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SPORTS
by Neil
MacDonald
Bianchi,
Leigh and Wiens off to Tri-District in tennis
Three
Borderites – Scott Bianchi, second-seed in North Cascades
Conference singles, and the twosome of Ben Leigh and Matt
Wiens, second-seed in NCC doubles – will compete in
boys Tri-District play on May 18-19 at Pac West Tennis in
Federal Way.
 The
Blaine boys’ tennis team played its regular season
in the fall of 2000 and competed in the boys Bi-District
in mid-October. The top two finalists at Tri-D will qualify
for State, which goes May 25-26 in Yakima.
Blaine’s
Lady B’s competed in the North Cascades Conference
girls tennis tournament against South Whidbey and Lakewood
on May 10 at Blaine high school courts, but were unable
to qualify a player for girls Tri-D.
Blaine’s singles players Kate Lawrenson and Brenda
Jones both lost their first round matches. Lawrenson dropped
a 6-2, 6-0 decision to Lakewood’s Laura Peppard and
Jones fell 6-0, 6-1 to South Whidbey’s Molly Fox.
Lawrenson
was edged 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 by Fox and Jones was swept 6-0,
6-0 by Peppard in consolation round singles. Lakewood’s
Emily Sinn won NCC singles and SW’s Jenny Newman was
runner-up.
Blaine’s
Linsey Taylor-Jessica Freeman lost 6-4, 6-0 to South Whidbey’s
Paige Jolley- Kaitlin King and Borderites Shaneen Brown-Mandy
Haslip drew a bye in first round doubles. Brown-Haslip were
defeated 6-1, 6-0 by SW’s Jenny Saephan and Kylie Bozyn
in the second round. Saephan-Bozyn went on to win NCC doubles.
Jolley-King were second.
Taylor-Freeman
defeated Brown-Haslip 6-2, 6-1 in consolation round doubles,
but lost 6-2, 6-1 to SW’s Heather Boe-Christina Markley
in the consolation final.
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Blaine’s
Riddle wins discus and shot at NCC track and field championships
Becky Riddle won the girls shot put and discus and Nick
McGee took the boys shot as Blaine boys tallied 76 points
to finish fifth and Blaine girls collected 36 points to
come eighth at the North Cascades Conference Track and Field
Championships at Lynden Christian High School on May 11.
Riddle
made a toss of 38 feet, 2 inches for her win in the shot
and a throw of 114 feet for her victory in the discus. McGee
extended the shot 50 feet, 1 inch for his championship throw.
The
victories qualified Riddle and McGee, and the top four finishers
in each event, for the 2A Bi-District meet at Silverdale
on May 19.
Second-place
finishers for Blaine were Steve Burden in the 200m (22.96),
Nate Haslip in the 110m hurdles (16.64), Andrew Martin in
the high jump (6-2) and the 4x400m relay team of Martin,
Haslip, Cory Crews and Burden (3:31.20).
Crews
was the only third-place finisher for the Borderites, completing
the 300m hurdles in 43.18. Blaine’s fourth-place qualifiers
included Martin (javelin, 159-6), Ryan Lopez (100m, 11.84),
Grace Coulter (3200m, 12:03.48) and Heidi Harmening (pole
vault, 8-6).
Dan
Marchio will also go to Silverdale as the alternate for
the boys’ 4x400 relay team..
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Neil's
Notes
Blaine forward Charlie Franklin was selected to play in
the Washington Basketball Coaches Association’s All-State
2A game at the Yakima SunDome on June 30.
Golf Aces
Gary Young got a hole-in-one, his sixth, on the third
hole at Loomis Trail Golf Club on April 8. Rick Chatwell
aced the 16th hole at Loomis on April 18. Steve McDonald
one-stroked the sixth hole at Semiahmoo Golf and Country
Club on April 24.
Jorgy Joins Shuskan
Chris Jorgensen, Blaine’s six-year tour pro and
specialist in applied sports psychology, has been named
director of instruction at Shuksan Golf Club. In his latest
tour appearance, Jorgy shot 143 to finish third in a Cascade
Golf tour event at North Bellingham Golf Course on April
21.
Red Cross Tourney
The 8th annual American Red Cross Tournament goes at
Dakota Creek Golf Course on June 29. All tourney proceeds
go to American Red Cross Services in Whatcom County. Registration
fee is $50. For further info, call Dakota Creek at 366-3131
or the American Red Cross at 733-3290.
Canada Cup Fastpitch
The Canada Cup International Women’s Fastpitch
Tournament returns June 30-July 8 to Softball City in South
Surrey, B.C. The tourney includes teams from 10 countries,
including USA Red, USA Blue, Australia, Japan Red, Japan
White, China, Canada, Italy, Chinese Taipei, Venezuela and
the Czech Republic. For info call 604/536-9287 or consult
the tourney web-site at www.canada
cup.com.
Tennis League
The Whatcom County Public Courts Tennis League goes
June 16-August 26. Participants play ten weekly matches,
scheduled at their convenience on public tennis courts throughout
Whatcom County. Entry fee is $10 for singles and $15 per
team for doubles. For more info, call Anna at 647-3626.
Gomez the Great
Mention of former Blaine high school student Scott
Gomez was common recently in the Toronto Globe and Mail
as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs
in the NHL’s Eastern Conference semi-finals in seven
games.
David
Shoalts, G&M hockey scribe, wrote, “Gomez (is)
faster than gasoline price hikes…picking off errant
Leaf passes…turning them into breakaways and odd-man
rushes…At this rate, Gomez, 21, will become the NHL’s
first Hispanic superstar.”
Gomez,
who scored his first playoff goal against the Leafs despite
taking a stick in the face, has five goals and six assists.
