Pigskin Picks — Week Nine

.

Updated 10/31 12:01 a.m. Games in gray are incorrect picks
Consensus: 14-5 last week 126-21-4 overall	Jerrel Swenning, Sports editor	Marcus Michelson, Copy editor	Scott Sandsberry, Sports reporter	Dave Thomas, Sports reporter	Scott Spruill, Sports reporter	Roger Underwood, Sports reporter
PREPS
Kennewick at Eisenhower	Ike	Ike	Ike	Ike	Ike	Ike
Davis at West Valley	WV	WV	WV	WV	WV	WV
Hanford at Sunnyside	Han	Han	Han	Han	Han	Han
Quincy at East Valley	EV	EV	EV	EV	EV	EV
Wapato at Grandview	Grand	Grand	Grand	Grand	Grand	Grand
Selah at Othello	Othello	Othello	Othello	Othello	Othello	Othello
Ellensburg at Toppenish	Ellensburg	Ellensburg	Ellensburg	Ellensburg	Ellensburg	Top-Hi
Prosser at Ephrata	Prosser	Prosser	Prosser	Prosser	Prosser	Prosser
Naches Valley at Zillah	Zillah	Zillah	Zillah	Zillah	Zillah	Zillah
Granger at Wahluke	Granger	Granger	Granger	Granger	Granger	Granger
Goldendale at Highland	G’dale	G’dale	G’dale	G’dale	G’dale	G’dale
Cle Elum at Mabton	CE	CE	CE	CE	CE	CE
La Salle at Entiat	LS	LS	LS	LS	LS	LS
White Swan at Oroville	WS	WS	WS	WS	WS	WS
Kittitas at Liberty Bell	LB	LB	LB	LB	LB	Kittitas
COLLEGES
Washington at USC	USC	USC	USC	USC	USC	USC
WSU at Stanford	Stan	Stan	Stan	Stan	Stan	Stan
CWU at Azusa Pacific	CWU	CWU	CWU	CWU	CWU	CWU
PROS
Philadelphia at Seattle	Philly	Philly	Philly	Philly	Philly	Philly
LAST WEEK	14-5	16-3	15-5	14-5	13-6	14-5
OVERALL	124-22	122-24	121-25	119-27	116-30	116-30

.

LAST WEEK

Copy editor Marcus Michelson closed the margin on sports editor Jerrel Swenning to just two games with one week remaining. Sports reporter Scott Sandsberry is one game behind Michelson. Sports reporter Dave Thomas followed his 19-0 week with a 14-5 record this week.

We got it right (unanimous picks that game through): Wenatchee over Davis, Hanford over West Valley, Moses Lake over Sunnyside, Prosser over Selah, Othello over Wapato, Ellensburg over Ephrata, Zillah over Goldendale, Kiona-Benton over Mabton, La Salle over Liberty Bell, White Swan over Soap Lake, Kittitas over Oroville, CWU over Western Oregon, Notre Dame over Washington.

We whiffed on it (Picks all of us missed): Eastmont over Eisenhower, Quincy over Grandview, Granger over Naches Valley.

At least he got it right (the lone star picks that came through): Michelson picked Cle Elum over Highland.

Fickes triplets making their marks

YAKIMA — As daunting a task as raising triplets might seem, consider this.

When the entire Fickes family of Selah is together, be it on a shopping excursion or group vacation, some wonder if triplets Alex, Kyle and Natalie, plus older sister Rachel, might actually be quadruplets. Or at least two sets of twins.

“Everybody thinks these two,” Natalie said, pointing toward her brothers, “are twins, and that my sister and I are twins. She and I look exactly alike.”

There are more similarities, of course, including a strong athletic bond that began with Rachel and continues through the second, third and fourth children born to Mark and Karen Fickes at Memorial Hospital on July 9, 1992.

First came Natalie, who this fall has helped Selah’s volleyball team to an unbeaten CWAC record, lofty state ranking and serious-contender status in its quest for the program’s fourth straight state championship. Rachel starred on the first two.

Next, in order, were Alex and Kyle, who last spring earned the rare honor of starting as freshmen on coach Mike Archer’s varsity baseball team.

More recently, of course, the brothers have regularly joined the leather-lunged legions who cheer on Natalie and her teammates in Carl Kellman Gym.

“We’re always there,” Alex said.

“In the front row,” Kyle added.

Said Natalie, “I watch all their baseball games — if I’m not playing (fastpitch) at the same time.”

So what was once one big busy family — Rachel, four years older, is a sophomore at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. — has evolved into one slightly smaller but extremely active group.

“Let me just say,” Karen Fickes stated, “that the whole process has involved a lot of prayer and hard work. My husband and I have been a team, although he’s the strict one who makes them get their schoolwork done, and he’s been a coach in sports for every one of them.”

She was quick to add that athletics, in the grand scheme of her childrens’ upbringing, have served as much more than organized ways of keeping the triplets occupied.

