Columbia Basin sports generate eternal memories

Warden football goes to state

WARDEN - The Warden Cougars earned a return berth to the 2B state playoffs with a convincing 34-2 win over the Oroville Hornets Nov. 4.

"We played pretty good ... no doubt about it," coach Erik Skone said. "We hadn't really run the ball much this year, but felt confident we could and had a lot of success in doing so."

Warden amassed 188 yards on the ground and 139 yards through the air, while holding Oroville to zero passing yards and 132 yards rushing.

Cougar running back Adam Hansen led the offensive attack for the home team with 75 yards rushing, 102 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

"Adam really makes our engine go," Skone said. "He's really kind of a quiet kid and doesn't like the spot light. But once he gets on the field, he's a different kid."

The game got underway on cold dark night as Oroville returned the opening kickoff to the Wildcat 21.

The Cougar defense forced the Hornets to go three and out on their first possession and punt the ball. Warden began its initial drive on the team's 45-yard line.

On the second play from scrimmage, Hornet defender Leo Delgado was injured and the action was halted for approximately 10 minutes.

The Cougars offense began to heat things up following the injury time out, scoring on an 18-yard TD run by Conrad Ruge that was set up off a 28-yard scamper by Hansen. The PAT by Orlando Alba was good and Warden led 7-0 with eight minute left in the first quarter.

The Hornets drove the ball to the Cougars 34 on their next possession, but turn the ball over on downs. A 22-yard run by Ruge pushed the pig skin to the Oroville 44. Warden moved the ball to the 26, and with three seconds left on the clock, Hansen hit pay dirt. Alba's kick was successful and the Cougars increased their lead 14-0.

The Hornets were unable to sustain much of a drive to start the second quarter action and to punt. Warden's JP Martinez returned the ball to the Hornets 10 with six minutes left in the first half.

A five-yard run by Hansen for his second score of the game (Alba kick), put Warden up by three scores. The lead held up through intermission.

"We got off to a quick start and were up by 21 at half time," Skone said. "So I told the kids (in the locker room) to be the best they can be and not get complacent."

The team took his words to heart and put 13 points on the board in the second half with Hansen's third score of the game and a pass from Trent Bates to Ernesto Orozco, while giving up just two to put the game away, 34-2.

"I am really proud of the way the guys played," Skone said. "We had one particular offensive lineman ... Rudy Martinez ... who hasn't seen much playing time this season but had to fill in at left tackle and played the position like there was no tomorrow. He opened a lot of hole and gave our backs a lot of room to run."

Warden lost to No. 1 ranked Colfax Bulldogs in Colfax Nov. 11 in a loser out first round game of the state playoffs.

Chiefs wrestlers finish second at Mat Classic

TACOMA - Jamie Wise has earned plenty of respect from coaches and wrestling pundits in and around the state after his best finish as the coach for the Moses Lake Chiefs as the team as took second at the Class 4A finals at Mat Classic XXIII in the Tacoma Dome.

Seniors Brian Chamberlain (215 pounds) and Kabe Fluaitt (285 points) capped their careers off by winning each of their second straight individual titles

Six of the Chiefs wrestlers made it through to the semifinals and four made it to the championship matches of their respective weight classes. Overall, despite missing out on a team state title, Moses Lake wrestlers finished a combined 21-10.

After an impressive first day the Chiefs, who went 14-1 in individual contests, trailed Lake Stevens by 5.5 points heading into the climactic Saturday final rounds.

Ephrata golfer named Player of the Year

MOSES LAKE - Ephrata's Andrew Whalen (17) has been named the 2011 Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) Junior Boys Player of the Year.

He earned the honors after a successful season on the links, making the semifinals in the Pacific Northwest Junior Boys Amateur, and the quarterfinals of the this year's U.S. Junior Boys Amateur held at the Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton. He was also a member of a foursome that finished fifth in the 2011 Junior Americas Cup.

Whalen is currently ranked 59th in the country by the American Junior Golf Association.

"It's (golf) been going pretty good for me lately," Whalen said. "I've been trying really hard to get ranked nationally and all my practice and playing has really paid off."

Whalen, who currently holds a 2 handicap, said he got the inspiration to take up golf at an early age from his dad.

"I've been playing since I was 7 years old," he said. "My dad took me out one day and I got hooked and haven't stopped playing since."

The strongest part of his game, Whalen said, is from the tee to the green.

"I average just under 300 yards on my drives," he said. "My putting is not on the save level, but it'll get there."

One might think the pressure of playing for a national ranking at such a young age might have an adverse reaction on his approach to the game, but Whalen said he relishes the opportunity.

