We may be heading into the spring prep sports season, but there’s still a bit more volleyball to be played.
A handful of Washington’s top players will be competing at the All-State Volleyball Series on Saturday at Fife High. Teams from all classifications will be represented.
Kent-Meridian standout Cherene O’Hara was the lone local player to make the cut. O’Hara is part of the 3A/4A roster.
Auburn Riverside’s Brooklyn Bradbury was the only other player from the South Puget Sound League North Division to land on a roster.
Three matches are scheduled, beginning with 1B/2B at 3 p.m. The 1A/2A contest will be at 5 p.m., with the 3A/4A showdown on tap at 7 p.m.

A couple notes from today’s Class 4A state basketball tournament …
1) This just in … Garfield’s Tony Wroten is really, really good. He scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 90-80 win over Puyallup. I made the second half of that game, when he seemed to have scored the bulk of his points. Yet, it was his finish that made me stand up and say, ‘Wow.’ Garfield got a steal with 8 seconds left in the game and on top 88-80. Instead of holding on the the ball (like Gonzaga Prep did in the final few minutes of its win over Kentridge), the outlet pass went to a wide-open Wroten. He promptly flipped the ball off the backboard, caught it in mid air, and jammed it home. I don’t think that’s quite what I would have done. Of course, I am physically incapable of pulling off such a play. Maybe on an 8-foot hoop …

2) I am confused by the Puyallup fan base. With Garfield leading 63-48, Puyallup  fans began chanting “overrated.” Hmmm … seems like bad timing to me. Puyallup fans did the same thing moments later, when Wroten stepped to the line with the Bulldogs leading 80-65.

3) I have to give props to the Kentridge fan base. Charger fans were out in full force Thursday afternoon, some with face paint. And, man, they were loud, too.

4) Gonzaga Prep plays outstanding defense, but also might be one of the most fundamentally sound teams I’ve seen in years. The Bullpups move extremely well without the ball, which created a lot of easy buckets inside.

5) I’d like to see Kentridge play Gonzaga Prep again. Kentridge’s shots just were not falling against Gonzaga Prep. Again, credit goes to the GP defense. However, the Chargers missed a lot of easy shots, too. Easy as in right-underneath-the-hoop easy. If they get a couple of those to fall, it could be a different game down the stretch.

6) Kentridge plays Puyallup at 10:30 a.m. Friday morning. Kentridge lost to Puyallup 61-60 a couple weeks ago. In that game, the Chargers were undone by the fourth quarter, when the Vikings outscored them 22-11. This will be a guard-oriented game. Not a lot of big bodies here.

Central Washington University senior Torrie Self, a 2007 Kent-Meridian High graduate, was named the Top Female Performer on Feb. 19 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at Jackson Indoor Track in Nampa, Idaho. Self was a two-event winner for the Wildcats, grabbing the top spot in the weight throw and the shot put on Saturday. Only four athletes in the entire championship were multiple-event winners this year.
In the weight throw, Self uncorked a heave of 53-feet, 7.5 inches, which was more than two feet ahead of teammate Jordan Stueckle and just two inches off the meet record. Self continued her trend of success in the shot put, delivering a golden mark of 45-feet, 10 inches.
Self wasn’t the only former Kent-Meridian athlete to shine recently.
Nick Lemmon, a 2010 K-M graduate who is now competing at Central College in Pella, Iowa, grabbed a second-place finish in the pole vault (13-05.25) during the Iowa Conference indoor track and field championship, which was held Feb. 25-26.

Plenty of colleges were after Kent-Meridian middle-distance track star Derrick Daigre.
Last week, Daigre made his announcement, choosing the University of Washington ahead of Washington State.
“I really liked the coach there. He’s had some success in the past with middle-distance runners,” said Daigre, who is considering studying business at UW. “I liked the team there as well.”
Daigre, a 6-foot-5, 158-pounder, covers the oval like a greyhound. One of the top middle-distance runners in the state, Daigre won the 800-meter title two years ago, blistering the oval in a time of 1:52.57. That same day, the K-M senior nearly duplicated his championship feat in the 400, taking second with a time of 49.05.
Last year, Daigre pulled a hamstring in the 800-meter preliminaries and went on to take eighth.
The newest Washington Husky is ready to leave last year in the past, and is hungry for another state title this spring.
“For all the work I put in (during the offseason), I want to end high school on a bang,” said Daigre, who will attend Washington on a partial scholarship.

