Nakagaki 5’04; 5, Elliot Blasich 5’00. Pole vault – 1, Tyler Borer 11’00; 2, Espen Platou 10’00. Long jump – 1, Reid Jackson 19’03.5; 3, Kurtis Rosengreen 18’02.75. Triple jump – 2, Kennan Adams 34’11; 4, Espen Platou 33’03.75.

Girls Results

Team scores – 1, Mount Si 106; 2, Mercer Island 44; 3, Cedarcrest 36.
100 meters – 2, Laura Harrison 13.10; 4, Queen Opoku 13.20. 400 meters – 2, Laura Harrison 1:02.4. 800 meters – 2, Gabi Goyette 2:36.3; 2, Laura Brindley 2:37.9; 5, Tyler Ledbetter 2:49.1. 1,600 meters – 3, Molly O’Callahan 5:40.5. 3,200 meters – 2, Haley Lepp 13:08.1; 4, Kaya McRuer 13:54.6. 100 meter hurdles – 2, Cora Miller 15.8; 5, Jordan Peralta 18.8. 4×200 meter relay – 1, Mercer Island (Julia Davis, Maddison Crothamel, Madeline Oaks, Savannah Reid) 1:58.4. 4×400 meter relay – 3, Mercer Island (Laura Harrison, Julia Davis, Jordan Peralta, Cora Miller) 5:03.5. Discus – 4, Carly Andersen 78’11. Javelin – 3, Carly Andersen 106’04. High jump – 2, Christina Travis 4’02; 3, Madeline Oaks, Carly Andersen 4’00. Long jump – 3, Queen Opoku 12’04.75.

Mercer Island High School assistant coach and youth program founder Mark Larson, youth lacrosse champion and coach Harry Osterander of Edmonds, longtime high school officials Janet Lennon-Jones of Redmond, and Lorrie McKay of Seattle, Whitman College and Vashon Island High School program founder Charley Rosenberry of Vashon Island and Bainbridge High School coach and former Canadian National Team member Tami Tommila of Bainbridge Island were tapped for induction by the Washington State Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse.

The six will be enshrined Saturday, October 23 at the state hall’s third semi-annual induction ceremonies at the Washington Athletic Club.  Tickets are $66 and go on sale Wednesday, May 12 at www.uslax-wa.org/hof.html

MARK LARSON – Seattle, Wash. (Mercer Island High School)

Former Florida State University lacrosse player, Mark Larson, 53, of Seattle is the Mercer Island High School boys assistant coach, co-founder of the Mercer Island Youth Lacrosse program and former Washington Chapter President of US Lacrosse.  Under Larson’s seven-year guidance, MIYL grew of just 20 participants to over 70.  Today, over 250 Mercer Island youth participate in the program, which has become a model youth lacrosse program in the State of Washington.

HARRY OSTRANDER – Edmonds, Wash. (Youth Lacrosse / Lakeside School)

Former St. Lawrence College lacrosse player, Harry Ostrander of Edmonds is a longtime high school coach and champion of the sport in Washington state.  Along with service on the state board of directors of the Boys High School League, Osterdander, 64, was the head coach at Lakeside Middle School from 1988 – 2006 and for nearly 20 years was involved in the teaching of lacrosse skills to Washington state’s youth as an organizer lacrosse clinics at the high school, youth and middle school levels along with Boys & Girls Clubs in Belleview, Edmonds and Snohomish.

JANET LENNON-JONES – Redmond, Wash. (Official)

Former Wellesley College lacrosse player, Janet Lennon-Jones of Redmond is a 19-year veteran umpire in Washington state.  Lennon-Jones, 41, was the state’s first District-rated umpire and also the first in the state to hold a national rating as an official.  She officiated the first Washington high school girl’s state championship in 1993 and today continues to pass her skill to younger generations of officials by conducting officiating clinics in the state.

LORRIE McKAY – Seattle, Wash. (Official)

Former Western Washington University player Lorrie McKay has umpired lacrosse games at every level in Washington state for over 20 years.  An organizer of the association that became the Washington Women’s Lacrosse Umpire Association, McKay, 45, McKay has served in a variety of roles including Chair of the WWLUA from 2005 – 07 and League Umpire Assignor from 2003 – 06.   She was also a founder of the Washington Junior Umpire Program.  For her efforts the local umpire board recognized McKay’s contributions by naming their annual service award in her honor.

