sportswriter of the year

BByy SSeebbaassttiiaann MMoorraaggaa

The Mount Si Wildcats turnedin a promising performanceSept. 10, defeating 4A schoolBothell 26-14 on the road.

The Wildcats (1-1) avenged ahome loss to Bothell last yearand erased much of the sourtaste from last week’s home lossto Woodinville.

“It was a total team effort,”head coach Charlie Kinnune said.

Bothell struck first, with a 13-yard pass from quarterbackAusten Dahl to wide receiverTrent Sewell in the end zone.Mount Si punted on its nextdrive and left Bothell starting atthe 50-yard line.

Just when it looked like Dahlmight engineer another Cougarscore on a short field, Mount Si’sJosh Mitchell collided with theBothell center with 12 secondsleft in the first quarter.

The game was stopped forabout 20 minutes while thetrainers tended to the Cougarplayer, who left the field on agurney.

Instead of galvanizing theteam, the injury left the Cougaroffense in flux, with Dahl deal-ing with errant snaps for the restof the night.

On the first post-injury drive,early in the second quarter,Bothell had the ball on first-and-15 at the Mount Si 35. A bad

snap cost the Cougars 18 yards.The Cougars would eventuallypunt on fourth and 41.

Wildcat QB Ryan Atkinson,took over at his own 24 yard-line, and began moving thechains up. On second-and-eight,he connected with Tyler Buttontwice to find the end zone.

On the next Bothell drive, aholding penalty erased Dahl’s80-yard touchdown run.

Forced to punt, the Bothellsnap rolled between Dahl’s legsand Mount Si got the ball at theCougars’ 20.

The drive stalled, and kickerCameron VanWinkle was askedto nail a 47-yard- field goal. Theball sailed easily through theuprights. The Wildcats had thelead and VanWinkle had himselfa tie for the 30-year-old schoolrecord for distance.

Ahead 13-7 at halftime,Wildcat fans fretted over arepeat of last week, when theMount Si team emerged lifelessafter the break. For a while, theirfears looked well-founded, too.

After forcing Bothell to punton the first drive, Button touchedthe punt as it slipped behindhim. Bothell recovered and onthe next play, Sewell had his sec-ond touchdown of the night.

Unlike last week, Mount Sishoved back. With four minutesleft in the third, Van Winklekicked his team back into thelead, with the third of his school-record four field goals in a game.

With a minute left in thethird, Mount Si’s defense cameup large and shut the door onthe Cougars for good.

On second-and-goal at the 7,Dahl connected with NickAnthony for six yards. On third-and-goal at the 1, the defensestuffed the Cougars and onfourth-and-one Dahl overthrewto Anthony.

On the next Cougar drive,Mount Si’s Zach Usselmanpicked off Dahl at the 50-yardline, and the Wildcats were inbusiness again. With 3:43 left inthe game, on first-and-goal atthe Bothell nine-yard line, RileyReed took it to the 1 and thenElijah Mayfield punched it in.Mount Si had a 23-14 lead.

A late field goal by VanWinkle and a Nick Mitchellinterception of Dahl with 50seconds left in the contest sealedthe victory.

“It felt great,” Josh Mitchellsaid. “We came out, played allfour quarters and stuck togetheras a team.”

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, [email protected]. Comment atwww.snovalleystar.com.

SportsPAGE 12 SEPTEMBER 15, 2011


They have heard the jokesand the putdowns. They haveseen the disappointment in theirfriends’ eyes, and their disbelief.

Switching high school foot-ball for golf? Really? Hut-hut-fore?

“The switch was pretty diffi-cult,” said Erik Stai, one of twovarsity golfers at Mount Si HighSchool who traded the gridironfor the links this year. “Tellingmy coaches and teammates wasreally hard because I was goinginto my junior year and wasfighting for the starting varsityquarterback decision.”

A quarterback since fifthgrade, Jake Archambeau becamea defensive end last year. Thisyear, he did not turn out forfootball.

“People have said, ‘Golf is awimpy sport, and you’re justscared.’ I just say when you haveto make a 10-foot putt to win atournament, that’s just as scaryas many situations in football,”Archambeau said.

The teammates have played

golf for years, but only this yeardid they begin playing competi-tively. The individual nature ofgolf, after years of team sports,enticed them.

Stai had a practical reason,too. A longtime skier, it hadbecome too difficult to balanceskiing and football.

“Football is a big commit-ment in the Valley and my pas-sion is skiing,” he said. “I choseto play golf to keep me doingsomething in the fall that wasn’tas much a commitment.”