On Sunday afternoon, I stumbled upon a story about 2004 Kentwood High product Matt Hague, who is currently a first baseman in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
You can read the story here: www.centredaily.com/2011/02/13/2516592/hague-gains-extra-experience-in.html?story_link=email_msg

It seems fitting since pitchers and catchers reported on Valentine’s Day that I give a brief update on the locals.
Hague, 25, was drafted as a third baseman out of Oklahoma State in 2008. However, that same year, the Pirates drafted Pedro Alvarez with the second overall pick in that same draft. With that in mind, the organization moved Hague to the outfield for a short while, where he was listed by Baseball America among Pittsburgh’s top 30 prospects in 2009. Hague enjoyed a solid year last season at Double-A, hitting .295 with 15 home runs and 86 RBIs. In some organizations, those numbers might warrant an early season look with the big club. As bad as Pittsburgh has been for the past 17 years, its minor league system is pretty deep in talent. In addition, the Pirates signed Lyle Overbay in the offseason and have Garret Jones (21 home runs last year), so there’s no immediate slot for Hague.
A spot on the Triple-A club and a possible late-season callup could be in the cards. That is, assuming Hague performs.
It would be nice to see a local kid make it.
That said, there are a handful of locals who’ve made it in recent years, most notably Travis Ishikawa, a Federal Way native who is playing for San Francisco. Kentridge product David Patton, a hard-throwing righthander, also made it up with Chicago two years ago (6.83 ERA over 20 appearances) when he was a Rule 5 selection that went from Colorado to Cincinatti to the Cubs in the matter of hours. It’s also worth mentioning that Kentridge product Mason Tobin was selected by the Cubs from the Angels in December in the Rule 5 draft. Tobin, another hard thrower, has struggled with arm issues for the past couple of seasons.

The South County area has had quite a few high draft picks during the past 10 years, but very few have actually made it all the way. Kind of gives you the idea as to exactly how tough it is. Auburn’s K.C. Herren (2004 graduate, drafted in the second round by Texas) hasn’t played since 2009. Alhaji Turay (2001 Auburn graduate), who many I’ve talked with insist was the best player to come out of these parts in the past 20 years, was a second-round pick by the Mets in 2001, but never made it past Double-A. Jay Garthwaite, who now runs Diamond Sports Training Center in Sumner, was another one who didn’t quite make it. Of course, personally, I always felt Garthwaite deserved the opportunity, especially after tearing it up at every level of the minor leagues with Arizona. Garthwaite had multiple 20-homer seasons in the minors and also drove in 100-plus runs twice.

Regardless, I am glad baseball is back. I’ve certainly missed it. Now if the weather could only clear up for a while.

The results are in …
Auburn knocked off Kentridge Thursday night at Auburn Mountainview 58-54 to take the SPSL North’s top seed to the playoffs while Kent-Meridian outlasted Kentlake in overtime 80-72.
Kentridge dug itself a big early hole, falling behind 20-7 in the first quarter and was unable to climb out. Gary Bell scored 27 points while Brendan Westendorf was held to 7. It’s the fewest points Westendorf has scored in a game since hitting for six in a win over Kentwood on Dec. 14. Kentridge will take the North’s No. 2 seed to the playoffs and go up against Puyallup at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the ShoWare Center. Meanwhile, Kent-Meridian will play Federal Way at 2 p.m. Saturday at Auburn High for the seventh seed. Kentlake plays Bethel at Auburn at noon Saturday or the ninth seed.

The complete schedule is listed below.

