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Bowlers’ First Shot at Postseason Play Tuesday in Regional

Yakima Herald-Republic January 23, 2004 | Scott Spruill Now that the 52 regular-season games have been rolled, bowlers from Eisenhower, Davis and West Valley are preparing for their second season — Tuesday’s regional tournament in Ellensburg.

Yes, the postseason is already here and state qualifying is on the line.

Only there’s a hitch — there won’t be much state qualifying.

The local threesome, which finished 1-2-3 in the Yakima Division of the Central Washington League, will clash with Moses Lake, Wenatchee and Omak from the Columbia Division at Rodeo Lanes on Tuesday to battle for a single state team berth.

The trouble there is that the little school, Class 2A Omak, has stampeded the state in the relatively new sport, winning the state title last year and finishing second in 2002.

With fewer than 40 schools offering the sport, the WIAA allows girls bowling only an eight-team state event. Five teams will qualify from one westside regional and two from the other, leaving Eastern Washington with one — down from last year’s two berths.

Eisenhower, which placed fourth at state last year, appears to have the best local shot at a trip to state, which is at Leilani Lanes in Seattle on Feb. 6-7.

Coach Buddy Smith’s Cadets won 16 straight league games before splitting with Omak and Wenatchee last Tuesday.

“We’ve been bowling real well lately,” Smith said. “But with one berth, who knows?” Ike posted a season-high game of 915 a week ago against Davis, and senior Theba Plagens has a team-best game of 245.

Regional scores will be based on two regular games, four Baker contests and total pins. Competition starts at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

RING THAT BELL: Tonight’s Mid-Valley League boys basketball game between Grandview and Selah will not only be a duel for second place but will also have a historical sidelight. see here monster high wiki

Selah’s Erik Bell needs 10 points to break the Vikings’ 41-year- old career scoring record set by Dave Hovde in 1963.

Hovde, who led Selah to the Class A state title in his senior year, tallied 1,334 points in his high school career and Bell currently has 1,325.

Steve Berry, a 1997 graduate of Selah, scored 1,573 points in his career but played his first two prep seasons at Forks.

Bell is the 26th boy in Valley history to surpass 1,300 career points. The 27th is coming soon — West Valley’s Andrew Strait has 1,250.

FINAL NUMBERS: South Kitsap of Port Orchard continues to be the state’s monster high school with an enrollment in the top three grades of 2,670, nearly 200 more than Marysville, the second-biggest school.

The final numbers from the 2003 census period, which determine the classifications for the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school years, show a total of 18 schools moving to a new class, including 15 going down.

While Grandview is the only local school on the move, two others came close. Goldendale missed jumping to 2A by five students and Mabton stayed B by one.

With 1,922 students, Pasco is by far the Big Nine’s largest school. Eisenhower is second (1,774) and Davis is sixth (1,533). Kamiakin and Southridge are both under the 4A minimum of 1,200 but choose to opt up.

For complete statewide enrollment numbers, see the WIAA’s Web site at www.wiaa.com CHIPS AHOY: Eisenhower’s Brett Gordon was the lone local football player recognized among the Seattle Times’ blue-, red- and white- chip football recruits in Sunday’s edition.

Gordon, a 6-foot-3 quarterback who set Ike’s single-game and season yardage records last fall, was tabbed a white chip with small four-year college potential. With the position so competitive — 13 quarterbacks were noted among the state’s top 100 seniors — Gordon has yet to take a recruiting visit.

For the first time in years, the Big Nine didn’t have a blue or red chip. Joining Gordon on the white-chip list were Walla Walla’s Tyler Carter, Craig Mettler and Anthony Rosso, Pasco’s Roby Clyde, Eric Mattox and Mike Welch, Southridge’s Jake Davis and Tyler Mattair, Kamiakin’s Steve Davis, Nick Genatone, Brent Rushin and Evan Ruud, Moses Lake’s Mitch Reffett and Wenatchee’s Ben Spaun. site monster high wiki

Mettler, a 6-4 offensive lineman, is the only player in the bunch so far to get a four-year offer. He made a verbal commitment last week with Montana.

NET NOTES: Davis will host a Big Nine doubleheader on Saturday with Wenatchee, the boys playing at 6 p.m. followed by the girls at 8. The Pirates played a twinbill at Wenatchee on Dec. 5 when Davis Gym was being used for a wrestling tournament. … Eisenhower’s boys, who have won four conference games in a row, will welcome back Alex Johnson to the lineup in tonight’s game at Kennewick. The senior point guard has been sidelined since football season with a knee injury. … West Valley’s E.J. Schoen is averaging 15 points through 12 games but the senior forward has been on a tear lately with games of 23, 22, 13 and 21 points in his last four outings. … Clarkston’s fifth-ranked boys have an obvious threat in 6-foot-10 Gonzaga- recruit Josh Heytvelt but the Bantams can also hit from long range. In a 66-58 win over Cheney, Clarkston canned 11 3-pointers. … Snohomish’s Jon Brockman hit a 65-foot heave at the buzzer to give his team a 69-68 win over Mount Vernon on Tuesday. It was the first 3- pointer the 6-8 junior had ever attempted. “It almost feels like stealing,” Brockman said.

Scott Spruill