CHARLEY ROSENBERRY – Vashon Island, Wash. (Vashon Island High School / Whitman College)

Former Whitman College lacrosse player Charley Rosenberry of Vashon Island is the founder and current head coach of the Vashon High School lacrosse team.  Rosenberry, 51, founded the Whitman College lacrosse program while a student on the Walla Walla campus.  Since coming to Vashon, he won the Division II state championship in 1997 and 2005 and was selected Division II coach of the year in 2003 and 2006.  At Whitman, Rosenberry serves on the school’s Board of Overseers and a lacrosse scholarship fund was dedicated to him in 2006.

TAMIKO “Tami” TOMMILA – Bainbridge Island, Wash. (Bainbridge Island High School)

Langara College lacrosse standout and former Canadian National Team member Tami Tommila is the head coach of the Bainbridge Island girls lacrosse team.  While at Bainbridge, Tommila coached the Spartans to four state championships.   For her efforts she was named the 2005 Washington high school girls coach of the year.  As an athlete, she competed in three World Cup tournaments, serving as Canadian team captain in 1997.  A tireless champion of the sport, she runs a Bainbridge youth lacrosse camp for kindergarten through high school aged players and organizes off-season competition opportunities for girls.

2010 KINGCO 3A/2A BOYS SOCCER FIRST TEAM SELECTION

2010 KINGCO 3A/2A BOYS SOCCER SECOND TEAM SELECTION

2010 Boys Soccer Honorable Mention

On Monday, May 10, Mercer Island will host the first round of the 2010 3A KingCo soccer tournament featuring two games. Here are those match ups:

Game 1: KingCo #3 (Sammamish) vs. KingCo #4 (Bellevue) 5 p.m.

Game 2: KingCo #2 (Mercer Island) vs. KingCo #5 (Juanita) 7:15 p.m.

Between those two games, at roughly 6:45 p.m. the KingCo awards will be announced (first, second etc. all-league teams, as well as coach of the year and sportsmanship award).

On Wednesday, May 12 the winners of game 1 and game 2 will play each other. If Mercer Island wins their Monday game the team will play at home on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. kickoff. The winner of the Wednesday game will face off against the No. 3 Metro league team for the final spot to state on Saturday, May 15. (Mount Si has earned their spot to state already. Metro and KingCo have a total of four slots to the state tournament.)

If Mercer Island wins on Wednesday, the Saturday game would be at MIHS against Metro #3 at 2 p.m.

We’ll update with more information once things get underway!

The team earned it’s first (even if it is a three way split) KingCo title since 1998. Sharing the title is Mount Si and Liberty, who all finished with 14-4 records this season in league play. It’s the team’s second title in the 57 year history of the program.

Megan Managan/Mercer Island Reporter

Because three teams are tied for first place the KingCo tie breaker rules go into effect to figure out who is what seed going into next week’s KingCo League tournament.

As luck would have it Mercer Island will play Liberty again this afternoon at 4 p.m. at Island Crest Park where Liberty will be the home team and Mercer Island will be the visitors. Mount Si was lucky enough to win the coin toss to play in the 7 p.m. game against whoever wins the 4 p.m. match up.

If Mercer Island wins the first game this afternoon, and beats Mount Si in the second game the Islanders will be the No. 1 seed going into KingCo next week. If, however, MIHS wins game one, but loses to Mount Si they will be the No. 3 seed going into KingCo because Liberty won two out of three of the regular season league games against the Islanders. If the Islanders lose game one and Liberty beats Mount Si in the second game tonight, the Islanders will take the No. 2 seed as they beat the Wildcats 2 to 3 this season.

As MIHS Athletic Director Craig Olson said the easiest situation is if Mercer Island wins both games and makes things less complicated!

No matter what happens the Islanders will enter the KingCo tournament as one of the top three teams next week. All of the KingCo tournament games will take place at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue. If the Islanders enter the tournament as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed they will be able to take a couple of days off, playing their first league tournament game on Thursday May 13, rather than Tuesday. The top four teams from KingCo and Metro advance to the state tournament May 28-29 at SafeCo field.

Here is what that schedule for the KingCo tournament looks like:

Tuesday, May 11
Game #1    4PM    #3 seed vs. #6 seed
Game #2    7PM     #4 seed vs. #5 seed

Thursday, May 13
Game #3    4PM    Winner Game #1 vs. #2 seed
Game #4    7PM    Winner Game #2 vs. #1 seed

Saturday, May 15
Game #5    1PM Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4 (#1 to state)
Game #6    4PM Loser Game #3 vs. Loser Game #4
Game #7    7PM Loser Game #5 vs. Winner Game #6 (Winner #2 to advance against Metro #3)

Lisa Chinn/Contributed photo

Lisa Chinn/Contributed photo

If that wasn’t impressive enough the team has won 33 dual matches in a row and have won 64 of their last 69 dual matches, a winning streak stretching out over the last three years.

