By CASEY OLSON, The Mirror
Jefferson reeling after 24 athletic code violations (Jan. 10)
A New Year’s Eve party led to the suspensions of 24 winter sports student/athletes at Thomas Jefferson High School.
The suspensions stem from violations of the district’s Student Athletic Code. The school received a call about a party being held at a TJ student’s house on Dec. 31 where alcohol was present.
“That call led to an investigation by the school and it was determined that 40 to 50 kids at the party were TJ students and 24 of them were student/athletes or part of a school activity,” said Diane Turner, the district’s spokeswoman.
The two dozen athletes’ suspensions ranged from 30 to 60 days and all winter sports and activities at TJ were affected, according to Turner.
“We are just reeling from all this athletic code violations,” said TJ athletic director Mike Grady. “It’s a very sad situation and we are dealing with it. It’s a very emotional time at Thomas Jefferson.”
The hardest hit by the suspensions was the TJ boys basketball program. The school’s varsity team was in the midst of its best season in recent memory after starting the season with a 6-4 record in the South Puget Sound League North Division. The varsity basically lost eight players following the party.
—-
North Shore Golf Course could become 800 new homes (Jan. 31)
The only public golf course within shouting distance of Federal Way might be on its way out. The North Shore Golf and Country Club is in the process of being sold to a development company that plans to shut down the course and build between 700 and 900 homes on the land that currently houses tees, greens and fairways.
The golf course, located in Northeast Tacoma, has been for sale for over two years by North Shore Golf Associates. The course sits on 115 acres and is surrounded by several housing developments that have been built up over the past 20 years.
“There have been rumors about a sale of the golf course for a couple years now,” said Casey Shurm, president of the North Shore Country Club Estates Homeowners Association. “Those rumors got really strong a month ago and then they were confirmed earlier this week.”
—-
High schools send 16 to state wrestling tournament (Feb. 14)
This 2007 Mat Classic state wrestling championships will have a big-time Federal Way feel. The four Federal Way School District teams qualified a record 16 wrestlers to Friday and Saturday’s extravaganza inside the Tacoma Dome.
The Mat Classic parade will be led by the eight qualifiers from Decatur. The Gators rolled to a pair of championships at Saturday’s Class 4A Region II Tournament at Thomas Jefferson High School, had one third-place finisher and five fourth-placers. Beamer will take six to the Mat Classic, and Federal Way and TJ will both be represented by single wrestlers.
Decatur and Beamer both had a pair of regional champions. The Gators got wins from Steven Hagdahl (215 pounds) and Tevyn Tillman (275) and the Titans picked up titles from Cole Bixenman (171) and Trevor Mills (119).
—-
Third-ranked Decatur wins first district crown since 1996 (Feb. 28)
The Decatur Gators are peaking at the right time. The third-ranked Gators rolled to West Central District title Saturday night with a solid 64-58 win over the Bethel Braves in the championship game at Puyallup High School.
The win over Bethel was Decatur’s 11th in a row heading into the Class 4A State Boys Basketball Tournament inside the Tacoma Dome.
The victory earned the Gators the school’s second West Central District title and snared the No. 1 seed in today’s state tournament.
Decatur’s last district crown came in 1996, when they ended up second at state behind the dominating play of state MVP Quincy Wilder.
—-
Bombs away: Gates connects four times (April 11)
You hear athletes use the term being in a “zone” all too often. It’s become kind of comical how often you hear players describe a semi-good game as being in a “zone.”
But there’s being in a “zone” and then there’s being Brock Gates on Friday afternoon. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Decatur High School senior first baseman had a game for the ages during a 24-6 five-inning Gator victory over Kent-Meridian on the Royals’ home field.
Gates pounded out an amazing four home runs during the Decatur win. As far as anybody can tell, the four home runs in a single game ties a Washington state record. He finished the game 5-for-5 with four home runs and 11 RBIs. Gates also connected on a ringing RBI double in the second inning down the right-field line.
“It was unreal,” Gates said. “It’s been a blessing.”
Also unreal is the fact that Gates’ four-homer game has earned him a spot in the most prestigious magazine for the sports fan — Sports Illustrated. Gates is currently on the Web site SI.com as the magazine’s athlete of the week.
“It was unbelievable,” said first-year Decatur head coach Maury Kincannon. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my 24 years of coaching. Even in batting practice, it’s pretty much impossible. He was in such a zone and couldn’t miss a pitch.”
