Athletes of the Week

Below are some of the top performances of last week in several different athletic events. All of the athletes had stellar days, but which performance should be rated as No. 1? Take a look:

Brittany Woods, Pe Ell softball — Woods struck out 19 in a complete-game shutout at home against Morton Friday of last week in a Central 2B League 6-0 win. She also went 3 for 4 at the plate with a home run and triple.

Mikel Elliott, White Pass track and field — Elliott was the winner in the 800 (2-minutes, 35-seconds) 1,600 (5:40) and 3,200 (12:03) in the Panthers’ 1-point victory over Morton at Toutle Lake Thursday of last week, 102-101.

Dominick Courcy, Centralia baseball — Courcy had a bases-clearing, three-run double and finished 2 for 2 at the plate as Centralia beat Hoquiam 13-10 Wednesday of last week.

Drew Myers, Lance Wuerth and Josh Moss, Tenino baseball — The Tenino trio combined to go 8 for 12 at the plate in the first of two games with Onalaska at Tenino Tuesday of last week, with Moss picking up the bulk of the RBIs with three in a 9-5 win.

Tanner Lusk, Pe Ell baseball — Lusk got the start for the Trojans against Winlock Monday of last week and didn’t allow a hit in his four innings of work. He faced just one hitter over the minimum before being relieved in a 5-1 win.

Easy on Those Arms

I just saw a story that involved a former Centralia player, Jay Hultberg.

Hultberg has been the longtime coach at North Mason High School and he was the coach in 2001 when a pitcher, Jason Koenig, played for him. After pitching in five consecutive April games, throwing about 425 pitches over a 16-day period (April 11-27), Koenig developed a torn rotator cuff and labrum in his shoulder, and a torn capsule in his elbow, ending his baseball career.

As a result, Koenig field suit against the North Mason School District, claiming Hultberg was negligent in letting him throw so many pitches in such a short period. (Actually, it comes to 85 pitches per outing on the average, which isn’t bad). But he reportedly threw 140 pitches on April 27.

Anyway, the suit was thrown out basically because the jury said Hultberg didn’t have enough information about the risk of high pitch counts at the time.

The topic, however, is an excellent one.

Pitch counts, especially early in the season when weather is shaky, like now, are crucial. Fortunately, in our area, our coaches are all protective of their young arms and it hasn’t been an issue.

But it likely will become one. Right now, the WIAA mandates that pitchers rest for two days if they pitch more than three innings in a game. There is no restriction on pitch counts ... yet. I’m sure WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese will look into this further, on the heels of this suit.

I believe pitch counts are necessary for stupid coaches, but I haven’t seen that in our area. And, from what one source indicated, Colbrese hasn’t heard of any complaints regarding the current pitching standards.

Little League baseball adopted pitch counts in 2006 based on research from the American Sports Medicine Institute that indicated 17- and 18-year-old pitchers should not throw more than 105 pitches in a day or 130 in a week.

Should high school pitchers be restricted in their pitch counts? Have you seen any coaches abuse a pitcher in that regard?

I think too many things are over-regulated as it is, but this is definitely something to think about.

So Long, Coach

I was in Arizona last week when I learned of the death of Dick Brock.

I can’t say it was a surprise because when I last spoke to him at Gordy Robertson’s funeral a few weeks back, it was apparent he was in failing health.

I will really miss this guy.

When I first started, Dick was one of the first hoops coaches I got to know well. We had a great working relationship because he was one of the type of coaches I most respect: He spoke his mind. He was candid, yet tactful and caring.

After he retired, we stayed in touch. It was a virtual guarantee to see him on press row at state basketball tournaments, and I shouldn’t reveal this, but I probably had something to do with that. I got Dick a few tournament passes after he retired (a no-no according to the WIAA) and if he was at a tourney I was covering, he always joined me on press row. If I was out of town at another tourney, I know Dick still went to Tacoma or Seattle and loved to watch and stay in touch with hoops.

I gave Dick tourney passes because he earned them. Anyone who devotes their life to the sport like he did, and who put in the enormous amount of largely thankless time like he did, deserves a tourney pass and much more.