Golf has the shortest scheduleof all the school’s varsity sports.

The duo still miss certainthings about football, like thebig crowds on Friday nights thatStai never got to experience as astarting quarterback.

That atmosphere, he said, isthe only thing that would makehim consider putting the padson again.

If given the choice betweenbeing drafted by the NFL orhanded a PGA tour card, Staisaid he would take the card andtravel the world. Archambeauwas more hesitant, mentioning

Monday Night Football and thefact that golfers who don’t makethe cut make no money.

Still, they love their newgame. They love the focus andcommitment it takes toimprove. They love the solitudeof it and how they are in controlof their own performance.

Well, sort of. Sometimes theyswing and that little dimpledball does its own thing.

“Makes me want to get backout on the gridiron and hitsome people,” Archambeau said.

The only thing that wouldmake him return to high schoolfootball, he said, is if someoneelse returns with him.

“Jake Locker,” he said. “If hedecided to go back to highschool and play for the Wildcatsand I would get to play widereceiver.”

Until the former Husky ditch-es the National Football Leaguefor the KingCo Conference,Archambeau will keep golfing,and so will Stai. Both want tomake it to state before theygraduate.

The fact that it’s state golf

By Calder Productions

Cameron VanWinkle kicking during the Mount Si-Bothell game. VanWinkle broke the school’s career recordfor field goals, broke the school’s record for field goals in a single game, tied the school’s record for field-goaldistance, and is two shy of the school’s record for field goals in a season.

Mount Si stuns Bothell on record-setting night

By Sebastian Moraga

From left, Erik Stai and Jake Archambeau. The Mount Si golfers sharea passion for the game and a past as varsity football players.

Duo trades in the gridiron for putters and a nine iron

and not state football matterslittle to them, but not everyoneis as lenient.

“My coaches were very under-standing about how importantskiing was to me and felt like Ishould follow my dream,” Stai

said of the Wildcats’ footballstaff. “My teammates are stillmad I’m not playing.”


SportsPAGE 12 JANUARY 26, 2012

BByy AAmmaannddaa AAuussttiinn

It was the week afterChristmas 2010. The Mount SiLady Wildcats basketball teamwas facing off against theShorewood High SchoolThunderbirds in the KingCoWestCo Challenge Tournament.

In the second quarter, JordanRiley had gone up for a lay-injust as a defending player hit herknee from the inside. That’swhen the tell-tale popping noiseindicated something had gonewrong, and she fell immediately.

As it turned out, the basket-ball star had suffered a tear toher anterior crusciate ligament,better known as the ACL, aninjury that demanded recon-struction surgery. Wasting littletime, Riley got into surgery lastFebruary and her physical thera-py regimen began soon after.

Riley’s ambition was clear,her goal finite: She had to getback in the game.

Today, it’s been almost a yearsince the Mount Si High Schoolsenior had surgery, almost sevenmonths since she began runningagain, and just about fourmonths since she got back onthe court.

In a word, her recovery was“difficult,” but that goes withoutsaying.

“It felt really weird,” Rileysaid. “You never realize howhard it is to make your kneemove until it hasn’t been mov-ing for months. I had to teachmy muscles how to work again.”

Riley got encouragementfrom numerous people. She saidher mom and dad were amongthe most powerful sources ofinspiration to her, fondly repeat-ing the line she heard so manytimes throughout her recovery:“Jordan, keep going.” Her par-ents drove her to countlessappointments, she said, andalways ensured she was icing herknee.

Riley’s physical therapist,John Zanas, of Peak Sports andSpine, was also a huge source ofsupport to her. She said the keyto the success of her recoverywas doing all of the exercisesthat Zanas prescribed to her and,of course, “taking no shortcuts.”

Zanas said that as a patient,“Jordan was determined andstubborn, but in a good way.She always wanted to do more.She wouldn’t let anything gether down,” not her inability toplay nor the tremendous work-load she faced.

“The year she’s having, afterwhat she’s went through, is phe-nomenal,” he added.

The pressing desire to play

again weighed on Riley morethan anything.

“I watched my team’s gamesduring the second half of theseason,” she said, “and notbeing able to play was a hugebummer.”

Mount Si basketball coachMegan Botulinski recalled thatRiley traveled with the team totournaments over the summerand even attended team camp.Despite not being cleared toplay, she went so she could stillparticipate as a captain and be apart of the team bonding,Botulinski said.

But now Riley said she canfeel her game getting strongerafter each game she plays.

