I know there are quite a few out there, so feel free to let me know who/where and how they are doing and I’ll update the blog as I hear more.

University of Oregon freshman Jonathan Witz, who is a 2010 MI grad, is playing for the Ducks football team, on the defensive line. The Ducks are currently ranked the No. 3 in the country with a 5-0 record this season. Witz, who wears No. 97, played football and competed in the shot put in track and field at MIHS.
The Ducks are headed to WSU this Saturday for a Pac-10 showdown.

In the 3A group, the monster win Juanita had over Liberty dropped the Patriots from No. 2 to No. 6 while Juanita moves into the No. 4 spot. The Rebels host Bellevue this Friday is what is shaping up to be the biggest match of the KingCo conference.

It’s interesting to note that this season KingCo 3A has four playoffs spots this season, meaning that for teams like Liberty, who currently sit tied for third place against Mount Si the playoff situation could take until Oct. 29 to figure out. Lake Washington and Mercer Island are both tied for fifth place. The Islanders travel to Mount Si this weekend, while Lake Washington goes to Liberty.

It will likely be a while until we know exactly who that last team will be to make the cut off, especially considering how wacky the season has already been.

Class 4A
1. Skyline (4-1)
2. Curtis (5-0)
3. Ferris (5-0)
4. Bothell (4-1)
5. Issaquah (4-1)
6. Kentwood (5-0)
7. Gonzaga Prep (4-1)
8. Chiawana (5-0)
9. Auburn (4-1)
10. Union (4-1)
Others receiving votes: Richland (4-1)

Who they play:
No.1 Skyline (4-1) vs. Newport (3-2)
No.2 Curtis (5-0) vs. No.9 Auburn (4-1)
No.3 Ferris (5-0) at Class 3A No.5 Mount Spokane (5-0)
No.4 Bothell (4-1) at Woodinville (3-2)
No.5 Issaquah (4-1) vs. Redmond (2-3)
No.6 Kentwood (5-0) at Kentlake (5-0)
No.7 Gonzaga Prep (4-1) at Central Valley (4-2)
No.8 Chiawana (5-0) at Moses Lake (1-4)
No.10 Union (4-1) at Heritage (1-4)
Richland (4-1) vs. Wenatchee (4-1)

Class 3A
1. Bellevue (4-1)
2. Camas (5-0)
3. Capital (5-0)
4. Juanita (5-0)
5. Mount Spokane (5-0)
6. Liberty (3-2)
7. Kamiakin (5-0)
8. Lakes (4-1)
9. Glacier Peak (4-1)
10. O’Dea (4-1)
Others receiving votes: Kennedy Catholic (4-1)

Who they play:
No.1 Bellevue (4-1) at No.4 Juanita (5-0)
No.2 Camas (5-0) vs. Hudson’s Bay (1-4)
No.3 Capital (5-0) at Foss (0-5)
No.5 Mount Spokane (5-0) vs. Class 4A No.3 Ferris (5-0)
No.6 Liberty (3-2) vs. Lake Washington (2-3)
No.7 Kamiakin (5-0) at Southridge (2-3)
No.8 Lakes (4-1) vs. Decatur (1-4)
No.9 Glacier Peak (4-1) at Mountlake Terrace (3-2)
No.10 O’Dea (4-1) vs. Eastside Catholic (4-1)
Kennedy Catholic (4-1) vs. Renton (1-4)

Class 2A
1. Archbishop Murphy (5-0)
2. Lynden (5-0)
3. Prosser (4-1)
4. Burlington-Edison (5-0)
5. Tumwater (4-1)
6. Lindbergh (4-1)
7. Clarkston (4-1)
8. Ellensburg (3-2)
9. W.F. West (4-1)
10. Sumner (4-1)
Others receiving votes: Port Angeles (5-0), Eatonville (5-0), Centrailia (5-0), Lakewood (4-1)

Who they play:
No.1 Archbishop Murphy (5-0) at Granite Falls (2-3)
No.2 Lynden (5-0) vs. Squalicum (2-3)
No.3 Prosser (4-1) at Wapato (0-5)
No.4 Burlington-Edison (5-0) vs. Blaine (1-4)
No.5 Tumwater (4-1) at Centrailia (5-0)
No.6 Lindbergh (4-1) vs. Tyee (0-4)
No.7 Clarkston (4-1) at West Valley (Spokane) (1-3)
No.8 Ellensburg (3-2) at Selah (3-2)
No.9 W.F. West (4-1) at Black Hills (1-4)
No.10 Sumner (4-1) vs. Franklin Pierce (1-4)
Port Angeles (5-0) vs. North Mason (3-2)
Eatonville (5-0) vs. Clover Park (2-3)
Lakewood (4-1) vs. King’s (5-0)

Also this week, the Reporter sports writers will be hosting our weekly chat on Wednesday (Sept. 22) at 7:30 p.m. We decided to host it during the evening to allow more students, fans, parents and coaches to get online and ask us questions. So come check it out on Wednesday (watch for a link on the www.mi-reporter.com sports page and of course on MIRsports).

