Herd leads West to Barden victory

YAKIMA, Wash. — In the first half of Saturday’s 15th Earl Barden Classic, the West team went with a quarterback rotation of Greg Herd and Chris Smith, and its offense never really clicked.

The second half became a one-man show for Herd, and he turned in a virtuoso performance.

Herd, the Eastern Washington University-bound athlete from Steilacoom High, threw a momentum-shifting touchdown pass and later ran for another score to rally the West to a 31-13 victory over the East on a sunny afternoon at Zaepfel Stadium.

“He’s quick; He’s fast and strong,” Selah defensive lineman Ethan Bersing, the East defensive player of the game with 5 1/2 sacks, said of the 6-foot-3, 198-pound Herd. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from him.”

Herd’s athletic ability was on full display in the second half, particularly his knack for eluding an aggressive East pass rush that helped keep the West bottled up for most of the first half.

It was that skill for escaping that ultimately turned the game around.

On a fourth-and-4 from the East 27, Herd dropped back to pass and was on the verge of being sacked for about a 10-yard loss, but, some how, he not only slipped away from a lineman, but stayed on his feet. Herd then spotted Derek Rice open in the end zone, firing a perfect strike for the score that helped give the West a 14-13 lead with 19 seconds left in the third quarter.

“I was standing there watching and I thought he was dead,” Rice said of the near-sack. “All of a sudden, I see the ball coming toward me and I thought, ‘Oh, God, I better catch it.’”

Rice did and the momentum clearly swung to the West, which fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter after miscues twice gave the East the ball deep in West territory.

The West’s defense, buoyed by Herd’s play, picked off Brady Blankevoort on the East’s first play on the ensuing possession, with Darren Collinwood returning it to the East 19. Four plays later, Jared Rodgers scored on a 1-yard run.

The East then fumbled the ball on the kickoff after that score, and on second down, Herd scrambled out of pressure and ran 16 yards untouched for the West’s final touchdown.

“I consider myself an athlete and was just trying to make plays,” said Herd, who also had second-half runs of 23, 22 and 17 yards. “My teammates did a great job of buying me time with pass protection and the receivers kept finding open spots downfield.”

Herd, the West co-offensive MVP with Rice, finished 7-for-18 for 134 yards, and also ran for 70 yards on 10 carries.

Kicker Cameron Homan from Eatonville capped the scoring with a Barden Classic-record 36-yard field.

After spotting the East those two early scores, the West defense was pretty much air tight, particularly in the second half, when it allowed just three first downs — one on the East’s first play of the half and another in the final minute with the game’s outcome decided.

“They came out fired up (in the second half),” Granger’s Mychal Lopez, the East offensive MVP, said of the West defense. “We just couldn’t stay on the field.

“But we’re happy with how things ended. We would’ve liked to have gotten a W, but the team worked hard all week. We’ve got nothing to hang our heads about.”

West    0    7    7    17    —    31
East    13    0    0    0    —    13
East — David Garza 1 run (Jose Bucio kick)
East — Jonathan Buchanan 4 pass from Brady Blankevoort (kick failed)
West — Chris Smith 1 run (Cameron Homan kick)
West — Derek Rice 27 pass from Greg Herd (Homan kick)
West — Jered Rodgers 1 run (Homan kick)
West — Herd 16 run (Homan kick)
West — FG Homan 36

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—West, Greg Herd 10-70, Devon Hughes 4-20, David Gaylord 6-13, Derek Rice 3-10, Jered Rodgers 5-5, Stetson Shearer 3-(minus 3), Cameron Homan 1-(minus 8), Luke Dixon 5-(minus 11), Chris Smith 3-(minus 19). East, David Garza 7-8, Oscar Ramirez 4-6, Derrick Talley 2-(minus 3), Brady Blankvoort 2-(minus 3), Derek Todd 5-(minus 32).
PASSING—West, Herd 7-18-134-1, Smith 2-4-15-1. East, Todd 8-16-78-0, Blankvoort 7-11-49-1, Mychal Lopez 0-1-0-1.
RECEIVING—West, Zach Gehring 4-91, Rice 4-63, Brandon Smith 1-(minus 5). East, Blair Collins 7-38, Lopez 3-47, Trevor Davis 2-19, Jonathan Buchanan 2-17, Miles Gardner 1-6.