Besides, I loved having him beside me at tournaments. His insight into the game, and his assessments of certain players, was invaluable, and always interesting. And he was just fun to be around. You won’t find a friendlier guy.

I was lucky to know Dick and feel very fortunate I got to chat with him a bit a few weeks ago. I love that generation of coaches and hate it when we lose one.

Lovely Weather

Now I’ve seen it all.

Thirty years on the job and this is the first time I can remember a track meet getting scrubbed by weather. And not just one, but two. Meets scheduled in South Bend and Tenino were canceled for different reasons, but both weather related. At South Bend, the area surrounding the track facility is so muddy and mucky, that the meet was called. And in Tenino, a few inches of snow on the ground forced that postponement.

The only other time I can recall a partial postponement was at Onalaska years ago, when one end of its track was flooded.

Is this the worst spring in memory? Well, there’s a lot of the season left, but it sure is on track to be one of the worst. As Washington residents, it shouldn’t surprise us. But this weather is bad, even by our standards.

Wednesday Games Washed Out

(photo by Jesse Smith / The Chronicle)


Save for the Centralia and Chehalis boys soccer matches against Black Hills and Aberdeen, respectively, the entire Wednesday scheduled was slashed due to bad weather. Pictured above is Tenino pitcher Alex Phillips, who was pitching against Rochester Tuesday before the game was called.

Local Softball Teams Strut Their Stuff at UW Festival

(photo courtesy of gohuskies.com)


This past weekend eight softball teams from around the state were invited to play at the University of Washington Festival in Seattle.

In short, the teams selected were good. And that says a lot for softball in Lewis County.

Centralia and W.F. West (Evergreen 2A Conference), and Adna (Central 2B League) were three of the selections.

The trio of local squads performed well. In fact, they almost pulled off a trifecta.

Centralia pitcher Ramona Lorton threw five near-perfect innings to lead the Tigers to a 12-0 win over Pullman, Lauryn Ticknor pitched the Bearcats past Lake Stevens, 9-2, and Adna narrowly lost to Cedar Park Christian, 7-6.

Goes to show you the quality of softball being played in our own backyard, not to mention the three teams displayed sportsmanship over the weekend, too, cheering each other on.

“There was a great atmosphere, it was a great field, and even for the coaches it was a neat experience,” Adna coach Mike Raschke said. “Centralia supported us and sat in the stands — even some of the parents. And we stayed until the fourth inning of the Chehalis game and rooted them on. Chehalis rooted Centralia on, too. It was nice to have three local teams pulling for each other.”

The first game of the UW Festival started at 10 a.m., and the last one didn’t finish until evening, so there was plenty of time to be spent. Raschke said his players used it to walk over to the University’s football field, where a semipro game was being played.

Centralia coach Ken Olson may have summed up the weekend the best when he said this:

“It was a great day at Husky Stadium.”

Cutline Contest!

(photo by Mike Salsbury / The Chronicle)

Rev up your imagination and come up with the best cutline for this photo. A cutline is simple: What's happening in the picture?

Thing is, the challenge here is to write a creative cutline that goes beyond "Player swings and misses." Put yourself into the player's head and smell the laughing gas. Let's see what you all can come up with. Write the best one and I'll showcase it here.

Just post it in the 'comments' section of this post or e-mail me at cbreakey@chronline.com.

Memories of Dick Brock — 1928-2008

(The Chronicle, file photo)


Below, former players and assistant coaches of Dick Brock share their memories of the legendary coach at Tenino. Feel free to do the same in the 'comments' section of this post, or email me at cbreakey@chronline.com and I'll add them here.


“Dick continually sought new ideas and new ways to teach the skills of basketball. He was a very fundamental coach. His teams were disciplined. They played tough defense and had some outstanding offensive players…

Even in football, Dick used pass patterns I had never seen. I worked with the QBs, and Dick had a specific way he wanted things done, and he was a very detailed person. I think he got a lot out of each of his ballplayers…

If you wanted to find him at the state tournaments, you could find him there. White hat, down on press row. He had a spot there. He was always there…

There was a genuine respect for him. His players knew he would bring them along and make them the best they could be."

