Good Friday morning. We have a lot to get to this morning, including a playoff preview and pick for you for the big state playoff semifinal game today for Mount Si High School’s boys’ soccer team.
First, we have some track and field to lead things off for you this morning. The first day of the Washington state high school track and field meet took place yesterday down in Tacoma. Mount Si and Cedarcrest High Schools both had competitors in action.
First, for the Wildcats in the 4A meet, both the girls’ 4×200 and 4x400m relay teams advanced to finals tomorrow following qualification in preliminary heats yesterday. The Mount Si 4×200 crew of Sophia Kono, Emily Rodriguez, Beliya Tidd and Hailey Weir took third in that preliminary race, clocking one minute, 42.18 seconds, and the Wildcat 4×400 unit of Rodriguez, Weir, Kono and Ryan McLellan finished sixth overall in that prelim, clocking 4:01.47. The top eight times advanced to finale. In finals action, Jaidyn Stephenson-Thomas finished 12th in the boys’ long jump clearing 20 feet, 7 ½ inches, and Hailey Cossey took 10th in the girls’ 1600m, clocking 5:05.83.
As for Cedarcrest, we neglected to get you the boys’ javelin result involving thrower Juuso Luoto, so our apologies for that, and we will update that for you on our “X” feed @snovalleysports later. The Red Wolves’ 4×200 and 4×400 girls’ relay crews, both featuring Kaylee Scott, Addy Jenkins, Lydia Swenson and Summer Soptich, both qualified for their 2A finals tomorrow earning top eight finishes in the prelims last night. The 4×200 clocked 1:46.19 and the 4×400 ran a season best 4:06.31.
There is more action today and tomorrow and you can keep tabs on it all on both the WIAA app, available on phones and tablets, and on the NFHS Network as well.
Baseball: Aasland’s excellent pitching not enough in Bellevue postseason loss
It was a special moment in the Aasland household in Snoqualmie yesterday, and the entire family was on hand to see it. 28 years after his dad, Brian, pitched for Bellevue Community College in the NWAC postseason tournament, freshman ace Tristan Aasland took the hill for the Bulldogs in their opening-round conference tournament clash with Tacoma Community College. Unfortunately, despite Tristan’s best efforts, the Bellevue bats could not get a lot going and dropped into the loser-out bracket.
The Titans beat the Bulldogs 3-1 in the lunchtime clash down at David Story Field on the Lower Columbia College campus in Longview, moving Tacoma into a winner’s bracket game against Edmonds CC later today – a game that may see the Titans face Triton pitcher and Cedarcrest HS alum Sheldon Egger – while Bellevue faces a loser-out game this morning. Aasland went 4 2/3 innings allowing two runs on eight hits walking two. Duvall’s Gabe Villaflor went 0-1 with a walk and run scored for Bellevue.
In other action at the NWAC event, it was a head-to-head battle last night between friends and fellow Mount Si grads. Linn-Benton beat host Lower Columbia 1-0 to advance in the winner’s bracket, with LCC facing a loser-out game this afternoon as a result of the loss. 2022 Wildcat alums Aidan Dougherty and Jake Smith faced off in this one, with Dougherty going 0-4 for L-B and Smith going 1-4 for the Red Devils. Both young men are sophomores this spring and from Snoqualmie.
Streaming for all the games today is on the NWAC Digital app.
Youth scores from GameChanger and their apps, available on phones and tablets in their app store:
Lakeside Gray 8, Washington Dirtbags 18U 0: The Duvall-based Dirtbags were held to just six hits in the loss to Issaquah-based Lakeside at Issaquah High School last night. The six hits came courtesy of the team’s strong Cedarcrest High School contingent, led by two hits from soon-to-be Red Wolve senior Luke Thompson. Teammates and fellow Red Wolves Quinn Larson, Cooper Ayers, Tyler Questad and Jake Polacek had a hit each rounding out the offense for WD. CHS’s Colt Norris and Jackson Rees both pitched in the game for the Dirtbags, with the two of them combining to allow seven runs, four earned, on seven hits walking six and striking out four. Norris took the loss.