—-
Federal Way soccer finishes second at state (May 30)
It was a fairy tale season for the Federal Way boys soccer team.
The Eagles (16-2-4) went from not even sniffing the postseason last year during a 4-7-4 campaign in 2006 to playing in the school’s first-ever Class 4A State Championship game.
But the fairy tale didn’t end the way most do.
The Pasco Bulldogs (20-1-0) came back to down the Eagles, 4-3, Saturday night at Lakewood’s Harry Lang Stadium in the state final. Twice in the match, the Eagles held a one-goal lead and both times the Bulldogs rallied to tie the match before Shayne Kelly hit a right-footed blast from 30 yards out that squirted under Eagle goalkeeper Vinton Lane to give Pasco the win.
“It hurts,” said head coach Jason Baumgardt. “We got outworked tonight. Hopefully, they learned their lesson.”
Despite the loss, the future looks ultra-bright for the Eagles. Federal Way will return eight of its 11 starters, including leading scorer Kelyn Rowe, who finished with 14 goals and 13 assists.
“It does in a way, but you never know what’s going to happen,” said junior sweeper Omar Cruz, the South Puget Sound League North Division Most Valuable Player.
—-
Federal Way National Little League juniors fall short at regionals (Aug. 10)
The dream run by the Federal Way National Little League Junior baseball team is over. The 13- and 14-year- olds were eliminated from the 2007 Western Regional Tournament on Tuesday morning by Pearl City (Hawaii) Little League, 7-4.
The tournament was held in Beaverton, Ore. Federal Way National qualified for the Junior League Regional Tournament by winning the Washington state tournament last month.
The Western Regional included the state champions from Idaho, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, Montana, Nevada, Alaska, Washington, Northern California and Southern California.
The 2007 Federal Way National Little League Junior team included Peter Guthrie, Cole Meyers, Zach Jacobs, Brian Moe, Mac Gridley, Richard Apigo, Jeffrey Apigo, Carson Meyers, Adam Bolf, Ali Davenport, Mitchell Bley, AJ Brandt and Brett Johnson.
The coaching staff included manager Mike Barnhart, along with assistant coaches Paul Guthrie and Henry Apigo.
—-
Popular Beamer soccer player killed in car wreck (Aug. 25)
John Lentz was the prototypical defensive back on the soccer field. He was as tough as they come and wasn’t afraid in the slightest to stick his nose right in the face of an oncoming forward — no matter who the other player was.
That’s just how Lentz played the game. He was all-out, all the time.
But the 2007 graduate of Todd Beamer High School’s life was cut short Sunday night when the car he was driving crashed into a billboard pole in Edgewood. The 18-year-old Auburn resident was pronounced dead at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, where he was airlifted following the crash.
Lentz is survived by his parents, Bill and Laural, and younger sister, Sara, who currently attends Beamer.
“As a left defensive back, he was as tough as nails,” said Beamer head soccer coach Adam Kulaas. “He represented all that is good in high school athletics and helped build a program that did not exist.”
—-
31 years, so what: Federal Way snares title (Oct. 23)
A 31-year drought came to an end Thursday night on a windy and wet field at Federal Way Memorial Stadium. The Federal Way Eagle football team captured their first South Puget Sound League championship since 1976 by pulling out a 27-21 overtime victory over the Kentridge Chargers.
The win over the Chargers came in dramatic fashion and moved the Eagles to 6-0 in the SPSL North Division and 7-1 overall. Ninth-ranked Federal Way needed a pair of huge second-half plays from wide receiver/defensive back Aaron Broussard and an overtime touchdown by Andre Barrington.
—-
Beamer falls short of state title (Nov. 19)
It just wasn’t meant to be.
The Todd Beamer High School girls soccer team was so close to winning the 5-year-old school’s first state championship in any sport. But the powerful and unbeaten Eastlake Wolves just had a little bit too much when it counted and erased any chances of a fairy-tale ending for the Titans.
Eastlake’s Emma Levy scored 11 minutes into the second half Saturday night at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood to tie the game at 1-1 and the Falcons went on to force overtime and beat the Titans, 3-1, in a penalty-kick shootout to claim the Class 4A girls soccer state championship.
Sports editor Casey Olson: 925-5565, sports@fedwaymirror.com