— HAL WILLIAMS, former assistant football and basketball coach



"He spent his career in a little town in a little program, but he was well known around the state and people would go to him with questions about the game. You would always see him working with kids in the gym until he could hardly walk…

Out of all the people I’ve met in the game of basketball, nobody had a better basketball mind than Dick Brock…

He was all about kids. He would put so much time and energy into working just with kids. He loved the high school game. There’s no question in my mind that he would have been the prototype assistant basketball coach at the Division I level. He understood defenses so well, but he also understood post play. He could have been a head coach, too. I guess he just felt he could have a bigger impact on kids staying where he was…

I consider him my mentor. He’s just a very wise person."

— BRENT WILLIAMS, former player and assistant coach



"He was a great teacher of the game, and a lot of the time he didn’t have a whole lot to work with. He got the most out of his players, and in a good way, too.

He’s always been a mentor in working with guys. He was a post player in college, and he just really had a lot of good moves, and he taught them to guys like Gordy Harris"

— BILL BRONSON, former player



"I’m just amazed and grateful for people like him in his profession, who spend time with kids…

He was not considered what you would call a large man, but he played post and taught me a lot of moves. I know people say you can’t teach touch, but I actually think he did teach me. He had an eye for what was wrong with somebody’s shot…

He was nothing if not competitive...

Best advice he gave me was to get off the football field and get on the court."

— GORDY HARRIS, former player



"He had a huge impact on my life. I ended up doing exactly what he did — teach history and basketball…

He’ll be missed. I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone who was as passionate as him in basketball. That was his love…

He was absolutely the most passionate overseer of basketball I’ve ever been around."

— JIM SOLLARS, former player

Athletes of the Week, March 10-15

(photo by Mike Salsbury / The Chronicle)


Below are some of the top performances of last week in several different athletic events. All of the athletes had stellar days, but which performance should be rated as No. 1? Take a look:


Reesas Hemingway, Winlock fastpitch — Hemingway allowed just one hit and struck out four without walking a batter in four innings against Wahkiakum Monday of last week in a 22-0 Cardinal win. Winlock coach Tracy Tingle simply said Hemingway “looked real good.”

Talon Rakoz and Alex Paramo, United soccer — Rakoz and Paramo scored two goals apiece to lead United to a 5-0 win over Rochester Tuesday of last week. United coach Hugo Molina said the duo's offensive strikes were key, along with United’s air-tight defense.

Josh Moss and Ryan Huber, Tenino baseball — Moss led a Beaver attack of 16 hits, going 4 for 5 at the plate with a double and two RBIs against Aberdeen Tuesday of last week, while Huber finished with two RBIs and three hits, two of which were doubles. Tenino coach Jesse Elam said the Beavers’ hits were hard hits, not mere bloopers.

Phyllis Petersen, W.F. West tennis — After winning a coin flip, Petersen played the Bearcats’ first singles match of the year against Hoquiam Wednesday of last week, and she came up big. Petersen beat her opponent, Patty Smerski, 6-0, 6-0. W.F. West coach Jack State said Petersen played really well, especially for the Bearcats’ first time out.

Lauryn Ticknor (pictured above) and Caitlin Linehan, W.F. West fastpitch — Ticknor shut out Olympia Wednesday of last week, allowing just a first-inning single before racking up eight strikeouts without surrendering a walk. Linehan went 3 for 4 at the plate with two doubles, two runs and a pair of RBIs. Bearcat coach Mike Keen said there was plenty to be happy about in the win, and those two obviously evoked smiles.

Alyssa Gallow, Toledo fastpitch — Gallow tossed a complete game shutout and went 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs Wednesday of last week in the Indians' 8-0 win over Morton.

Kaytie Bateman, Pe Ell track and field — Bateman earned three first-place finishes in the Trojans’ meet with Raymond and Northwest Christian Thursday of last week. Bateman took first in the long jump with a leap of 15-feet, 10-inches, and she also took first in the 100 meters (13.6) and 200 meters (28.8).

Samantha Hall and Carli Hancock, White Pass fastpitch — Hall threw five innings of no-hit fastpitch while striking out three without walking a batter against La Salle Saturday of last week, while Hancock belted a two-run homer in the first inning. Panther coach Don Gillispie said the fence at La Salle had been there for three years, and the La Salle coach said it was the first ball hit over the fence, even though it isn't particularly deep.