“I can feel myself getting backinto the swing of things,” shesaid.

Botulinski said Riley is verycoachable and positive.

She was “so focused on rehab-bing that knee,” she added. “Shewas even cleared earlier thanpredicted because of that deter-mination.”

This season, Riley is sportinga heavy-duty metal brace thatkeeps her still-healing ACL inplace. One might assume thatwould slow her game down, buther stats suggest otherwise. Inher top scoring game of the sea-son so far, against Sammamish

High School on Jan. 6, Rileyracked up 17 points.

Botulinski said Riley is the

team’s leading shot-blocker, its

By Bob Wachtendonk/A Moment In Time Fotography

Jordan Riley, Mount Si High School’s 6-foot senior post, puts up a shotDec. 20 against Nathan Hale High School, won by the Wildcats, 60-39.

Mount Si basketball star overcomesinjury, gets herself back in the game


So the snowstorm had a plusside to it, after all.

At least it did for CameronVanwinkle.

The power outages kept theMount Si High School juniorand record-breaking kickerfrom watching one of hisheroes stumble on nationaltelevision.

As part of his education as akicker, Vanwinkle has attendedkicking camps directed by BillyCundiff.

Cundiff, the Baltimore Ravenskicker, missed a 32-yard kickJan. 22 that kept his team fromadvancing to the Super Bowl.

“I was a little surprised,” hesaid of hearing about Cundiff’smishap. “The pressure musthave gotten to him.”

The student of the game, andof kicking in particular, hasother hypotheses as to whatmight have happened.

“If it’s a bad hold and you hitthe laces,” he said, “it is a guar-anteed miss. My dad and I

watch kicks and if the kickermisses, we look to see if it’s agood hold.”

Such attention to detail —that and a powerful foot thatbelies his 165-pound frame —have several Division I universi-ties eyeing Vanwinkle as a possi-ble recruit.

Oregon, Missouri,Washington, and this weekTennessee, have approachedVanwinkle, who broke a handfulof school records last year.

Much like his hero from CrabTown, Md., Vanwinkle feels thepressure.

“I’m a little nervous,” he said,“I’m trying to help my parentsout.”

He said he hopes to get a fullride to a Division I universityand save his folks some money.Then, he said he hopes to makeit to the National FootballLeague, something that stoodjust above impossible the firsttime he played high schoolfootball his freshman year.

Standout kicker Cameron Vanwinkle dreams big, works hard

See KKIICCKKEERR, Page 13

See BBAASSKKEETTBBAALLLL, Page 13

Photo by Calder Productions

Mount Si High School junior Cameron Vanwinkle, in action for the Wildcats, has caught the eye of some biguniversities thanks to his kicking and punting prowess.

JANUARY 26, 2012 SnoValley Star PAGE 13

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“I just wanted to try a newsport out,” he said, “make newfriends. Soccer was my sportbefore.”

Vanwinkle’s football coachCharlie Kinnune said he hadalready turned some heads as amiddle schooler.

“I was told, when he was aseventh- or eighth-grader,”Kinnune said, “that we had thiskid coming up.”

The “kid” took over kickingduties his freshman year andhad to earn the trust of histeammates slowly.

Those same teammates nowa-days call him or his kicks“Money” for Vanwinkle’salmost-guaranteed accuracy.

Kinnune said he has neverhad a kicker recruited at thishigh level.

“I’m just sitting back, going,‘Someone’s going to get them-selves a really good kicker,’”Kinnune said.

Although conscious thatcollege is still a year away,Vanwinkle works towardpreparing himself for thecollege game.

In college, kickoffs happen atthe 30-yard line, which will

require a 70-yard kick to get tothe goal line.

“Right now, I’m guessing, I’maveraging 63 or 64 yards onkickoffs,” Vanwinkle said.

Kinnune said college kickerstend to be about 30 poundsheavier than Vanwinkle.

“He’s got to get heavier,stronger,” he said. “He’s got togain weight.”

Other things, he can’t preparefor in a weight room.

“In high school, you look tothe side and see fans,”Vanwinkle said. “In college,there’s going to be fans every-where you look.”

Vanwinkle has not decidedyet which college those fans will

root for or what he will majorin, but he said he is done withyear-round rain.

“I’d like to go somewherewarm,” he said.

Ultimately, the decision willcome down to whoever helpshis parents pay for college themost. If it’s warm there, all thebetter.

If after four years, the NFLcomes calling, better still.