Since I’m on the topic of prep hoops, Kentwood coach Brian Davis brought an interesting little tidbit to my attention Thursday night.
“When was the last time all four Kent teams were in the playoffs?” Davis asked.
Generally, I am pretty up on this stuff. However, I have to admit, I went blank. I had no idea. I knew KL hadn’t made the playoffs since the 2007-2008 season. And K-M hadn’t advanced since the 2004-2005 season. But all four in the playoffs? At the same time?
After doing a little research, I found that the 1999-2000 season was the last time the boys basketball teams from ALL FOUR Kent schools advanced to the postseason. Kentwood won the North that year at 14-2, Kent-Meridian took second at 12-4, Kentridge finished in fourth at 9-7 and Kentlake rounded out the cast at 8-8.

Great question. I was glad I was able to find the answer.
On another topic, the All-League teams  came out Thursday afternoon. Not surprisingly, Gary Bell was the North’s MVP.

The first team is as follows:
Kevin Henderson (Auburn), Christian Behrens (Tahoma), Iszia Johnson (Auburn), Brendan Westendorf (Kentridge), Jason Boyce (Kentwood) and Jaron Heck (Kentlake).

The second teams is as follows:
Cameron Grad (AR); Cole Luckett (AR), Adrian Davis (MR), Daniel Landram (KL), D’Juan Miller (K-M) and Deontae Davis (TJ).

The list of honorable mention:
Daniel Wunder (Auburn), Rowland Quinit (Auburn), Prince Ligon (AR), Jaray Bates (AR), Tyree Bagley (K-M), Martell Taylor-Barone (K-M), Jordan Thompson-Walker (K-M), Sean Hartnett (KL), Austin Pernell (KL), Denzel Daniels (KR), Roddy Hanson (KR), Mikell Everette (KW), Alec Wilson (KW), Taylor Jones (KW), Caden Rowland (MR), Malek Rogers (MR), Ryan Goodman (Tahoma), Chase Brazmeyer (TJ), Danny Park (TJ).

Coach of the Year: Dave Jamison.

For the most part, the All-League boys team had few surprises.
I was, however, surprised by the girls team. Specifically, the MVP race. Kentwood’s Kylie Huerta, Auburn Riverside’s Kat Cooper and Mount Rainier’s Brittany McPhee were named co-MVPs. What surprised me is the fact that the coaches were unable to name just one or even two as they did last year with Huerta and Mercedes Wetmore. Three seems a bit on the high side. In fact, I’ve always felt just one player should receive such an honor.
However, which one (or two) do you leave out?
Huerta averaged 18.4 points for the Conks and seldom — if ever — left the court. Cooper averaged 19.4 for the league champion Ravens. Both are seniors. Meanwhile, McPhee led everyone in scoring, averaging 20.6 points per game. The kicker? McPhee is only a freshman! Unreal. I suspect she may have a few MVP honors in her future.
Still, should THREE players be given the honor?

I’d love to hear some responses.

First-team honors went to:
Katie Buskey, Tahoma; Makenna Clark (AR), Liz Mills (KW), Courtney Johnson (KW) and Brook Hinkens (AR).

Second-team honors went to:
Kiana Gandy (MR), Jada Piper (TJ), Isia Johnson (Auburn), Jessica Barnes (KL) and Aubreyana Anderson (K-M).

Honorable mention accolades went to:
Erin Fischer (Auburn), Kristiana Strickland (Auburn), Megan Amis (AR), Hannah Melick (AR), Erin Hunt (KL), Donniesha Webber (KL), Alyssa Simonson (KL), Alex Witherspoon (K-M), Jordan Denny (KR), Kariona Micks (K-M), Josie Paznokas (KR), Sarah Toeaina (KW), Megan Wynne (KW), Caroline Codd (MR), Jordan McPhee (MR), Jordan Ebherardt (Tahoma), Savanna Haverfield (Tahoma), Christy Kullberg (TJ) and Keryn Knight (TJ)

