Sedro-Woolley Faces off Against Lynden for 2A State Final

Posted on December 5, 2014 by colincarusoZUMA

Sedro-Woolley Faces off Against Lynden for 2A State Final
By Steven Dion

The 2A final appears to have the best chance of becoming an instant classic. The interesting storylines heading into this game are seemingly endless. Lynden has won the last 3 titles including six of the previous 8 whereas Sedro-Woolley is in rare territory playing December football. Both teams hail from the highly competitive Northwest League that produce hotly contested games in the regular season. They squared off at Lynden on October 24th and the home team escaped with a 33-30 victory. I caught up with Dave Ward this week and he said Lynden’s ability to create a half-dozen big plays was a key factor in the first go-around and will be a point of emphasis on Saturday. Based on the quarterfinal and semifinal games, expect an enormous sea of blue in support of S-W and likewise for the Lions.

The playmakers that are bound to make a splash in this contest include Sterling Somers (QB) and his favorite targets Jordan Wittenberg and Scooter Hastings who stands 6’7”. The Lynden defense has been slightly more porous than in recent years allowing opponents to push them including a rare loss against Ferndale in mid-December. The Cubs boast a dynamic offensive weapon in Mason Elms who appears to play every position on the field. If he and fellow tailback Carter Crosby can tally over 80 yards on the ground and find the end zone, the Cubs have a good shot.

The strength of Sedro-Woolley is their linebacking corps. The speed and tenacity of Chad Wilburg, Jacob Farrell, and Jay Burger has the ability to hold talented offenses like Lynden, but will they put it together on Saturday to take down the champ? The action takes place on Saturday at 1pm at the Tacoma Dome.

3A State Finals Preview, Bellevue vs. Eastside Catholic Round 3

Posted on December 5, 2014 by colincarusoZUMA

3A State Finals Preview, Bellevue vs. Eastside Catholic Round 3
By Colin Caruso

The Bellevue Wolverines have won 67 straight games, a streak that goes back to 2010 when Mat Taylor’s Skyline Spartans topped them in a regular season contest. They routinely schedule games against the top teams out of state, this year against Serra (CA), and routinely pull off convincing victories. They are dominate, fast, big and strong. The Wolverines are in search of their 7th consecutive state title, and standing in their way is the Eastside Catholic Crusaders.

Eastside showed their grit last year in advancing past the O’Dea Fighting Irish to the state finals, to meet the Wolverines in a 425 clash. The game wasn’t much of a contest, coinciding with the Wolverines season, and ended in a 52-20 route. This year will prove to be much closer than that. One of the states finest running backs, Brandon Wellington, is now a junior and is playing the best football of his life. Junior quarterback Harley Kirsch is also a year older, more mature, and is prepared for a matchup against one of the finest teams in the nation.

The big question at hand, are the Wolverines vulnerable? They showed hints of vulnerability last week against Marysville-Pilchuck. Can the Cru’ end the streak? I don’t think it’s in the cards just yet, but hey, it has to happen sometime, right?

Bellevue Cruises over One Loss Stanwood

Posted on March 7, 2014 by colincarusoZUMA

Thursday	March 6th	2014	3A	Boys	Basketball
Tacoma Dome	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Stanwood	15	7	13	8	43
Bellevue	18	15	13	15	61

Bellevue Cruises over One Loss Stanwood
By Colin Caruso

3A state basketball heated up in the quarterfinal matchup between the Bellevue Wolverines and the one loss Stanwood Spartans. Bellevue, regarded as one of the top teams in the state, came into this contest at 20-4, with big wins over O’Dea and Lincoln down the stretch. Stanwood experienced their only loss of the season just two weeks ago against Shorecrest, but took down Foss in the round of 16 to advance to the dome.

Stanwood jumped out to a frantic pace and an 11-2 first quarter lead. The early lead did not phase the Wolverines, who remained calm and capitalized off Stanwood turnovers. The Wolverines closed the first quarter on a 16-4 run to take an 18-15 lead into the second.
The Wolverines scored the first 10 points to extend their 16-4 run to end the first to a 26-4 run spanning both quarters. Lakeside transfer Zack Moore heated up for the Wolverines in the second quarter, scoring 10 of his team’s 15 points. Bellevue led by as many as 14 in the second and took a 33-22 lead into the third quarter.

Stanwood finally stayed even with the Wolverines in the third, with both teams playing scrappier basketball than the first half. The Wolverines capitalized on easy baskets, setting good back screens leaving their teammates wide open under the hoop. The Bellevue lead excelled to fifteen early in the fourth, and they stalled every Stanwood run by great offensive execution. Bellevue controlled throughout, and will advance to the state 3A semifinal on Friday.

Top Performers:
Stanwood
Drew Stang – 13 points, 4 rebounds

Bellevue
Sharif Khan – 14 points, 3 steals, 3 assists
Kyle Foreman – 9 points, 4 assists, 2 steals

Rainier Beach Escapes the Islanders, Advances to Final Eight

Posted on March 3, 2014 by colincarusoZUMA

Friday	Feb 28th	2014	3A	Boys	Basketball
Bellevue College	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Mercer Island	15	4	20	16	55
Rainier Beach	19	13	15	14	61

Rainier Beach Escapes the Islanders, Advances to Final Eight
By Colin Caruso

When a team plays with passion and intensity on the basketball floor, it captivates your attention and compels you to watch more. When a team has the capability of playing for a national title if they win our state tournament, it compels you to watch them. This was the case in the capstone contest on Friday night at Bellevue College. The first mentioned passionate team, the Mercer Island Islanders (18-7 on the season) battled the undefeated, 25-0 Rainier Beach Vikings.