Talented players cap prep careers in Barden Classic

YAKIMA, Wash. — Sure, games like today’s 15th annual Earl Barden All-Star Football Classic are great for fans. And the fans who pour into Zaepfel Stadium for the 1 p.m. kickoff will have plenty to cheer about.

But the guys who really love it are the coaches who have gotten to work all week in practice with the state’s best graduating small-school football players, a collection of talent and work ethic the likes of which those coaches otherwise never get to see on one field.

“I hate for this week to end,” says East coach Brian Dunn of Lakeside. “These kids have just been exceptional.”

One player Dunn and his assistants won’t soon forget is Tanner Knutson of Deer Park. A late addition to the game, he has become the East’s most impressive defensive back.

“Just absolutely a shut-down corner,” Dunn says. “We keep trying to throw on him, and we finally got to the point where I’m telling my quarterback coach, hey, find a different direction to throw. He’s just that good.”

So, too, has been the West’s Paoa Tuiavaive of Washington, who has made jaws drop not just on the field but after practice. When some players went to the Yakima Athletic Club one day, Tuiavaive put on four plates for a 225-pound bench press, plopped onto the bench and, without a spotter, popped off 23 quick reps.

Tuiavaive was one of four West team captains voted by their teammates, along with Idaho-bound lineman KYLE HOFFMANN of ORCAS, starting quarterback GREG HERD of STEILACOOM and linebacker J.J. QUINLAN of ARCHBISHOP MURPHY.

East team captains are running back DERRICK TALLEY of Chelan, quarterback DEREK TODD of Cashmere, linebacker CODY WEBER of PULLMAN and defensive back FIALELE COFFIN of CASCADE.

Dunn sings the praises of SELAH lineman ETHAN BERSING, who “has a motor that just goes crazy,” and JONATHAN BUCHANAN of East Valley, who is playing tight end because the East squad didn’t have any real experience at that position.

“He’s got great hands, soft hands,” Dunn said of Buchanan. “For a kid who had never played that spot, hey, he’d be all-league there right now.”

Also stepping into a new position is MATT PAUL of GRANGER, who played tackle for the Spartans but volunteered to play center because the East needed one. “And he’s doing a good job for us,” Dunn said.

A West player who has surprised coaches is diminuitive (5-7, 155) MERIDIAN wideout RYDER CHANCE, who’s “like 5-foot-nothing and I’m telling you, he can catch anything,” says West head coach JOHN SCHULTZ of CENTRALIA. So, too, can defensive back ANDRE MOORE of KLAHOWYA, who has made some nifty interceptions in practice.

Another East player who has been impressive in practice is WAHLUKE’s DAMON CHRISTENSEN, who’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds but, says Dunn, “has gotta be bigger than that. He must be 6-5 and close to 300 — a big, strong kid, with great feet. Very, very tough.”

Other quick coaches’ impressions: ELLENSBURG defensive lineman BLAKE NICHOLS “is such a hard-working kid, and strong as an ox.” … BLAIR COLLINS of ROYAL: “Everything he does is impressive.” … 190-pound ADNA fullback JERED RODGERS is “one big muscle.” … When BURLINGTON-EDISON free safety STETSON SHEARER sees receivers “coming across the middle, watch out.”

The East’s MYCHAL LOPEZ of GRANGER, a quarterback-turned-wideout made one of the more sensational plays in practice this week when he went up in traffic for a ball that seemed sure to be either overthrown or defended, “and just flat-out took it down,” Dunn said. “He’s just a crazy athlete.”

Nearly 30 players in today’s game expect to be playing college football for the next four years. Several others will player another sport — or even two, like CHRIS SMITH of CONCRETE, who plans on playing both baseball and basketball for the Community Colleges of Spokane.

But the most interesting college athletic plan may be that of LYNDEN 300-pounder GUNNAR GROOTHUIS, who will be a lacrosse goalie at Limestone College in South Carolina. The club lacrosse team he plays on in Whatcom County was playing in a tournament in Delaware, where he was spotted and immediately recruited by Limestone coaches.