“Sports does more for our kids than just keep them out of trouble, although it does that, too,” Karen said. “It teaches them time management, it teaches them how to get along in a group and it teaches them to respect people of authority.”

Happily filling the latter role for Natalie has been Kay Aberle, who knows athletes and competitors when she sees them.

Aberle saw both in Rachel Fickes, who while only 5-foot-5 excelled as an outside hitter on the Vikings’ 2005 Class 3A championship team and the 2006 Class 2A title squad.

Natalie, meanwhile, is making her mark as a setter.

“She first caught my eye just as an athlete,” Aberle said. “She makes good choices, she’s quick and she makes things happen. Those are things you need from a setter, plus she’s left-handed.”

So is Kyle, a center fielder and pitcher for Archer. Alex is a middle infielder.

“They’re both internally motivated,” Archer said. “Kyle’s a little quieter than Alex. Alex is more apt to say the bad word out loud, but they’re both very intense, smart guys who pick up on the game and the things we do.

“Their competitiveness and wanting to learn the game helped enable them to play as freshmen.”

Those qualities also no doubt contributed to the triplets collectively earning their driver’s licenses last summer on their 16th birthdays.

“One of their friends had already gotten a license, so they all wanted to get theirs,” Karen said. “We all went to Ellensburg to get it done faster.”

Earlier, however, in the threesome’s early days, things didn’t go as smoothly.

Born six weeks prematurely (Natalie weighed 4 pounds, 2 ounces; Alex 4 pounds, 5 ounces and Kyle 5 pounds), each triplet encountered health challenges.

Kyle was flown by Lear jet to Seattle Children’s Hospital with pulmonary hypertension, which is an increase in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein or pulmonary capillaries that can cause shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting.

Natalie experienced apnea — “she just forgot to breathe,” Karen said — and Alex had a lung problem.

Thereafter, though, came the mostly normal infantile milestones. “Kyle was the first one to crawl,” Karen said, “Alex was the first to talk, and he hasn’t stopped.

“We found out that Natalie and Kyle were left-handed pretty early, when we’d give them a spoon in their right hand and they’d move it to their left. This was after they stopped crawling over their chairs trying to get to each other’s food.”

Now?

They’re busy. Natalie also plays basketball and fastpitch and Alex and Kyle both play hoops.

When not playing sports or hitting the books, they sometimes stay home together and play ping pong. “Helps with the hand-eye coordination,” Alex said.

And of course there is a substantial number of classmates and/or teammates with whom to exchange smiles, high-fives, hugs, e-mails and text messages. “We all have the same friends,” said Natalie, smiling. “So we never get bored.”

And speaking of not boring, how about this: Imagine the family’s graduation party in 2011.

• Roger Underwood can be reached at 577-7694 or runderwood@yakimaherald.com

Goldendale wins 6th straight SCAC title

GOLDENDALE — Closing out the program’s sixth consecutive SCAC West title, Goldendale defeated Naches Valley 25-11, 25-16, 25-15 to finish 12-0 in conference play on Thursday.

The Timberwolves, who got 11 kills from Sydney Bloom and nine from Hannah Swigart, have lost only one match during that six-year run.

Goldendale takes the West’s top seed into district and will face the winner of Saturday’s Warden-Burbank playoff in the first round on Tuesday in Connell.

Goldendale highlights: Kylee Bellamy 22 assists, 4 kills, 3 aces, 11 digs; Hannah Swigart 9 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces; Sydney Bloom 11 kills, 4 aces; Nikki Williams 8 digs, 9 pp; Ryell Carley 4 kills; Becky Gourley 4 digs, 5 pp; Lexi Cameron 6 digs, 7 pp; Ashley Barrett 3 kills; Sadie Shattuck 3 kills, 3 assists.

Naches Valley highlights: Stephanie Powers 7-8 serving, 2 aces, 16 pp, 6 kills, 2 blocks; Kayla Curtsinger 7 kills, 5 blocks, 7-7; Jamie St. Martin 14 pp; Alaina Evans 10-11, 2 kills, 3 blocks.

GRANGER 3, MABTON 0: At Granger, the Spartans wrapped up second place in the West with a 25-20, 25-19, 25-20 sweep.

Janae Klarich had 29 assists and was 14-for-14 serving and Sam Zapien put down 11 kills for Granger, which plays Royal in the first round of district.

Granger highlights: Rosa Bojorquez 13 perfect passes, 4 digs; Yasmin Sanchez 5-6 serving; Emily Carpenter 5 kills, 8 pp, 11-13; Taylor Ely 2 kills; Italia Mengarelli 5 digs, 12-13; Janae Klarich 29 assists, 14-14; Yuri Equihua 6 kills, 2 blocks; Sam Zapien 14 kills, 2 blocks; Ashlee Reddout 4 kills, 3 blocks, 9 pp, 13-14.