Now that the regular season is behind them, the team will travel to the KingCo 3A medalist tournament on Monday, May 10 at Riverbend Golf Course in Kent. From there the top golfers will qualify for the state tournament which starts May 25 at Horn Rapids Golf Club in Richland. The girls team finished fourth as a team last year at state.

In order to highlight local athletes I need students to fill them out! So that’s where you come in: Anyone who would like to, can fill out the questionnaire at the bottom of this post, and send it back to me at mmanagan@mi-reporter.com

I will be selecting those submitted at random and the first will run on May 19. Thanks in advance for all your help!

Click here to down load the form: MI Reporter sports profile

Here’s a look an example of what the profile will look like in the paper:

Thursday, April 29 at Mercer Island HS

Boys results

Bellevue 112
Mercer Island 33

100 meters – 3, Kurtis Rosengreen. 200 meter – 2, Jeff Lindquist. 800 meters – 3, Aaron Elefson. 1,600 meters –  3, William Clausen. 110 meter hurdles – 3, Elliot Blasich. 300 meter hurdles – 2, John Hammerstrom. 4×400 meter relay – 1, Mercer Island (John Hammerstrom, Jeff Lindquist, Aaron Azose, Reid Jackson) 3:53.6. Pole vault – 3, Espen Platou. Shot put – 2, Jonathan Witz. Javelin – 2, Reid Jackson. Long jump – 2, Reid Jackson; 3, Kurtis Rosengreen. Triple jump – 2, Cassidy Kaufman; 3, Keenan Adams. High jump – 2, Jeff Lindquist.

Girls results

Bellevue 88
Mercer Island 54

100 meters – 2, Queen (Abena) Opoku. 200 meters – 1, Laura Harrison 27.1. 800 meters – 1, Lindsay Bentser 2:32.5. 100 meter hurdles – 1, Cora Miller 16.6. 300 meter hurdles – 1, Jordan Peralta 57.07. 4×100 meter relay – 1, Mercer Island (Queen Opoku, Laura Harrison, Cora Miller, Alisha Waggoner) 50.8. Discus – 1, Carly Andersen 83’10; 3, Alfa Hordges. Shot put – 2, Alfa Hordges; 3, Carly Andersen. Javelin – 1, Carly Andersen 100’7; 2, Lauren Ellis. Long jump – 3, Queen Opoku. High jump – 2, Carly Andersen; 3, Jordan Peralta.

Saturday, May 1 at Lake Washington Invitational
Girls Results

200 meters – 27, Alisha Waggoner 27.30; 29, Laura Harrison 27.69. 3,000 meters – 24, Lindsay benster 11:06.73; 27, Molly O’Callahan 11:12.4. 4×400 relay – 13, Mercer Island (Julia Davis, Laura Harrison, Alisha Waggoner, Cora Miller) 4:15.33. Shot put – 18, Alfa Hordges 28’08. Javelin – 14, Carly Andersen 108’01. Discus – 29, Carly Andersen 77’06.

Saturday, May 1 at Shoreline Invitational
Boys Results

400 meters – 32, Aaron Azose 54.54. 800 meters – 18, William Clausen 2:01.7. 1,600 meters – 18, Aaron Elefson 4:27.36. 3,200 meters – 35, Nicholas Ford 10:02.7. 300 meter hurdles – 37, John Hammerstrom 43.61. 4×400 relay – 21, Mercer Island (Elliot Blasich,Colin Strong, Aaron Azose, Kurtis Rosengreen) 3:35.18. Shot put – 29, David Kuhn 42’03.5.

• #1        James Suh            Goal Keeper        Lehigh University, PA
• #6        Max Kearfott          Defense              Chapman University, CA
• #7        David Yount           Defense              University of San Francisco,CA
• #9        Kenny Nelson       Defense              Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,CA
• #10      Nick Ward*             Forward             Cal State Monterey Bay,CA
• #11      Ari Langman          Defense              Lafayette College,PA
• #14      Jene Wook Shin Midfield            University of Connecticut,CT
• #17      CT Crow*               Midfield                Kenyon College, Ohio
• #18      Quin Gier                Defense             Bucknell University, PA
• #19      Taylor Ward*           Defense              Humboldt State, CA
• #20      Matt Johnson*        Defense               Haverford College, PA

• #5        James Kashima        Midfield            University of Washington
• #12       Tyler Ybarra*            Forward           St. Martin University, Lacey WA
• #13        Danny Strome        Forward            University of Washington

On the girls side of things the Mercer Island girls are still in a tie for third place with Snohomish with a 7-3 record. Lakeside holds the top spot in the girls standings with a 10-0 record.