“He’s got a bright future,”Kinnune said. “He’s a great deci-sion-maker on and off the field.”

A couple of years in theleague might help set him upfinancially for a long time,Vanwinkle said.

Nevertheless, he said, it’s notabout the money for him. It’sabout rubber on leather andleather taking flight, be it roundor oval-shaped.

“Even before I kicked thefootball, I just loved kickball,”he said. “I have always lovedkicking a ball.”


third leading scorer and sec-ond leading rebounder.

“I’m very proud of how shebounced back,” she said. “She’san inspira-tion … andjust an all-aroundamazingindividual.”

Zanas saidRiley’sunparalleleddetermination will take her“well beyond high school bas-ketball,” adding, “She learneda lot about adversity and hardwork and how well that willpay off for you in the longrun.”

After graduation, Rileyhopes to continue her educa-

tion at a university where shecan also play basketball, possi-bly in an intramural league.She has been accepted toSeattle University, Gonzagaand the University of Portland.Riley plans to pursue a degreein nursing as she said helpingother people has always been a

passion ofhers.

After spend-ing her fairshare of timein hospitalsand clinics,whether to gether tonsils or

appendix taken out or haveher ACL reconstructed, Rileysaid she just “really wants toreturn the favor.”

Amanda Austin is a student in theUniversity of Washington Department ofCommunication News Laboratory.Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

BBaasskkeettbbaallllFrom Page 12

GGaammeess rreesscchheedduulleeddBasketball games against

Lake Washington postponeddue to the snowstorm havebeen rescheduled as a double-header for Feb. 3. Games startat 5:45 and 7:30 p.m.

The games against Interlakeare set for 6:30 and 8 p.m. Jan.28 at home.

Wrestling meets have beenrescheduled. The meet againstMercer Island was scheduled totake place Jan. 26, and themeet against Sammamish willoccur 1:30 p.m. Jan. 28 atBellevue High School.

Check start times atwww.mountsihighschool.com toconfirm.

KKiicckkeerrFrom Page 12

“I’m just sitting back, going,‘Someone’s going to getthemselves a really goodkicker.’”

—— CChhaarrlliiee KKiinnnnuunnee

Coach

She’s an inspiration … andjust an all-around amazingindividual.”

—— MMeeggaann BBoottuulliinnsskkii

Coach


It's Nov. 17 at Mount Si HighSchool.

Football is five days into itshibernation, but the stadiumlights are on and so are the hel-mets. The rain is pouring and sois the sweat.

Soccer has also left the build-ing, but there's still a round ball,a goal, someone minding thenet and a high schooler hurlingshots at it, but with a stick.

It's lacrosse time.

TThhee pprraaccttiiccee

Everybody has a stick, butnobody speaks softly, least of allthe coach.

“You're lollygagging out here.C'mon,” Dennis Simmons tellsthe boys, sounding like thelacrosse version of KevinCostner's manager in “BullDurham.”

He has reason to sound irritat-ed. This is not a practice as muchas it is an audition.

The man they all audition forsits in the stands — WoodroeKiser, Mount Si Lacrosse's varsityhead coach.

Since lacrosse is a springsport, Kiser cannot coach orcontact a player until lateFebruary.

Until then, his youth-divisioncoaches take the reins and he

watches.“Fall ball,” Kiser said, refer-

ring to autumn practices andgames, “is a way to develop yourincoming freshmen and honethe skills of existing players.”

So what Kiser watches is thefuture of the program, wearingshorts, getting soaked andgoosebumpy, but learning andimproving.

This fall ball season, almost 30children turned out. With youthprograms producing a pipeline oftalent, more than 50 players areexpected to suit up next season.

“These past years, we've field-ed just a varsity team,” Kisersaid. “This year, we hope tohave varsity, JV and a C-team.”

The program is growing, Kisersaid. Two years ago, the varsityteam won no games in its inau-gural campaign

This year, the team won two,including the season finale.

“It makes everyone feel goodabout going into next year,”Kiser said of the win againstSouth Kitsap. “It gives themconfidence.”

TThhee ggaammee

It's Nov. 19 at the OverlakeSchool in Redmond.

It's a frigid, yet sunny dayand the last chance for a whilethat these players will have toprove themselves worthy — the

last game of fall ball. Kiser is not here, but Gary

Moorhead, co-president of theprogram's board of directors, isand so are a handful of grown-ups.

Nobody's lollygagging today.The team takes a three-goallead before halftime, and therivals from Everett look over-whelmed.

