You Never Know

Who indeed knows what to expect come state tournament time?

I just got back from the 1A tournament in Yakima and District IV took a beating unlike anyting I’ve seen in a long time. You never know until you get to state, how strong or weak the other districts are. It turns out, this year, that District IV was amng the weakest as five of our six teams were out after two days, and just one, Toledo’s boys, made it to Friday before losing.

On the other hand, take a look at Spokane, where the District IV girls are tearing it up. I checked the scores late Thursday and saw what I expected with Napavine and White Pass making the semifinals, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Mossyrock in the semis as well. Talk about a huge feather in the District IV cap. As it turns out, Napavine beat Mossy and will play for the state title against La Salle, and it should be a great game. La Salle barely beat White Pass in the semis, so Napavine should match up well in the title game.

Not to be overlooked by any means is the big Twin Cities game in Kelso Saturday when Centralia and Chehalis play in the winner-to-state, loser-out game of the Boys 2A Ditrict Tournament. I really have no clue who might win this game. The teams split, with the Tigers winning the second game handily, but how that will play out in this most emotional of games remains to be seen. The only thing I know is it has all the signs of being one of the best Twin Cities matchups in history.

Tommie Smith a hit

I found it incredibly cool to be able to talk with Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith the other day after he spoke to students at an assembly at Tenino High School. I hate to date myself this way, but I remember Smith’s gesture at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City like it was yesterday.

That’s the first thing I said to him, that I couldn’t believe 40 years had passed since he and John Carlos raised their fists and bowed their heads in a civil rights protest on the victory stand after Smith won the 200 meters. At the time, I was young and incensed when Smith did it. I was a young redneck from Grays Harbor and thought he showed great disrespect to the U.S. by doing that during the medals ceremony. The Games were supposedly sacred, and above political gestures.

But now, I have the utmost respect for what he and Carlos did, and for the unbelievable courage it took to do it. Many of you may not recall, that was an extremely volatile time, racially, in our country, and Smith and Carlos were raked over the coals and received thousands of death threats upon their return to the U.S.

But as I matured, I realized what they were trying to do, and Smith confirmed it all the other day. There was no disrepect intended; it wasn’t a militant gesture, and Smith was praying while his head was bowed. It took bigtime guts to do what they did and it was an honor to speak with him.

He’s extremely personable, articulate, and passionate about all things in his life. Even at age 64 and “retired”, after all that’s happened, he just wants to go help coach track at a high school or junior college and do what he’s always loved. He’s an
amazing man and a great American.

What a game

The best thing for me about last weekend’s Super Bowl, is I really didn’t care who won ... or so I thought. But strangely, as the game wore on, I found myself getting swept up in the old pull-for-the-underdog routine.

From a purely objective standpoint, it was one of the best Super Bowl games I’ve ever seen. It had it all: the heavily-favored team going for a perfect season and the big underdog trying to win with a much-maligned quarterback.

I really like Eli Manning just because he reminds me of a Gomer from the Twin Cities than a New York QB. He’s shy and polite, and diligently working in his brother’s shadow. He truly played a great game.

When the Giants got the ball back with 2:39 left and trailing by four, I said to myself ‘if he takes them downfield and scores, he’s my hero,’ for the day anyway. I never expected him to do it, but it was amazing.

No play was more amazing than the one when the pocket collapsed and he had Patriots tugging at him from all directions, and somehow squirted out and then completed the pass with that amazing catch by David Tyree to keep the drive alive. Combine Manning’s heroics with the Giants’ big-time defense, and it was a terrific ballgame.

Preps Polls, Feb. 7: Getting it Right?

Here’s how this week’s preps polls turned out. Centralia boys grabbed the No. 8 spot in the Evergreen 2A Conference, Winlock took No. 6 in the Evergreen 1A Conference, and Adna managed to nab the No. 8 spot in the Central 2B League.