Mabton highlights: Heidi Nunez 7 assists, 4-5; Kayla Campbell 13 assists, 9-10; Monica Tellez 2 kills, 3 aces, 8 digs, 2 pp; Crysta Reynolds 6 kills, 5 aces, 10 digs, 5 pp, 8-9; Trishi Williams 11 kills, 2 aces, 13 digs, 4 blocks, 8-10; Mia Rocha 2 kills; Marisol Cruz 2 kills, 5 digs, 3 pp, 7-9.

CLE ELUM 3, HIGHLAND 0: At Cle Elum, the Warriors locked up the West’s No. 4 district seed with a 25-14, 27-25, 25-10 sweep. Cle Elum will play East champ River View in the opening round of district.

Highland highlights: Aissa Wise 3 kills, 11 digs; Danielle Cummings 7-7; Korina Jiminez 2 aces, 6 digs; Jordan Preston 10-11, 3 aces, 15 digs; Tavi Wise 2 blocks, 4 digs; Liz Gonzalez 2 kills.

CBBN

EISENHOWER 3, MOSES LAKE 0: At Ike Gym, Tori Fisher had 10 kills and 18 digs and Kelsey Dix totaled 29 assists and 11 digs as the Cadets completed their regular season with a 25-14, 25-20, 25-16.

The Cadets (7-6) will take the No. 8 seed into next week’s district tournament and play at league champion and fifth-ranked Kamiakin in Thursday’s first round. All eight teams continue play on Nov. 8 at Kamiakin with six regional berths available.

Thursday’s other first-round matches include Kennewick (No. 7 seed) at Southridge (2), Pasco (6) at Richland (3), and Eastmont (5) at Walla Walla (4).

Eisenhower highlights: Tori Fisher 10 kills, 18 digs, 2 aces; Sadie Holwegner 5 kills; Kayla Randles 7 kills, 5 blocks; Traci Schweyen 8 kills, 16 digs; Kelsey Dix 29 assists, 11 digs; Lacey Sargent 2 aces, 2 digs, 1 kill; Lydia Mora 6 digs, 1 ace; Amanda Ramirez 7 digs, 1 ace; Kristine Spruill 2 kills.

KENNEWICK 3, DAVIS 1: At Davis, the Lions claimed the No. 6 seed to district with a 26-24, 25-19, 20-25, 25-13 victory.

In her final high school match, Daria Winckler collected 11 kills, eight blocks, seven assists and 16 perfect passes.

Davis highlights: Daria Winckler 11 kills, 8 blocks, 7 assists, 16 pp, 10-12 serving; Caitlin Malone 9 kills, 15 pp, 12 digs, 15-16; Brooke Lybeck 22 assists, 9 pp, 13-16, 3 aces; Raini Weaver 7 kills, 17 pp; Alex Cottle  4 kills, 5 pp, 14-17, 3 aces; Colleen Fontana 25 digs, 35 pp, 13-13; Ame Larsen 2 assists; Kelcy Jay 7 blocks, 2 kills, 2 pp; Maggie Casteneda 11 pp.

WEST VALLEY 3, WENATCHEE 0: At West Valley, Taylor Herrick and Erin Richardson had 10 kills apiece and sophomore setter Lauren Boushey collected 28 assists in the Rams’ 25-18, 25-23, 26-24 sweep.

West Valley highlights: Taylor Herrick 10 kills, 10 digs; Erin Richardson 10 kills; Racheal Hanses 5 kills; Lexi Filliol 24 digs; Nicole Stine 5 aces; Janessa Reid 2 kills, 12 digs; Lauren Boushey 28 assists.

CWAC

SELAH 3, ELLENSBURG 0:At Selah, Kierstin Wilson and Erin Smith combined for 27 kills and Natalie Fickes handled 22 assists to help the second-ranked Vikings prevail 25-13, 25-16, 25-14.

Selah highlights: Miranda Gunvaldson 12 digs; Natalie Fickes 22 assists; Kierstin Wilson 17 kills, 6 aces; Erin Smith 10 kills, 6 blocks.

GRANDVIEW 3, WAPATO 0:At Grandview, Meghan Smasne and Kinzi Poteet had 12 kills apiece as Grandview swept 25-18, 25-7, 25-6.

Grandview highlights: Meghan Smasne 12 kills; Kinzi Poteet 12 kills, 12 digs, 4 aces; Sydney Mottice 6 kills, 8 digs, 3 blocks; Vanessa Medina 11 digs, 24 aces; Haley Smasne 6 kills, 6 digs.

Wapato highlights: A.J. Yarlott 10 kills, 2 blocks, 3 aces; Leticia Camcos 5 kills; Faith Draculan 12 assists.

PROSSER 3, TOPPENISH 2: At Prosser, Tamara Jones and Lacie French combined for 25 kills as the Mustangs prevailed 23-25, 22-25, 25-14, 28-26, 15-9.

Toppenish highlights: Aimee Gone 13 kills, 16 digs; Celeste Rodriguez 30 assists; Venesity Sepulveda 11 digs; Marissa Gonzalez 17-17 serving, 3 aces.

