Washington prep season nears dramatic conclusion
Undefeated Asotin football team, contingent of Pullman squads among the programs headed to their respective postseasons
Class 2A state championship appearances in three different sports for the Pullman Greyhounds along with Class 1B and 2B playoff games for area football teams highlight this week’s scheduled postseason prep action on the Washington side of the border.
Pullman’s busy week of state competition will begin with a girls soccer match today, after which Greyhound volleyball and girls swimming take center stage.
Unbeaten Asotin and 9-1 Pomeroy headline among small-school football programs.
Capitalizing on crossovers
This is the Greyhound girls soccer team’s first trip to State in 12 years. Pullman (13-6) lost to West Valley of Spokane Valley in the district final, but pulled a 1-0 upset over Prosser in a regional crossover match to advance to a state opener at Bellingham (18-3) today at 4 p.m.
In volleyball, Pullman’s state prospects might have looked dim after a 5-6 start to the season, but the Greyhounds turned a corner roughly one month ago and have won nine of their last 10 matches, falling only to West Valley in a four-set district final. A 25-20, 25-22, 25-15 victory over Selah on Friday secured them a berth to State, where they will take on the Washington Patriots of Tacoma (18-3) on Friday at 10:45 a.m. in the Yakima Valley SunDome.
Hounds on the hunt in swimming
More than any of the school’s other fall sports programs, Pullman girls swimming has been a longtime staple at State, not only as a participant but as a title contender — and it is looking to continue that tradition this Thursday-through-Saturday at King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way, Wash. The Hounds travel to State in the wake of a dominant team district championship, from which event winners like Hazel Edge (100-yard breaststroke), Bree Myers (100 backstroke), Catalina Donolo (500 freestyle) and Lucy Sandberg (200 individual medley) will seek to replicate their success at the next level and “cause some waves,” in the words of coach Jacob Hogg.
Noting that this year’s shakeup in school classifications makes it harder to tell exactly where they stack up, Hogg estimates his Hounds have a “big chance at top five, decent chance at top three (and) puncher’s chance at winning it all” in team scoring.
Hallie Mackleit (500 freestyle, 400 IM) will lead a delegation from Clarkston, which also fields 200 freestyle, 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
All told, the Greyhounds qualified full squads or individuals for State in five of their six fall sports programs this year, having already fielded boys and girls for the state cross country meet held last weekend in Pasco.
Panthers, Pirates on the prowl
In football, Pullman did not advance past the regular season and Clarkston was eliminated last week in a regional crossover, but the Tribune readership area will be well-represented at the small-school levels.
Asotin heads into the 2B state playoffs sporting the No. 2 seed in what coach Jim Holman calls a “great reward for how hard the players have worked all season long.” In the course of building their 9-0 record, his Panthers have amassed over 3,200 combined rushing yards — led by Peter Eggleston with 1,493, then Cody Ells at 1,052 and Colt Kelley at 569. Eggleston has rushed for a team-high 15 touchdowns, while quarterback Ells has proven himself a true offensive dual threat, logging 13 touchdowns on the ground and eight through the air.
Asotin will be a clear favorite in its state opener as it hosts No. 15 Cle Ellum-Roslyn (7-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. to open its playoff campaign.
“We are in good shape health-wise, and having last week off was critical to our morale,” Holman said. “The guys are eager to get the postseason rolling.”
In 1B competition, the Pomeroy Pirates bring the No. 6 seed to their opener in what coach Kyle Kimble calls a “tough draw” against visiting No. 11 Odessa (7-2) on Friday at 7 p.m.
Led by the Southeast 1B League’s offensive and defensive players of the year in Jett Slusser and Boone Schmidt, respectively, Pomeroy has enjoyed margins of over 40 points in eight of its nine wins on the season. Its lone defeat came to Liberty Christian of Richland, which currently holds a 10-0 mark and the No. 1 seed for State.
“We head into the playoffs motivated, hungry and healthy,” Kimble said. “Our boys are focused.”
Joining Pomeroy in the 1B football field are the Garfield-Palouse Vikings (5-5), who are seeded 10th and face No. 7 Entiat (9-0) at Wenatchee’s Apple Bowl on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Back at the SunDome, the likes of Garfield-Palouse and Colfax begin competition today in the small-school volleyball championships. In 1B play, the Vikings (16-5) take on Naselle (12-9) at 8 a.m., while the 2B Bulldogs (10-12) face Mossyrock at 11:45.
Wendt may be contacted at (208) 848-2268, or cwendt@lmtribune.com.
