Red-hot Sports in Redmond

After attending Tuesday night’s Bear Creek boys’ basketball game against Rainier Christian, I now know the true meaning of the word “dominance.” Never have I seen a team so strong on all facets of the game… Head coach Scott Moe’s squad this season has been able to stay relatively healthy and they got the goods – kids that can shoot, post up, rebound, and a fantastic pressure defense that forces turnovers and missed shots.  You can see a real chemistry when they play, kids that are just as willing to dish the ball off to a mate than to put up big numbers themselves – a great example of this was senior guard Kyle Blankenbeckler who recorded nearly as many assists (12) as he did points (13) for a spectacular double-double.

But although Moe and his Grizzlies have been blowing the league out of the water lately, scoring 80+ points for 5 of their last 6 games while winning by at least 28 each time, he is very humble when he talks about his teams successes and doesn’t put the proverbial cart before the horse as far as postseason goals go.

And speaking of classy, I think Jamie Meyer (TBCS guard and 2-time reigning league MVP) is probably the classiest high school athlete I have ever met.  He reached an incredible milestone late in Tuesday’s game, scoring his 1,500th point during his career at the school, a mark that no one has even come close to, and when asked about it he gave all the credit to his teammates:

“For me, this is an indicator of where my whole team has come. Anything that shows up in the paper, I can’t do that without my teammates. I’m just so grateful, the things that we’ve been able to accomplish together.”

This kid is one of the top guards in the state at the 2B level, if not THE best, but he’s got a solid head on his shoulders.

And how about Chandler Jones tying a CAREER HIGH with 33 points against Ballard on Tuesday!  You go, girl!

Some of you may remember the feature I did on two-time Olympic skier and Redmond native Scott Macartney a few months ago… at the time he had his sights set on making his third consecutive Winter Olympics, which begins next month in Vancouver.  Unfortunately, his injury-ridden past came back to haunt him at the worst possible time, with his hip and back flaring up, along with repercussions from a freak injury in January 2009 and a star-studded list of Olympic hopefuls this year, caused him to just miss the cut for the 2010 games.

This must be a crushing blow for him with all the hard work he’s put in to rehab and get ready for this moment, but I know everyone in the community is pulling for him to make a full recovery and be a threat in 2014. Even the U.S. Men’s ski team coach, Chris Brigham, said, “He’s as fast as any guy in the world.”

Things will get back to normal here (12-hour day yesterday laying out the newspaper, FUN!) starting next week as our editor gets back from a two-week cruise in the Caribbean. On tap for next week will be the RED-HOT Bear Creek Grizzlies, who have outscored their opponents 248-92 in their last three games, all blowout wins, against a legitimate threat Seattle Lutheran (7-2, 12-4) which has won five of its last six.

And you gotta tip your cap to the Redmond boys who ended their skid of eight games with a 63-52 win over Roosevelt on Tuesday.  Hopefully they can add some credibility in the upcoming weeks and close out with a few more “W”s on the board.

Well, not quite Shaq’s size 23 Nikes, but almost.  Our fearless editor, Bill Christianson, is now basking in the warm Caribbean sun in the midst of a 10-day cruise and by default I’ve become the interim editor-in-chief since I’m the only one that can lay out our newspaper in Adobe InDesign.

Kinda like a bench warmer being asked to step up and perform late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, so to speak.

But we have a tremendous staff here, albeit small, and I was able to get the job done.  Hope everyone enjoyed today’s Redmond Reporter – and also hope that everyone that read the paper couldn’t tell that our usual editor is 3,500 miles away!

Looking forward to next week – I’ll feature the Overlake Girls basketball team as they challege the Northwest School on Tuesday night at home. The Owls have really come into their own as of late, playing a number of tight matches including their 61-60 double-overtime thriller last Tuesday against Cedar Park and are sitting in a tie for 3rd in the 1A Emerald City League at 4-2 (6-3 overall).

And congrats to both Bear Creek teams as they steamroll through league play (they’re a combined 11-1, with the boys undefeated). Keep it up Grizzlies!

Everyone try and get out to some high school hoops games and cheer on your local teams!

Covering last night’s 4A Kingco boys’ basketball game, Redmond vs. Bothell at Bothell High, was painful. Not phyiscally, but emotionally, as I lived and died with this team last year as I followed them all the way to the state tournament. But when you graduate all five of your starters along with most of your bench, as coach Jeff Larson had to do last year, the lows can get pretty low.

It was a competitive game that the Mustangs definitely had a chance to win in the fourth quarter, as the Cougars made a plethora of mistakes, from bad passing to missing shots (they were scoreless for the first five+ minutes of the quarter) but the Mustangs were unable to close the deal and were handed their fourth straight loss and seventh of their last eight games.

You could just see the pain on Larson’s face after the game, I know how much the game of basketball and coaching at Redmond means to him and he’s doing the very best he can and not getting the return in the win/loss column.  But it’s a tremendous learning experience for his young team about what it takes, and the work ethic need to succeed in one of the toughest leagues in the state.