Prosser highlights: Tamara Jones 13 kills, 2 stuff blocks, 3 digs; Lacie French 12 kills, 5 aces, 1 stuff block, 18 digs; Kelsey Evans 6 aces, 20 digs; Rachel Jackson 7 kills, 2 blocks; Taylor Flores 33 assists, 19-19 serving, 11 digs.

GREATER COLUMBIA 2B

LA SALLE 3, WHITE SWAN 0: At White Swan, Whitney Anderson had six kills and Jenessa McElrath five as the Lighning won 25-9, 25-10, 25-9 to finish their Greater Columbia 2B season undefeated.

La Salle highlights: Whitjney Anderson 3 aces, 6 kills, 7 digs; Hannah Fischer 8-8 serving, 3 perfect passes; Rachel Gasseling 15-15, 2 aces, 6 assists; Tori Gonzalez 2 aces, 2 pp, 6 digs; Tori Heckart 2 aces; Danielle Juarez 3 blocks, 3 kills; Melissa McCanna 2 blocks, 3 kills; Jenessa McElrath 2 aces, 5 kills; Darcy Morford 2 aces, 3 kills, 3 digs; Olivia Rodriguez 6 aces, 15 assists; Regine Standley 5 kills.

RIVERSIDE CHRISTIAN 3, LYLE-WISHRAM 0: At Lyle, Amy Van Beek served 21 aces and had 19 assists as the Crusaders swept 25-1, 25-22, 25-8.

Riverside Christian highlights: Madi Hahn 9 perfect passes; Amanda Cunnington 4 pp; Kendra Staymates 2 kills; Emily Shepard 10 kills, 2 aces; Amy Van Beek 4 kills, 21 aces, 19 assists; Molly Calhoun 6 kills; Onyx Gibbs 6 kills; Megan Hopp 2 assists; Holly Allen 2 kills; Kelly Keenapple 2 blocks.

NORTH CENTRAL 1B

THORP 3, CASCADE CHRISTIAN 2: At Wenatchee, the Tigers secured third place with a 25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 18-16 win in their league finale. Thorp (9-3) will open district play next Tuesday.
Thorp highlights: Morgan Lowery 7 kills, 4 aces, 20 digs; Courtney Jantzer 4 kills, 3 aces, 10 digs; Kelsey Hutchinson 7 kills, 7 aces, 14 digs; Caroline Bornhorst 4 kills, 3 aces; Caroline Glaves 14 assists, 5 aces; Dani Gamble 5 aces, 20 digs.

Toppenish, Wapato earn CWAC district victories

YAKIMA — One stayed home and the other hit the road, but both Toppenish and Wapato stayed alive as the CWAC District girls soccer tournament began Thursday.

Both teams will hit the road for their next matches Saturday, with Toppenish traveling to Prosser for a 2 p.m. contest, and Wapato heading to Ellensburg for a 3 p.m. match.

Division champions Selah and East Valley will host Saturday’s winners on Tuesday.

TOPPENISH 2, OTHELLO 0: At Othello, after a scoreless first half, Ariceli Zuniga gave Toppenish the lead with a goal four minutes into the second half. She added an insurance tally with 10 minutes remaining.

The Wildcats defense was tough, with goalie Cynthia Gil recording nine saves to earn the shutout.

First half: None.

Second half: 1. Toppenish, Ariceli Zuniga 44:00; 2. Toppenish, Zuniga (Yeidy Cano) 70:00.

Saves: Cynthia Gil (T) 9. Othello goalkeeper 10.

WAPATO 1, EPHRATA 0 (SO): At Wapato, the Wolves finally prevailed in the defensive-minded match by hitting on all five penalty kicks in the shootout.

Elisabeth Montes, Duce Barajas, Hannah Cordova, Kathleen Aragon and Cathy Johnson scored for Wapato.

First half: No scoring.

Second half: No scoring.

Overtime: No scoring.

Shootout: Wapato 5, Ephrata 4. Wapato goals: Elisabeth Montes, Duce Barajas, Hannah Cordova, Kathleen Aragon, Cathy Jackson. Ephrata goals: Ephrata: Jordan Murray, Kamalpreet Jhutty, Kayla Franks, Amy Kagle McMillan.

Saves: Janet Macias (W) 13, Skylar Lund (E) 10.

BOYS SOCCER

RC wins district match

Derek Byrne and Jeremy Pynch scored twice each to lead Riverside Christian to a 5-1 victory over Sunnyside Christian in a first-round Greater Columbia B district boys soccer match Thursday at Riverside Christian.

The Crusaders, who went 10-7 in league, are at Moses Lake Christian in a 1 p.m. match Saturday.

Leading 2-1 midway through the second half, Pynch and Byrne scored three minutes apart to break things open.