Boys Division I

Girls Division I

The so called “sacred cow” of the state tournaments (according to Executive Director Mike Colbrese) lost money last year, and has been on and off for several years. Part of the problem he said, too many sites over too long of a time period. Plus, many consolation bracket games (aka the 3rd/6th place games which take place Saturday afternoon) have low attendance.

Currently, the state basketball tournaments are held on three separate weekends, in three separate locations, depending on which classification a school is apart of. This past season the 1B girls and boys tournament was held in Yakima at the SunDome, while the 2B girls and boys played the following weekend in Spokane, before the 4A tournament began the first weekend of March in Tacoma, followed the next weekend by the 3A tournament. This means the WIAA rents out three different spaces, over three different weekends.

Next year the tournament will become a 16 team format, for all schools, with the first round of state held at regional locations Feb. 25-26. From there eight teams will advance to a state tournament site for the rest of the tournament from March 3-5. So rather than spreading the various classifications out, starting next year the WIAA would have three state championship sites, with two classifications per site (3A-4A would be in Tacoma, 1A-2A in Yakima and 1B-2B in Spokane) all on one weekend.

While the particulars have not yet been figured out for how the regional first round games would be played (as many places will have just hosted their regionals district and league tournaments) the WIAA is going to figure out how to make it happen in time for the 2010-2011 season.

While driving to Tacoma for the 3A tournament isn’t nearly as bad as 2A teams from Bellingham heading to Yakima for anywhere from one to three days, having the first round at local sites would eliminate a lot of driving and transportation for some teams, especially if they don’t make it past the first round.

Another plus, at least from a sportswriters point of view, I know people who basically lived in the Tacoma Dome this season, covering both 4A and then 3A the next week. All on one weekend would certainly makes things a little easier on our end.

Two-day Event Kicks Off Saturday Night with UMBC’s Kelly Berger

Everett, Wash. – Since the Washington Stealth moved to Everett from San Jose, Calif., last summer, their mission has been to assist with the growth of lacrosse in the Northwest. The Stealth has put together a number of boys’ lacrosse clinics and camps throughout the Puget Sound Region with many more in the works. This weekend, the Stealth will give both the girls’ and boys’ lacrosse players in the area the chance to learn from the best in their sport.

The Stealth, in conjunction with WALAX, present the first installment of the “Stealth’s Speaker Series” this Saturday with the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach, Kelly Berger. Entitled “Playing at the Next Level”, Berger’s presentation will prepare local girls’ lacrosse players for the level of play in college and what college coaches look for during the recruitment process. The presentation is free and open to the public. It will take place from 6pm-7pm on Saturday, April 24th at the Oakes Room at the Holiday Inn located at 3105 Pine St., Everett, WA 98201.

“We’re excited to launch the ‘Stealth’s Speaker Series’ and support the continued growth of girls’ lacrosse in the Northwest,” said Stealth General Manager Doug Locker. “Having our first speaker be one with a resume as impressive as Kelly’s provides a great opportunity for the girls’ lacrosse players in the area.”

Berger is in her first season as the Head Coach of the NCAA Division I UMBC program after spending two seasons as an assistant. She excelled as a player at James Madison University, where she was a two-time team captain and three-time leading scorer. She was twice named All-American and three-time All-South Region selection. Her senior season, Berger was a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, an award given to the nation’s top lacrosse player. She has also spent time as a member of the U.S. National Team.

Along with her presentation on Saturday night, Berger will be running a girls’ lacrosse clinic at The Overlake School in Redmond, Wash., on Sunday, April 25th. From 9am-10:30am, Berger will provide instruction to local girls’ lacrosse players on all aspects of the game. The clinic is also free and open to all ages.

“It’s fantastic for the girls’ lacrosse programs in the area to have the support of the Stealth,” said The Overlake School’s girls’ lacrosse Head Coach Sue Haviland. “To have a Division I Head Coach here to speak to the girls and teach them on the field is great for the growth of the game in our area.”

While the girls get instruction from one of the nation’s top coaches, the boys will get an opportunity to learn shooting skills from two of the National Lacrosse League’s best shooters. Paul Rabil and Lewis Ratcliff will be at The Overlake School to put on a shooting clinic for boys lacrosse at the same time. The shooting clinic is also free and open to the public.

“It’s all about community,” said Overlake’s boys’ lacrosse Head Coach Henry Valentine. “I’m thrilled that the Stealth has kept their word and are continuing to grow the game. We’re very excited that The Overlake School will be working with them on this.”

