It’s hardly even summer yet (or maybe never will be if this rain doesn’t let up sometime), but here’s a quick look at the fall football schedule for Mercer Island High School. The team finished the 2009 season 4-6 under first year head coach Brett Ogata, who returns for a second season in the fall.

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

There were a lot of firsts in and around Qwest Field this past Sunday.
For the first time in recent years Seattle participated in the grand finale of America’s professional soccer. In honor of the newly beloved Sounders, Seattle fans didn’t disappoint, welcoming with open arms celebrities of the world’s game.
While Sounders fans and soccer lover alike packed the stands to cheer for two teams with almost nothing connecting them to the Pacific Northwest, it also became a game of firsts, as well as an underdog champion.
Sitting upstairs watching the field and stands fill up before the match began, I was impressed with not only the dedication of fans rooting for both LA and Salt Lake, but also the amount of Sounders green I saw. Obviously, this is a sport with fans that refuse to quit.

To be perfectly honest the first half of the game, despite all the pageantry and build up earlier in the week, was a bit dull. Sure, David Beckham ran around the field and took a few corners, but Landon Donovan, heralded as one of America’s best soccer players, hardly touched the ball in the first 40 minutes.
Three days earlier both Donovan and Beckham said during their press conference they wanted it to be an exciting game for the fans. It took a while for that to happen, but then once the tide changed, the pressure was obviously on, finally giving those fans in the stands what Beckham and Donovan had hoped for.
Early on it looked as if Real Salt Lake was going to be facing a big deficit against the LA Galaxy after Javier Morales, one of the RSL’s big playmakers, went down following a scuffle on the field. He came off the field in the 22nd minute of the game, due to what was later called a left knee sprain.
Whether it was because Morales was out, or the timing was right or perhaps more likely a combination of all of the above, LA got their chance in the 41st minute of the Cup match after Beckham scurried down field, found Donovan in the middle who then passed to LA forward Mike Magee to take the 1-0 lead.
The halftime break continued the monotony of the game, despite the uptick after LA’s goal, with the Sounder’s Freddie Montero facing off against an unknown opponent in Guitar Hero, attempting to get the crowd excited about their rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”. While they both obviously practiced their guitar skills, it was no NFL halftime show.
Thankfully the teams quickly reassembled on the pitch for their second half warm-ups. For as boring as the first half may have been, despite the fact that both teams were playing some excellent soccer, the second half was like watching an entirely different game. Just a few minutes into the deciding half LA goalie Donovan Ricketts slid toward Salt Lake’s Robbie Findley who was looking for a shot on goal at the same time an LA defender also came sliding into the box, where all three collided. Findley and the LA defender came away quickly, but Ricketts stayed down, as the medics rushed onto the field for the second time during the game. After what was announced later as a seven minute delay of game time, Ricketts reestablished his position between the goal posts, but it didn’t last for long. Minutes later, after the teams started trading fouls, Ricketts left the game, the first time in MLS Cup history a goalie has come out of the game. Later, in the press box, we were told he was suffering from a right hand contusion. Basically the back of his hand was so swollen he had to come out to get medical attention and LA sent in his backup Josh Saunders of Grant’s Pass, Ore. to fill the void.
Shortly before Ricketts leaving the game Salt Lake tied the score, after Findley found a hole and knocked the ball in for a 1-1 tie. Then, with Ricketts out, things were looking a little less likely for LA. The game headed into a 30 minute overtime period, and after the score remained tied headed into penalty kicks.
The LA team, who won MLS Cup’s in 2002 and 2005, has played in five Cup finals and each time has gone into an overtime situation. In total the MLS Cup has seen six OT’s in it’s history, making LA one team which arguably needs to learn to finish on the field.
After the overtime the game headed into the penalty kick portion of the match to decide the winner of this year’s Cup. The only other time the championship of American soccer was decided in this fashion was the 2006 Cup where Houston outlasted New England for the title.
The firsts of the ‘09 Cup continued in the PK portion of the evening when Donovan missed his shot, not that it was blocked, just flat out shot the ball over the top of the goal. It was the first time during competition he’d just plain missed the goal.
In the end Real Salt Lake came in as underdogs, but left Qwest Field with the Tiffany&Co. trophy in hand. What started as just another soccer game, with international players and some hype, ended in an exciting, down-to-the-wire event and it’s hard to imagine the MLS saying no to another playoff visit to Seattle in the future.

