The Seattle Times: High School Sports Blog

Sam Hellinger carries West Seattle into school's first state championship game

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:31:17 PDT

PASCO – West Seattle senior Sam Hellinger carried a simple approach into Friday’s Class 3A semifinal against Mount Si: Give his defense the opportunity to make plays behind him.

But there was more to it than that, and Hellinger admitted as much after West Seattle held on for a 3-1 win. West Seattle had never advanced to the final four of the state tournament before this year, let alone win a state championship.

The Wildcats will now play the winner of Kennewick and Auburn Mountainview for the Class 3A state title at 4 p.m. Saturday.

“I’m a senior, and I’m kind of the leader on the team,” Hellinger said. “I needed to do my stuff and give our guys an opportunity to field the ball. We haven’t gone this far, so there’s a lot of pressure. But we got here so there’s no reason why we can’t win it.

“It’s unbelievable, man. There’s no words for it. We’re on a run. We’ve just got to keep it going one more game, and we can make it even better.”

Indeed, West Seattle looked the part of a championship-caliber team against Mount Si, although Hellinger and Co. also got some help.

West Seattle took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Tim Adams singled to drive in two runs. But that play was preceded by a Mount Si error and another misplayed ball in the outfield.

West Seattle coach Velko Vitalich, now in his 26^th season at the school, has seen that same scenario play out before but usually with the roles reversed. He has had teams good enough to make it this far, but he hasn’t had one with same the combination of talent and poise as this group.

“The difference is we’ve played more relaxed,” Vitalich said. “We’ve been to state regionals a lot of times and looked nervous. Mount Si made some errors early and that looked like some of our teams in the past that were just too tight to play. But this team seems more relaxed.”

It didn’t hurt that Hellinger was on the mound.

He wasn’t perfect early – he stranded two runners in the first inning and left the bases loaded in the second – but he never buckled. He went all seven innings, gave up six hits, struck out four and didn’t allow an earned run, though it was his throwing error in the seventh inning that allowed Mount Si to get on the board.

Hellinger also added an RBI in the fifth inning for a little cushion.

“When he’s on the mound,” Vitalich said, “we think we’re going to beat anybody.”

Mount Si had the same number of hits – six – as West Seattle, but Mount Si had four errors compared to two for West Seattle.

Now West Seattle will get a chance to win the school’s first state title in baseball, which has brought out support from old players and fans.

“I’m getting texts all the time,” Vitalich said, “and I don’t even know who it is.”

State baseball: Class 4A and 3A live blog and results

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:52:28 PDT

PASCO -- Follow along all day as the Class 4A and 3A state baseball semifinals kick off today. I'll post sporadic updates on the blog in chronological order. (So if you're looking for Kentwood-Skyview updates tonight, scroll to the bottom of the blog).

Here's the schedule of games in today's semifinals:

10 a.m. Final: West Seattle 3, Mount Si 1

1 p.m.: Kennewick vs. Auburn Mountainview

4 p.m.: South Kitsap vs. Kentwood

7 p.m.: Kentwood vs. Skyview

Game 1 Final: West Seattle 3, Mount Si 1.

First inning: Tim Adams' single drives in two runs and gives West Seattle 2-0 lead in the first inning. Mount Si had one error and another misplay in the outfield to assist West Seattle.

End first: West Seattle 2, Mount Si 0.

End second: West Seattle 2, Mount Si 0.

End third: West Seattle 2, Mount Si 0. Both teams have had chances -- West Seattle stranded two runners in the second and third innings and Mount Si left the bases loaded in the second -- but Sam Hellinger (West Seattle) and Chaise Kairis (Mount Si) have been able to limit the damage.

End fourth: West Seattle 2, Mount Si 0. Hellinger strands a runner on third and strikes out Joey Cotto to end the inning. Hellinger has stranded six runners so far.

Top of the fifth: Sam Hellinger drives in Morgan McCullough on a ground out to first base. McCullough led off the inning with a double to left field. West Seattle now leads 3-0.

End fifth: West Seattle 3, Mount Si 0. West Seattle: 3 runs, 5 hits, 1 error. Mount Si: 0 runs, 5 hits, 4 errors.