Still, this is fall ball: nobody

keeps score, nobody tracks statsand nobody goes at it with theintensity of a spring ball gameeither.

In fact, if this were spring,this game would have neverbegun..

“Everett showed up witheight players,” Moorhead said,“so we gave them two of ours.”

In spring season, senior and

captain of midfielders AndrewBottemiller said showing up twosticks short means a forfeit.

Not in fall ball. Flurry of first-half goals aside, the rules arelooser, the pace is slower, thegame is less physical and a run-ning clock makes games shorter.

“It's a lot more laid back,”Bottemiller said.

Moorhead agreed. “The whole point of fall ball

is to get playing time and prac-tice,” he said.

All of the available players getsome time on the field,although some have to play forEverett for a little while. Theplayers roll with it, vying forsome playing time.

Still, for some, it's not thesame as playing Ballard in frontof a big crowd or taking oneaway from South Kitsap as thedenouement for the year. It'sjust fall ball. The real fun is stillmonths away.

“I can't wait for spring sea-son,” Bottemiller said.


sportsPAGE 16 NOVEMBER 24, 2011


At the fort, she proved herforte.

Mount Si High School gradu-ate Alex Rudd had one of thebest races of her cross-countryseason at the NationalAssociation of IntercollegiateAthletics championship Nov. 19.

The race, held at FortVancouver in southwesternWashington, was the secondtime Rudd raced at cross-countryNationals for her college,Southern Oregon University.

She also competed at tracknationals in Indiana in May, fin-ishing 20th in the 10,000-meterrun.

The race in Vancouver wasthe culmination of an emotionalseason for Rudd, filled with sub-plots. This was her first yearunder “new” cross countrycoach and Southern Oregonalum Grier Gatlin, who coachedthe Raiders from 1999 to 2005.

Also, the team lost five of itstop seven runners from 2010,three of them to what Ruddcalled unexpected transfers.

“We had to approach the sea-

son with an open mind andbuild a new team dynamic,” shewrote in an email, “while stay-

ing focused on our individualgoals during all the changes.”

Through all the upheaval, she

managed to thrive, breaking the19-minute barrier with a personal-best of 18 minutes, 54.47 secondsat the Charles Bowles Invitationalin Salem, Ore., in October.

She earned All-CascadeCollegiate Conference honorsand an individual spot atnationals, where she improvedupon her 2010 performance.

Last year, according to theNAIA website, she finished173rd overall. This year, she fin-ished 57th, with a time of 18:58.

“I put the icing on the cake,”she wrote of her jump in thestandings.

The improvement at nation-als makes her ultimate dream apossibility.

“I am much more withinreach now of All-American hon-ors,” she added.

The top 30 runners at nation-als earn that accolade.

The season, Rudd said, was asuccess, even if tempered by theabsences of her former team-mates.

“It was bittersweet to be onthe start line of the race withouta full women’s team around methis year,” she wrote.

In 2010, then-freshman Ruddhad seven teammates wearingthe university’s red uniform atnationals. The Raiders finishedseventh in team scores.

This year, only junior SeenaFrantz wore Rudd’s same attire.She finished 37th. SouthernOregon did not rank among thetop 32 squads.

“There was a different kind ofpressure on Seena and I this yearas individual qualifiers and itproduced good results,” Ruddwrote. “Qualifying individuallywas definitely a confidencebooster.”

A sophomore, Rudd wrote shefeels lucky to have already par-ticipated twice in a race she con-siders unlike any other. The fortrocks, the crowd cheers and theadrenaline rushes.

“Like I tell the new freshmenon my team, it’s hard toexplain,” she wrote. “But onceyou’ve ran at nationals once,you’ll understand why you justhave to get back there.”


Contributed

Alex Rudd (329) competed in the National Association of IntercollegiateAthletics cross-country championships.

Mount Si grad aims for bigger prizes at nationals

By Sebastian Moraga

Nick Crandell (35), and the rest of the Mount Si High School varsitylacrosse team, participate in ‘fall ball’ offseason games to stay sharpuntil spring.

Growing lacrosse team can’t wait for spring OOnn tthhee WWeebb

Learn more about spring lacrosseregistration, for grades twothrough 12, at www.mountsilacrosse.org.

BByy DDaann CCaattcchhppoollee

Mount Si started strong,wavered and refocused to win26-14 at Interlake.

The Wildcats dominated thefirst half, taking a 17-0 lead into

halftime. The offense faltered inthe second half, but still managedto tack on another nine points.