Just chatted with Mercer Island football coach Brett Ogata about last Friday’s win over Ingraham in the pouring rain. The Islanders earned their second win of the season 45-0 (click here for a full recap of the game).

Overall, he said it came down to the fact the team believed in itself.

“The kids played with a lot of confidence,” Ogata said. He said the defensive line had their best game of the season, keeping Ingraham from scoring all night. Ogata also said despite lots injuries on offensive line (and really just the team as a whole) the guys stepped up and made it happen.

This week the Islanders head to Sammamish for a KingCo basement showdown. Mercer Island football currently sits in the sixth spot in the KingCo league with a 0-4, 2-5 record while the Totems are 0-5, 1-6 this season. But Ogata said rather than focusing on Sammamish, Mercer Island is focused on what they need to do, as has been the trend all season.

“Really it’s about what we need to do to get better each week,” he said. “We worry about Mercer Island, not the other team and that’s how we’ll get to the highest potential for us.”

One thing this rebuilding year has shown, especially younger players, is that opportunities abound. The team has battled injuries and sickness throughout the season, along with many of the other teams at the school. But it’s been specifically hard on football as Ogata said the team lost “crucial players” to season-ending injuries.

“We have had a ton of them,” Ogata said of injuries to players. “A lot of younger players are hurt too, but the majority of the season ending injuries have been seniors.” Of that group of six who now find themselves stuck on the sidelines four are seniors, a junior and a sophomore.

After Sammamish on Friday night the Islanders will host Juanita in the last home game of the regular season. Ogata said mathematically the team is not slated to make the playoffs. He said if they had beat Mount Si there was a chance, but now it looks a lot less likely. After the Juanita game on Oct. 30, the Islanders will play a crossover game with one of the Metro 3A teams. Who exactly it will be depends partially on how the team plays this weekend and how the Metro league shakes out.

Ogata said the most likely scenarios for the crossover game are if the Islanders beat Sammamish, most likely they will play their last game away against the Metro #8 team OR if the Islanders lose Friday night to the Totem they would host the Metro #9 team on Nov. 6.

It all just depends on the numbers.

Bellevue and Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter sports writers Joel Willits and Kevin Endejan have been posting their predictions for football games all season. Check out how they think the Islanders are going to do tonight against Ingraham (hint: perhaps the Islanders will see their first league win?). Check out what they have to say and then vote on who you think is going to take the win.

The Islanders will head to winless Sammamish next week before returning home for the final home game of the season against Juanita on Oct. 30 (I am so hoping for some crowd costumes here…maybe someone should have a contest?).

Next week marks the last week of the regular season for many of Mercer Island’s fall sports. For some the post season hunt has already begun, like cross country and boys golf.
The cross country teams will head to Issaquah for the KingCo league meet on Thursday afternoon and the boys golf team is looking to score a win at the district tournament to complete their season in undefeated fashion. Swimming is also undefeated, looking to take down Bothell this afternoon before Bainbridge on Tuesday. The KingCo Championships will be held Thursday, Oct. 29 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. The boys tennis team also remains undefeated this season, putting an 8-0 dent on the season thus far.
As the season winds down and the wins become so much more important for playoff potential here is a quick look at where the KingCo 3A league is in volleyball, girls soccer and football.

Volleyball
Mount Si       9-0 (10-1)
Mercer Island  7-2 (8-4)
Interlake     4-4 (6-5)
Juanita     4 -5 (4-7)
Bellevue     3-5  (3-7)
Liberty     3-5 (5-6)
Sammamish     0-9

Girls soccer
Mercer Island  8-1-0 (10-2-1)
Sammamish     4-2-2 (5-3-3)
Mount Si     3-3-3 (4-6-3)
Juanita     3-3-2 (3-3-6)
Liberty     2-2-4 (2-6-4)
Bellevue     2-5-1 (5-6-1)
Interlake     1-7-0 (4-8-0)

Football
Bellevue       3-0 (4-2)
Liberty     3-0 (6-0)
Interlake     3-1 (5-1)
Juanita     2-1 (5-1)
Mount Si     1-2 (3-3)
Mercer Island 0-4 (1-5)
Sammamish     0-4 (1-5)

In other news, in the Cross Country Coaches Association weekly team rankings the Mercer Island girls team was ranked sixth overall. Glacier Peak of Snohomish was first, Shadle Park of Spokane second, Mount Spokane third, North Kitsap fourth, Columbia River of Vancouver, fifth, Capital of Olympica seventh, Seattle Prep eighth, Bellevue ninth and Enumclaw 10th.