Today’s game is a homecoming of sorts for East coach Dunn; from 1992 through 1997 he coached at NACHES VALLEY, where one of his players was the Rangers’ current head coach, TY KIME. “He was one of my favorite kids — my captain in  his senior year,” Dunn said of Kime. “I’m so proud of him, coming back and being a head coach.”

The Washington State Football Coaches Association will award two $500 scholarships at halftime, going to the player on each team voted most inspirational by his teammates. … Ticket prices are $6 adults and $4 students for the game, which starts at 1 p.m. Gates open at noon.

Ramirez a surprise at Barden Classic

YAKIMA, Wash. — One of the most explosive offensive players on the East roster for Saturday’s Earl Barden All-Star Football Classic wasn’t on the roster at all.

At least, not when he showed up at the game headquarters at Yakima Valley Community College to check in.

That’s because Oscar Ramirez, the Toppenish flash who ranked among the state’s best running backs — any classification — had been dealing with a hamstring injury that was serious enough to convince Toppenish coaches he couldn’t possibly compete in the 15th annual showcase of the top graduating seniors from the smaller-classification schools.

“My coach called in and said I wasn’t going to be able to play because of my hamstring. But I came out anyway,” said Ramirez, who led the CWAC in yards (1,251), yards-per-carry (8.6) and rushing touchdowns (13) in 2008 in leading the Wildcats to their best season in a dozen years.

Ramirez said he tore the hamstring running the 100-meter dash during track season, then took off nearly two months to rehabilitate the injury before pulling the muscle again at the district meet.

Still, he didn’t want to miss a chance at testing himself against the state’s best in the Earl Barden Classic, primarily because he doesn’t know if he’ll ever suit up for football again. Although he plans to try to walk on with the football team at Boise State, where he’ll major in art — he’s an award-winning artist — Ramirez knows making the cut at a top-20 program will be a challenge.

As will trying to play Saturday with a questionable hamstring.

“It feels pretty good right now,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “Nothing’s happened (to the hamstring) yet, but I really haven’t gone full speed. It scares me a little bit, because that’s when I pulled up — getting up to full speed. Maybe if I break a long run it’ll happen again; I don’t know.

“I might be rushing it a little bit, but I want to play in this game.”

East team head coach Brian Dunn is just as anxious to have Ramirez in his lineup.

“He’s exceptional, and what a great kid,” said Dunn, the head coach at Lakeside High near Spokane. “I keep asking him, ‘You OK to run? You all right?’ And he’s just, ‘I’m good, coach, no problem.’”

Dunn said Ramirez and Royal’s Blair Collins, a 155-pound all-state wide receiver, “are probably our two fastest kids, but there’s another three or four that are right there with them.”

One of those that aren’t far behind in the speed category is Granger’s Mychal Lopez, who played quarterback for the Spartans but can expect to be catching the football in Saturday’s game, not passing it.

“He’s going to start for us at wide receiver,” Dunn said. “I saw him in a playoff game and I thought, now that kid’s a player. He’s an athlete. He’s maybe just an inch behind Collins and Ramirez for the fastest guys on the team.”

Saturday’s game begins at 1 p.m. at Zaepfel Stadium. The game is named in honor of the late Earl Barden Sr., a Yakima businessman and supporter of youth sports who was instrumental in bringing the game to Yakima. Barden died in 1999.

Speed on defense the key for West

YAKIMA, Wash. — If the East team in the 15th annual Earl Barden All-Star Classic has trouble moving the ball against the West’s defense during Saturday’s 1 p.m. showcase of the top graduating seniors in the state’s smaller schools, there’s a simple reason why.

“Our speed on defense is absolutely unbelievable,” said West head coach John Schultz of Centralia. “Even the big guys are fast. We have a really hard time running against our first team defense in practice.”

The West team is loaded with talent, boasting at least 18 future collegiate football players, including three prospective Division I players — Kyle Hoffmann of Orcas going to Montana, Tumwater’s Joe Cameron headed for Montana State and Hockinson’s Justin Green bound for Idaho.