End sixth: West Seattle 3, Mount Si 0. Sam Hellinger has retired his last nine batters for West Seattle. He's in a groove.

Top of seventh: West Seattle goes 3 up, 3 down. Still leads 3-0.

Game 2: Auburn Mountainview vs. Kennewick

Top of the first: Kennewick gets to Auburn Mountainview ace Nick Brooks in the first inning with two walks and two hits. Clayten Ayres hits a triple off the wall. Kennewick leads 2-0.

End first: Kennewick 2, Auburn Mountainview 1. Nick Brooks answers with a sac fly to score a run and cut Kennewick's lead.

Top of the second: Kennewick 3, Auburn Mountainview 1. Kennewick loads the bases with no outs, but Mountainview's Nick Brooks gets a double play ground ball. Kennewick scores one run on the play but that's all the Lions get in the inning as Brooks strikes out the final batter.

End second: Kennewick 3, Auburn Mountainview 1.

Triple Play: Softball notes heading into state

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:31:08 PDT

Here’s what we’ve all been waiting for….STATE!

Congratulations to all of the teams who qualified! All of the tournaments should be very competitive, and there are some really good teams who didn’t quite make the cut.

I will be in Lacey for the 3A tourney, and we have a freelance reporter lined up to cover the 4A event in Spokane. I miss the days when both were at SERA in Tacoma – not the best facility, I know, but it was great to be able to keep up on 4A and 3A in the same place.

That said, I really like the RAC in Lacey (haven’t been to Merkel in Spokane, but hear it’s great, too). And the 1:30 p.m. scheduled start for the 3A championship game Saturday is a huge plus for those of us with deadlines!

I’ll have one last edition of softball notes looking back on the tournaments next Thursday, but in this version I am going to take a hard look at the 4A and 3A brackets, then give you some insight into a couple of the area 1A qualifiers, Eatonville and Seattle Christian. I’ll touch on the 2A tourney, too.

Then I’ll link you to the latest national rankings, and call it a wrap. I hope you can get out to see some games....and I hope the weather cooperates!

And in case you missed it in today’s paper, or on the web, you can read my short story on Woodinville’s Madi Schreyer here, and the notebook on 5 things to watch for state softball here. Plus our Star Times bios ran Tuesday, and you can see them here.

Class 4A

It’s a great field and there should be some outstanding first-round games.

I hate predicting games, so I’m not going to – but I will go as far as to say that I could see Arlington playing Emerald Ridge in one semifinal and Woodinville facing Camas in the other.

Of course, there are usually some surprises, if they should even be considered as such. Newport could definitely give unbeaten ER a game, so the Knights can’t be taken lightly.

Tahoma is young and scrappy capable of winning some big games in Spokane. I really don’t know anything about Richland, other than the Bombers got the No. 2 seed out of that tough Eastern Regional behind Central Valley. I’m sure they’re a quality team.

That opening game between Bothell and Beamer should be interesting. Bothell has been on a role and has some outstanding hitters. Beamer, making its first state appearance, is super young and might be a year away from making a big run, but the Titans are playing with a lot of confidence – they beat a pretty good Skyview team to finish third in the West Central District tourney.

Arlington has a head of steam with a healthy Ronnie Ladines in the circle and at the plate.

Woodinville, and Schreyer, haven’t been as dominating as last year, for a variety of reasons (they did lose seven seniors and Schreyer has been working a lot on her change-up and a couple of other pitches in preparation for playing at the next level – both at Stanford and the Canadian national team).

But I’d still say they have to be the favorite.

I was very impressed with Camas at the district tourney and the Papermakers might have an edge in the tourney with a two-pitcher rotation, but we’ll see. Meagan Hendrix has been a workhorse for ER.

CV is another team I know very little about, but would expect a good showing from.

Class 3A

I think this tournament could be wide open, and I’m really looking forward to it.

I don’t see a clear favorite, but I won’t be surprised to see Meadowdale in the semis. But I have no idea who to go with in the other quarter bracket. Holy Names? A couple of weeks ago, the Cougars would probably have been my pick – and they could still get there. But that opener with Shorecrest is a tough one.