Washington A’s 3, VeloTech 16U 1: The battle of Sammamish-based rivals went to the A’s under the lights last night on the Plateau. Mount Si’s Jimmy Pratapas was 2-3 in this one for Velo.
Softball: An additional Wesco squad advances to round of 16 at 3A state tourney
Everett’s Cascade High School will join their fellow Wesco 3A counterparts Everett, Snohomish, Monroe and Stanwood in the round of 16 at the 3A Washington high school state softball tournament after earning a win in a play-in game last night.
Seniors Jaidyn Wilson and Sophia Tripp co-piloted this one for the Bruins, going a combined 6-8 with three homers, scoring four runs and driving in seven total, as Cascade rallied from a 6-3 hole with a five-run sixth to outlast Gig Harbor 8-7 last night in the play-in at Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey, where the 3A event is being held this weekend. Pitcher Mia Walker went the distance for Cascade allowing only two of those seven Tides runs as earned on eight hits walking two and striking out five. The Bruins take on top seed University from Spokane in their first round game at 11 this morning. 9am games feature 10th-seed Stanwood meeting Garfield, the seventh seed, and sixth-seed Snohomish taking on 11th-seed Prairie from Vancouver. Everett plays Roosevelt and Monroe meets Auburn-Riverside in the 11am games.
Time now to talk soccer. After the break.
Mount Si High School’s boys’ soccer team has not been this far at state in five years. And the school arranged for a rooter bus for students to head down today with the game being a midday clash at noon. Not a good time for many of you who have to work on this Friday, but the kids don’t mind. So, here’s our thoughts on some ‘Cats against a group of Grizzlies from the Yakima Valley of south central Washington.
KINGCO 4A BOYS SOCCER
WIAA STATE 4A SEMIFINALS – WINNER TO CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
MOUNT SI WILDCATS VS. SUNNYSIDE GRIZZLIES
NOON, SPARKS STADIUM, PUYALLUP – NFHS NETWORK/ELI SPORTS
The magic carpet ride for these Wildcats continues after what was a satisfying – and frankly, stunning – win over Kingco 4A champion Redmond last Saturday. Goals from Zain Thompson and Zach Ramsey guided Mount Si to the shocking 3-0 result which left the Mustangs speechless on the turf and the Wildcats wondering what could be possible. Well, to be frankly honest, the sky is the limit for these boys.
Sunnyside is 15-3 on the season and advanced here after a 3-0 win last weekend in their quarterfinal over Sumner at the nearby Sunset Chevrolet Stadium on the Sumner High School campus. And yes, they opened these playoffs with a win over a Mount Si Kingco Crest rival in Skyline. But trust us when we tell you a couple of things. One, this Wildcat team has had a week to prepare, and we’d have to presume Skyline’s coaching staff, led by the outstanding Don Braman, who has run a fantastic ship up there with both the Spartan boys and girls for a good 20 years plus now, has provided Mount Si’s coaching staff with plenty of intel on the Grizzlies. So there should not be a heckuva lot of mystery to this opponent for our boys today.
And here’s something else. The two teams have a common regular season opponent – East Wenatchee’s Eastmont. Sunnyside and Eastmont are in the same league. Mount Si went over to Eastmont March 16 and easily handled those Wildcats 5-2. The Grizzlies and Eastmont split their head-to-head series, with Eastmont winning on their home turf 4-1 and Sunnyside on theirs 1-0. This to us is important because our guys have seen that style of play from over there once already this year, and that along with the advance info that the guys likely have gotten this week should put our Valley’s boys in a good position today.
The “Z” crew of Thompson, Ramsey and Zach Ellis are going to lead this team back to the promised land. A title game date tomorrow. We like Mount Si today against the Grizzlies.
MOUNT SI 3, SUNNYSIDE 1
Snoqualmie Valley Sports Journal 