Mercer Island Islanders drop Liberty Patriots to No. 4
October 18, 2011
The Liberty High School football team fell out of a tie for second place in the KingCo Conference 3A/2A standings and possibly saw its state playoffs end Oct. 14 when the Patriots fell to visiting Mercer Island, 32-10.
Liberty entered the contest tied with Mercer Island and Mount Si for second place. With the loss the Patriots, 3-2 in the league, dropped to fourth place in the standings. Mercer Island and Mount Si, which defeated Juanita, 28-21, Oct. 14, remained tied for second place with 4-1 records. Top-ranked Bellevue, 5-0, stayed in first place.
The top three teams in the league advance to the preliminary round of the state playoffs next month.
Issaquah Eagles fall 44-17 to Eastlake Wolves
October 14, 2011
Reed Peterson (right), Issaquah junior wide receiver, spins away from Eastlake senior defensive back Colton Teglovic into the end zone for a late second-quarter touchdown on a 23-yard pass play. By Greg Farrar
NEW — 11 p.m., Oct. 14, 2011
Plagued by interception trouble and a tough Eastlake Wolves defense, the Issaquah High School Eagles fell 44-17 in KingCo 4A Conference play Friday.
It was only the team’s second loss of the season. Eastlake (7-0) is the No. 2 ranked school in the state.
Issaquah High School volleyball team wins again
October 14, 2011
NEW — 4 p.m. Oct. 14, 2011
It took a while for the Issaquah High School volleyball team to get the knack of winning but the Eagles captured their second straight match Thursday by defeating host Eastlake 3-1.
Issaquah dropped the first set 25-19 but bounced back to win 25-18, 25-10, 25-18.
Sam Rogers led the Eagles with 21 kills and 10 digs. Lindsey Ferguson contributed 21 digs and Mckenzie Bostic had 42 assists. Kirsten Fischer gave the Eagles a strong game up front with 14 kills and Leanne Scott had 10 digs.
The victory was the second of the week and of the season for Issaquah, which is 2-5 in KingCo Conference 4A competition and 2-7 for the season. Eastlake dropped to 3-4 in league play and 4-6 overall.
Local football teams stampede past overmatched competition
October 11, 2011
Issaquah defensive linemen Eric Lemke (32) and Jacob Peterson (54) combine on a quarterback sack during the first quarter against Redmond Oct. 7 at Mustang Stadium. By Russell Garner
The Issaquah and Liberty high school football teams each had a breather last week, but that should not be the situation Oct. 14 when each faces powerful league foes.
Issaquah, 5-1 in the season, plays at No. 2 ranked Eastlake, 6-0, in an important KingCo Conference 4A contest for both teams. Liberty, 3-3, hosts 10th-ranked Mercer Island (4-2) in a key KingCo 3A/2A game.
Skyline meanwhile steps out of KingCo Conference 4A action for a nonleague homecoming encounter with Jackson.
All of the games start at 7 p.m.
Issaquah School District football teams notch victories
October 4, 2011
The Issaquah and Liberty high school football teams both bounced back from tough losses Sept. 30 while Skyline rolled up an easy triumph as all three district teams were victorious on the same day for the first time this season.
Skyline looked like its usual self, scoring early and often on its way to a 56-17 rout of the Redmond Mustangs.
Skyline improved to 3-2 on the season and 2-0 in KingCo Conference 4A Crest Division competition. The Spartans are tied with Eastlake for first place.
Spartans quarterback Max Browne completed 15 of 19 pass attempts for 215 yards and threw three touchdown passes. Back-up quarterback Nate Gibson completed all seven of his passes and threw two touchdown passes.
Skyline Spartans score early, often in Redmond rout
September 30, 2011
NEW — 11 p.m. Sept. 30, 2011
The Skyline Spartans looked its usual self at home Friday night, scoring early and often on its way to a 56-17 rout of the Redmond Mustangs.
The team improved to 3-2 on the season.
Skyline quarterback Max Browne completed 15 of 19 pass attempts for 215 yards and three touchdowns, while backup quarterback Nate Gibson completed all seven of his passes and two touchdowns.
Running back Damian Greene ran eight times for 52 yards and receiver Mason Gregory finished with four catches for 69 yards. Altogether, Skyline compiled 428 yards of offense, scoring 21 in the first quarter, 28 in the second and easing off with just one touchdown in the second half.
Liberty Patriots lose OT thriller to Mount Si Wildcats
September 27, 2011
In a tale of two halves, the Liberty High School Patriots could not sustain their first-half momentum Sept. 23 and lost in overtime to the Mount Si Wildcats, 16-13, in Snoqualmie.
The Patriots played like a defensive juggernaut in the first half of the KingCo Conference 3A/2A contest, forcing three turnovers, including one at their own 1-yard line.
In the second half, the combination of Wildcat running back Connor Deutsch’s legs, the crowd’s throats and the Wildcats’ hustle let the hosts climb back from a 13-0 deficit to tie at 13 with a half-minute left in the game.
Then, in overtime, Wildcat kicker Cameron Vanwinkle nailed a 43-yard field goal, and his Patriot counterpart Josh Johnson missed a 35-yard attempt, giving Mount Si the victory.
Liberty Patriots fall to Mount Si Wildcats in overtime thriller
September 24, 2011
NEW — 12:25 a.m. Sept. 24, 2011
In a tale of two halves, the Liberty Patriots could not sustain their first-half momentum and lost in overtime to the Mount Si Wildcats in Snoqualmie.
The Patriots played like a defensive juggernaut in the first half Friday night, forcing three turnovers including one at their own 1-yard line.
In the second half, the combination of Wildcat running back Connor Deutsch’s legs, the crowd’s throats and the Wildcats’ hustle let the hosts climb back from a 13-0 deficit to tie at 13 with half a minute left in the game.
Then, in overtime, Wildcat kicker Cameron Vanwinkle nailed a 35-yard field goal, and his Patriot counterpart Josh Johnson missed a 35-yard attempt, giving Mount Si the victory, 16-13.
Liberty Patriots pounce on Sammamish Totems, 54-7
September 20, 2011
Josh Gordon, Liberty senior wide receiver, hauls in a first-quarter pass for 44 yards and a first-and-goal from the Sammamish six-yard line. Junior running back Casey Smith scored for a 21-0 lead on the drive. By Greg Farrar
The Liberty High School Patriots rallied from a sluggish 0-2 start to the season in a big way Sept. 16, winning their first home football game of the season, 54-7, against the visiting Sammamish Totems.
It was also Liberty’s first KingCo Conference 3A/2A game of the season.
Off the Press
September 20, 2011
Bob Taylor Press sports editor
If you enjoy a rags-to-riches story, then I have one for you today.
Over the past 35 years, I have written articles about numerous athletes from every high school sport. Not all of the athletes were all-staters, but most were successful after graduating from high school.
Some of these young people became professional athletes, or high school coaches or attorneys or doctors or business leaders or soldiers or politicians. Many became outstanding parents of children I have written stories about in recent years.
Boy, do I feel old!
Not all of the high school athletes I wrote about came from affluent backgrounds. Some overcame incredible hurdles in life. One such athlete was 2002 Liberty High School graduate Mkristo Bruce. In case you are interested, Mkristo is Swahili for “Christian.” He is black, Tongan and Blackfoot Native American.