As always, questions, story ideas or anything else, just let me know at mmanagan@mi-reporter.com.

MONDAY, SEPT. 20
Varsity Boys Tennis @ Eastlake: Eastlake HS Courts; 3:45 PM
Volleyball vs. Bellevue: MIHS Gym; JV/C White 5:30 PM, Varsity 7:00 PM
C Maroon Volleyball @ Mt. Si: Mt. Si HS; 5:30 PM
Varsity Boys Golf @ Seattle Prep: West Seattle Golf Course; 2:00 PM
JV Boys Golf vs. WHS: Echo Falls Golf Course; 4:00 PM
C Girls Soccer @ Issaquah: Issaquah HS Stadium; 6:30 PM

TUESDAY, SEPT. 21
Girls Soccer vs. Interlake:  MIHS Stadium; JV 5:30 PM, Varsity 7:30 PM
Varsity Boys Water Polo vs. Newport: KCAC; 8:30 PM
Varsity Boys Tennis @ Lake Washington:  LWHS Courts; 3:45 PM
NEW LOCATION:  JV1/JV2 & C Boys Tennis @ Lake Washington:  LWHS Courts; 3:45 PM
Varsity Boys Golf vs. Interlake:  Twin Rivers Golf Course; 3:45 pm

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 22
Cross Country @ Bellevue with Lk. Wash.: Kelsey Creek; 4:00 PM
Varsity Boys Golf vs. Sammamish: Bellevue Muni Golf Course; 3:15 PM
Volleyball @ Sammamish: Sammamish HS Gym; JV/C White 5:30 PM, Varsity 7:00 PM
C Maroon Volleyball vs. Liberty; Liberty HS Gym: 5:30 PM
Frosh Football @ Sammamish; Sammamish HS Stadium: 6:00 PM

THURSDAY, SEPT. 23
Girls Swim & Dive vs. Sammamish: Mary Wayte Pool; 3:30 PM
Varsity Boys Tennis vs. Sammamish: MIHS Courts; 3:45 PM
JV1/JV2/C Boys Tennis @ Sammamish: Sammamish HS Courts; 3:45 PM
JV1/JV2/C Boys Tennis @ Bothell: Bothell HS Courts; 3:45 pm
Soph Football @ Lake Washington: Lake Washington Stadium; 6:30 PM

FRIDAY, SEPT. 24
Varsity Football vs. Interlake: MIHS Stadium; 7:00 PM
JV Boys Golf vs. Issaquah: Snoqualmie Falls Golf Course; 3:45 PM

SATURDAY, SEPT. 25
Girls Soccer vs. Bellevue: MIHS Stadium; JV 5:30 PM, Varsity 7:30 PM
Varsity Cross Country @ Nike PreNationals: Portland Meadows
JV CrossCountry @ Bellevue Invite: Lake Sammamish State Park; 9:30 AM

Thursday the Islanders travel to Juanita (kick off at 7 p.m.) for an early game (Yom Kippur, which starts Friday night, caused the earlier game).

Juanita enters the contest 2-0 after handling both Redmond and Inglemoor in it’s first two weeks of play. Neither were conference match-ups, and some could argue neither are a true test of a KingCo team. Maybe this week will be.

Last Friday night at the end of the game, Ogata said he felt the team (the Islanders are 1-1) was well prepared to face off against Juanita, currently ranked No. 5 in the Reporter Newspapers poll. The Islanders showed strength against 4A Newport on Friday. A couple more minutes on that game and it could have had a different outcome (although isn’t that pretty much always the case?).

The other thing that caught my eye Friday was, of course, the new Islander football uniforms.

Chad Coleman/Mercer Island Reporter

So rather than asking who is going to win on Friday (the obvious question, but still a good one) what do you think of the uniforms?

What do you think of the Islanders football uniforms?
(polls)

Desperately want to share why the Islanders or the Rebels are going to win on Thursday night? Hit the comments!

Don’t forget tomorrow at 2 p.m. we’ll be hosting a pre-season football chat (but we’ll also talk all fall sports). Check out www.bellevuereporter.com to pick the brains of Eastside sports writers from the Bellevue, Issaquah/Sammamish and Renton Reporters.