The Overlake School is located at 20301 NE 108th Street, Redmond, WA 98053. For more information on the events this weekend, contact Stealth Director of Communications Michael Kennett at (425) 322-2633 or at mkennett@stealthlax.com.

On the girls side of things Mercer Island is in a tie with Bainbridge (who the Islanders host on Friday night at 6 p.m.), with a 6-2 record, behind undefeated Lakeside which is 8-0.

Both teams will play at home on Friday night with the girls kicking things off against Bainbridge at 6 p.m. before the boys host Seattle Prep at 8 p.m. at Islander Stadium.

On April 23, next Friday, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association representative assembly will vote on whether or not lacrosse will be a sanctioned sport in the state of Washington. Currently teams play at what is considered a club level, meaning they aren’t recognized like traditional high school team sports are.

Since lacrosse first began to pick up speed in Washington it’s grown, especially in the Puget Sound, at a rapid pace. This year also marks the first season of the Washington Stealth, a professional lacrosse team based in Everett. While Mercer Island has a long standing lacrosse tradition, since programs began on the Island teams have sprung up across the state with a total of 48 teams. In many communities its more than a high school game, kids as young as first and second grade are learning the basics.

Should lacrosse be a WIAA sanctioned sport?
(polls)

These are all valid points made by the people who are encouraging the WIAA to sanction the sport. The state’s three main lacrosse organizations are largely behind the push. The Washington state chapter of U.S. lacrosse, the Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association and the Washington Schoolgirls lacrosse association are all advocating for the sport to be added.

Personally, I believe it’s high time for lacrosse to be recognized by the WIAA. Obviously, based on the growth in the area, kids are loving the game and it’s spreading like wildfire. Imagine if Seattle had a professional NBA team again, but basketball in high school was considered a club sport? While professional lacrosse hasn’t yet reached this height of fandom, having a professional team seems to show a certain level of interest in the game.

(Check out these graphs of how lacrosse participation has grown in the past several years. Courtesy of USLAX-WA)

There are 17 states in the U.S. which have sanctioned lacrosse, including California, Colorado, Illinois, South Carolina and Minnesota. Lacrosse has been huge on the East Coast for years. The analogy that typically comes up is that it’s similar to football in Texas. It’s just what you do.

What’s more the state’s lacrosse association already operates under a system modeled after the WIAA, so bringing the system into the fold would be an easy move to make.

Other concerns against adding the sport are that it’s expensive to get involved and that not all schools would want to burden their kids with that possibility. Like any other high school sport recognized by the WIAA, schools are not required to offer every sport.

According to the Washington State Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse the cost to outfit a boy to play the game is about $200, where girls typically spend $100 to be able to play. The difference between lacrosse and high school football, for example, is that many players prefer to have their own equipment, rather than the school purchasing it and lending it to students for a season.

Obviously on a place like Mercer Island where the high school boys team has been in the running for the state title basically every year, there is a big hope this will pass. Kids from the Island are even turning their success in the sport into a ticket to play in college. Currently Doug Mahony plays for Yale University after years with the MI program, while his younger sister Caroline, who graduated from MIHS last year, plays for St. Mary’s College in California.

But no matter where a kid lives or goes to school, giving him or her another sports option, can only be a good thing right?

Boys division I – scoring leaders

Boys division I - goaltending (by save % / min. 4 games)

Girls division I

Girls division I – goaltending (by save % / min. 4 games)

Dear Washington Lacrosse Community,

As you are probably aware, we’re putting together a great inaugural season here in Washington.  Speaking on behalf of our teammates, we all feel very fortunate to be playing in front of some amazing fans, and in a state where lacrosse is absolutely taking off.  All of the pieces are in place, and we are playing some of our best lacrosse of the season.

The Stealth has a phenomenal opportunity this Saturday to secure first place overall in the National Lacrosse League, and play all of our playoff games in front of you at home!  We have our sights on a Championship season, and are gearing up for another huge game this Saturday at the Comcast Arena at Everett against our archrivals, the Edmonton Rush.

There is no doubt about it, this is the biggest game of the season; winning this game will not only lock up a West Division Title, but more importantly it will also give us the best record in the NLL and keep us at home for all of our playoff games in front of you, our dedicated fans!  Please help us spread the word to the community- to your friends, family members, lacrosse fans and simply just fans of any sport.

We’re looking for another huge and boisterous turnout this Saturday and we need you to help us make Comcast Arena one of the most intimidating buildings for opposing teams to play.  Your energy is contagious, so let’s pack the place this weekend and show the lacrosse world what Washington lacrosse is all about!

See you Saturday,

Jason Bloom & Jamison Koesterer

Visit the Slealth’s Web site for more details on the team, tickets and schedules.