Despite the school’s reputa-tion for smash-mouth football,the team wasn’t afraid ofputting the ball in the air.

“In our attempt to diversifyour offense, which means pass-ing for us, you know, it wouldbe second and four, and we’dpass the ball,” Wildcats headcoach Charlie Kinnune said. “So,normally, a Mount Si offensewould be second and four, andwe’d jam it down their throat.”

But not this year. Passing fig-ures to play a bigger role for theWildcats, who improved theirleague record to 2-0 with thewin (3-1 overall).

“We have to become a better,more efficient passing team,”Kinnune said.

Mount Si’s offensive line andquarterback Ryan Atkinson aregiving Kinnune the confidenceto take to the air with more fre-quency.

“We’re always going to playto our strengths,” Kinnune said.

Still, there is room forimprovement, Atkinson said.

“After a game like that, I feel

like we have a lot of work todo,” he said.

He and the rest of the offense

need to work on their mental


Mount Si quarterback Ryan Atkinson gets plenty of protection from the Wildcats’ offensive line while pickingout a receiver during the team’s 26-14 win at Interlake.

SportsPAGE 16 OCTOBER 6, 2011

Mount Si takes to theair in win at Interlake

See FFOOOOTTBBAALLLL, Page 17


With brains, brawn and wit,eighth-graders at Chief KanimMiddle School can’t wait untilthey play football with the bigboys.

Jeff Hanley, Nick Polito, CoryCotto and Cam Page want ninthgrade to get here but they won’trush.

“I just like playing football,”said Cotto, a linebacker withtwo siblings in the Mount SiHigh School football program. “Iwould like to be better than mybrothers.”

Polito wants to play for theWildcats. Hanley wants to play incollege. Page just wants to play.

“I’m not going to Mount Si,”he said. “I’m going to Redmond.My sister went to Mount Si andshe didn’t really like it.”

The boys don’t like the ideaof Page not playing for MountSi, especially Cotto, who hasknown Page since birth.

“My mom and his mom werein the same area of the hospitalwhen we were born,” Cotto said.“It sucks that he’s going toRedmond.”

Two years ago, the boys tooktheir first Chief Kanim snapswith knees knocking. In his firstpractice, Hanley broke a thumband lost a tooth.

Soon, the pain healed, fear

turned into excitement andexcitement turned into confi-dence.

Now, years later, some denythey were ever scared.

“I never thought football wasscary,” Page said, “because I’m

fairly large, compared to Nick.” Polito smiled. Another Nick-

is-short joke. Oh well.Besides one-liners, the boys

learn responsibility, disciplineand toughness. The coaches,Cotto said, treat them like foot-

ball players. “It helps me be focused,”

Hanley said. Also, Page said, girls love it.Yes, Cotto said, “because we

are so cute.” Two girls eavesdropping to

the right of Hanley nodded.Polito likes soccer and so does

Hanley, but the lessons learnedon the gridiron will stick regard-less of the sport.

“Football showed me I canget it if I work for it,” Politosaid. “It’s not the size of the dogin the fight, it’s the size of thefight in the dog.”

The boys smirked. “It also helps people,” Page

said, “create clichés like that.”Polito might have a point,

though. Against SnoqualmieMiddle School, Polito ran for209 yards, while Cotto and Pageran for 1.

Cotto is a linebacker and Pageis a defensive end. Polito is arunning back. Still, it was SMS,their archrivals.

Pressure to win is never high-er than against the Eagles, espe-cially since this year is thegroup’s last shot at somethingwonderful.

“My brother told me this wasthe funnest time of his life,”Cotto said.

After this year, they will tradetheir mid-afternoon contests forthe lights of Friday nights, inRedmond or Snoqualmie. Theythink they are ready. At least threedo. The fourth one just knows.

“Cottos just get better,”Cotto said, pointing at himself.“But this is the best Cotto.”

Pint-sized pigskin pals at Chief Kanim put the ball in football

By Sebastian Moraga

Chief Kanim Middle School football players have a blast while waiting for their turn as high school players.From left are Jeff Hanley, Nick Polito, Cory Cotto and Cam Page.


Wildcats wide receiver TylerButton pulls down a 12-yard passduring the first quarter.

NOVEMBER 3, 2011 SnoValley Star PAGE 17


The Mount Si Wildcats’ soccerseason came to an abrupt end injust four minutes, with the teamlosing 3-2 to Bellevue in a play-in match at Lake Washington.

Mount Si played well enoughto win, but dropped its guardtoward the end.