"I love this game because its such an individual sport and there is no one to blame but yourself if you don't play well," he said. "Golf is really a mental game, and the person who can control their emotions best, usually wins."

Whalen gets another chance to put his game and emotions on display when he participates in a tournament in Miami Tuesday, Dec. 20th.

"It's a long way from home, but I am looking forward to it," he said. "I have been to Florida to play in tournaments, but this time I'll be going by myself, so it will be a different experience altogether."

Whalen signed a National Letter of Intent Wednesday to attend Northwestern University.

Ephrata volleyball went to state

OLYMPIA - The Ephrata volleyball team ended a successful season with a trip to the state 2A tournament November at Evergreen State College.

The Tigers' post-season play began with a third place finish at district, then a win in the regional tournament against West Valley of Spokane, put the team on the road to the big show.

"There wasn't a lot of expectations from these girls at the beginning of the season," coach Britney Ratigan said. "Nobody thought we were going to get through districts and we proved those people wrong."

The modest goals the team had set for itself at the beginning of the season, Ratigan said, was to work together, train hard to get better each day, and to play with heart.

"And we did exactly that," she said. "We wanted to take down some of the top teams in the CWAC and we swept Ellensburg twice, and beat a top 10 ranked Grandview team, and then knocked out another top 10 team in West Valley of Spokane out of the regional tournament."

The Tigers had momentum on their side as they entered the state tournament and was hoping to bring home some hardware for all the hard work they put in to get there. But unfortunately the team was bounced out of the double-elimination action after suffering back-to-back losses.

Ephrata faced Port Angeles in the first round and battled the Lady Roughriders to four sets before dropping the game by scores of 19-25, 9-25, 25-2 and 18-25.

Heidi Buchert led the attack for Ephrata with 19 kills, one ace and three blocks. Kedra De Hoog added 15 kills, one ace and a block, Sarah Pheasant contributed three kills and 35 assists, and libero Tessa Ratigan finished with 21 digs.

The loss to Port Angeles put the Tigers in the consolation bracket in a loser out game with Sehome, which they lost in three sets by identical scores, 20-25, 20-25, 20-25.

Buchert led the way once again for Ephrata with 11 kills, two aces and a block. DeHoog added nine kills and three blocks, Stephanie Wulf had two kills, and Ratigan finished with 20 assists.

Although the Tigers took an earlier than expected exit from the tournament, Ratigan said the season was a great success.

"These girls are the most determined players I have ever had the privilege of coaching," she said. "I may have given them the tools, but they put them into play and because they invested in each other, we had a very successful season. I couldn't imagine having a better first year (as coach) because this is an amazing group of girls who I am unbelievably proud of."

Ryan Doumit gets 1-year deal with Twins

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Minnesota Twins and versatile catcher Ryan Doumit agreed to a one-year $3 million contract Nov. 18.

Matt Sosnick, one of Doumit's agents, confirmed the deal was done. The Twins declined to comment.

Doumit is a career .271 hitter who can also play first base and right field, skills that fit well with what the Twins are seeking this offseason. One of their priorities was a backup for catcher Joe Mauer after Drew Butera and Rene Rivera struggled to hit last season. Butera batted .167 in 234 at-bats and Rivera hit .144 in 104 at-bats.

Doumit spent seven years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, finishing the 2011 season with a .303 average, eight homers and 30 RBIs in 77 games. He missed two months with a severely sprained ankle. His best year was 2008, when he batted .318 with 15 homers and 69 RBIs in 116 games.

Doumit's familiarity with the organization was increased by his friendship with B.J. Garbe, his former high school teammate in Moses Lake, Wash., and the Twins' first-round draft pick in 1999. Doumit, who got married last weekend, will turn 31 in April.

ACH football second at state

TACOMA - The Almira/Coulee-Hartline (ACH) Warriors left everything they had out on the field at the Gridiron Classic Dec.2, but unfortunately their efforts came up short as team lost to Neah Bay 36-28.

The two competitors stood toe-to-toe like a pair of heavy weight prize fighters exchanging blows as they thrilled the crowd with outstanding eight man football.

"It was and exciting game," coach Brandon Walsh said. "The kids really played their hearts out."

The Red Devils struck first as quarterback Josiah Greene punched it in from 2-yards out. Titus Pascua converted the 2-point try to give Neah Bay an early 8-0 lead.

A 27-yard return on the ensuing kick by Derek Isaak put the pigskin to the Red Devil 38. One play later, quarterback Derek Isaak dashed around the left side of the line for the score. Thunder Wellhausen was on the receiving end of a 2-point conversion pass from Isaak to tie the game 8-8 with one minute left in the first quarter.