Boys Division I

Girls Division I

Bjorn Heidenstrom, a retired Norwegian soccer player from the club team Vålerenga, is ‘Hitchbiking’ from Kenya to South Africa and creating the world’s largest football shirt on the route as part of raising awareness for the world’s refugees. Heidenstrom, has worked with football as a hub for; marketing, media, values, Soccer Against Crime, and Valerenga against racism. He will make content on his website: www.theshirt2010.net each day on the 10-month journey.

“You can help directly with a football shirt. it maybe an old one or a new one, can be the team you play for, or the team you support. Sign it, just you, or with mates, and send it to “Base Camp”. My crew comes to South Africa in April 2010 and we start making the symbol. We also make a bet; “This symbol (“the shirt 2010″) will get the biggest attention during the World Cup 2010…. You can be a part of it. You can be on the symbol. You can help…by just sending one of your FC shirts.”

His web sites are:
www.theshirt2010.net
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/More-Than-a-Game/112697618741385?ref=ts

The Mercer Island baseball team will be taking on Eastmont, a 4A school out of Wenatchee, at Safeco Field at 4 p.m. The game is free and open to anyone who wants to attend. The Islanders are 6-1 so far this season, currently sitting in second place in the KingCo 3A/2A standings.

The Issaquah baseball team will play Kentridge at 12:30 p.m. also on Saturday.

It was a great interview, but unfortunately there just wasn’t enough room for everything (I could have gone on and on). But luckily for you here’s the outtakes from that interview:

My dad picked up skiing when he was about 30, and for a ski racer I actually got into it a little bit later, I think I was 9 or 10 and as a teenager it became the sport I was most passionate about and figured that I could excel at it the most so actually when I was attending MIHS i spent half of my high school years over at Wenatchee Valley Junior College, they had a program where they let us train with the ski academy so we skied 7 days a week effectively. We’d go to school 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. and be on the hill by 11:30 a.m. and we’d ski 180 days a year at Mission Ridge. My junior year I didn’t attend MIHS at all, but my senior year I did the first and fourth quarters.

I did it for one more year competitively and before going to college. I took one year and sort of dedicated it to skiing, but by then, without my knowing it, my eye disease had started taking back my ability to ski the race course, so the last year was not as productive as the previous years. I trained well because you have the course memorized, but I wouldn’t race well. I’d ski off the course or miss gates. Then I hardly skied at all during the 80s and I lived in Europe for a couple years and lived in LA for about 8 years and that didn’t really lend itself to skiing so when I moved back to Seattle in the early ’90s friends got me back into it. Quite honestly when I was diagnosed with my eye disease in ‘86 I thought someday I’d probably do the paralympics, so four or five or six years ago I started to think about it and more or less said if I don’t do the 2010 games I’ll be too old to be competitive at the next series, so I attended my first adaptive race and have been pursuing it with a passion since then.

Pairing up was just serendipity. Guides have to have quiet a bit of flexibility in their work schedule, and not everybody does, to be able to train and travel extensively, so when I did my first adapative race in March of ‘08 I showed up at the race course in Idaho and it just so happened that there was a volunteer (Slater Storey) there whose sister was on the U.S. adapative ski team, so he grew up with the sport because she (his sister) had a leg amputated as an infant so when I needed a guide the race organizers asked him if he would be willing. Being a guide beats being a volunteer so he did it and then we did a couple of races together last season and then I also had to work with another guy because it’s hard to find people who have the time, but he (Storey) ended up having time this winter and skied almost on a daily basis to prepare for the Paralympics.

I would say slalom is the most difficult just because it’s the quickest, things are happening the fastest. In a 60 second race you go through 40-60 turns, so you’re literally doing everything as fast as you can, there’s just no time to think or process in between turns, and so as a guide and a follower we have to be very much in sync through training. Downhill, just by nature that you have a few seconds between turns, is marginally easier because you have the time to think and communicate.

Favorites places to ski – Absolutely love Sun Valley, can’t say enough good things about it, they were very generous to us this winter, Crystal Mountain is a fantastic mountain, love training there, Alpental and Snoqualmie they have great coaches and training and Mission Ridge. Seattle is blessed with lots of great areas.

Favorite part of skiing and racing – You have a total sense of freedom and complete ability to be aggressive, it’s such a controlled environment I don’t have to worry about outside variables so you can just completely focus on a singular task or event and your mind clears from everything else and you just get so singularly focused on that you get a sense of accomplishment and reach your peak performance. A lot of sports provide this I think, it takes all stress from the rest of life away and cleanses and purges it.