And the Enumclaw-Interlake winner won’t be a pushover either. I’d give the Hornets the edge in that one, but look at what Interlake did at district!

Kamiakin-Kelso? Flip a coin? I think both are solid.

In the upper half, Juanita is coming off that Sea-King District championship and could get back to the semis. But I can’t pencil them past Bonney Lake with any certainty. Prairie is Prairie, but I like the way Mountlake Terrace has been playing.

If the Hawks and Rebels meet in the quarterfinals, that’s another toss-up in my book.

That Bainbridge-University game intrigues me a bit. U-Hi is always solid and could well be a semifinalist. Bainbridge has to play well to stay in the winner’s bracket, and the Spartans have certainly done that for most of the season. But they’ve had a couple of stinkers, too. If they beat U-Hi, they could get another shot at Bishop Blanchet – but it could just as easily be Peninsula.

Class 2A, 1A

We don’t have a true “local” team in the 2A tournament (coming from King or Snohomish counties), but three SPSL teams are in the field – White River, Fife and Sumner – and at least one of them could take home a trophy. White River didn’t give up a run in three district games, outscoring opponents 17-0.

To be honest, I’m pretty clueless on the rest of the field, although Colville comes in with an impressive 22-1 record, losing only to Lake City, Idaho in their opening game of the season. Oh, and Lake City is 24-0 in the 4A Inland Empire League.

I think Colville just became my tourney favorite.

Lynden – Sumner’s first-round opponent – won the tough Northwest District title and Selah survived the Eastern Regional, so I’d expect good showings from them as well.

I wanted to give a little love to a pair of 1A teams with local ties – Seattle Christian and Eatonville, both out of the Nisqually League.

Eatonville, which dropped from 2A this school year, made its only other state appearance back in 2000 (as a 2A school). The Cruisers went 12-0 to win the Nisqually title and are 16-3 overall.

Senior Maddie Smith batted an impressive .652 in Nisqually League play with 36 RBI in just 12 games. She was also 6-0 pitching with a 1.06 ERA. She shared time in the circle with junior Morgan Maida (6-0, 1.60 ERA).

K.K. Voss, a junior third baseman, batted .596 in league with 23 RBI and Eaonville hit .463 as a team.

Coach Erik Danielson is in his seventh season and said he has to share credit with assistant Leslie Booth. The team’s motto has been “stay in the now and trust each other,” according to Danielson, which has keyed the run to state.

Seattle Christian (16-4) is in the tournament for the second time in three years, missing out last season. The Warriors’ only two losses in league play were to Eatonville, and it was just 5-4 the second time around.

Coach Rick Ronish, in his sixth season, has a veteran team with seven returning starters – including four seniors who have stated every game since they were freshmen: Benita Beale (pitcher/first base), Kellie Kumasaka (shortstop), Molli Ronish (catcher) and Mikayla Wrolstad (third base).

Molli, the coach’s daughter, led the team in hitting during the league season with a .474 average. Lindsy Ronish, her sophomore sister, starts at second base and batted .344 in Nisqually play along with Beale, who was 5-0 in league and shares the pitching duties with sophomore Alyssa Baucom. Baucom was 5-2 in league play with a .438 average.

Wrolstad is the daughter of Craig Wrolstad, Seattle Christian athletic director who was a successful baseball player and coach at Lindbergh (and now is an NFL official). She hit .379 in league play and Kumasaka batted .333.

The Warriors won both of their games at the Northwest District tourney to finish third (the best they could with Eatonville and Nooksack Valley seeded into the title game as league champions). Seattle Christian is a smaller school and faces a big challenge in a tournament that includes nationally ranked Connell – the tourney favorite and a potential semifinal opponent.

“It always gets tough when we take our 100-pound little lefties over the mountains to square off against some big and strong competition,” coach Ronish said. “With that being said, the Warriors had an incredible day last Saturday qualifying at Tri-Districts, so they are loaded with confidence and ready to go.”

The Warriors wont he WIAA 1A academic state championship in softball with a 3.84 GPA.