The Wildcats surrendered thetying goal with two minutes leftin regulation and then the win-ning goal in the second minuteof overtime.

“We played better,” forwardMiranda Rawlings said, “but welet it go and they took advan-tage of that.”

Teary-eyed Wildcats gatheredaround coach Darren Brown,who told the team it had been aprivilege to lead them throughthe 2011 season.

Leah Corra, a first-teamKingCo selection in her first sea-son of varsity soccer, called theyear “amazing.

“We just got unlucky,” shesaid. “Overtime is anyone’sgame and we just came up short.I’m really excited about nextyear, though.”

Bellevue will play Nov. 2against the winner of MercerIsland-Lake Washington.

The Wolverines were therivals for Senior Night at MountSi, when the Wildcats playedone of their best games of theseason.

Mount Si beat theWolverines, 2-0, Oct. 25, withback-to-back goals by Rawlingsand Claire Larsen in the sixthand seventh minutes of the sec-ond half, respectively.

Then, two days later and four

days before playoffs, theWildcats played some of theirflattest soccer in the first half ofthe regular season finale, trailing3-1 to the normally beatableMercer Island Islanders.

The ‘Cats had surrenderedthree goals before scoring on alate penalty kick before half-time.

Brown warned his starters atthe break: Get it together in 10minutes or I empty the bench.

With one minute left of

Brown’s deadline, AlyssaProudfoot connected on a head-er from a Rawlings free kick. Sixminutes later, a Rawlings’ cornerkick found Corra’s head and tiedthe match at 3-3.

Mount Si would dominate therest of the way, but no onewould score again, ending witha double-overtime 3-all tie.

“This was good for the girlsto understand that maybe thishappened for a reason,” Brownsaid. “So the girls can experi-ence this, going into Monday’sgame knowing what we needto do.”

Goalkeeper Sophia Rockowagreed.

“It’s perfect timing, becausewe have playoffs next week andeveryone’s playing together asone unit,” she said.

Falling short of a win matters

little when the team fights theway it did to claw back fromthree-nil down, Rockow said.

“We came back and we bat-tled our hardest and we are soready for playoffs,” she said.

The win against Bellevue andthe comeback against MercerIsland gave the Wildcats reasonto hope.

The flip-flop nature of thegame against the Islanders gavethem reason to pause.

“The way we played in thesecond half of the game, we aregoing to go through districtsand we are going to get tostate,” Brown predicted. “But ifwe played like we did out of thegates, one-and-done.”


Mount Si soccer drops heartbreaker to Bellevue in postseason loss“We came back and webattled our hardest and weare so ready for playoffs.”

—— SSoopphhiiaa RRoocckkooww

Goalkeeper

PPrreepp ffoooottbbaallllKingCo Conference 3A/2AStandings: Bellevue 7-0 (L), 9-

0 (S)*; Mercer Island 6-1, 7-2*;Mount Si 5-2, 6-3*; Juanita 3-4,4-5; Interlake 3-4, 3-6; Liberty 3-4, 3-6; Sammamish 1-6, 1-8;Lake Washington 0-7, 2-7.

*advanced to preliminaryround of state playoffs

PPrreepp ggiirrllss ssoocccceerrKingCo Conference 3A/2AStandings: Liberty 14-0-0 (L),

15-1-0 (S)*; Interlake 10-3-1, 12-3-1; Lake Washington 9-4-1, 9-5-2; Mount Si 5-6-3, 6-7-3;Bellevue 5-6-3, 5-6-4; MercerIsland 3-9-2, 3-11-2; Juanita 2-8-3, 3-10-3.

*league champion, state quali-fier

Oct. 25 GameMOUNT SI 2, BELLEVUE 0

Bellevue 0 0 – 0Mount Si 0 2 – 2Second half scoring: 1,

Miranda Rawlings (MS, ClaireLarsen assist), 46:00; 2, Larsen(MS, Rawlings assist), 47:00.

Shutout: Sophia Rockow.

Oct. 27 GameMOUNT SI 3, MERCER ISLAND 3

Mount Si 1 2 – 3Mercer Island 3 0 – 3First half scoring: 1, Emily

Lightfood (MI, Laura Harrisonassist), 4:00; 2, Michelle Day(MI, Isabelle Stribling assist),11:00; 3, Day (MI, Harrisonassist), 25:00; 4, Laura Barnes(MS), penalty kick.

Second half scoring: 5, AlyssaProudfoot (MS, MirandaRawlings assist), 49:00; 6, LeahCorra (MS, Rawlings assist),55:00.