Ogata on defensive strengths: Defensively I’ve got a new defensive coordinator Shane Keck, he’s just amazing in terms of bringing energy and just that whole team bonding and energy on the defensive side is going to be the strongest part; but I really like our linebackers, and to be honest I like all the kids out there, the linebackers the DE’s (defensive end) the d-line. I feel pretty confident in what we have out there, it’s just them coming together and growing and getting to know the system better.

On where the team might need a little help: The biggest issue we have this year is that if we don’t have any injuries we can compete with anyone, I really believe that. But we are thin at some spots and injuries and things like that can really affect this team. We’re not as deep as I’d like to be – the kids we have that are playing hard for us, are good, we’re just a little short on numbers.

Right now if everything goes as planned the following year – this year we’ve got 35 on the varsity and next year we’ll actually jump up to close to 60. We have a really big sophomore class that is good, their playing sophomore ball this year, but next year they’ll move up. Things will start changing a lot. We have a big freshman group coming in and a bunch of 8th graders. We’re doing a good job of growing and I really think that in time it’s going to grow. It’s sad that a lot of last year’s seniors and this year’s seniors just had such kind of a bad experience and went through all these different coaches and all that that it’s tough to hang around. That’s why the numbers were low but they are going up.

On if Jeff Lindquist and the program are ready for the attention he’ll bring: I know he is. He’s ready and I think the program is too. Jeff’s becoming more well known as a really good quarterback. He’s a great person to put on the so called poster of our program and he’s a great kid. He’s the type of kid you want your daughter to marry, he’s so nice, so kind, always thinking about others. He’s raised by wonderful parents – he’s ready for it. His parents have really done a great job of making sure he’s a grounded kid and understanding that it’s more than him. It’s not just about Jeff Lindquist and it’s really cool see him get what he deserves because I felt like he worked  really hard in the off season to get to where he is, it wasn’t just like Jeff had all this talent, I mean he does, but he had to work at it to develop it. It’s pretty cool to see him grow and develop.

On what he’s excited for this season: I just am excited about the first game. I’m really nervous, anxious about this team. I’m excited to see that finally a good competitive Islander team will be on the field. I’m just excited to see how these guys will react and get some excitement in the community. I just think we need to play each team tough, we can’t take  a game off – I think if we do that we can have a shot at the post season this year. I’m excited just to start the season.

Finally here’s what Lindquist had to say on his goal for the season: Coming together (is the goal). Working hard all the time because if you work hard with your teammates all the time there’s really no limitations to what you can do.

This small island community of nearly 23,000 people made national news last week when its high school varsity lacrosse team was ranked 21st in the nation (out of some 3,000) and fourth on the west coast by the sport’s governing body, US Lacrosse.

The Islanders finished the 2010 season with a 21-1 record; its only loss was the state final game against Bellevue, in overtime.  It was the team’s ninth season under Coach Ian O’Hearn, who was raised in New York State and played at State University of New York at Albany.

“To come from not being on the radar 10 years ago to breaking into the Top 25 in the county is an amazing milestone,” says Mercer Island Lacrosse Club President Dan Taylor. “I continue to see a bright future ahead for the Mercer Island Lacrosse program regardless of future rankings.  It is not always about numbers, but more importantly the quality of the experience and opportunities we provide to our players to enable them to aspire to their potential.”

Mercer Island’s Top 25 ranking is especially significant with regards to the sport’s growth over the past decade. When Coach O’Hearn arrived in 2002, Mercer Island had just four lacrosse teams: two middle school teams, one JV team and a Varsity squad.  Now, the island boasts 15: three 1st/2nd grade teams, four 3rd/4th grade teams, two 5th/6th grade teams, three 7th/8th grade teams, a Frosh/Soph team, a JV team and a Varsity team.

This growth has been mirrored state-wide, with an increase in the double digits for six of the past eight years.  With Mercer Island’s program now on the map, coaches will certainly spend more time looking westward for recruitment.  “I am very happy that Washington high school lacrosse is starting to get some national exposure,” says O’Hearn.

Each year, a handful of Mercer Island graduates continue on to college teams. This fall, at least five of the 12 recent graduates will play at the university level including one—midfielder Jon Wettack—on a Top 10 Division 3 squad. Wettack was also named a 2010 All-American.

Mercer Island’s boys’ lacrosse program has gained national attention not only with its skilled players and winning seasons, but also by hosting the annual Northwest Invitational – which draws teams from across the nation and British Columbia — and by traveling each spring for games on the east coast, which is considered the sport’s hotbed.