The Devils are presently playing Pittsburgh’s Penguins
for the Eastern Conference title. Catch Gomez and the Devils
on the tube (CBUT – 2).
Going…Going
A number of sports items will be up for bids at an
auction to benefit the American Cancer Society on May 20
at the Performing Arts Center at Blaine High. Items autographed
by Hall of Fame baseball manager Sparking Anderson, a basketball
autographed by Luke Ridnour, Blaine grad and U of Oregon
starting guard, and tickets for the U Washington-Michigan
September football fray will be up for bids.
For further info, contact Lisa Barnes at 332-4056..
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Spotty
pitching and errors hamper Borderites baseball
By Brendan Shriane
Blaine’s
baseball season came to an end with a 5-3 loss to Granite
Falls in a Class 2A Northwest District loser-out game May
9 at the at Sherman Anderson Field in Mount Vernon. Craig
Anderson, who took the loss, gave up four hits in five innings
of work.
“His
pitch count was high; he was struggling with his control,”
coach Gary Clausen said. “He threw a lot more balls
than usual.” Mitchell Sherman relieved Anderson and
pitched one scoreless inning for the Borderites, who finish
the season at 8-15.
Blaine
went into the bottom of the third up 3-0 but saw the lead
quickly evaporate under the weight of three of the team’s
six errors.
Outfielder
Josh McDonald went 3-for-4 in his last game for Blaine.
Blaine loses one other senior, Ryan Sorter, from this year’s
team that made a late surge into the playoffs.
Blaine
lost all four meetings with Granite Falls this year, including
a May 5 loss that sent Blaine to the loser’s bracket
of the tourney. Blaine had kept its season alive on May
7, eliminating Lakewood 10-0 behind the strong pitching
of Laird Dickie..
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Clausen
honored by peers
Gary Clausen has been named athletic director of the year
for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s
division I, an area that stretches from north Seattle to
the Canadian border.
Clausen,
who has been AD at Blaine high school for 16 years, was
chosen from a field of 150 ADs from middle and high schools
in the area. In addition to serving as AD, Clausen has served
as president of the now-defunct Whatcom athletic league,
spent two terms as president of the WIAA’s division
I and is now on the WIAA’s executive board.
In
a tribute to Clausen on his winning of the award, Borderite
wrestling coach Craig Foster wrote, “While many of
us talk the ethics game, Gary lives it. It’s central
to who he is, and how he’s conducted himself as a person,
and as a professional.” .
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Dolan
upbeat about chances
Adam Dolan shot an 84 at the Class 2A Bi-District boys golf
tournament May 9 at Bellingham Golf and Country Club.
“It
was a really good surprise,” coach Scott Ellis said.
“He was tied for second after the front nine and just
coasted in.” Dolan, a junior, finished 11th overall.
He is now going to the boys and girls state tournament which
begins at noon on May 21 at Loomis Trail and continues the
next day at Semiahmoo, his home courses.
Dolan
likes his chances, “I’ve been playing these courses
for the last three years. I know them really well. I know
what to do on those courses.”
To
prepare for state Dolan has been practicing at both, switching
off everyday. During the year, the golfers usually take
Friday off, “But I’ll probably be out there Friday,”
Dolan said.
Not
going to state but serving as second alternate is sophomore
Kevin Farmer, who missed the cut by one shot at 86.
In
girls’ action, senior Tamara Allen missed out on going
to state by four shots at the girls Bi-district in Bremerton
May 8.
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Lady
Borderites come close
Blaine’s 2001 North Cascades Conference fastpitch season
ended as the Lady B’s lost a 6-5 coronary creator to
Nooksack Valley at the Pipe on May 8 and a 13-5 decision
to South Whidbey in the Falcon’s nest on May 10.
The
Lady B’s would have been in post-season play had they
won either game. Blaine came within an out of beating league-leading
Nooksack. With the Lady B’s ahead 5-4, two out and
first and second peopled by Pioneers, a pass ball advanced
the Nooksack pair to second and third and a two-run error
in the outfield brought them home.
Sophomore
Krista Walter, who got the loss, struck out five, walked
one and scattered seven NV hits. Senior Lacey Steiner, who
got the win, let up 11 hits.
Nooksack
scored two in the top of the first, but Walter singled,
moved into scoring position on Kristina Francis’ line
drive single and scored on Katie McLaughlin’s shot
into center to close it to 2-1, NV. Blaine went up 4-2 in
the second, a Walters single scoring Lacy Cheatwood to make
it 2-2 and a Francis single driving Liz Sipes and Walter
across.
After
NV evened things at 4-4 in the fifth, Blaine went ahead
in the sixth with Sonia Beljean’s single driving Alisa
Burk home for the go-ahead run and setting the stage for
the dramatic seventh.
South
Whidbey took an 8-0 lead after two in the Falcon fray, scoring
one in the first and seven in a big second-inning burst,
the latter coming on seven hits, an error and a walk.
Francis
drove in two Lady B runs with a shot up the middle in the
third that came close to decapitating the SW pitcher and
Brandy Johannesson brought two Lady B’s home with a
grounder up the middle in the fourth. Burk drove in Blaine’s
other run.
Walter,
who went 2-for-4 at the plate, limited the Falcons to seven
hits while the Lady B’s collected nine. Walter finished
the season with a .322 batting average and a .674 on-base
percentage. Francis was Blaine’s leading hitter, ending
the year with a .386 batting and a .714 on-base average.
Burk, who raised her average from an anemic .041 in the
B’s first nine games to .246 in 19 games at season’s
end, had Blaine’s best on-base average, an incredible
.736.to topping Nooksack
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