First half: 1, Riverside Christian, Derek Byrne, 32:00; 2, Riverside Christian, Taylor Hall (Byrne), 38:00.
Second half: 3, Sunnyside Christian, Devon Swofford, 47:00; 4, Riverside Christian, Jeremy Pynch, 62:00; 5, Riverside Christian, Byrne (Daniel Adams), 65:00; 6, Riverside Christian, Pynch, 74:00.
Saves: Sunnyside Christian 15 (goalie not reported), Jameson Cates (RC) 1, Zach Peggens (RC) 1.

YVCC’s women wrestlers set to take to the mats

YAKIMA — A group of Yakima Valley women wrestlers will launch the college’s program Saturday against Pacific University in a dual meet at Fife High School.

The Yaks, in their first season of women’s competition, will not field a complete team according to co-coach Mike Schmitt. Ranks have been depleted by injuries and ineligibility, he said, but the program expects more women wrestlers next month.

Especially impressive in workouts so far, Schmitt said, have been Monique Dilliner from Oahu, Hawaii, and Cady Chambers from Bethel High School in Spanaway.

Dilliner hopes to compete at 158 pounds and Chambers will wrestle at 112.

The YVCC women’s team is scheduled to make its home debut Dec. 16 against Simon Fraser.

COLLEGE SOCCER

WV’s Jensen, Franks lead CWU

ELLENSBURG — Brittany Franks and Alex Jensen, both freshmen from West Valley, scored goals Thursday to power Central Washington past Simon Fraser in non-conference women’s soccer match at the CWU soccer field.

The victory boosted Central’s record to 8-6-3, the program’s most wins since 2000 when the Wildcats went 12-6-1.

First half: 1, Simon Fraser, Marti Dumas (Sarah Boulton), 4:00; 2, Central Washington, Brittany Franks (Kaycie Hutchins), 15:21; 3, Central Washington, Alex Jensen (Jessica Andrews), 40:50.

Second half: No scoring.

Saves: Meghan Jackman (SFU) 4; Amber Easterbrook (CWU) 6.

QUARTERBACK CLUB

Monthly meeting set for Monday

The Yakima Monday Morning Quarterback Club will hold its monthly luncheon on Monday at 11:30 a. m. at the Red Lion Yakima Center, 607 East Yakima Ave.  Lunch service will be available, and the public is invited.

You go, girl (for 7 yards)

Iola Sanchey is a fearless girl. That became clear when, as a freshman last year, she not only turned out for wrestling at White Swan but became the 119-pound varsity starter.

But she wasn’t about to stop there. She and senior Martel Benson decided to give football a shot and they weren’t messing around. Both were included in the 30-player contingent that coach Andy Bush took to the CWU summer camp.

“They’ve been dedicated and they love to play,” Bush said. “We protect them a little, but they do very well in the JV games. They’re both wrestlers so they have no problem taking on something like this.”

Saving a quarter or two from those JV games, Sanchey and Benson occasionally suit up for varsity games, and Sanchey got a big thrill near the end of last Friday’s home game against Soap Lake.

With three minutes left, Bush called for a reverse and called Sanchey’s number. After a fake dive, Sanchey took the handoff, swept around the right side and gained seven yards.

“She really wanted the ball and the crowd got really excited about it,” Bush said. “In fact, they were calling her name. It was a good play because she’s quick.”

Friday night titles

Top-ranked Prosser and La Salle can clinch their respect league titles tonight on the road with a week left to play, while Zillah can lock up the SCAC West’s top crossover seed at home.

Prosser (7-0, 8-0) is visiting Ephrata (1-6, 1-7) in the penultimate round of CWAC play and getting set for another end zone portrait, which would signify the program’s sixth straight league title and 21st in the last 22 years.

La Salle (6-0, 8-0) is also faced with a modest challenge for its Central Washington 2B clincher, traveling to Entiat (1-5, 3-5). Like Prosser, the Lightning already has wins over its closest pursuers.

The SCAC West concludes tonight as teams position themselves for next week’s crossovers. If Zillah prevails at home against Naches Valley, the top three would sort itself out easily — Zillah (6-0), Granger (5-1) and Naches Valley (4-2). If the Rangers win and a three-way tie is created at 5-1, a number draw would flip the 1-3 spots, putting NV first and Zillah third.

Quintet conundrum

When is a five-runner cross country team not a team? When it’s Mead’s girls in Saturday’s 4A regional meet in Richland. The Panthers will have five toe the line but even if they sweep the race there is no state berth available to them.

Welcome to the latest oddity of the new CBBN/Spokane regional arrangements.

Saturday’s field will comprise eight complete teams — six from the CBBN and two from Spokane — plus top individual qualifiers not on those teams. That’s a painfully low ratio for a city so steeped in cross country history, but the numbers tell the story.

The CBBN has 64.7 percent (11) of the 4A schools in Eastern Washington and Spokane has 35.3 percent (6). From that, the regional ratio was set at 6-2 in a three-berth year (2008) and 5-3 in a four-berth year (2009).

Central Valley and Lewis & Clark earned Spokane’s two girls berths last week, and Mead had five runners among the individual qualifiers. But only CV and LC will be represented as a team.