This year, the boys traveled to O’Hearn’s old turf, where they played such stalwart opponents as Mahopac, Lakeland-Panas and Gulderland, soundly winning all three matches.

Says Mark Larson, who initiated the Mercer Island lacrosse youth program 15 years ago: “Our greatest accomplishment is in building a [lacrosse] community that provides a place for young people to belong, to be challenged, to contribute and give back.”

Next Thursday, Aug. 26 at 2 p.m., various Reporter sports writers from across the Eastside will taking taking questions from readers about the upcoming football season. So, if you have a burning question about Mercer Island football, Skyline’s chances this year, or if Sammamish is really going to be as good as some are predicting, log on and ask us!

I’ll be talking with MIHS football coach Brett Ogata later this week, and will come to the chat fully prepared to share my thoughts and insights on what we know so far about the Islanders.

Sports writers from the Issaquah Reporter (@issy_sam_sports), Bellevue Reporter (@BellevuePreps) and Renton Reporter (@RentonReporter), along with yours truly will be on hand for questions. And who knows, there may be more who join us on Thursday.

The chat will be hosted on the Web site – watch for more information about the specifics coming soon.

The Islanders first game of the season will be against Seattle Prep at West Seattle Stadium on Sept. 3. And of course, stay tuned here, and at the main Web site www.mi-reporter.com for continued fall sports coverage as the season begins.

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

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!

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

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.

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.

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 .

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.

Boys tournament

The MI boys will play Tuesday, against Juanita at MIHS starting at 7 p.m. in a loser out game.

“Tuesday’s Kingco playoff game versus Juanita is a loser out game and you can throw the records out.  They are going to come in and play hard and they have some dangerous weapons.  We can’t be looking ahead,” said boys head coach Gavin Cree after Thursday’s home win over Mount Si.

Sammamish will take on Liberty in the No. 4/No. 5 game at Sammamish on Tuesday. The winner of the Mercer Island/Juanita game will play Mount Si at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18 at Bellevue College, while Bellevue, the No. 1 boys seed, will take on the winner of the Sammamish/Liberty game.

Girls tournament

Mercer Island earned a bye in the first round after clinching the KingCo title, heading into the tournament as No. 1. They will play on Thursday night at Bellevue College at 8:15 p.m. against the winner of the Liberty/Mount Si game which takes place Tuesday night.

For the rest of the KingCo teams, Tuesday is the big day with Juanita hosting Interlake and Mount Si hosting Liberty. The winner of the Juanita/Interlake game will play Bellevue on Thursday evening.

Championship round

The KingCo tournament will finish up on Friday, Feb. 19 at Bellevue College. The 3rd/4th place boys game will be at 3 p.m. Friday, with the 3rd/4th girls tipping off at 4:45 p.m.

The boys championship will be at 6:30 p.m. and the girls is scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m.

Prices

Due to the fact this is a league tournament students will not be able to get into games free with their ASB cards (as they can throughout the regular season). Here’s the price breakdown from KingCo:

Adult/students without ASB       $6.00
Students (with ASB)                     $4.00
Children K-8                                  $4.00
Pre-school                                      N/C
Senior Citizens (60 yrs +)           $4.00

The Bellevue boys, ranked No. 2 this week, will likely/possibly drop next week after Tuesday night’s loss to Mount Si, who are ranked No. 6 right now. The shake-up could definitely make next week’s KingCo tournament an interesting one!

Class 4A boys
1. Federal Way (19-1)
2. Gonzaga Prep (17-1)
3. Curtis (19-1)
4. Richland (16-3)
5. Jackson (16-2)
6. Walla Walla (16-3)
7. Kamiakin (15-4)
8. Skyline (15-3)
9. Garfield (14-4)
10. Lake Stevens
Others receiving votes: Davis (15-4), Eastlake (13-5), Decatur (14-6), Bellarmine Prep (14-6)

Class 4A girls
1. Auburn Riverside (20-0)
2. Woodinville (17-1)
3. Issaquah (15-3)
4. Federal Way (17-3)
5. Chiawana (16-2)
6. Edmonds-Woodway (18-1)
7. Newport (16-2)
8. Jackson (16-3)
9. Bellarmine Prep (14-6)
10. Kentwood (16-4)
Others receiving votes: Richland (15-4), Bethel (16-4), Marysville-Pilchuck (15-5), Mount Tahoma (17-3)