Their roster also includes no fewer than four future Eastern Washington Eagles — Castle Rock’s Zach Gehring, Adna’s Jered Rodgers, Cameron Homan of Eaton and Lynden’s David Gaylord and two Central Washington recruits, Burlington-Edison’s Stetson Shearer and J.J. Quinlan of Archbishop Murphy.

The West will also have a size advantage, with the starting offensive line expected to have three players in the 300-pound range. “The smallest guy in our offensive line is my son, and he’s the center,” Schultz said. Bradley Schultz, who will play at Willamette, weighs in at 250 pounds.

To counter that, the East will play to its strength and perhaps its only advantage — the explosiveness and speed of its skill-position players.

East coach Brian Dunn will have his team employ the same offense his Lakeside Eagles run — what he calls “our Pistol offense. It’s a short shotgun, kind of like running the I (formation) out of the shotgun. It’s what they made pretty famous at Nevada.”

The East team includes a half-dozen players who played in the Yakima and Kittitas Valleys.

Toppenish running back Oscar Ramirez is one of the team’s fastest players, as is Granger quarterback Mychal Lopez, who will move to wide receiver for this game in light of the fact that the East’s two primary quarterbacks are Cashmere’s Derek Todd, the Class 1A player of the year, and Brady Blankevoort, who played for Dunn at Lakeside.

East Valley’s Jonathan Buchanan, Ellensburg’s Blake Nichols, Matt Paul of Granger and Ethan Bersing of Selah are also on the East squad.

Continuity is Sonnichsen’s transition word

YAKIMA, Wash. — For someone entrusted with the keys to the castle, Benji Sonnichsen has an undeniable calm and confidence about him. Which, in this case, are extremely good things to have.

Any new coach taking over a high school football program faces higher-than-normal pressures, especially in a one-school town. But taking over at Prosser, an eight-time visitor to the state championship finals, is a different kind of animal altogether.

But as he gathered together the breadth of his new domain for a meeting this week — 117 kids and a staff ready for spring drills in June — the 30-year-old Sonnichsen felt inspired and energized by those around him.

“I just couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “Some people have asked, ‘Why the heck do you want to do this?’ Well I feel this is my calling and I’m ready. And let’s face it, with this amazing staff it’s not like we’re building from scratch.”

Not when a part of that highly experienced staff is the architect of 22 league titles in 23 years, former head coach and newly appointed freshman coach Tom Moore.

So, naturally, the question on most minds for this unique situation is front and center: How, exactly, will it work? How can a young coach create his own identity and effectively lead with his historically successful predecessor so close?

For Sonnichsen, who played and coached under Moore, it is hardly even an issue.

“The first thing is, Coach Moore has been a great mentor in my life on and off the field,” he said. “We’ve developed a great relationship. There will be a little separation as he works with the freshmen, but we’ll share ideas and work together. I think it’s a great situation.”

Sonnichsen has blended philosophies and ideas from two great football minds — Moore and Frosty Westering, his college coach while at Pacific Lutheran University.

“Coach Moore is so big on preparing to win and that’s an important tradition to carry on,” he said. “Frosty packaged building character while driving the program. If I have a mission statement it would be enhancing those things — building champions while pursuing championships.”

As he did during three seasons as head coach at Mount Vernon between 2005 and ’07, Sonnichsen will call plays and serve specifically as offensive coordinator. He returned to Prosser last year, expecting that the head job would soon come open when Moore’s youngest son, Kirby, was done playing.

“When I took the Mount Vernon job the thought in mind was to get experience and put myself in position to one day come back,” he said. “This is where I grew up, and it’s where I want to be. It’s a big challenge, sure, but the continuity of our staff makes it so much easier. We all believe very strongly in what Coach Moore has done here and we want to keep riding that horse.”

Roughed-up Rams ready

There was a time not long ago when Klayton Wyckoff wasn’t thrilled with having his Class 3A baseball team mixing it up week after week with 4A teams in the CBBN.

But now, with his Rams poised for regional play in Spokane today and Saturday, Wyckoff thinks the tough competition — all eight losses in their 13-8 record were to 4A teams — will be a difference maker.