The latest national rankings

Woodinville nearly cracked the top-10 in this week's MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings, but wound up at No. 11 (up from No. 15). And now at No. 15 is Connell, which jumped one spot. The complete rankings are here.

In the NFCA poll, Woodinville holds at No. 7 and Connell moves up a spot to No. 24. Find those rankings here.

The “Full 80” prep boys soccer blog -- Week 9

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:31:05 PDT

The Roosevelt High School boys soccer team was just good enough to finish in a tie for fourth place in the KingCo 4A regular-season standings.

Now, peaking at the right time, the Roughriders (13-5-2) are poised to be top-four or better finish in the Class 4A state playoffs.

Calling it flipping the switch.

So what has changed since Roosevelt opened league play 1-4-0 and finished 5-5-0 for 15 points to be knotted with Issaquah and Redmond for fourth in KingCo 4A?

“I think KingCo 4A is one of the toughest leagues and anyone could beat anybody,” said Roosevelt coach Val Seid, who is in his fourth season. “There’s a lot of parity between our top teams and our bottom teams. Also, we played pretty much half of our games with up to 12 of our 18 players gone for various reasons.

“We had players gone for a 2 ½-week stretch.”

Roosevelt played without ineligible players, players who took extended vacations near spring break, five players who took part in the school’s “Hands For A Bridge” social issues program where students travel to South Africa and North Ireland and one player (starting outside back Rodrigo Arambula) who left the country to visit an ill relative.

The Roughriders got their roster back to full strength just prior to state after enduring the player drought from April 9-30 by plugging in junior varsity players.

“It wasn’t until state that we had our complete roster back,” said Seid, whose team went 4-1-0 during the critical stretch. “It’s been an interesting season, to say the least. We didn’t have any injuries, ironically.”

It’s also been a memorable one.

Roosevelt seeks to make school history and win its first state semifinal match on Friday when it faces Union of Vancouver (15-2-4) at 8 p.m. at Puyallup’s Sparks Stadium.

Had the Roughriders lost their KingCo 4A finale to Ballard (1-9-0) (instead of winning 3-2) on April 30 or Newport beat Woodinville(3-7-0) (instead of losing 1-0) on April 30, it would have been the end of the 2013 season for them. Either combination would have knocked Roosevelt out of the postseason and out of one of the top-six qualifying spots.

“We got lucky by the skin of our teeth,” said Seid, who have won seven matches in a row currently. “Going into that last game, Newport was in third place and, by losing, they got knocked out completely. We moved some players around and we changed our system as we struggled with losing those players.

“It’s a group of guys that all they do is work.”

The Roughriders settled for a school-best fourth place finish by going 0-3 in their previous three state semifinal appearances in 1985, 1990 and 2005.

In 2005, Roosevelt fell in the 4A semis 2-1 in overtime shootout (4-3 in penalty kicks) to eventual state champion Jefferson.

Last year, the Roughriders were bounced from the state playoffs in the first round by eventual 4A state champion Skyview 4-1.

“Last year we made Roosevelt history by winning the KingCo [4A] championship [beating Skyline 2-1 in overtime shootout], and then we lost in the first round,” said Seid, whose team went 12-4-1 in 2012. “We want to go in Friday and create history for Roosevelt again. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. But it’s like let’s do something for the school that’s never been done.”

Roosevelt lost seven seniors – including four starters -- from the 2012 squad, but it didn’t seem affect the momentum that the team built.

“When two of our seniors came back for the Ballard game after being gone, you could just tell their leadership was there,” Seid said. “We have guys on the bench who know their role and support others.”

The Roughriders play a team style where opponents don’t fear just one or two players. Senior forward/midfielder Eric Conte leads the team with 10 goals and two assists and defender Charlie Spurr and forward/midfielder Danny South have nine goals each.

South stepped up with a hat trick in the Roughriders’ 3-1 state quarterfinal win at Richland on Friday.

“The boys want to work hard together and we don’t have that fancy player that teams have to look out for,” Seid said. “We call ourselves a blue-collar team. We always have our future in front of us.”

Ignited on offense, Roosevelt has outscored foes 16-7 during its seven-math win streak.

