Basketball: Sisterhood of the undefeated

Mohsenians are 36-0 at East Valley, George Fox ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — When Arianna Mohsenian played basketball at East Valley, a four-year, 1,000-point career that ended in 2008, there was someone in the crowd at every game who she wanted to impress.

Her coach, Robi Raab, for sure. Her supportive parents, naturally. And her teammates, no doubt.

But mostly it was her little sister, Yasi.

“I wanted to be a role model for her,” she says without hesitation. “Yasi was the young one and always got dragged to my games, but it was great to have her there. I thought about her a lot. It helped me stay focused on doing the right thing.”

Arianna showed the way, Yasi eagerly followed.

And for sisters separated by four years who never got the chance to play on the same team, the Mohsenians are sharing an athletic symmetry that makes them seem like twins.

They are both senior guards with mirrored skills — lockdown defense, never-out-of-position footwork and 3-pointers just when the time is right. And neither has lost a game this season.

Arianna is in her second year as a full-time starter at George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., where the women’s basketball team is 20-0 and ranked third nationally in NCAA Division III.

Yasi, who entered East Valley the fall after her sister left, is now a senior on a 16-0 team that is the top-ranked Class 2A team in the state.

“We’ve been having so much fun keeping track of each other,” Yasi says. “We play on the same nights a lot and my parents bring an I-Pad to my games so they can watch both of us. We’re really close, we’ve always been that way.”

So close that Raab didn’t have to ask Yasi what jersey number she wanted as a freshman. It was Arianna’s No. 12.

So close that Yasi didn’t mind following her older sister into the same sports — soccer, basketball and track and field. She didn’t think or worry about the pressure of comparisons.

“I just wanted to follow in her footsteps,” Yasi says. “Growing up I always looked up to her and thought of her as a great player. So I didn’t expect myself to be as good as her.”

Yasi has done just fine.

In 2011, the younger Mohsenian was a first-team CWAC basketball pick as a junior, she qualified for state in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter distance races in the spring and was named the CWAC’s offensive player of the year in soccer last fall.

This season she’s bumped her team-leading scoring average to 13.1 points with four conference games remaining.

“We’ve been shooting really well, and our defense has been great,” she says. “But we’re not satisfied with anything. We know we can get better in every aspect of the game.”

Meanwhile, at George Fox, Arianna is a senior leader enjoying the rewards of four years of unwavering hard work. She typically defends the opponents’ point guard and ranks second on the team in 3-pointers and assists.

The Bruins won the D–III national title in Arianna’s freshman year and reached the quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons.

“When you come up through high school defending awesome players like Kayla Standish and Claire Raap, that’s great experience,” Arianna says. “It’s been a real growing experience for me here and I’ve loved it. Just like Yasi and her team, we’re excited to see how far we can go.”

Arianna does wish she could have had at least one year with her sister at East Valley, but acknowledges the benefit of having no overlap.

“That would’ve been so cool because we did the same three sports,” says Arianna, who will graduate in April with a degree in elementary education. “But maybe it was best for her to be on her own. I did get to coach her some on summer teams and that was fun.”

Coaching also came in the form of a warning about trying to live up to somebody else’s standards.

“It wasn’t really deep or anything, but we definitely had some talks about Yasi being her own person,” Arianna says. “I had some concerns that coaches would expect the same things from her and compare us too much. But I think she has totally rocked on her own.”

Good words, but Yasi did want to live up to her sister’s standards. She loved the idea.

“I wanted to be like her because I admired so much about her,” Yasi says. “She was my perfect role model in everything.”

Prep report: Mercer’s 35 gives ’Stangs a big lift

YAKIMA, Wash. — Following up a state championship season is never easy, especially for a team that graduated two all-state scoring stars and has a new head coach.

But the Prosser girls are finding their way.

And for a time last Saturday night, Sydney Mercer gave the Mustangs a nice flashback that they hope is a glimpse of things to come.

The 5-foot-10 junior forward put up three career highs in one night, collecting 35 points, 18 rebounds and eight steals in a win over Selah that leveled Prosser’s records at 7-7 in league and 8-8 overall. Mercer had been averaging 12 points.

“Syd has this little fade on her jumper and it doesn’t draw much contact,” said coach Scott Yetter, a former assistant who took over for Mark Little. “I told her, ‘look, you’re not getting to the line enough. You need to attack the hoop more.’”

Mercer responded to the call for aggression, as evidenced by the 18 boards, and she connected on 11 of 13 free throws.

Prosser has four conference games left and is hopeful of earning a home game for the first round of district on Feb. 14. The transition has settled in.

“We talked about that a bunch at the start of the season, that December would be kind of rough,” Yetter said. “We don’t just throw the ball to Tamara (Jones) and Tayshia (Hunt) anymore and watch the ball go in the hole. But we’re doing some good things now and hopefully they’re beginning to believe in themselves.”

Adding to the legacy ||

When Cooper Kupp enrolls at Eastern Washington University in the fall, he’ll become the third generation in his immediate family to play college football.

Grandfather Jake played at the University of Washington before a 14-year career in the National Football League, and father Craig starred at Pacific Lutheran University before spending two seasons in the NFL.