PPrreepp vvoolllleeyybbaallllKingCo Conference 3A/2A Oct. 27 Tournament Game

MOUNT SI 3, LAKE WASHINGTON 0Lake Washington 13 15 15 – 0Mount Si 25 25 25 – 3

Mount Si statistics: KaileyCapelouto 11 digs, Lyndsay Carr11 kills, Rachel Hayford 14 digs,Sarah McDonald 13 kills, LaurenSmith 14 assists, 5 aces; NoelleStocksland 7 assists.

Oct. 29 Tournament TitleGameMOUNT SI 3, MERCER ISLAND 1

Mercer Island 18 25 19 17 – 1Mount Si 25 21 25 25 – 3Mount Si statistics: Kailey

Capelouto 6 kills, Lyndsay Carr12 kills, 10 digs, 4 aces; RachelHayford 17 digs, SarahMcDonald 11 kills, 9 aces;Lauren Smith 31 assists, 3 aces.

PPrreepp bbooyyss ccrroossssccoouunnttrryy

Sea-King 3A District 2Championships

At Lake Sammamish StatePark

Varsity raceTop Mount Si finishers: 36,

Richard Carmichael 17:08.49;46, Ben Houldridge 17:19.30; 71,Dominick Canady 18:02.65.

Open RaceMount Si finishers: 18,

Tommy Kirby 17:56.00; 38,Spencer Ricks 18:34.00; 44, SamEgan 18:37.00; 70, TimothyCorrie 18:59.00; 84, Justin Klock19:10.00; 85, Ryan 19:11.00;110, Colby Bentley 19:33.00;129, Landon Storrud 19:57.00;180, Paul Nelson 20:59.00; 223,Sam Isen 22:01.00; 224, KevinCarter 22:02.00; 226, SethHouldridge 22:07.00; 240, AaronRobey 22:29.00; 271, SeanHecker 23:34.00; 273, DeanSydnor 23:36.00; 285, QuintonCook 23:49.00; 286, Bailey

Rosenberger 23:50.00; 287,Jordan Engen 23:54.00.

PPrreepp ggiirrllss ccrroossssccoouunnttrryy

Sea-King 3A DistrictChampionships

At Lake Sammamish StatePark

Varsity raceMount Si finisher: 11, Bailey

Scott (Mount Si) 19:39.33.Open raceMount Si finishers: 8,

Angelina Belceto 21:42.66; 20,Erin Rylands 22:04.26; 38,Delaney Hollis 22:37.72; 45,Ashley Jackson 22:46.02; 74,Annie Shaw 23:46.77; 80,Ella Thompson 23:54.98; 106,Daniele Curley 24:41.20; 128,Madelynn Esteb 25:07.40; 144,Sally Miller 25:39.26; 146,Madeleine Bezanson 25:41.06;162, Mari Patis 26:06.46; 166,Jordan Koellen 26:09.07; 223,Stena Peterson 29:43.01; 232,Emma Bateman 30:06.71.

PPrreepp ggiirrllss sswwiimmmmiinnggKingCo Conference 4A/3A/2A

ChampionshipsOct. 29 at Mary Wayte Pool,

Mercer IslandTeam scores: 19, Mount Si 62.Individual results200 medley relay: prelims, 19,

Mount Si (Emma Gieseke,Maddie Hager, Hallie Lynn,Jessica Brady) 2:26.78. Diving:12, Darbie Dunn (Mount Si)257.20. 200 freestyle relay: Cfinal, 18, Mount Si (KellyMcCracken, Gieseke, Lynn,Hager) 2:22.24. 100 backstroke:prelims, 43, Brady (Mount Si)1:14.77.

100 breaststroke: prelims, 40,Brady (Mount Si) 1:22.54. 400freestyle relay: C final, 15,Mount Si (Lynn, Gieseke, Hager,Brady) 4:54.76.

Scoreboard

league record. The Wildcats are advancing

to the state playoffs for thefourth consecutive year.

They will travel to GigHarbor to take on thePeninsula Seahawks at 7 p.m.Nov. 5, at Roy Anderson Field,

Peninsula High School. Thewinner of that game will playa Metro League team.

The two schools met in2008, when Mount Si won 33-9. Wildcats running back SeanSnead set a school record formost touchdowns in a singlegame with five.

Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or [email protected]. Comment atwww.snovalleystar.com.

FFoooottbbaallllFrom Page 16


Mount Si’s Kailund Williams almost evades a Sammamish tackle inthe first quarter.

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