Now, the Roughriders don’t really care how they do it. They just want two more victories and the school’s first state title in boys soccer.

Lone local unbeaten

Jefferson (16-0-4, SPSL 4A) remains as the only local team who is still unbeaten overall. The Raiders snuck past Inglemoor 1-0 on Saturday reach the Class 4A state semifinals and face Snohomish (19-1-0) on Friday at 6 p.m. at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

Marquee matches upcoming

State brackets (links)

Final fours

Class 4A

http://www.wiaa.com/Brackets/T264.pdf

Class 4A semifinals

At Sparks Stadium (Puyallup)

Friday, May 24, 2013

Snohomish (19-1-0) vs. Jefferson (16-0-4), 6 p.m.

Union (Vancouver) (15-2-4) vs. Roosevelt (13-5-2), 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Consolation final (3^rd-4^th places)

Snohomish-Jefferson loser vs. Union-Roosevelt loser, Noon (3^rd-4^th places)

Championship match

Snohomish-Jefferson winner vs. Union-Roosevelt winner, 4 p.m. (1^st-2^nd places)

Class 3A

http://www.wiaa.com/Brackets/T265.pdf

Class 3A semifinals

At Sparks Stadium (Puyallup)

Friday, May 24, 2013

Bainbridge (12-4-0) vs. Shorecrest (15-3-4), 2 p.m.

Bonney Lake (16-3-0) vs. Hanford (15-6-0), 4 p.m.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Consolation final (3^rd-4^th places)

Bainbridge-Shorecrest loser vs. Bonney Lake-Hanford loser, 10 a.m. (3^rd-4^th places)

Championship match

Bainbridge-Shorecrest winner vs. Bonney Lake-Hanford winner, 2 p.m. (1^st-2^nd places)

Class 2A

http://www.wiaa.com/Brackets/T266.pdf

Class 2A semifinals

At Sunset Chev Stadium (Sumner)

Friday, May 24, 2013

Tyee (14-4-1) vs. Sedro-Woolley (15-5-2), 6 p.m.

Ridgefield (18-3-1) vs. Cheney (18-2-0), 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Consolation final (3^rd-4^th places)

Tyee-Sedro-Woolley loser vs. Ridgefield-Cheney loser, Noon (3^rd-4^th places)

Championship match

Tyee-Sedro-Woolley winner vs. Ridgefield-Cheney winner, 4 p.m. (1^st-2^nd places)

Class 1A

http://www.wiaa.com/Brackets/T267.pdf

Class 1A semifinals

At Sunset Chev Stadium (Sumner)

Friday, May 24, 2013

Seattle Christian (18-1-0) vs. Okanogan (13-8-0), 2 p.m.

Lynden Christian (14-6-3) vs. Chelan (18-3-1), 4 p.m.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Consolation final (3^rd-4^th places)

Seattle Christian-Okanogan loser vs. Lynden Christian-Chelan loser, 10 a.m. (3^rd-4^th places)

Championship match

Seattle Christian-Okanogan winner vs. Lynden Christian-Chelan winner, 2 p.m. (1^st-2^nd places)

State playoff schedule FINAL FOURS – Class 3A, 4A, 2A & 1A

Friday, May 24 & Saturday, May 25, 2013

(Link below)

http://seattletimes.com/html/highschoolsports/2021001368_websoccsked17.html

Washington state computer rankings

Bonney Lake (3A) and Seattle Christian (1A) are the local teams who top their respective classes in the Washington state computer rankings on May 12 in the final rankings prior to the state playoffs. ScoreCzar and goalWA.net have entered into a partnership for these rankings.

Jumbled at the top of the 3A ranks are local teams No. 2 Shorewood, No. 3 Liberty of Issaquah, No. 4 Hazen, No. 5 Chief Sealth (last week’s No.1), No. 7 Lakeside, No. 9 Shorecrest and No. 10 Kennedy Catholic following top-rated Bonney Lake. Also near the top are No. 13 Glacier Peak, No. 14 Mount Si, No. 15 Juanita and No. 16 Mercer Island.