The Warriors defense came up big again and forced the Red Devils to punt on their next possession. Isaak returned the ball to the Neah Bay 40. But on fourth and inches from the 28, Neah Bay's Harold Tyler stopped Isaak on a quarterback sneak and the Red Devils took over on downs to stop the drive with seven and a half minutes left in the half.

Neah Bay went on a time-consuming six-minute drive, but an interception by Isaak at the Warriors 12 yard line stopped the scoring threat. ACH moved the ball to Red Devil 40. On fourth down and 10, a pass from Isaak to Deyarmin fell incomplete at the Neah Bay 10 as time ran out with the score tied 8-8 at the half.

"The low score at half time was not a typical score for eight man football," Walsh said. "But both teams' defense was playing exceptionally well."

It was a tale of two half's as the Warriors and Red Devils offensive units started hitting on all cylinders, scoring 58 points over the last 24 minutes of the ball game.

ACH got the ball on the Warrior 40 to start the second half of play, but were forced to go three and out and punt. A long kick by Colin Deyarmin put Red Devil's deep in Neah Bay's territory at the 14 yard line.

Moments later, Pascua following the block of his left guard, burst throw the line breaking several tackles on his way to a 73-yard TD run. The 2-point conversion run by Greene put the Red Devils up 16-8.

It didn't take long for the Warriors to answer the score however, as Isaak put six points on the board for ACH on the first play after the kick return on a 58-yard scramble, and 2-point run, to ignite the teams rooting section and close the gap to 16-14.

Neah Bay, not to be outdone, drove the ball 70 yards on its next possession for a score on a pass from Greene to Zeke Greene. But a big stop by the Warriors defense on the 2-point try, kept the game at one possession for ACH, 22-14.

An on side kick attempt by the Warriors was recovered by the Red Devils at the ACH 41 and one play later Greene found the outside edge and rambled for 38 yards and a score. The 2-point try was unsuccessful, but Neah Bay had increased its lead to 28-14 with four minutes left in the third quarter.

The score seem to swing momentum to the Red Devils, but ACH would have none of it as Deyarmin return the kickoff to the Warrior 47 to give the team good field position to start its next drive.

ACH pushed the ball to the Neah Bay 19 as time ran out.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Isaak connected with Deyarmin for a 31-yard strike. The 2-point conversion by Isaak was good and the Warriors were right back in it, 28-22.

The ACH defense looked as though they were going to force Neah Bay to punt on its next possession, but a holding call on fourth and five, kept the Red Devil drive alive.

On fourth and goal from the Warrior 1-yard line, Neah Bay's Tyler McCaulley found the end zone. The 2-point pass from Greene to Leyton Doherty put the Red Devils up 36-22 with three minutes left in the title game.

But the Warriors still had fight left in them as Isaak found Wellhausen streaking over the middle for a 29-yard TD pass and catch for six points. The 2-point try failed, but ACH had narrowed the gap to 36-28 with two minutes on the clock.

Following the score, an on side kick attempt by the Warriors was recovered by the Red Devils, but an offside penalty was called on the kicking team, giving ACH another try. But Neah Bay recovered the second attempt with one minute to go. A first down run one third and one with 25 ticks on the clock was all the Red Devils needed to close the door on the Warriors season.

Chiefs wrestling team finish 12th at Tri-State Invite

COEUR d' ALENE - The Moses Lake High School wrestling team had a strong showing at the Tri-State Invitational at North Idaho College Dec. 16 and 17, placing 12th out of 59 teams.

Mead high School took first place with a team total of 204 points. The Chiefs finished with 99.

"I think we wrestled pretty well," coach Jamie Wise said. "This was one of the premier tournaments in the nation, so the competition was pretty stiff."

Nico Moreno had another fine outing to lead Moses Lake, taking first place in the 152 pound weight class.

"Nico had an awesome meet," Wise said. "He won the championship by pin and earned himself a top five seed at the FLO National Tournament in Philadelphia net spring."

Moreno breezed through his weight bracket with a total of three pins for the two day tournament.

Beau Gleed (126) and Jonathan Perales (182) finished fourth in their weight class respectively.

"I though those two wrestled well,"  Wise said. "It was pleasant to see that type of performance out of them."

Although Wise was happy with the way the team performed at the invite, he said there is still plenty of room to improve.

"As always, the kids get a reality check with they wrestle at an event like this. You find out where you are and what you need to focus on to get better," Wise said. "And although a lot of the kids are real close to turning the corner, we still have a lot of work to do over the break to get ready for the NW Duals and the Hall of Fame Invite at home Jan. 7."