Where Do The Walks Come From?

Twenty walks = two wins?

Yes, and we’re not talking about the team that received the walks, either.

The Pe Ell baseball team issued 20 — count ‘em on all fingers, both thumbs and your feet — walks in its first two ballgames this past week. The Trojans played Ocosta Tuesday and Wednesday, and despite the fact that Pe Ell hurlers took a stroll on the wild side, the Trojans won both games.

Pe Ell coach John Neal said some of his guys were trying to be too fine with their pitches, straining to hit the corners with their fastballs.

“I don’t know if they were afraid to challenge the hitters, or trying to make perfect pitches,” Neal said. “Instead, they needed to pitch to contact.”

Neal added that the umpires were not squeezing either team, and, as for the weather, Pe Ell and Ocosta enjoyed spots of sunshine. The Trojan wins were simply of the not-so-pretty variety.

Another reason why the Trojan pitchers were off their mark could be this: Pe Ell features a rotation full of freshman and sophomore arms, save for one.

So, there are several arguments that could be made. The Trojan hurlers were:

A) Trying to be too fine
B) Afraid to challenge hitters
C) Had major butterflies because of a lack of varsity experience
D) Or, they just haven’t had enough time practicing in the pen

Maybe the 20 walks had to do with a mixture of any of those three factors. The whole aspect of walks in prep baseball does raise an interesting point, though. What is the No.1 reason why these kids walk so many hitters?

You be the judge. Let me hear your thoughts in either the ‘comments’ section of this post or email me at cbreakey@chronline.com.

Court to Diamond: Squires Shares What the Basketball-to-Baseball Transition is Like

(photo by Nick George / The Chronicle)


Just like that, Griffin Squires has gone from the basketball court to the baseball field.

Him and a lot of other kids.

Squires shared what it’s like for him, as a player, to go from one sport to the next with no break. For all of those kids who like to kick back and have a day to play video games, stop reading.

“I hate sitting around the house, even if it’s for one day,” Squires said. “Coaches say, ‘You gotta take a day off.’

“Heck no. We have Sunday.”

Well said, Griffin.

The W.F. West three-sport standout said it’s nice to move back behind the plate for the Bearcats. He might have even snuck off to the batting cages during the basketball season once or twice (but you didn’t hear that from him).

You couldn’t blame him if he did. Baseball, Squires noted, takes some time when it comes to getting into the swing of things — no pun intended.

He said depth perception is always tough to handle at the beginning. But, then again, anything ‘tough’ seems to fit him just fine.

Remember Griffin hopping over the press table and the fence behind it at the 2A State Tournament in Tacoma this past Saturday?

Yeah, well, let’s just say he doesn’t take a break when he steps onto the baseball field, either.

Squires said he got nailed twice behind the plate in a scrimmage Wednesday. Doesn’t matter, though.

As so many have come to say: That’s just Griffin.

“I get used to the bruises,” he said.

Fans never do, and that’s why so many people go to watch him and W.F. West play.

time for spring fun

Let’s see, who should we put the old spring baseball/softball whammy on by predicting what great finishes they should have?

Let’s start with baseball first. Team-wise, just as in football, the team to watch in baseball is the Adna Pirates. Adna has it all with great pitching, hitting and an air-tight defense, plus it’s virtually the same team back that was so good last year. Mark my words, following a frustrating end to football, followed by a better-than-expected basketball season, look for these fired-up Pirates to be right in the hunt for a state 2B crown.

Individually, if you want to see perhaps the best pitcher in the area, make the trip out to Tenino to watch Alex Phillips, a big, smooth left-hander who had a breakthrough season last year. You can bet there will be plenty of scouts in the stands when this kid pitches. He’s got velocity, location, an assortment of pitches, and mound smarts.

For softball, look right here in the Twin Cities for two of the best as both the young Centralia and W.F. West squads had good years last season with nearly everyone back.

For a top-notch softball pitcher, it’ll be fun to watch the progress of Adna sophomore Jessika Jo Sandrini, who was one of the best around last year as a frosh.