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And I’m sure some of you have seen a lot of Matt Campbell’s work – he’s our freelance photographer and owns and operates his own Web site, www.sportspixs.com where you can purchase prints of his fine work.

Matt’s been very graciously donating his time and effort to attend games and capture some of the most memorable moments of any athlete’s prep career to print in our newspaper so please if you see a shot or two that you like, take a moment and buy them from him as a way of saying “thank you” for his support of our local schools’ athletics.

Here’s a shot he took of last night’s game – sophomore guard Jason Harrington posting up for a jumper.

Photo Courtesy of Matt Campbell

Click the following links to browse galleries of our local teams’ most recent hoops games:

Redmond High School boys (vs. Bothell)

Redmond High School girls (vs. Skyline)

Overlake School boys (vs. Auburn Adventist)

Overlake School girls (vs. Auburn Adventist)

Bear Creek boys (vs. Eastside Catholic)

6-foot-6 forward Ryan Strandin goes to the hoop for two of his 13 points during Saturday's game against Eastside Catholic. The Grizzlies, led by the 27 points of Jamie Meyer, won a nail-biter 57-53.

I normally don’t work weekends, but when I got a personal invite from Bear Creek coach Scott Moe to attend the Grizzlies’ highly anticipated matchup with 3A Eastside Catholic, I couldn’t pass it up.

It was a packed house, standing room only, and every person in the building got what they paid for in this battle. The Grizzlies fell behind early and were down by as many as 13 at one point, but the Crusaders’s shooting got cold as the beleaguered home squad started to claw their way back into contention in the second half, setting up a fourth quarter for the ages.

With both teams trading blows, the Grizzlies found the answer in clutch three-point shooting by junior guard Lucas Peterson and their go-to guy Jamie Meyer, the reigning league MVP, to just edge out the Crusaders.

Since I’ve been bogged down with previews, this was my first basketball game since I covered the most exciting game in the history of high school basketball last spring and it definitely reminded me how exciting high school hoops can be.

This was our featured game for this Friday’s issue of the Redmond Reporter so if you missed the game look for the full recap there!

As our newspaper is about to go to press for the final time in 2009, I’d like to take a look back and some of the most memorable sports stories we saw this year, in what was my first full year as a sports writer in Redmond.

Although I can’t possibly pick one, there were certainly a handful that stood out as moments that I will never forget from what was quite an exciting year.

Who can forget Redmond’s version of March Madness when the senior-laden boys’ squad made it into the 4A state tournament and overcame a first-round loss to post three straight wins and take 5th place in front of a Tacoma Dome jam-packed with Superfans every single day? I will never forget Chris Harrington’s two free throws with no time left on the clock that he drained to send the 5th/8th place trophy game into overtime, and I doubt he or any of his teammates will either.

Or Redmond senior Sarah Lord finally winning gold at the state track meet after finishing close time and time again…. and the Mustangs’ incredible upset of No. 6-ranked Eastlake this fall at Walter L. Seabloom stadium.  I was on the field getting ready to interview head coach Mike Pluschke and nearly got soaked by the traditional water cooler drenching as what seemed like the entire student body ran out on to the field to celebrate.

Memorable moments were not just limited to Redmond High either…

This fall we witnessed incredible runs by both small schools, 1A Overlake, whose boys were unbeaten for the first time in the program’s history, and the girls’ team whose “super six” seniors led the team all the way to the state finals, and the 2B Bear Creek School boys did the same, overachieving in a big way after losing a crop of senior talent.

Other big topics of discussion off the field was the controversial new $275 per sport athletic fee imposed by the Lake Washington School District due to lack of funding, and we have already seen its unfortunate impact.

All in all, economic recession notwithstanding, 2009 was a memorable year and I can only wonder what excitement and amazing sports stories 2010 will bring.

We’ll get the year started off on the right foot this New Year’s Day with a feature on Overlake senior Trent Halvorson, who overcame the death of his mother and a myriad of injuries last year to come back and lead the boys’ basketball team.  Having gotten the opportunity to meet him in person, Halvorson is an incredible kid and is an inspiration to anyone dealing with tough times in their life.

Everyone have a HAPPY NEW YEAR and I’ll see you in 2010!

Hope everyone was able to get their holiday shopping done early this year (I was, for once!) and can now sit back, relax and enjoy the season.

On tap for Christmas Day are our final two previews, the Redmond High Swimming and Wrestling teams, and our New Year’s Day edition will be one to remember as I feature one of the most extraordinary stories I’ve ever encountered in my career thus far in Trent Halvorson of Overlake.  I’m still writing the story but will provide a teaser in my blog early next week.

As we round out 2009, we have the Bear Creek School girls, (Sea-Tac 2B League) under the experience of Alan Dickson, who had an amazing story in his own right, at 7-2 so far this year (1-0 in their only league game) and one team on the outside looking in, the 0-5 Redmond High girls who had one of the toughest December schedules ever, hope to rebound in 2010, and their trip to Phoenix over the break for the Cactus Jam Tournament should help improve team bonding and relax them after a tough start under new coach Sara Goldie.