That’s worth a little sympathy for Spokane, even if the regional avenue has widened considerably for Eisenhower and Davis and the rest of the CBBN. Consider that Mead’s girls, who ranked as high as fifth in the state, can’t qualify for regionals but Walla Walla, which was 3-10 in league duals, did.

Making the state cut

Cross country and girls swimming will stage all their state-qualifying meets on Saturday and here’s what it takes to earn the trip:

Cross country

Class 4A at Richland: 3 teams, 15 individuals.

Class 3A at Richland: 2 teams, 10 individuals.

Class 2A at Selah: Boys — 3 teams, 15 individuals. Girls — 2 teams, 10 individuals.

Class 1A at Apple Ridge Run: Boys — 4 teams, 20 individuals. Girls — 3 teams, 15 individuals.

Class B at Spokane: Boys — 5 teams, 25 individuals. Girls — 3 teams, 15 individuals.

Girls swimming

All three meets will be held at CWU’s Aquatic Center with prelims today and finals on Saturday. The top two finishers qualify for state from the 4A and 2A meets with just the winner moving on in 3A.

Ike-Davis revisited?

Looking ahead, if Eisenhower (3-5) can knock off Kennewick (2-6) tonight in the CBBN football crossovers, the Cadets would play Davis in week 10. There aren’t enough 4A teams in Spokane to fill out the CBBN/GSL crossovers on Nov. 7 so two games will involve CBBN vs. CBBN.

If Ike falls to Kennewick, its final opponent would be the lowest-seeded loser of the four CBBN playoff crossovers. That could mean a rematch with Eastmont (this one would be at East Wenatchee), which knocked the Cadets out of the playoff picture last week. Eastmont faces sixth-ranked Southridge tonight.

In 3A, the winner of tonight’s Hanford-Sunnyside game earns the lone CBBN slot in the two playoff crossovers with Spokane. West Valley, which hosts Davis tonight, will travel to Spokane’s No. 4 3A team (should be Rogers) for its final game. The Hanford-Sunnyside loser will host University next week.

Weekly awards and such

With Selah recording its first 7-0 start in 25 years, Jeff Jamieson received the Seattle Seahawks/NFL High School Coach of the Week award for Week 7 in the 2A-1A-B division. Jamieson is in his ninth year as Selah’s head coach.

• Selah’s Monik Martinez (2A girls) and Naches Valley’s Emily Thompson (1A girls) earned Seattle Times/WIAA athlete of the week honors on Wednesday. Both recorded hat tricks in recent matches.

• Scott Spruill’s prep blog is at www.yakimaherald.com/sports. He can be reached at sspruill@yakimaherald.com or 577-7686.

Running clock helps avert blowouts

Q: Are you aware of the “modified running clock” rule in effect in Utah to prevent embarrassing scores such as the recent Lakes 83-0 win over Sumner in our state?

A: I wasn’t, and thanks for passing it on. It makes sense, and Rob Cuff of the Utah High School Activities Association said it has been well-received in the three or so years it has been in effect.

The rule is that if one team is ahead by 35 points or more at or after halftime, the clock starts on the “ready for play” signal by the referee. For example, if a player goes out of bounds or there is an incomplete pass, the clock starts when the ball is placed down for play, not when it is snapped.

If the point differential shrinks to 21 points or less, regular timing procedures resume.

This rule gives the referee more latitude than just a pure running clock. If the dominating team has pulled its starters and the action is more com-petitive, referees can take their sweet time putting the ball in play.

Washington has a rule in effect for eight-man football that ends a game in the second half when a team is 45 points ahead.

“The 45-point rule has been part of the landscape for many years, and schools and coaches work with it,” said Tri-Cities Prep athletic director Ray Whitlow. He notes that the rule even has evolved into a verb as in, “We 45’d them” or, “We got 45’d.”

I don’t think the 45-point rule would be popular in the larger enrollment classifications. I can just hear late-arriving fans grumbling, “I paid good money, and the game ended in the third quarter!” Also, there is more understanding in the smallest communities that there are good and lean years and often not much you can do.

To me, the Utah rule sure looks worthy of consideration for every 11-man football classification in our state from 2B to 4A.

Q: Have you heard about the organized hand-washing on the Garfield volleyball team to reduce colds?

A: Yes. Sometimes the smartest coaching moves don’t involve X’s and O’s or who plays where. High fives are as much a part of volleyball as sets and spikes and hand-to-hand contact spreads germs, which are already abundant in classrooms.

Garfield used to have four or five players miss games every October with colds. Three years ago, coaches Leslie and Jack Hamann brought out a big bottle of hand sanitizer and a new pre-practice ritual began. Girls line up and a captain squirts a dollop of the cleaner onto hands. With clean hands, all players high-five each other and practice begins.

Result: The number of girls missing games with colds in October has dropped to one or two.