Throughout this season the Vikings have dominated their opponents, scoring over 100 points nine times on the season. But recently teams have keyed in on their scoring, sat back in zones, played slow basketball, and prayed that the lights out shooting Vikings were somehow cold. Mercer Island took this route, matched the intensity of the Vikings, and made this one a battle until the finish.

A 19-15 first quarter in favor of Rainier Beach can be classified as a Mercer Island win. The Islanders took good shots, played good defense, and senior guard Kaleb Warner scored seven on 3-3 from the field. The second quarter was not as pretty for the underdog Islanders, as a four point effort sent them into the locker room down 13. But Mercer Island did not go away.

A 20-15 third quarter put them in striking distance of the lesser aggressive Vikings. Baskets from Andrew Pickles and Jake Stenberg kept the dream alive for the Islanders, who never stopped fighting for the entire 32 minutes.

The fourth quarter again belonged to the Islanders, who trimmed the mighty Viking lead to just two points with two minutes to play on back to back three pointers by Warner. But the next two possessions resulted in turnovers, and the Vikings scored three points in their next two possessions, pushing this one ever so slightly out of reach.

A phenomenal effort by one of the state’s finest in Mercer Island, but conquering the mighty is such a difficult task. Beach moves on to Tacoma, with action beginning on Thursday, March 6th.

Top Performers:
Mercer Island
Kaleb Warner – 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Andrew Pickles – 12 points, 7 rebounds

Rainier Beach
Djuan Piper – 17 points, 5 rebounds
David Crisp – 18 points
Dejounte Murray – 17 points

Bellevue Closes Another Undefeated Regular Season

Posted on November 2, 2013 by colincarusoZUMA

Friday	Nov 1st	2013	3A	Boys	Football
Bellevue High School	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Mercer Island	0	7	0	0	7
Bellevue	7	21	7	14	49

See game recap below

Bellevue Closes Another Undefeated Regular Season
By Colin Caruso

In somewhat of a rivalry game, the Bellevue Wolverines were matched with the Mercer Island Islanders to close another undefeated regular season for the Wolverines. The rivalry is much more apparent in basketball, as these two teams battle competitively on the hard-court but Bellevue has had the upper hand on the gridiron.

Bellevue struck fast and early, with a 78 yard touchdown pass from QB Timmy Haehl to sophomore standout receiver Isaiah Gilchrist. The story of this game was Gilchrist, who added another touchdown catch and a blocked FG return for a touchdown, for three scores on the day. The Wolverines scored 28 points in the first half but allowed a late score to the Islanders, a pass from backup QB Alfonso Gonzalez to Eric Kim to trim the lead to 28-7 at half.

Bellevue was again dominate in the second half, scoring 21 unanswered points to secure the 49-7 victory and another undefeated regular season. Mercer Island, after three losses to close the season, will finish with a respectable 4-4 record.

Top Performers:
Mercer Island
Alfonso Gonzalez – TD pass

Bellevue
Isaiah Gilchrist – 3TD (2 receiving, one blocked FG return)
Timmy Haehl – 2TD passes of 78 and 41 yards

Bellevue Wolverines Shock Mercer Island Islanders

Posted on January 28, 2013 by rnovak@zumamedia.com

Bellevue Wolverines Shock Mercer Island Islanders
By Colin Caruso

Friday- January 25	2013	KingCo 3A/2A
Bellevue High School	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Mercer Island	14	13	9	14	50
Bellevue	9	17	11	14	51

Bellevue handed Mercer Island their first loss to a Washington state team on Friday night with a 51-50 shocker at Bellevue High. This rivalry game had a much slower pace than expected, with full half court sets, good passing, and great offensive execution overall. Mercer Island took the lead in the first quarter by sinking three contested three-pointers, but this fine shooting did not seem to phase Bellevue. The Wolverines continued to grind and maintained great defensive intensity. They cut the five point lead at the end of the first to just one at the half on a great three point bank shot at the buzzer by Michael Carlson.

The third quarter maintained a slower, meticulous basketball pace. Bellevue continued to execute offensively, while Mercer Island settled for mid-range to deep jump shots, not attacking the hoop like they did in the first half.

Bellevue turned up their defensive intensity in the second half, doing a great job of stepping into passing lanes and converting in transition. The Wolverines took a one point lead at the end of the third quarter, and maintained that lead deep into the fourth quarter, exchanging baskets with the Islanders. With 24 seconds left, Bellevue held a one point lead and the Islanders had the ball, shot clock turned off. The drawn up play seemed to break down via Bellevue’s defensive intensity and the Wolverines forced Mercer Island into a deep three that was right on target, but inches long.

Bellevue sealed the victory, 51-50.

Leading Scorers:
Mercer Island
Kaleb Warner (15)
Nick Nordale (14)

Bellevue
Michael Carlson (12)
Timmy Haehl (11)