Wolves too much for the Eagles in 13-2 loss
April 30, 2013
Sydney Schultz, Issaquah High School center fielder, reaches third base from first on the fourth-inning double by catcher Heather Benjamin (left), in their game April 26 against Eastlake. Photo by By Greg Farrar
In a season when the win column just doesn’t look pretty, players tend to place undue pressure on themselves to try to power through the adversity.
The youth-laden Issaquah High School softball team knows the feeling all too well as it struggles to turn around a season plagued by injuries and inexperience.
“In the games, they are just trying to win so bad right now that they’re pressing in everything, offense and defense,” first-year Issaquah coach Ron Hatlen said.
There were not too many positives during the April 26 contest between Eastlake and Issaquah. The Wolves needed just six innings to put away the Eagles, 13-2.
Skyline goes undefeated into Kingco championship
April 30, 2013
The undefeated Skyline High School boys soccer team continued its perfect season and secured a spot in the KingCo championship game by shutting out Eastlake, 4-0, April 23.
“I thought we did well, and possessed the ball and made them work hard. When they made mistakes, we took advantage of them,” Skyline coach Don Braman said. “It’s going to be a tough road ahead of us, but the nice thing is we have worked hard to put ourselves in a good position.”
By Greg Farrar
Kaleb Strawn (lower left), Skyline High School senior midfielder, slides in to break up the attempt by Eastlake senior midfielder Jack Bradley (15) to get control of the ball from sophomore midfielder David Kim (4) during the first period.
The Spartans seized on the opportunity to score early in the game when senior Ryan Shim scored off a corner kick by his fellow classmate, Kaleb Strawn in the eighth minute.
“It was a good thing,” Braman said about Shim’s goal. “He’s a real intelligent player, and we like getting him up field on those corners because he promises he’ll score.”
Patriots find hidden gems during rebuilding year
April 23, 2013
By Greg Farrar
Romney Noel (center), Liberty High School sophomore, beats Mount Si’s John Proctor (left) and Bradley Stevens over the last 100-meter hurdle to win in a time of 15.7 seconds.
When in the midst of a rebuilding year, coaches like Liberty High School’s Michael Smith are resigned to appreciate the little victories.
Take, for example, the Patriots’ home track meet April 18 against Mount Si. In the steady rain, Smith was able to find the silver lining in the girls’ narrow 2-point win and the boys’ 30-point loss.
Skyline cruises to win over Eastlake
April 23, 2013
After having two of its singles matches decided in tie-breaking sets, the Skyline High School tennis team beat Eastlake 6-1 April 16.
“Skyline’s our rival. Obviously, we want to win, and when we can’t win, we want to put up a good match,” said the Eastlake Wolves’ coach Bud Peterson. “They are a good team. We had our hands full from the get-go.”
Thanks to inclement weather, including hail earlier that day, the match almost didn’t happen. Giving the court extra time to dry out, the two neighboring teams got started about 30 minutes late. Once they did, though, many of the girls found themselves face-to-face with very familiar opponents.
Skyline High School’s Shreenu Sivakumar returns a shot during her No. 2 singles match April 16 against Eastlake’s Michelle Knutson.
By Lillian O’Rorke
Fishing season kicks off April 27
April 23, 2013
Bigger trout.
That is what anglers will find lurking in more than 500 lakes and ponds when the statewide trout fishing season begins April 27.
“We had a vision two years ago in our trout-stocking program to boost the size of what we call catchable trout,” said Chris Donley, the state Fish and Wildlife inland fisheries manager.
“We laid out a challenge to our hatchery folks to do this in a cost-effective manner,” Donley said. “They sharpened their pencils, and found a way to produce the same number of trout, yet increase their size. That is a massive gain and very impressive.”
Issaquah hosts third annual Northwest Paddling Festival
April 23, 2013
For a single day in May, Lake Sammamish will become the elite destination for the region’s paddle-sports enthusiasts when it hosts the third annual Northwest Paddling Festival.
Experienced kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders will descend on Issaquah to celebrate all-things paddle sports, with a daylong festival May 11.
The event will feature paddling industry vendors, product demonstrations, kayak tours, stand-up paddleboarding lessons and a 6-mile paddle-craft race.
New ‘Fish Washington’ logos are announced
April 23, 2013
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife now has a new set of “Fish Washington” logos designed to help symbolize the state’s many great fishing opportunities.
WDFW tallied more than 1,800 votes on new logo designs via the department website and Facebook page. Now, with a few tweaks based on public suggestions, the winning set of logos has been chosen. The logos selected depict trout and bass with backgrounds of Washington state waters and wilderness.
“Fish Washington” is a new effort by the department to inform anglers about fishing opportunities in Washington via a variety of communications platforms.
Sizzling Spartans
April 16, 2013
Skyline wins battle of division leaders in 1-0 win over Eastlake
By Lillian O’Rorke
Corbin Powers, Skyline High School senior, pitches against Eastlake April 8, allowing just six hits with four strikeouts and one walk in six innings en route to a 1-0 Spartans win.
It wasn’t just a matchup of neighboring plateau baseball teams April 8. It was a battle between the leaders of KingCo’s two divisions when the Skyline Spartans edged out the Eastlake Wolves in a single-run game.
Issaquah rallies to beat Redmond, 7-6
April 16, 2013
The Issaquah High School baseball team grabbed its fourth consecutive league-win April 10 when it came from behind at the bottom of the sixth inning to beat Redmond, 7-6.
“It was a good game,” said Justin Vernia, a senior at Issaquah High School. “The beginning was kind of slow. We weren’t all there. We weren’t very energetic, but as the game went on, we got more into it.”
By Lillian O’Rorke
Justin Vernia, Issaquah High School senior, hits his 3-RBI double to take the lead in the sixth inning for a come-from-behind, 7-6 victory April 10 against Redmond.
The Issaquah Eagles started the game off with one run in the bottom of the first, but didn’t score again for the next three innings. After knocking down two runs in the third, Redmond was ahead 2-1.
Interlake, rain can’t stop Liberty boys soccer
April 16, 2013
On a cold, drizzly Friday night, the home stands at Interlake High School’s soccer stadium were nearly empty. The bleachers on the visitors’ side, however, were comparably lined with loyal Liberty soccer supporters, huddled in blankets, holding umbrellas and shouting, “Go blue.”
The Liberty fans did not fill the entire visiting section, but the supporters’ dedication on an April 12 game day, during spring break no less, showed that the Patriots’ boys soccer team is definitely worth rooting for.
Liberty easily gave them something to cheer for, soundly defeating Interlake, 4-0, to remain undefeated with a 9-0-1 record.