Other locals near the top in other classes are Jefferson (4A) at No. 3, Snohomish (4A) at No. 4, Archbishop Murphy (2A) at No. 4, Cedarcrest (2A) at No. 5, Inglemoor (4A) at No. 7, Skyline (4A) at No. 8, Cedar Park Christian (1A) at No. 9, Burlington (2A) at No 10 and Bellevue Christian (1A) at No. 13.

Link below to full rankings by classification:

http://goalwa.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/first-look-state-playoffs-underway-as-latest-high-school-polls-debut/

https://sites.google.com/a/scoreczar.com/scoreczar/washington-hs-boys-soccer

National rankings picture

The fourth spring boys soccer rankings from National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) came out on Tuesday, May 14 and is current. Three teams from Washington state appear in the top 20 and another is in the “also receiving votes” section. Snohomish (19-1-0) in Class 4A leads Washington schools at No. 5, Jefferson (4A) checks in at No. 12, Federal Way (4A) at No. 16 and Stadium of Tacoma (4A) in the “also receiving votes” section. The next set of spring rankings is due out Tuesday, May 14. The final poll of the spring is set to be released on June 18. The current rankings link is below:

http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/2039/Spring/men/National/Poll4

The NSCAA regional poll was filled with all but one Washington team, from No. 1 through No. 10. Here’s the May 14 Region V poll for spring of 2013:

http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/2038/Spring/men/RegionV/Poll4

Here’s the new May 14 Region V poll for spring of 2013:

Region 5 - Alaska, Washington
Rank	Team Name	City	State	Record (W-L-T)	State Div.
1	Snohomish	Snohomish	WA	17 - 1 - 0	4A
2	Thomas Jefferson	Auburn	WA	14 - 0 - 4	4A
3	Federal Way	Federal Way	WA	16 - 2 - 0	4A
4	Stadium	Tacoma	WA	13 - 2 - 0	4A
5	Skyline	Sammamish	WA	13 - 2 - 1	4A
6	Liberty	Renton	WA	12 - 1 - 3	3A
7	Central Kitsap	Silverdale	WA	11 - 1 - 4	4A
8	Lakeside	Seattle	WA	14 - 3 - 0	3A
9	Inglemoor	Kenwood	WA	11 - 2 - 1	4A
10	Shorewood	Shoreline	WA	14 - 2 - 2	3A
10	Juneau-Douglas	Juneau	AK	12 - 2 - 2


	Others receiving votes

	Archbishop Murphy	Everett	WA	16 - 2 - 1	2A
	Bellingham	Bellingham	WA	17 - 1 - 1	2A
	Cheney	Cheney	WA	16 - 2 - 0	2A

State softball brackets now available

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:31:09 PDT

I just got back from covering the final day of the West Central District 4A, 3A and 2A softball tournaments in Spanaway.

You can find my story here.

I didn't get a chance to do the 4A title game justice. It started almost an hour late and got over five minutes before my deadline. It looked as though Emerald Ridge might lose for the first time this season, down 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh against Camas. But the Jaguars rallied for a 2-1 victory.

I was impressed with both teams and think they have to be considered contenders for the state title this weekend in Spokane.

The 3A final was kind of disappointing, since Peninsula went with a mostly JV lineup to rest starters and give bench players some tournament experience and Enumclaw rolled, 14-0 in five. Enumclaw led 10-0 after one inning and also subbed freely.

But that shouldn't take away from a fine tournament by the Hornets.

The 2A title went to White River, 4-0 over Fife -- thanks to a grand slam by Brooklyn Isaacs.

So, now the state-tournament field are set and the brackets are up on the WIAA website: 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, 2B, 1B.

Click on the classification you are interested in for the complete bracket. Note that nationally ranked Woodinville, the defending 4A state champion, opens against Skyview of Vancouver -- and that's no gimmee.

Also note the absence of Walla Walla, which won the 2011 title and lost to Woodinvillle in last year's final. The Blue Devils failed to advance, losing to Central Valley and Richland in the Eastern Regional tourney.

I'll have more on the matchups later this week, particularly in 4A, 3A and 2A, but that's it for tonight.