The other thing that I really enjoy about ski racing is always my teammates and competitors, they usually really fine young men and women who participate in the sport. They are doing it because they love it, and they get some benefit from it. It’s always a personal benefit, its not like they are doing it for fame and fortune, everyone has a lot in common and gets a lot of joy from it. They are battling their disabilities, but getting tremendous joy from this pursuit and it’s very therapeutic.

Check out Mark’s Web site for more information about him and the sport.

The Mercer Island boys have just returned from a successful 3-0 trip to New York during the school’s spring break. Last year the team lost all it’s matches back East, and this season the captains said winning games in NY was a top priority. Look for a recap of the trip in this week’s issue.

Boys Division I

Girls Division I

The girls, who host Garfield on Thursday at home, are in a three-way tie for fourth place right now, falling from a tie for second place before spring break.

Mercer Island scored in every inning, with their highest being three runs in the fifth. A game highlight however came at the top of the 7th when Islander short-stop and captain Willy Reel hit a home run way out over left field. There wasn’t much Reel didn’t do at the game, ending with a 5-5 at bat/hitting record in the game, earning two RBI. Along with the homer he had a double and a triple during the game.

Ben Emanuels was 2 for 4 at bat against the Totems and Evan Thompson was 3 for 3 overall.

The win came a week after the Islanders 13-5 upset against Mount Si, considered one of the top teams in the state this season.

Mercer Island hosts Sammamish on Friday at Island Crest Park beginning at 6 p.m. See next week’s Reporter for a full series recap and pictures.

On a side note: at last night’s game Sammamish’s scoreboard was apparently not working or hasn’t been (it wasn’t electronic, but was the ‘old-school’ kind where the numbers had to be hung up by someone – so I’m assuming it just doesn’t get used). While keeping track of the score isn’t the most difficult thing in the world, several people, myself included, had to ask around during the game to  keep track of what inning it was and what the score was. I know this isn’t professional or college baseball, but a scoreboard would have been a nice addition to the game.

Boys Division I

The Mercer Island girls division I team is currently in a three way tie for second place, all with 3-1 records. Lake Sammamish and Tacoma, who the Islanders lost to last week, and MI all sit below the undefeated Lakeside who are 5-0.

Girls Division I

Hannah Lilly has committed to play as part of tomorrow nights All-State girls basketball team. She’s the only member of the girls team, who finished sixth at state this year, to play in the all-state game. It will be at Seattle Christian High School, sponsored by the state’s coaches association, with the 3A/4A game starting at 7 p.m. The cost is $7 for adult and $4 for students. Kids under 10 are free.

Also on Saturday, several players from MI will have the chance to take part in the second annual Comcast All-Star Challenge at 4 p.m., this Friday at Bellevue College. On the underclassmen navy team Haley Gullstad and Jae Shin will represent the Islanders, while Lilly will play for the senior team. On the boys side Kaj Sherman will play for the seniors, while Quinn Sterling and Brian Miller will play on the underclassmen team.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students with ASB and seniors. The games will also be available 48 hours after the event on Games Comcast’s On Demand.

Last Wednesday he helped the team beat Lakeside 17-2 with seven goals and two assists, before contributed six goals and four assists in the Islanders 13-0 win over Bainbridge.

Wettack, a captain of this year’s MIHS lacrosse team, also played football for three years for MI and has maintained a 3.4 GPA.

In Saturday’s “Island Wars,” an annual event in which Mercer Island and Bainbridge Island lacrosse teams, from third grade through high school varsity, go head-to-head, Mercer Island players were victorious in all nine match-ups.

The MIHS varsity team shut out Bainbridge 13-0, as did the freshman/sophomore team, at 15-0.  The junior varsity game was much closer, with MI winning, 12-10.

Liz Sheilds/Contributed photo

Other scores include: 7/8 Black (select) won 13-1; 7/8 Maroon won 11-10; 7/8 White won 7-1; 5/6 Maroon won 6-2; 5/6 White won 6-2 and the 3rd-4th grade traveling team won 5-2.

The “Island Wars’ event rotates between the two island communities, and this year Mercer Island players traveled on the ferry to Bainbridge for games that started at 10 a.m. and finished with a 4 p.m. pairing between 7th-8th grade select teams.

Mercer Island and Bainbridge Island teams have long been considered friendly rivals. In 2002 and 2003, Bainbridge beat the Islanders in the Washington State Championship; in 2004, Mercer Island topped Bainbridge. After two years in which MI reigned over Issaquah in the Championships, MI and Bainbridge faced each other again in 2007, and Bainbridge won.