I had an e-mail from a reader last night asking about high school standings so I thought I’d give a little update as to where teams sit right now in the KingCo 3A league.
Next week things really kick off before the post season rush begins, so keep checking back for updated information that may not make the print edition.
Also, I wanted to note that the Mercer Island boy’s golf team is going to be playing for the KingCo title against Woodinville on Monday afternoon (beginning at 4 p.m.) at the Echo Woods golf course in Woodinville. Head coach Tyson Peters has been talking about this match up all season long, and it promises to be a good test of the Islanders’ talent.

Here are the standings for the KingCo 3A league as of the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 1

Football
1. Interlake 2-0 (5-0)
2. Liberty 2-0 (4-0)
3. Juanita 1-0 (4-0)
4. Bellevue 1-0 (2-2)
5. Mercer Island 0-2 (1-3)
Mount Si 0-2 (1-3)
Sammamish 0-2 (1-3)

Volleyball
1. Mount Si 5-0 (6-1)
2. Mercer Island 3-1 (4-3)
3. Liberty 2-2 (4-3)
4. Juanita 2-2 (2-4)
Bellevue 2-2 (2-4)
5. Interlake 1-3 (2-4)
6. Sammamish 0-5 (0-7)

Girl’s Soccer
1. Mercer Island 4-0 (6-1)
2. Sammamish 2-1-1 (3-2-2)
3. Mount Si 1-1-2 (2-4-2)
4. Juanita 1-1-1 (1-1-5)
5. Bellevue 1-2 (4-3)
6. Liberty 0-1-2 (0-4-2)
7. Interlake 0-3 (2-4)

The boy’s golf team is undefeated in KingCo matches at 5-0, currently challenging for the KingCo title and the girl’s swimming team is also undefeated at 5-0, with several members of the swim team already qualified for appearances at the state meet this fall.

I wasn’t able to get these stats before the paper was finished this week, so here’s an update with more specifics from the Islander’s loss last Thursday. This week they are preparing to face off against Interlake at home. Kick off is scheduled at 7 p.m.
Thursday’s final score was 51-13, with sophomore quarterback Jeff Lindquist making a 2-yard sprint in the second quarter, after the Islanders gave up 23 unanswered points in the first 12 minutes. Kicker Alex Wood made a solid kick to give Mercer Island 7 points, against Liberty’s 14 in the second quarter. Wood punted for 112-yards during four kicks for the team.
The next Mercer Island end zone appearance wasn’t until the third quarter when senior captain Kurtis Rosengreen made an 81-yard trip down the side of the field.
Throughout the night the Islanders had 50 passing yards overall and 156 rushing yards during the loss. The team had two penalties resulting in 10 yards.
Three Islanders were responsible for seven solo tackles during the game, David Kuhn, Trevor Reed and Greg Williams each also assisted on a tackle. Junior Ben Emanuels had six solo tackles and three assists. Sophomore Phil Frazier sacked Liberty’s quarterback resulting in a Patriots loss of 6-yards.
Currently, the Islanders are 1-2 in the season and 0-1 in the league. As of Tuesday morning the team sits in fifth place in the KingCo league. Interlake is at the top of the league with a 4-0 non-league record, after beating Hazen and Yelm in non-league games. The team also picked up an easy win after Ingraham forfeited the first game of the season. Interlake won their first league game of the season with a 50-28 win over Mount Si.

Tonight the Islanders are traveling to Liberty High School in their first league showdown of the season. The Thursday night game, played prior to the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, which begins tomorrow, features a strong Liberty quarterback up against the young Mercer Island team. Liberty is 2-0 heading into tonight’s game and MI sits at 1-1 in the season.
Last week, following the Islanders loss to Newport, head coach Brett Ogata said in preparation for the Liberty game the team would just have to work on being better all around.
“They (Liberty) are a heck of a team and I know they are looking out for us, so we just have to get better,” Ogata said.
Kick off is 7 p.m. at Liberty High School Stadium in Renton.