Class 3A boys
1. Enumclaw (18-0)
2. Bellevue (17-1)
3. Rainier Beach (15-3)
4. Seattle Prep (14-4)
5. Lakes (15-3)
6. Mount Si (14-4)
7. Capital (16-1)
8. Shadle Park (14-4)
9. Meadowdale (14-4)
10. O’Dea (13-6)
Others receiving votes: Mead (13-5), Bremerton (11-4), Kennedy Catholic (13-6), Franklin Pierce (12-5), Foster (13-5)

Class 3A girls
1. Holy Names (17-2)
2. Kennedy Catholic (16-2)
3. Mercer Island (14-4)
4. White River (15-3)
5. Bonney Lake (15-4)
6. Port Angeles (15-2)
7. Mount Rainier (15-3)
8. Prarie (14-4)
9. Lakes (12-6)
10. Central Valley (14-4)
Others receiving votes: West Valley (12-6), Bellevue (12-6), Olympic (13-4), Yelm (13-5), Shorecrest (13-6), Capital (13-5), Seattle Prep (11-6)

The presentation is going to include Pete Nordstrom, of the Mercer Island basketball alumni group, Gary Plano, MISD’s superintendent, Janet Frohnmayer, MISD board member, Craig Olson, MIHS athletic director and Pepple. During the ceremony the gym will be dedicated and a plaque will be present to Pepple.

Following the ceremony the varsity boys teams will have 15 minutes of warm up in the main gym and approximately between 8:25 and 8:45 p.m. the boys game will start.

Because the school is expecting so many people there will be two ticket selling stations for the evening and those who plan to attend either the games or the ceremony are encouraged to arrive early and plan for a crowd. There is no pre-sale of tickets for the evening. Parking is available at any of the high school lots, as well as parking in the neighborhood around the high school.

Meisner also said the concession stand (featuring pizza, soda, water and snacks) will open at 5:30 p.m., but that only water is allowed in the gym, so tables and chairs will be available in the commons for people to eat.

Should make for not only a good night of basketball, but a great chance to see the school and community thank Pepple for all his work.

Girls basketball – assistant coach Beth Christofferson

On game standouts: Sarah Taylor is a fighter. She walked away with a mild concussion after an elbow to the head. She’s a battler.

Christofferson said Taylor’s concussion is very mild and she will likely only miss two or three days as a result.

Kate DaPron did not play last night and as a result the girls had some rebounding trouble, but Christofferson said they will be working on it and did come out stronger in the second half of the game.

Boys basketball – head coach Gavin Cree

On the team’s first official game with the 35 second shot clock. The Islanders never ran out of time, but Issaquah did at one point in the game.

We’ve spent a little bit of time with it, but not too much. To be honest, 35 seconds is a long time. We’ve played with it on trips to California many times. The shot clock has it’s biggest impact at the end of the game. In the past, teams have stalled when they have a lead. Now, coaches and players have to take the shot clock into consideration. We’ve talked most about using our defense to run down the clock for the opposing team.

On nerves: I really didn’t feel any nerves. I felt some adrenaline with the band and the fans there. We have such a great high school basketball atmosphere at Mercer Island. We remind our players to be thankful for that. As a player I think you are always anxious to tip-off and get started. I think our guys were a little tight, but I don’t think it was a big factor. As I’ve said before, it’s a long season. One of our focuses this year is moving to the “next play.” We’ve got to learn from this one and flush it away. I think we understand what we need to work on in order to be at our best later in the year.

See next week’s print edition for a full review of the game against Issaquah.

The MIHS girls volleyball team fell to Mount Si during the district tournament last weekend, but because state volleyball takes place this weekend in Kennewick, hears a quick look at how the coaches association ranked the top 8 3A teams.

Volleyball Coaches Association Class 3A rankings

1. Camas 2. Seattle Prep 3. Mount Spokane 4. Capital (Olympia) 5. Timberline (Lacey) 6. Bishop Blanchet (Seattle) 7. Lakes (Lakewood) 8. West Valley (Yakima)

The Islanders soccer team is still alive in the hunt for some state hardware. Last night the team took down Auburn Mountainview in the first round. They next play Glacier Peak, a state favorite this season. To watch the complete 3A girls soccer bracket visit the WIAA’s bracket or the WIAA state soccer tournament page.

In Northwest swimming action the Mercer Island girls team heads to Federal Way this weekend for the state tournament. Last year the girls finished third overall, and after sweeping KingCo and Districts this year it’s anyones guess how high the team could finish. The prelims begin Friday for the 3A event with the finals on Saturday. To get more info on the state swimming schedule check out the WIAA’s state swimming page.