All that experience was not lost on Cooper when he signed his letter of intent Wednesday.

“I’ve been really lucky to have two former NFL players to motivate me and help keep my mind focused,” he said. “It’s cool looking back and remembering those times I had with my day and grandpa, and realize how much they helped me, not just skill-wise but to build my character.”

On a related note, Cooper will also be the second Kupp to play for the Eagles, joining great-uncle Jeff Kupp, who was an offensive lineman there from 1982-84.

Grand update ||

Justine Benner’s addition to the 1,000-point career club brings the Valley total to seven this season and three more are closing in fast.

Benner’s four-year tally is at 1,006 as she becomes just the second girl at Naches Valley to reach the milestone. Tammie Birge reached 1,281 in 1996.

White Swan’s Amber Jones (1,062) has five games in the next nine days and is approaching Andrea Blodgett’s school record of 1,152. That would make a program sweep of school records this season since Lawrence Fiander has been adding to his boys mark (1,405) every time out.

Closing in this week is the Granger tandem of Brandon Castro (954) and Andrew Reddout (947) and Riverside Christian’s Kendra Staymates (965).

CWAC mat at Ellensburg ||

Unbeaten Tyler Coates will compete on his home mats for the final time this weekend as one of three top-ranked wrestlers in the CWAC district tournament at Ellensburg.

Coates is the top seed at 170 pounds, owns a 22-0 season record and brings in a run of eight straight pins.

Othello’s Joey Gomez, a two-time state runner-up, and Toppenish’s Raul Pech are ranked 1-2 in the state at 220. Pech is 21-1 but that one loss was to Gomez in the SunDome final.

Quincy’s Gabe Martinez is No. 1 at 106 pounds. He edged Selah’s Kyle Anson, ranked fourth, 3-1 in their dual last week.

First-round matches start today at 4 p.m. with competition resuming Saturday at 1 p.m.

Brackets can be found at www.cwac2a.com.

Coming of age ||

With so much youth getting heavy minutes, it’s not surprising that the Davis and Sunnyside girls basketball teams have had their struggles at times this season.

But lately there have been significant signs of that youth growing up.

The Pirates (4-6, 6-11), who start three sophomores and two freshmen, are heading toward the CBBN 4A’s No. 5 district seed after beating Moses Lake on the road Tuesday.

They played the league’s top two teams last week — Chiawana and Walla Walla — and the combined losing margin of 23 points was a far cry from the 72-point gap in the league’s first half.

“We’ve been focusing on some specific things and it’s made a big difference,” Davis’ first-year coach Erin Smith said. “We’re fixing little things like boxing out better and cutting down on turnovers.”

Sunnyside (6-6, 9-9) is tied with West Valley for fourth in the CBBN 3A and is led by freshman Jordan Rodriguez. The Grizzlies won five of seven league games during one stretch — not bad for a program that was 1-19 last season.

Swimmers aiming for state ||

The Class 4A, 3A and 2A-1A district boys swimming and diving meets will start today at Central Washington University and conclude Saturday with state-qualifying finals in all events.

The 4A meet advances its top two finishers to state in Federal Way on Feb. 17-18 while the 3A meet advances just winners — both the same as last season.

The 2A-1A meet, however, picked up a berth and will qualify its top two for state.

• Scott Spruill can be reached at 577-7686 or sspruill@yakimaherald.com

• Dave Thomas contributed to this report.

Valley leaders in boys swimming

Valley leaders

THROUGH FEB. 1

200 medley relay: Prosser (Bowen, Saam, Burgett, Wildman) 1:48.16, Selah 1:49.68, West Valley 1:54.51, Naches Valley 1:55.18, Eisenhower 1:56.32.

200 free: Kian Hausken (West Valley) 1:57.31, Jeremy Klarich (Wapato) 2:04.90, Dallin Olander (West Valley) 2:07.46, Aaron Schmitt (Naches Valley) 2:08.42, Jared Klingele (Eisenhower) 2:09.65.

200 IM: Garrett Rice (West Valley) 2:12.23, Jeremy Klarich (Wapato) 2:12.68, Nolan Saam (Prosser) 2:20.54, Andrew Sader (Davis) 2:20.97, Nolan Frampton (Selah) 2:24.35.

50 free: Scott Smith (Selah) 23.18, Will Burgett (Prosser) 23.43, James Wildman (Prosser) 23.60, Kian Hausken (West Valley) 23.82, Nolan Saam (Prosser) 24.27.

Diving (11 dives): Daniel Whitmore (Naches Valley) 313.10, David Whitmore (Naches Valley) 303.75, Jacob Hino (Eisenhower) 281.45, Sean Wilkinson (West Valley) 242.85, John Swayne (West Valley) 231.10.

100 fly: Will Burgett (Prosser) 59.06, Daniel Whitmore (Naches Valley) 1:01.05, Nolan Saam (Prosser) 1:01.07, Jeremy Klarich (Wapato) 1:02.24, Garret Borchert (Selah) 1:02.47.

100 free: Scott Smith (Selah) 51.10, Kian Hausken (West Valley) 51.24, Garrett Rice (West Valley) 53.09, James Wildman (Prosser) 54.16, Will Burgett (Prosser) 54.27.