Good luck to all our teams playing in holiday tournaments (as profiled in this Friday’s Reporter) and Happy Holidays!!!

Hope everyone’s been enjoying the winter sports previews so far, on tap for this issue is Girls’ basketball featuring Redmond High School’s team and their new head coach Sara Goldie, and sidebars previewing the Overlake Owls and Bear Creek Grizzlies who are currently tearing it up at 5-1.

Although I obviously love getting paid to attend basketball games, I really do enjoy this chance I have at the beginning of each season to get the community excited about the upcoming year, which represents a fresh start for some teams and the continuation of great things for others.  No one ever knows exactly how a season will turn out with so many intangibles involved (player development, injury, etc) but it should be great fun to watch our basketball teams into the new year, as well as boys’ swimming, wrestling and gymnastics at Redmond.

After today all teams will take a well-deserved hiatus for the holiday break, with some even getting the opportunity to travel (many out-of-state) to tournaments to gain some vital experience and team bonding heading into the heart of the season.  I was fortunate enough to be able to go on similar trips while bowling for the University of Washington team, and some of my greatest memories stem from these events.

On tap for next week we’ll wrap up previews by showcasing two Mustang teams, wrestling and boys swimming (of course on Christmas morning the FIRST thing you’ll do is pick up the Redmond Reporter and grab a cup of coffee, right?  RIGHT???)

I don’t know how many of you are fans of professional bowling (hopefully more than just me), but one of the best stories in sports came to fruition last Sunday, live, on ESPN.

The story belongs to Detroit native Thomas Smallwood, who less than a year ago got laid off from General Motors as an autoworker due to the souring economy. Smallwood, who is married with a wife and a young daughter, didn’t know how he would provide for his family after getting his notice.

An avid bowler who had done well competing at the amateur level, his wife let him pursue his dream of playing the sport professionally. He shined during the PBA Tour trials, finishing third out of 97 players, and earned an exemption on the tour for the 09-10 season. From there, he made the TV finals of the biggest tournament of the year, the PBA World Championship, which carried a $50,000 winner’s check, a two-year exemption on the tour and a berth into the prestigious Tournament of Champions. He handily won his first match and was pitted against reigning PBA player of the year and one of the best bowlers on the planet, 6-foot-5, 250-pound Wes Malott, for the title. At 5-foot-6, Smallwood was in for a true David vs. Goliath battle in front of a packed house and the bright TV lights at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kansas.

Smallwood, who had only been on TV once before that, kept the match close, and even came back from a big split in the 7th frame with two consecutive strikes. Smallwood got up in the 10th frame needing a strike to win the tournament, but if he didn’t strike, he would lose.  After coming so far in the past year from losing his job to having a chance at bowling immortality, he was somehow able to overcome the nerves, and threw a picture-perfect shot to seal a 244-228 victory and change his life forever.

And the funny part was, earlier in the week the GM jobs bank called and asked if he wanted his old job back. His reply in a nutshell: “No thanks, I’m bowling professionally now, and actually I’ll be on ESPN this Sunday if you want to watch.”

Let’s hope they did, and like the rest of the bowling world, were inspired by an amazing story of perseverance through tough times, hard work, and pursuing your dreams.

Congratulations to Tom Smallwood!

Watch the exciting conclusion to this match here!

Going back to the Overlake School fieldhouse the other night to do my boys’ basketball season preview story brought back great memories.  It had been a while since I last covered a basketball game, the Redmond boys’ epic 5th-place run at the Tacoma Dome last year to be exact, and it all came back and I started to really get excited about this year’s hoops season.

I actually played too, for one season, in my seventh-grade year. I don’t know what coerced me to try out, as I was not the picture of athleticism with my bulky frame and glasses, but I definitely performed my role as a bench-warmer to perfection.  I finished my prep career with a total of two points, and I vividly remember the bucket, it was from the top of the key on the left side, I had been dished the ball from the wing due to a double team and I had to either take the shot or pass it off as I had done just about every time I had the ball so far that season.

I was open so I posted up and let the ball fly… nothing but net!  The crowd, consisting of about 6 parents and someone’s dog, went wild as I got rained with back-pats and high-fives.  My moment of glory.  Not quite like Chris Harrington draining a pair of free throws with no time left to force overtime in front of a packed house at the Dome, though.

But I digress… the Overlake boys’ team looks solid again this year even without stud Danny Poplawski, they have a TON of speed and will find a way to win. Even in practice I noticed that they would dive after loose balls like the state championship was on the line, and knowing John Wiley’s repuation as the Owls’ respected longtime coach, he would have it no other way.

Bear Creek boys look solid too with Jamie Meyer returning, actually EVERYONE returns from last year and they were 12-1 so the sky looks to be the limit for them this season.

Coach Jeff Larson is in a tough spot after graduating one of the most heralded senior classes in Redmond High history last year with 8 graduates that led the program to 5th at state, but I think that program is deep enough that once the kids that mostly sat last year get their feet wet they’ll be competitive.

Next week look for our Girls’ basketball preview when I’ll feature new head coach at Redmond Sara Goldie!