“I’ve probably never been more confident in terms of preparation and ability to compete,” he said. “You play in this league and you take a few lumps. But we played with every team and now that we’re in our (3A) playoffs, I think we can match up with anyone.”

With their district title secured, the Rams are one of four teams in the running for two state berths this weekend at Shadle Park High School. West Valley plays Rogers today at 5 p.m. with a possible showdown with Mount Spokane in Saturday’s 10 a.m. championship.

“There’s some history between us and there’s no sugar-coating it — we wanted our No. 1 seed to avoid them in the semifinals,” said Wyckoff, who beat Mount Spokane 10-7 in last year’s regional but lost 2-1 to the Wildcats in ’07. “They do things right and they’re good every year.”

Advancing to state would be additionally sweet for West Valley since YVCC’s Parker Field will host one of the regional foursomes on May 23.

“We’re set up as well as we can be,” the coach said. “I’m finally seeing the benefit of playing those (4A) guys. There’s not a doubt in my mind we can line up with any 3A team now.”

From the sidelines

• Some notable local signees from the latest NWAACC letter-of-intent release: Davis’ Michael Calderon (Olympic, baseball), East Valley’s Kendall Hull (Yakima Valley, basketball), West Valley’s Phil Lopez (Columbia Basin, soccer) and Ellensburg’s Brendan Storey (Big Bend, baseball).

• All of the Valley’s track and field athletes will be in action today with league and district meets in the CBBN 4A (Pasco), CBBN 3A (Richland), CWAC North (Ephrata), CWAC South (Wapato), SCAC West (Highland), Mid-Valley 2B (Kumler Field) and GCB 1B (Glenwood).

• Eight wind-aided home runs were hit in Tuesday’s CWAC district baseball semifinal between Othello and Ephrata. The Huskies led 18-3 after five innings but Ephrata made it interesting with 10 runs in the sixth.

Treat new coach at Wapato

YAKIMA, Wash. — Chris Treat has been named Wapato’s new head football coach, the school announced.

Treat was an assistant coach for five years under Lenny Abrams, who has taken a job in North Dakota. Treat, a 1989 West Valley grad, is currently the dean of students at Wapato High School.

Treat was recently named District 5 assistant coach of the year by the Washington State Coaches Association.

Prosser hire considered Tuesday

YAKIMA, Wash. — The Prosser School District sent out a notice Friday evening noting that the high school’s recommendation for the head football coaching position — Benji Sonnichsen — would be considered at its meeting on Tuesday.

Wapato tabs Treat as new football coach

YAKIMA, Wash. — Chris Treat has been named Wapato’s new head football coach, the school announced on Friday.
Treat was an assistant coach for five years under Lenny Abrams, who has taken a job in North Dakota.
Treat, a 1989 West Valley grad, is currently the dean of students at Wapato High School and is responsible for the academic tracking of all student athletes.
Treat was recently named District 5 assistant coach of the year by the Washington State Coaches Association.

Prosser hire considered Tuesday
The Prosser School District sent out a notice Friday evening noting that the high school’s recommendation for the head football coaching position — Benji Sonnichsen — would be considered at its meeting on Tuesday, May 5.

4/8/09 Prep fastpitch roundup

OTHELLO, Wash. — In a showdown of CWAC unbeatens, Ellensburg and Othello fought to a draw on Wednesday as the two powers split their conference doubleheader.

Cassie Sharon went 2-for-3 with a double and Jessica Harrispitched a five-hitter as Ellens-burg won the second game 5-2.

Sarah McNamee struck out 12 in the opener for the Bulldogs, but Othello’s Jordan McCourtie singled in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh for a 2-1 victory.

Both teams are 7-1 in CWAC play.

Game 1

Ellensburg    000    100    0    —    1    4    2
Othello    010    000    1    —    2    4    2

McNamee and Firman; McKerlie and Martinez.

Highlights: Sarah McNamee (E) 12 K; Jordan McCourtie (O) GW RBI.

Game 2

Ellensburg    000    200    3    —    5    7    1
Othello    100    100    0    —    2    5    4

Harris and Firman; Garza and Martinez.