500 free: Jeremy Klarich (Wapato) 5:48.96, Turley Ryan (West Valley) 6:09.46, Lester Ryan (West Valley) 6:09.50, Scott Smith (Selah) 6:10.22, Collin Hudson (Selah) 6:21.20.

200 free relay: Prosser (Wildman, Bowen, Saam, Burgett) 1:35.35, Selah 1:36.88, West Valley 1:39.59, Naches Valley 1:43.55, Eisenhower 1:46.88..

100 back: Kian Hausken (West Valley) 57.31, Andrew Sader (Davis) 1:02.00, Garrett Rice (West Valley) 1:02.59, Nolan Frampton (Selah) 1:02.99, Scott Smith (Selah) 1:04.53.

100 breast: Nolan Saam (Prosser) 1:03.04, Will Burgett (Prosser) 1:03.24, Garrett Rice (West Valley) 1:07.01, Garret Borchert (Selah) 1:10.87, Jacob Hino (Eisenhower) 1:13.68.

400 free relay: West Valley (Olander, Miller, Rice, Hausken) 3:41.17, Selah 3:46.49, Prosser 3:47.49, Davis 4:02.25, Naches Valley 4:03.05.

Final Valley wrestling rankings

VALLEY POWER RANKINGS No. 6.
FINAL REGULAR SEASON

DISTRICT/SUB-REGIONAL
CBBN 4A at Chiawana, Friday, 4 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.
CBBN 3A at Hanford, Friday, 4 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.
CWAC at Ellensburg, Friday, 4 p.m., Saturday, 1 p.m.
SCAC West at Granger, Saturday, 10 a.m.
SCAC East at Connell, Saturday, 10 a.m.
North Central 2B at Lake Roosevelt, Saturday, 10 a.m.
Girls at Connell, Saturday, 10 a.m.

REGIONALS, Feb. 10-11
4A at Moses Lake, 3 to state.
3A at University, 3 to state.
2A at West Valley-Spokane, 4 to state.
1A at Zillah, 4 to state.
2B at Kittitas, 5 to state.
Girls at Wahluke, 3 to state.

VALLEY RANKING

106 POUNDS
1, Kyle Anson, Selah, jr.
2, Fidel Medina, Grandview, so.
3, Victor Almaguer, Granger, fr.
4, Jose Cienfuegos, Granger, so.
5, Berkley Aguilar, East Valley, jr.

113 POUNDS
1, Joshua Salcedo, Granger, jr.
2, Wyatt Scribner, Ellensburg, so.
3, Jesse Barajas, Sunnyside, so.
4, Ricky Almaguer, Granger, so.
5, Carlos Hernandez, Toppenish, jr.

120 POUNDS
1, Juan Diaz, Zillah, sr.
2, Andres Tereza, Highland, jr.
3, Santos Guerrero, Sunnyside, jr.
4, Steven Martinez, Toppenish, so.
5, Carlos Galvez, Toppenish, jr.

126 POUNDS
1, Nathan Gonzalez, Sunnyside, sr.
2, David Castaneda, Grandview, so.
3, Adrian Guererro, Granger, jr.
4, Dillon Dompier, Ellensburg, jr.
5, Jessy Gonzales, Zillah, jr.

132 POUNDS
1, Aaron Arredondo, Toppenish, sr.
2, Logan Merkle, East Valley, so.
3, Cortez Hernandez, Zillah, jr.
4, Daniel Guillen, Sunnyside, jr.
5, Marco Gonzales, Eisenhower.

138 POUNDS
1, Isaac Guerrero, Sunnyside, sr.
2, Kody Ergeson, Selah, jr.
3, Blake Haberman, Ellensburg, sr.
4, Sergio Sanchez, Zillah, sr.
5, Joesiah Sanders, Grandview, so.

145 POUNDS
1, Preston Baich, West Valley, sr.
2, Kamal Qteishat, Ellensburg, sr.
3, Shane McMurray, Zillah, jr.
4, Michael Ramsey, Naches Valley, sr.
5, Abel Morales, Granger, jr.

152 POUNDS
1, Austin Wagner, Davis, sr.
2, Roger Andrade, Eisenhower, sr.
3, David Vidales, Sunnyside, sr.
4, Tanner Wallace, Kittitas, sr.
5, Fabian Ruiz, Mabton, sr.

160 POUNDS
1, Anton Yates, East Valley, jr.
2, Nolin Bare, Goldendale, sr.
3, Jorge Alcala, Davis, sr.
4, Edwin Gudino, Eisenhower, so.
5, Jim Myers, Zillah, jr.

170 POUNDS
1, Tyler Coates, Ellensburg, sr.
2, Humberto Acevedo, Eisenhower, sr.
3, Braydon Ross, Goldendale, sr.
4, Ricardo Rodriguez, Wapato, jr.
5, Max King, West Valley, sr.