In the next two issues of the Reporter (March 24 and March 31) I’ll be running our spring sports previews. There are just too many teams that trying to squish them into one issue wouldn’t do the athletes justice. Over those two weeks we’ll take a look at boys soccer, boys and girls lacrosse, girls water polo, track and field, girls golf, girls tennis, fastpitch and baseball.

I’ll also be posting the season schedule for each sport on our Web site at www.mi-reporter.com so you can keep track of who is playing where.

Joel, who will be covering the Bellevue boys this week, has predictions for both the boys and girls tournaments, but I felt like his predictions were especially dead-on for the girls tournament – check out what Joel thought here.

The Mercer Island girls will face Mount Rainier tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m. A win over the Rams will pit the Islanders against the winner of the Kennedy Catholic/East Valley (Spokane) game on Thursday night at 7 p.m.

A loss to Mt. Rainier pushes the Islanders into the consolation bracket to face the loser of the Kennedy Catholic/East Valley game at noon on Thursday.

From there things get murkier, at least until we know if the team starts off the tourney with a win or a loss.

I’ll be updating live all week from the Mercer Island girls games at the Tacoma Dome on Twitter (MIRsports) and either here or on our Web site .

Caroline and her older brother Gregory Mahony, both Mercer Island High School graduates and lacrosse players recently saw each other during back to back Division I lacrosse games at Hofstra in New York. The event wouldn’t be that unusual, except the duo play for different schools, on opposite sides of the country.
Caroline, a 2009 MI grad, plays for St. Mary’s College in California, while brother Greg, a 2007 MI grad, plays for Yale University.
The siblings both played games at Hofstra on Long Island in New York on Saturday, Feb. 20, with Caroline taking the field first, followed by a scrimmage between the Hofstra and Yale men’s teams.
“This is believed to be among the first, if not the first, sister-and-brother combo from different DI schools to start back-to-back games on the same day against the same school,” their parents wrote in an email.
The St. Mary’s team lost 21-3 to Hofstra.

The Islanders have cemented their spot in next week’s state tournament at the Tacoma Dome which starts on Wednesday. Once there is an updated bracket we’ll let you know when and who the Islanders will be facing.

Until then here’s a quick look at the two teams facing off on Saturday night.

Mercer Island finished their regular season with a 11-1 KingCo record and 20-4 overall record. Top scorers include Hannah Lilly, averaging 13.2 points per game, Hailey Gullstad, averaging 10.5 per game and Jae Shin with 9.9 per game. The Islanders are well versed at spreading the offensive duties around, so pretty much anyone can score at any time. Gullstad came out of last night’s game against Seattle Prep after she crashed into the padding behind the basket in the first minute of the fourth quarter. She sat out the rest of the game and no word on whether or not it will force her to day Saturday night off, but with four days to rest we’ll have to wait and see.

Holy Names finished their Metro season undefeated at 16-0 and have a 22-2 overall record. The Cougars leading scorers, junior guard Claire Conricode averages 14.1 per game, while junior forward Erika Johnson averages 12.1 a game. During the team’s 66-47 win over Cleveland on Tuesday afternoon Conricode had 20 points, while freshman Sophie Reichelt had 22 points, the game high.

The Cougars are tall and athletic so it should make for an exciting match up against the Islanders on Saturday. Seattle Prep had trouble slowing down the Mercer Island offense, as have many teams this season. It should make for an exciting match-up on Saturday.

Who will be Sea-King champs?

(polls)

The girls, who had to top seed going into the tournament, are searching for one of the four state berths given to the KingCo and Metro league teams.

If the girls win on Friday night they will move into the semi-finals on March 2. Here’s a breakdown on the possibilities:

With a win: girls advance to 8:15 p.m. March 2 semi-final at Bellevue College. They will play either Nathan Hale or Seattle Prep (whoever wins)

With a loss: girls move into consolation bracket and play the loser of the Nathan Hale/Seattle Prep game. If the girls lose at any point after this they will be done for the season.

Also still alive in the girls tournament is Juanita, who will play Holy Names and Bellevue who goes up against Cleveland.

The championship game will be held March 6 at Bellevue College. The top four teams from this tournament advance to the state tournament in Tacoma March 10-13.

Named to the first team from Mercer Island was junior Quinn Sterling and senior Kaj Sherman. Brian Miller received an honorable mention, while Bellevue’s Aaron Bright was named the KingCo boys league MVP and Sammamish coach Wes Newton was coach of the year.

Robert Burmeister/Contributed photo

In the girls league Hailey Gullstad was named the MVP while Islander head coach Jamie Prescott was the coach of the year.
Named to the first team from Mercer Island was Hannah Lilly, while Kate DaPron and Jae Shin were named to the second team.