Hightlights: Cassie Sharon (E) 2-3, 2b; Jessica Harris (E) 2b; Miranda Martinez (O) 2-3.

NON-LEAGUE

RIVER VIEW 11-12, GOLDENDALE 0-1: At Goldendale, the Panthers completed a sweep of a doubleheader that was rained out on March 28.

Game 1

Goldendale        000    00    —    0    1    2
River View        040    07    —    11    5    2

Gaston and Kartes; L. Hess and McGill.

Highlights: Brisby (RV) 3b.

Game 2

Goldendale        001    000    —    1    6    7
River View        106    212    —    12    10    0

Bloom, Hudson (5) and Kartes; L. Hess, H. Hess (4) and McGill.

Highlights: Bloom (G) RBI; McGill (RV) 2-4, 3b, HR, 3 runs; Hutchins (RV) 2-4, 2 runs.

RICHLAND 17-18, DAVIS 0-2: At Kiwanis Park, Cassandra Covarrubias and Felicsa Sanchez scored runs in the second game for the Pirates, who play a single game at Wapato today.

Valley is enriched because of Purdom

YAKIMA, Wash. — He rarely spoke.

Even after long, tearful embraces, Wayne Purdom would typically clutch an East Valley football player by the shoulders and give him a gentle, affirmative shake and then look him straight in the eye with a smile and the implicit reassurance that everything would be OK.

And reassurance was what the Red Devils needed on this December day in 1999.

EV had been crushed by Meridian that Saturday in the Class 2A state champ-ionship game, a rout so decisive that the Trojans themselves might well have been shocked.

In the aftermath, as the victors howled, hugged and triumphantly hoisted their trophy, East Valley athletes wandered about in a collective daze.

Some wept openly. Others stared blankly into the dome’s far reaches while others still dared to glance at the Tacoma Dome scoreboard which displayed the 57-14 score in what to the Red Devils, at least, was a cruel finality.

Barry Reifel, the Red Devils head coach, spoke quietly with reporters.

A week earlier, East Valley had been on top of the world. The Red Devils had shut down highly-touted Pullman to reach the big dance — the first such accomplishment for EV football.

It was known that Meridian, and quarterback Jeff Bennum, possessed offensive firepower far beyond that of most schools its size. But EV and defensive coordinator Purdom were in it to win it, and had every realistic hope of claiming a state title.

A couple of hours and 555 yards of Meridian offense later, though, the Devils’ competitive world was in ruins.

For the most part, they had adhered to Purdom’s plan. For the most part, they had done what was necessary to stay competitive on most days against most teams.

But not on this day against this team.

Hence the collective shock, disbelief and raw anguish in the EV camp. And at this dark hour there was a desperate need for someone like Purdom.

Slowly, calmly, he walked through mass of players. Some sought him out, embraced him and shook with grief while he held them. Others the coach took by the arm and gave a long, firm hug.

On some occasions Purdom whispered a word or two. On others he would simply follow his embrace with a firm pat on top of the helmet and a smile, and red eyes and sullen faces would immediately brighten — if only a little.

A world that seemed shattered only seconds earlier had at least begun to reassemble.

More than 30 years ago, as a young sports reporter in Olympia I sat next to a writer named John Papanek from Sports Illustrated during a Seattle SuperSonics playoff game, and he told me something I’ve never forgotten.

You find out who the fun guys are when a team is winning, he said, but you learn much more about their true character, collectively and individually, when they lose.

I didn’t know Wayne Purdom beyond an occasional handshake and hello. But over 30 minutes or so on Dec. 4, 1999 in the Tacoma Dome, I learned volumes as to his character and compassion.

If Purdom’s actions weren’t revealing in that regard, the reactions of his players were.

Every community needs coaches and teachers like Wayne Purdom, and no district or school ever has enough of them. So both Yakima and the valley, in which Purdom spent four decades nurturing young lives, have been lucky.

And on the occasion of his life celebration, at 2 p.m. today at The Stone Church at 3303 Englewood Ave., we can consider ourselves very much the richer for his having been here.

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