182 POUNDS
1, Zach Goodpaster, Selah, jr.
2, Darion Taylor, West Valley, sr.
3, Perry Simpson, Ellensburg, sr.
4, Daniel Avalos, Sunnyside, so.
5, David Cantu, Granger

195 POUNDS
1, Kurt Wilkins, Goldendale, sr.
2, Miguel Guzman, Sunnyside, sr.
3, Abidan Duarte, Granger, jr.
4, Corbin Richardson, Ellensburg, jr.
5, Joey Rocha, Selah, sr.

220 POUNDS
1, Nate Sorensen, Kittitas, sr.
2, Raul Pech, Toppenish, jr.
3, Austin Carmen, Sunnyside, so.
4, Robert Koch, West Valley, jr.
5. Eli Curtsinger, Naches Valley, sr.

285 POUNDS
1, Josh Aho, Zillah, sr.
2, Martin Torres, Grandview, sr.
3, Justin Wilkins, West Valley, sr.
4, Pedro Recondo, Selah, jr.
5, Jerry Atkins, Zillah, jr.

 

Balanced Pirates sink Chiawana

YAKIMA, Wash. — When the wolves come calling, Davis’ boys basketball team knows what survivalist instincts to summon.

The Pirates hold their nerve, lock their stare and bite back.

Chiawana not only rolled into Davis Gym on Saturday a day after knocking off second-place Richland, but the Riverhawks were the only team to beat Davis on its home floor last season.

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These were challenges the Pirates were eager and ready for and they responded with a stellar defensive effort in a 63-46 CBBN 4A victory that earned the second-ranked crew its eighth consecutive win.

“We remember last year — our only loss here — and we know they’re a good, physical team with some great athletes,” said Davis senior David Trimble. “We reacted really well, defensively and on the boards.”

For the third game in a row, Davis had four players score in double figures. Trimble, as he did two weeks ago against Richland, lifted his game with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Cooper Kupp scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and Ray Navarro and LeVonte Allen checked in with 10 apiece.

“It’s good to have scoring like that,” Kupp said. “The last two years we relied probably too much on David. He’s still the guy, but we’re more balanced now and have lots of guys who can score. That’s makes us tougher to defend.”

Chiawana has shown that type of dangerous balance as well, especially in Friday’s 66-56 win over Richland. But the Pirates conceded just nine points to Miquiyah Zamora, the conference’s leading scorer, and Zach Mendoza, who went off for 20 points on Friday, was held scoreless.

“Our defense was especially good in the second half, just like it was in Walla Walla (on Friday),” said Davis coach Eli Juarez. “We forced turnovers and blocked out for some big rebounds. Everybody did their share.”

Which always seems to be the case.

When Chiawana came out in a zone defense to start the game, the Pirates struck from the perimeter with four different players — Trimble, Navarro, Allen and Carlos Perea-Vijarro — hitting 3-pointers in the opening frame.

“We have more than just a couple of options,” Trimble noted. “All of our starters and guys off the bench — we can mix it up.”

In the second half Davis struck in waves. Trimble scored three straight baskets in an 11-2 run in the third period, and the Pirates closed out the game scoring 12 of the final 14 points.

Davis, which improved to 9-0 in league and 14-2 overall, will now catch its breath heading into a busy final week of the regular season. The Pirates will have senior night on Tuesday at home against Moses Lake, then finish on the road with games at Richland on Friday and Wenatchee on Saturday.

“All I can say about that is I’m glad I have a deep bench,” said Juarez, whose team will be unable to make up a snowed-out game with West Valley because of the compressed schedule. “Those are two long road trips to finish with.”

Tri-Cities schools to leave CBBN

Sunnyside to remain with Eisenhower, Davis ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — The split is coming after all. The Columbia Basin Big Nine, in its present form and for much of its long history, is seeing its last days.

Richland School District superintendent Jim Busey told the Tri-City Herald on Wednesday that he and the superintendents from Pasco and Kennewick will meet today to form a new league with the seven Tri-Cities schools.

That new league, which will include Walla Walla and begin play in the fall, will have a 4-4 split of Class 4A and 3A schools.

News of the Tri-Cities defection caused a conference call on Thursday between the five CBBN remnants — Eisenhower, Davis, Wenatchee, Moses Lake and Eastmont. The big question was, what would Sunnyside do?

The answer came late Thursday night when Sunnyside’s school board voted 3-2 in favor of staying with the CBBN as a 3A member.

“The feeling was let’s stay with the Big Nine and not walk away from it,” said athletic director Bill Daley, who indicated there was countering support for staying with the four 3A schools in the Tri-Cities. “Ultimately the decision was, let’s play where we’re at (and not opt up to 4A) and stay where we’ve been.”

The news of the Tri-Cities’ departure from the CBBN, despite gestures last week of staying together, didn’t come as a shock in Yakima.

“I’m not surprised the Tri-Cities’ schools are heading that way — that was my first reaction,” said Davis athletic director Bob Stanley. “My second feeling is just relief. We’ve been in a holding pattern unable to do any planning for the fall. Now we can begin the process.”

Technically, Eisenhower, Davis and Sunnyside will continue to reside in the CBBN with the same by-laws and procedures that have been in place, according to Yakima School District athletic director Jack Irion. The Tri-Cities schools and Walla Walla will secede from the CBBN and form an entirely new league.