As for the girls, only Napavine and White pass were recognized, taking the No. 2 and No. 4 spots in the C2BL, respectively.

Any tiffs here? Take a look and make your case if there should be changes.

Boys Prep Polls
Class 2A
School Record Points
1. Mark Morris (4) 15-3 48
2. Burlington-Edison 14-2 40
3. Pullman (1) 15-1 39
4. River Ridge 12-5 24
(tie) Prosser 13-3 24
6. Ephrata 14-2 22
(tie) Lynden 11-5 22
8. Centralia 11-6 20
9. Port Townsend 16-1 14
10. Tumwater 13-5 8
Others receiving votes: W. F. West 7. East Valley (Yakima) 4. Cheney 1. Hockinson 1. R.A. Long 1.

Class 1A
School Record Points
1. Bellevue Christian (4) 18-2 48
2. King’s (1) 14-4 44
3. Vashon Island 18-1 41
4. Chelan 16-3 25
5. River View 17-2 21
6. Winlock 17-2 20
7. Connell 17-3 19
8. Castle Rock 15-3 17
9. Meridian 14-5 13
10. Lake Roosevelt 16-3 12
Others receiving votes: Nooksack Valley 6. White Swan 4. Cascade Christian 4. Colfax 1.

Class 2B
School Record Points
1. Riverside Christian (2) 20-0 47
2. Toutle Lake (1) 18-0 43
3. Northwest Christian (Colbert) (2) 18-1 42
4. Reardan 16-3 30
5. St. George’s 18-2 28
6. Liberty Bell 16-3 25
7. LaConner 17-2 15
8. Adna 11-7 13
9. Naselle 13-6 11
10. LaSalle 14-5 7


Girls Prep Polls

Class 2B
School Record Points
1. LaSalle (5) 19-0 59
2. Napavine (1) 18-1 52
3. Shoreline Christian 18-1 45
4. White Pass 14-3 40
5. St. George’s 18-2 36
6. Northwest Christian (Colbert) 17-3 27
7. Liberty Bell 17-2 23
8. Mossyrock 15-4 21
9. Orcas Island 14-3 9
(tie) Toutle Lake 13-7 9

Too Many Sad Goodbyes

The area has lost a lot of good people lately, including former Tenino track and cross country coach Gordy Robertson, and former Chronicle employees George Blomdahl and Chuck Wilfong.

I attended the celebration of life this past weekend for Robertson at the Tenino gym and, as far as funeral-type affair go, it was outstanding. Several people made moving tributes to one of the nicest guys I’ll know. One of his best athletes ever, Lori Fair, who was like a six-time state champion, gave a nice talk about the impact “Coachie” had on her and several other Beaver athletes like her. Beth Garson’s father opened his tribute by stating: “I raised two daughter’s with Gordy’s help.” And Hal Williams, a longtime (at least 40 years) friend of Robertson’s, opened with a touching, and humorous, eulogy.

But the best comments came from Ryan Robertson, who, as you all know, is the head boys basketball coach at W.F. West. He shared several humorous stories about his dad, and gave an emotional tribute to what his father meant to him. The courage and poise it took to make such a presentation is something Gordy would have been extremely proud of.

I’m sure I’m one of the few people at The Chonicle who remember George Blomdahl. Our careers overlapped here for about 10 years. He was a very good nuts-and-bolts type writer, and very well-liked by his sources. I remember him as a warm, caring man with a good sense of humor, and he always wore those bow ties. What many probably don’t know is how he nearly gave my assistant Mark Mansfield and I heart attacks. When George was here, our work spaces were in the same vicinity. While George was not a big man, I guarantee you, when he sneezed, it was like it came from a woolly mammoth. He had this high-pitched, deafening sneeze that would come without warning and make you jump about two feet from your chair. When you looked at him, he always excused himself with a shy smile. I’ll miss him.

And Chuck Wilfong I already spoke about in an earlier blog. He was another one-of-a-kind journalist who will be missed.