• Sideline Smitty, aka Seattle Times reporter Craig Smith, usually appears in Friday’s Valley Preps page. Ask your question in one of the following ways: Voice mail (206-464-8279), snail mail (Craig Smith, Seattle Times Sports, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111) or e-mail csmith@seattletimes.com

10/31/08 Hot Tickets

SATURDAY

GIRLS SOCCER: Eisenhower hosts Richland at Marquette Stadium in the opening round of the 4A district tournament. The Cadets clipped Richland 1-0 on the same field on Oct. 7. The survivor of the 1 p.m. loser-out contest plays next Tuesday.

Naches Valley and Highland meet for the third time this season in a 1 p.m. SCAC district semifinal. The winner earns a state berth while the loser is still alive for the third and final berth.

CROSS COUNTRY: District meets closest to Yakima include the CWAC at Selah and SCAC at Apple Ridge Run in Naches Heights. Races start at both sites at noon.

SWIMMING: The 4A, 3A and 2A district meets will all be held at the CWU Aquatic Center in Ellensburg today and Saturday. 3A and 2A finals start Saturday at 10 a.m. followed by 4A finals at 5 p.m.

10/31/08 Prep Spotlights

CLASS 4A-3A

Mitchell Vinsant, Davis football, junior

Despite missing last week’s game with illness, Vinsant remains among the CBBN rushing leaders with 541 yards. Also the Pirates’ punter, Vinsant’s season high was 136 yards against Pasco.

CLASS 2A

Sydney Mottice, Grandview volleyball, senior

Offering a dynamic balance to reigning CWAC player of the year Kinzi Poteet, Mottice put together 14 kills, 23 digs, nine blocks and eight aces in wins last week over Toppenish and Prosser.

CLASS 1A

Ashlee Reddout, Granger volleyball, junior

Contributing in nearly every phase of the game, Reddout produced seven kills, three blocks, five digs and was 23-for-23 serving in Granger’s five-set win over Naches Valley.

CLASS 2B-1B

Ally Hernandez, La Salle soccer, junior

The Lightning takes a 15-match win streak into Saturday’s first round of the Central Washington 2B district tournament and Hernandez’s third straight 20-goal season leads the way.

10/31/08 This Week on Track

FORMULA ONE

Brazilian Grand Prix

Site: Sao Paulo

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 9 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 8:30 a.m.).

Track: Interlagos, Jose Carlos Pace (road course, 2.677 miles).

Race distance: 190.067 miles, 71 laps.

Last race: Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix, leaving the McLaren driver just short of clinching the 2008 Formula One title. Hamilton led from start to finish, finishing 14.9 seconds ahead of rival Felipe Massa, who took second thanks to Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen letting him through late in the race. The result extended Hamilton’s lead in the drivers’ championship to seven points with one race remaining.

Last year: Raikkonen won the Brazilian Grand Prix to capture the title in the tightest race for the championship in 21 years. The Ferrari driver rallied from third place in the points standings for his first F1 crown, taking advantage of Hamilton’s mistake on the first lap and Fernando Alonso’s disappointing run. Raikkonen grabbed the lead with 21 laps to go and was followed by Massa. Alonso, Hamilton’s McLaren teammate, finished third.

Fast facts: This is the last Formula One race using grooved tires, a feature of the sport for the past 11 seasons. Next year, new rule changes mean that teams will use slick rubber for the first time since 1997. … Formula One’s governing body is moving forward with its plan to have a sole engine and transmission supplier beginning in 2010. … For the second straight year Hamilton takes a seven-point lead into the final race of the year. Hamilton, at 23, would be F1’s youngest champion, eclipsing the mark set by Alonso, who was 24 years and 59 days when he won in 2004 for Renault. … Massa is second in the standings and would need to win and have Hamilton finish no higher than seventh, or finish second while the Briton finishes out of the points to keep the drivers’ title from going to McLaren for the first time since 1999.

Next race: ING Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne, March 29, 2009

Web site: www.formula1.com

NASCAR SPRINT CUP

Dickies 500

Site: Fort Worth, Texas

Schedule: Friday, qualifying (ESPN2, 1:30 p.m.); Sunday, race (KAPP, noon).

Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 501 miles, 334 laps.

Last race: Carl Edwards passed Denny Hamlin on a late restart then held on to win at Atlanta Motor Speedway to keep his championship hopes alive. But his seventh win of the season barely dented Jimmie Johnson’s points lead. Johnson had a rough start to the race — earning a rare pit-road penalty that dropped him a lap off the pace — but stormed back to finish second with an impressive final sprint through the field.

Last year: Johnson won a dramatic side-by-side duel with Matt Kenseth, grabbing his third straight victory and, more important, wresting the points lead from Jeff Gordon at Texas Motor Speedway. The reigning Cup champion, who began the day nine points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Gordon, moved out to a 30-point lead with two races remaining in the Chase for the championship.