Eisenhower and Davis do, however, have important procedural business as 4A schools. As members of District 5, the Yakima schools will likely petition the WIAA to join Wenatchee, Eastmont and Moses Lake in District 6. That would ensure those five schools could generate a state berth because the WIAA distributes state allocations based on districts and not leagues.

“That’s the next step,” Stanley said. “It takes just over four schools to get a state berth, and joining districts involves a multi-level process.”

The Class 4A landscape in Eastern Washington could see three districts with one state berth each and any regional alliance uncertain.

The CBBN would have five schools (District 6), the new Tri-Cities league would have four (District 5) and Spokane would have five (District 8). Spokane’s mixed league is going from a 6-4 split to 5-5 with Rogers dropping from 4A to 3A.

As for being the lone 3A school in the CBBN, Daley believes there would be enough non-league scheduling room with Kamiakin, Kennewick, Southridge and Hanford to make seeding for district manageable.

Both Pasco and Eastmont, currently 3A, are moving up to 4A in the fall. West Valley decided last week against opting up to stay 3A and will join the CWAC.

Based on WIAA enrollment figures used to determine classifications for the next two years, the scaled-down CBBN will still feature three of the state’s six largest schools — Wenatchee (2,108 students in the top three grades), Eisenhower (1,872) and Davis (1,819).

CBBN

Davis (4A)

Eastmont (4A)

Eisenhower (4A)

Moses Lake (4A)

Sunnyside (3A)

Wenatchee (4A)

New league

Chiawana (4A)

Hanford (3A)

Kamiakin (3A)

Kennewick (3A)

Pasco (4A)

Richland (4A)

Southridge (3A)

Walla Walla (4A)

Spartans charge to 6-0

Upper weights lift No. 4 Granger past No. 2 Zillah ||

GRANGER, Wash. — To avenge two years of losses to Zillah for the SCAC West dual wrestling title, Granger knew it would need more than the heavy influence of its loaded lower weights.

The bigger boys were challenged with making a difference Thursday night on Granger’s red mat and, by the luck of the draw, they were up first against the second-ranked Leopards.

And did they ever deliver.

 

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Sparked by David Cantu’s comeback pin at 182 pounds in the second match of the night, the fourth-ranked Spartans defeated Zillah 36-25 to close out a 6-0 run through the West with the postseason looming next week.

With the match starting at 170, Granger won three of the five upper-weight clashes and took a 15-9 lead into the start of its stellar lightweight roster. The Spartans then reeled off five straight wins — three by major decision — to clinch the victory with four matches still to go.

“We have that solid core in the first five weights, but the upper weights sealed the deal for us tonight,” said Granger coach Ruben Saldivar. “When we drew 170 to start, I thought 182 might be a turning point.”

It was.

Spotting Zillah a 3-0 lead, Cantu fell behind Zillah’s Lasaro Ochoa in the 182 match and trailed 7-5 in the final period. But he turned the tables on Ochoa and pinned him with 25 seconds left, turning a three-point loss into a six-point win in one sudden move.

“David was patient and really came through when we needed it,” Saldivar said.

When Adrian Guerrero finished the five-match sweep of the lower weights with Granger’s third straight major decision at 132, the Spartans owned a 36-9 lead. Part of that breakaway run was Joshua Salcedo’s 11-1 victory at 120, which raised the state champ’s season record to 29-0.

Zillah, which gave away forfeits at 106 and 195 and had its West dual-meet win streak snapped at 17, closed the match with four straight wins.

“I was a freshman the last time we beat them, so this was a big deal,” said senior captain Jason Ornelas. “They were ahead of us in the (state) rankings so this shows where we are. We’re a real good tournament team, too, so it’s a great way to get ready for district.”

Granger won’t have to go far for the first two weeks of the postseason. And neither will Zillah.

The Spartans host the district tournament on Feb. 4 and Zillah will host the 1A Region III tourney on Feb. 11. Both teams are gearing up for trophy contention at Mat Classic on Feb. 17-18 in Tacoma.

GRANGER 36, ZILLAH 25

At Granger

170: Jim Myers (Z) d. Jason Ornelas, 8-5. 182: David Cantu (G) p. Lasaro Ochoa, 5:35. 195: Abidan Duarte (G) won by forfeit. 220: Eli Galeno (G) d. Jesus Acosta, 5-3. 285: Josh Aho (Z) p. Francisco Munguia, 1:01 (Aho 28-2). 106: Jose Cienfuegos (G) won by forfeit. 113: Victor Almaguer (G) d. Kasey Johnson, 6-0. 120: Joshua Salcedo (G) md. Juan Diaz, 11-1 (Salcedo 29-0). 126: Ricky Almaguer (G) md. Fidencio Nicholas, 8-0. 132: Adrian Guerrero (G) md. Jessy Gonzalez, 11-3. 138: Cortez Hernandez (Z) md. Efrain Zaragoza, 13-2. 145: Diego Hernandez (Z) d. Freddie Sojo, 6-1. 152: Sergio Sanchez (Z) p. Abel Morales, 2:30. 160: Shane McMurray (Z) d. Omar Isiordia, 5-2 (McMurray 29-3).

Prep Report: La Salle frosh no ordinary girl

YAKIMA, Wash. — Tuesday’s noisy, emotional Davis-Eisenhower wrestling match was a tough stage for anyone much less a 100-pound freshman girl. But, as most who follow Valley wrestling know by now, Isabell Nunez is not your average freshman girl.

Holding a 4-2 lead in the final period of the 106 match, Nunez, who competes for Ike and attends La Salle, eventually suc-cumbed to Angel Cotto, 7-4. That she was giving away pounds to a boy was of no particular con-solation — it was simply the business of competition

“I look at each match as trying to get the best out myself,” she said. “I did my best, but afterward I thought of things I could’ve done better. I did pretty well, Angel was just better.”

Nunez has been in Ike’s varsity lineup for three CBBN matches and she placed fourth in the Granger Ironman tournament. Against girls, she has been nearly unbeatable.

In three westside all-girl tournaments in December, Nunez was 9-1 with seven pins, winning two titles and losing only to Jessica DeHart of Hood River, Ore. That effort has elevated her to second in the 100-pound state rankings.

“I was surprised, shocked actually,” she said of all the success. “As a freshman I didn’t really know what to expect. It was all new to me.”

High school girls wrestling was new to her, but certainly not wrestling.

Nunez was a three-time Yakima Middle School city champion and she competed for Yakima Team Takedown for four years — all mostly against boys. She was also a member of Washington’s Junior National Freestyle girls team last summer.

Davis has a quality 100-pound girl in Aimee Silva, who has been in the state rankings as well, but Nunez is the only girl in Ike’s program. Her father, Tony, is an assistant for the Cadets.

“We took her to those westside tournaments because that’s where the competition is and, with her experience, we knew she could handle it,” Tony said. “She loves to compete.”

It’s in her family.

Cousin Ruben Navejas was a two-time state champ at Kentwood and Nunez watched him cap a 42-0 season last year at Mat Classic.

“It was so exciting watching that last year, and I got a chance to see the girls tournament,” said Nunez, who is also a soccer standout at La Salle and for the Sun City Strikers. “I wasn’t sure what to expect for me this season, but things have changed a lot. There’s a target on my back now, but I’m excited to have a chance to go to state.”

Number crunching ||

Looking over the WIAA’s classification numbers, which were approved by the Executive Board on Monday, the first thing that jumps out is how huge Eisenhower and Davis have become.

Numbers are based on the average of three census periods in the fall for the top three grades and Eisenhower (1,872) and Davis (1,819) rank fourth and sixth in the state.

That’s up considerably from two years ago when Eisenhower ranked 14th (1,677) and Davis was 26th (1,522). Wenatchee grew similarly, bumping from 1,842 to 2,108, and is now the state’s second-largest high school.

Some other tidbits:

• With former No. 1 Marysville-Pilchuck opening a new school in its district, South Kitsap regained the top spot at 2,447. SK claims to be the largest three-year high school west of the Mississippi River.

• Eisenhower has become so big the entire SCAC West and its seven schools is barely bigger by 51 students.

• Rainier Beach, currently ranked No. 1 in 3A boys basketball, has a smaller enrollment (317) than Granger (325). RB is one of 18 schools opting up to 3A.

• Lake Washington was 4A in 2010, dropped to 3A for the current two-year cycle and will be 2A in the fall.

Here are enrollment numbers for schools in the YH-R circulation area:

Eisenhower (1,872), Davis (1,819), Sunnyside (1,246), West Valley (1,036), Selah (819), Grandview (720), Toppenish (710), Ellensburg (697), Wapato (686), Prosser (680), East Valley (595), Naches Valley (372), Granger (325), Zillah (309), Goldendale (285), Highland (261), Cle Elum (239), Mabton (207), White Swan (187), Kittitas (135), La Salle (132), Riverside Christian (106), Lyle-Wishram (83), Trout Lake-Glenwood (59), Yakama Tribal (56), Sunnyside Christian (49), Thorp (33), Klickitat (31), Bickleton (19) and Easton (15).

Trimble a McD’s nominee ||

Davis senior David Trimble was one of 30 Washington players nominated for the McDonald’s All-American basketball game on March 28 in Chicago.

Final selections will be announced Feb. 9 on ESPNU.

Trimble, who’s averaging 13.8 points for the second-ranked Pirates, is up to 1,268 career points and should pass Mel Stubblefield (1,275) for fourth on Davis’ all-time list tonight at Walla Walla.

If all goes well for Davis (12-2) against Walla Walla and Chiawana at home on Saturday, the Pirates could move up to No. 1 next week. Top-ranked Bellarmine Prep (12-2) fell to Olympia 56-53 on Wednesday.

Big day for T-wolves ||

Weather postponements and some geographic issues did no favors for Goldendale’s wrestling team in the last week.

The Timberwolves ended up contesting half their SCAC West dual-meet season in one day, taking on Cle Elum, Naches Valley and Highland all on Tuesday in Cowiche.

Goldendale was originally going to host Cle Elum and Highland on Jan. 19, which would’ve been senior night. But that got snowed out and moved to Tuesday at Highland and lumped together, for logistical reasons, with a Goldendale-Naches Valley dual originally set for Thursday.