Fast facts: Eastman Kodak Co. is ending its 22-year sponsorship in NASCAR and putting more sports marketing dollars into professional golf. … Johnson, who has a string of 12 consecutive top-10 finishes in Chase races, has a whopping 183-point lead over Edwards with just three races left. … Edwards has overcome an early 100-point penalty and six-week suspension to start the Chase. He has seven wins, including the Samsung 500 on April 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. … Cale Yarborough (1976-78) is the last driver to win three consecutive championships.

Next race: Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, Avondale, Ariz., Nov. 9

Web site: www.nascar.com

NASCAR NATIONWIDE

O’Reilly Challenge

Site: Fort Worth, Texas,

Schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 3:30 p.m.); Saturday, race (ESPN2, 12:30 p.m.).

Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Carl Edwards held off David Reutimann to win the Kroger On Track for the Cure 250, keeping alive his hopes for a second straight Nationwide Series title. Edwards, who missed qualifying because of practice for the Sprint Cup Race in Atlanta, started 34th. He gained ground quickly after making an early stop for fresh tires and took the lead from Mike Bliss on lap 69, and never trailed after that.

Last year: Kevin Harvick won another race and runaway points leader Edwards finally wrapped up his first Busch Series championship at Texas Motor Speedway. Edwards, who built a lead of more than 800 points in the first half of the season, stumbled through the second half before putting away the title with an 11th-place run in the O’Reilly Challenge. He led runner-up Reutimann by an insurmountable 552 points with two races to go.

Fast facts: Edwards, with his fifth series win, pulled within 116 points of series leader Clint Bowyer, who finished 16th. There are three races remaining on the schedule. … The polesitter has never won any of the 15 Nationwide races at Texas. … Kyle Busch, starting from pole position No. 31, took the O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 5.

Next race: Hefty Odor Block 200, Avondale, Ariz., Nov. 8

Web site: www.nascar.com

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

Chevy Silverado 350k

Site: Fort Worth, Texas

Schedule: Thursday, qualifying, 5 p.m.; Friday, race (Speed Channel, 6 p.m.).

Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 219 miles, 146 laps.

Last race: Ryan Newman passed Ron Hornaday in Turn 2 on the last lap at Atlanta Motor Speedway to win in his first Truck Series start. Newman and Hornaday, both driving Trucks for Kevin Harvick Inc., traded the lead twice in the final eight laps of Saturday’s race. The two raced side-by-side for a lap, with Hornaday coming out front on the next-to-last lap.

Last year: Ted Musgrave broke a 66-race NASCAR winless streak, taking the checkered flag under caution at Texas after the two trucks in front of him crashed going into the first turn of what was supposed to be a green-white finish. Mike Skinner finished third and regained the series point lead by 57 over Hornaday with two races left. It was the sixth time in seven races Skinner and Hornaday traded the points lead, but it’s the largest gap between the drivers in that stretch.

Fast facts: Camping World will replace Craftsman as the title sponsor for NASCAR’s truck series in 2009. … Hornaday’s second-place finish moved him within 31 points of Johnny Benson’s lead in the championship standings. … Hornaday won the Sam’s Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6 and Benson finished third. … Five of the 21 truck races at Texas have been won by the polesitter.

Next race: Lucas Oil 150, Avondale, Ariz., Nov. 7

Web site: www.nascar.com

NHRA

ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 12:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2, 7.m., tape); Sunday, eliminations, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, 4 p.m., tape).

Track: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Last event: Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon and Pro Stock pilot Dave Connolly won at the Virginia NHRA Nationals to go from afterthoughts to challengers in the race for the NHRA POWERade Series championships. The other winner in the fourth of six races in the NHRA Playoff was Top Fuel ace Tony Schumacher. He has 14 victories this season. Schumacher eliminated all but Hillary Will (212 points back) from championship contention and all he’ll have to do at Las Vegas to clinch his fifth straight and sixth overall POWERade Series world championship is qualify. Pedregon beat first-place Tim Wilkerson in the semifinals and second-place Jack Beckman in the final to climb from sixth to third place. Connolly defended his Virginia NHRA Nationals race win over Cagnazzi Racing teammate Jeg Coughlin. Connolly moved to within 77 points of Coughlin and within three of second-place Kurt Johnson.

Last year: Hometown driver Rod Fuller won at the ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals to take the Top Fuel points lead with one race left in the season. In Funny Car, Tony Pedregon put a stranglehold on the title chase with his fourth win of the year. Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson picked up his fifth Las Vegas victory to regain the points lead he held for most of the regular season. Three-time and reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Andrew Hines also won.

Fast facts: Rob Flynn will take over as crew chief on Kenny Bernstein Racing’s Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster at the end of the season. Mike Guger has been named assistant crew chief. … Don Prudhomme Racing has signed Spencer Massey to a multiyear agreement with plans to put him behind the wheel of a new Top Fuel dragster team beginning with the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle season.

Next event: Automobile Club of Southern California Finals, Pomona, Calif., Nov. 9

Web site: www.nhra.com

— The Associated Press

Next Page »