“It was kind of crazy but we managed to get through three matches pretty quick,” said Goldendale coach Omar Flores. “It was a bummer for our kids because we lost a home match and senior night.”

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

Jan. 25 state basketball polls

Washington Prep Basketball Polls, Jan. 25
By The Associated Press

BOYS

Class 4A
School    Record    Points    Last    Week
 1. Bellarmine Prep (9)    12-1    90    1
 2. Davis    12-2    80    2
 3. Skyline    12-3    72    3
 4. Snohomish    12-2    56    5
 5. Redmond    12-2    47    T6
 6. Union    11-4    45    4
 7. Central Valley    10-3    43    8
 8. Garfield    9-4    31    T6
 9. Gonzaga Prep    8-5    16    9
10. Kent Meridian    10-4    10    10
Others receiving votes: Roosevelt 3. Bothell 2.

Class 3A
School    Record    Points    Last    Week
 1. Rainier Beach (9)    14-1    90    1
 2. Kamiakin    15-0    81    2
 3. Mountlake Terrace    14-0    69    3
 4. Seattle Prep    13-2    64    4
 5. University    10-3    52    5
 6. Lincoln    11-3    33    6
 7. Columbia River    14-2    24    7
 8. Franklin    12-3    22    10
 9. Wilson    11-2    17    9
10. Foss    10-2    16    8
Others receiving votes: Bellevue 7. Kennedy 6. Mount Si 5. Mountain View 2. Lake Washington 2. Lakes 2. Kennewick 1. Decatur 1. Ferndale 1.

Class 2A
School    Record    Points    Last    Week
 1. Lynden (8)    11-2    89    1
 2. Clover Park    11-3    75    3
 3. Squalicum    11-2    66    4
 4. Pullman    12-2    59    2
 5. West Valley (Spokane) (1)    13-1    52    7
 6. Sehome    10-3    49    5
 7. Sumner    13-2    45    6
 8. Toppenish    12-2    27    8
 9. White River    11-4    17    9
10. Ellensburg    11-3    8    10
Others receiving votes: North Thurston 6. Kingston 2.

Class 1A
School    Record    Points    Last    Week
 1. Cashmere (6)    12-2    84    1
 2. Bellevue Christian    11-3    69    3
 3. Naches Valley    14-2    63    2
 4. Granger (1)    13-2    60    T4
 5. King’s (1)    14-2    54    6
 6. Lynden Christian (1)    11-2    50    T4
 7. Zillah    13-2    48    7
 8. Okanogan    14-2    31    8
 9. Toledo    12-2    20    9
T10.Cascade Christian    8-5    9    NR
T10.Freeman    10-7    9    10
Others receiving votes: Life Christian 4.

Class 2B
School    Points    Last    Week
 1. Northwest Christian (Colbert) (7)    70    1
 2. Bear Creek 63    2
 3. Adna    55    T3
 4. White Swan    50    T3
 5. Dayton    42    5
 6. LaConner    34    6
 7. Toutle Lake    28    7
 8. Colfax    18    8
 9. Davenport    11    9
10. Raymond    5    NR
Others receiving votes: Lake Roosevelt 4. Wahkiakum 3. Riverside Christian 2.

Class 1B
School    Points    Last    Week
 1. Colton (6)    68    1
 2. Valley Christian (1)    64    2
 3. Moses Lake Christian 57    3
 4. Almira Coulee-Hartline    49    4
 5. Sunnyside Christian    30    5
Others receiving votes: Cascade Christian 9. Mt. Rainier Lutheran 6.

GIRLS

Class 4A
School    Record    Points    Last    Week
 1. Central Valley (8)    13-0    80    1
 2. Mt. Rainier    14-0    72    2
 3. Lake Stevens    14-0    64    3
 4. Woodinville    13-1    55    4
 5. Stanwood    13-1    49    5
 6. Jackson    13-2    34    T6
 7. Skyview    13-2    31    T6
 8. Emerald Ridge    12-1    24    8
 9. Auburn Riverside    13-1    18    10
10. Gonzaga Prep    10-3    12    9
Others receiving votes: Kentwood 1.

Class 3A
School    Record    Points    Last    Week
 1. Prairie (6)    15-1    78    1
 2. Kamiakin (2)    14-0    73    2
 3. Cleveland    13-2    58    3
 4. Auburn Mountainview    12-3    47    4
 5. Holy Names    11-1    45    5
 6. Wilson, Woodrow    10-2    43    6
 7. Seattle Prep    12-3    35    7
 8. University    10-3    32    8
 9. Juanita    12-2    20    9
10. Shorecrest    12-2    7    10
Others receiving votes: Lakes 2.

Class 2A
School    Record    Points    Last    Week
 1. East Valley (Yakima) (6)    14-0    78    2
 2. Clarkston    12-1    65    3
 2. White River (2)    13-1    65    1
 4. Burlington-Edison    11-2    53    5
 5. Chehalis    12-1    52    4
 6. Lynden    10-3    37    6
 7. Wapato    13-1    29    7
 8. North Thurston    11-2    23    9
 9. Sehome    10-3    21    8
10. River Ridge    9-5    5    NR
Others receiving votes: Deer Park 4. Black Hills 3. Eatonville 2. East Valley (Spokane) 1. Blaine 1. Archbishop Murphy 1.

Class 1A
School    Record    Points    Last    Week
 1. Freeman (7)    17-0    70    1
 2. Cashmere    15-0    63    2
 3. La Salle    11-1    47    4
 4. King’s    12-2    42    5
 5. Cascade Christian    11-1    40    3
T6. Castle Rock    14-0    34    7
T6. Elma    11-2    34    6
 8. Okanogan    13-3    20    9
 9. Granger    12-3    16    8
10. Connell    12-2    12    10
Others receiving votes: Goldendale 2. Tenino 2. Onalaska 1. Lynden Christian 1. Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 1.

Class 2B
School    Points    Last    Week
 1. Reardan (6)    60    1
 2. Napavine    54    2
 3. Brewster    46    3
 4. White Swan    38    4
 5. Lake Roosevelt    30    6
 6. Northwest Christian (Colbert)    29    5
 7. Adna    26    8
 8. North Beach    22    7
 9. Colfax    13    10
10. Pe Ell    12    9

Class 1B
School    Points    Last    Week
 1. Colton (6)    60    1
 2. Sunnyside Christian    51    2
 3. Hunters    50    3
 4. Rosalia    41    4
 5. Almira Coulee-Hartline    32    5
Others receiving votes: Neah Bay 6.

Davis pins down win

Pirates record 7th straight victory over Eisenhower||

YAKIMA, Wash. — When it was time to establish some momentum, Davis’ wrestling team turned to its seniors Tuesday night. And fortunately for the Pirates, these guys took senior night very seriously.

After spotting a leadoff forfeit to Eisenhower, seniors Jorge Alcala and Tony Lopez earned back-to-back decisions and triggered a run of nine straight victories on the orange floor as Davis rolled to a 42-19 victory in the crosstown clash of CBBN 4A crews.

Senior night honored four veterans for the Pirates with Austin Wagner and Octavious Tookes joining Alcala and Lopez, and all four won during their final home match, helping Davis extended its win streak over Ike to seven straight years.

“This was real important to us seniors and for the program to keep that streak going,” said Tookes, a comeback winner at 220 pounds. “I’ve never been that successful in these matches, wrestling up in weight or just being hurt. So for me, it was a big deal.”

Tookes trailed Ike’s Joel Ortega 7-2 in the first period but rallied big for a 13-8 triumph, setting the tone that no lead was safe for the Cadets.

In the next match at 285, Davis’ Miguel Ponce fell behind Alejandro Braman 10-6 in a wild first period of throws and roll-outs. But Ponce kept his wits and got the first pin of the night at 3:18, extending the Pirates’ lead to 18-6 and completing an impressive sweep of the five upper weights.

Davis’ momentum did not slow in the ensuing lower weights with freshmen Angel Cotto and Ramiro Ortiz winning at 106 and 113. Juan Lopez then produced the biggest crowd-pleaser, rallying with three points in the final 17 seconds to win the 120 match 8-7.

Most felt Eisenhower had closed the gap on Davis and was capable of ending the streak this season. Even Davis coach Eric Rotondo was taken aback by the final score.

“It could have been so much closer, like 31-31, because Ike is a very tough team,” he said. “But our guys had some good matchups and they wrestled hard. It was a real program victory.”

After Lopez’s win at 120, Davis picked up a forfeit to push its margin to 36-6.

The Cadets finally put together three straight wins at 132, 138 and 145 before conceding the match finale at 152.

“The guys really wanted to keep the trophy. It’s a big goal every season,” Rotondo said. “You look at the matchups and try to figure everything out for the right strategy, but the bottom line is our guys showed up. They responded.”

Neither team’s state medalist wrestled as Wagner (22-2) and Ike’s Humberto Acevedo (23-3) both received forfeits.

Both teams conclude the regular season Thursday with Ike (2-3) hosting Moses Lake and Davis (2-3) traveling to Richland. The CBBN 4A district tournament will be held at Chiawana on Feb. 3-4.

DAVIS 42, EISENHOWER 19

At Davis

160: Humberto Acevedo (E) won by forfeit.

170: Jorge Alcala (D) d. Edwin Gudino, 7-3.

182: Tony Lopez (D) d. Jon Fowler, 12-5.

195: David Perez (D) d. Carlos Capetillo, 6-0.

220: Octavious Tookes (D) d. Joel Ortega, 13-8.

285: Miguel Ponce (D) p. Alejandro Braman, 3:18.

106: Angel Cotto (D) d. Isabel Nunez, 7-4.

113: Ramiro Ortiz (D) p. Cameron Manjarrez, 3:36.

120: Juan Lopez (D) d. Omar Acevedo, 8-7.

126: Laith Saldana (D) won by forfeit.

132: Marco Gonzalez (E) md. Hilario Verduzco, 12-4.

138: Enrique Gudino (E) d. Francisco Corona, 7-1.

145: Roger Andrade (E) p. Juan Badillo, 2:25.

152: Austin Wagner (D) won by forfeit.

 

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