THURSDAY NIGHT
At Auburn Mountainview
Auburn 58, Kentridge 54 (Winner takes No. 1 seed from North, loser No. 2)
Kent-Meridian boys 80 vs. Kentlake 72 (Winner takes No. 4 seed, loser No. 5)

At Emerald Ridge
Puyallup 82. Rogers 59 (Winner takes No. 2 seed from South, loser No. 3)

At Graham-Kapowsin
Bethel girls vs. Spanaway Lake, 7 p.m. (Winner takes No 5 seed, loser out)

After everything shakes out, Friday and Saturday’s schedule will become clear.
Here’s what we’re looking at:

Friday at the ShoWare Center
GAME 1: Puyallup boys vs. Kentridge (WCD No. 3/4) 3:30 p.m.
GAME 2: Emerald Ridge girls vs. Kentwood (WCD No. 3/4) 5 p.m.
GAME 3: Federal Way girls vs. Auburn Riverside (WCD 1/2) 6:30 p.m.
GAME 4: Curtis vs. Auburn (WCD 1/2) 8 p.m.

Saturday at Auburn High
GAME 5: Spanaway Lake/Bethel girls vs. Auburn (WCD 9/10), 10:30 a.m.
GAME 6: Bethel boys vs. Kentlake (WCD 9/10) noon
GAME 7: Federal Way boys vs. Kent-Meridian (WCD 7/8) 2 p.m.
GAME 8: Beamer girls vs. Tahoma (WCD 7/8) 3:30 p.m.
GAME 9: Rogers girls vs. Mount Rainier (WCD 5/6) 5:30 p.m.
GAME 10: Rogers boys vs. Kentwood (WCD 5/6) 7 p.m.

OK, so things are slightly a bit clearer today than they were last week at this same time in regards to postseason seeding.
Several tie-breakers will be played tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 9) at Auburn Mountainview, Emerald Ridge and Graham-Kapowsin. Here’s what we’re looking at for Thursday night:

At Auburn Mountainview
Auburn boys vs. Kentridge, 6 p.m. (Winner takes No. 1 seed from North, loser No. 2)
Kent-Meridian boys vs. Kentlake, 8 p.m. (Winner takes No. 5 seed)

At Emerald Ridge
Rogers boys vs. Puyallup (Winner takes No. 2 seed from South, loser No. 3)

At Graham-Kapowsin
Bethel girls vs. Spanaway Lake, 7 p.m. (Winner takes No 5 seed, loser out)

After everything shakes out, Friday and Saturday’s schedule will become clear.
Here’s what we’re looking at:

Friday at the ShoWare Center
GAME 1: Rogers/Puyallup boys vs. Auburn/Kentridge (WCD No. 3/4) 3:30 p.m.
GAME 2: Emerald Ridge girls vs. Kentwood (WCD No. 3/4) 5 p.m.
GAME 3: Federal Way girls vs. Auburn Riverside (WCD 1/2) 6:30 p.m.
GAME 4: Curtis vs. Auburn/Kentridge (WCD 1/2) 8 p.m.

Saturday at Auburn High
GAME 5: Spanaway Lake/Bethel girls vs. Auburn (WCD 9/10), 10:30 a.m.
GAME 6: Bethel boys vs. Kentlake/Kent-Meridian (WCD 9/10) noon
GAME 7: Federal Way boys vs. North No. 4 (WCD 7/8) 2 p.m.
GAME 8: Beamer girls vs. Tahoma (WCD 7/8) 3:30 p.m.
GAME 9: Rogers girls vs. Mount Rainier (WCD 5/6) 5:30 p.m.
GAME 10: Rogers/Puyallup boys vs. Kentwood (WCD 5/6) 7 p.m.

Quienton Poil has been selected as Kentlake High School’s Baseball Coach.
Poil has been coaching baseball at different age levels for more than 20 years, the last seven of which he spent at the helm of the Puget Sound Roxx, a Puyallup-based 18U team.  He has also served as the assistant varsity coach at Puyallup High School for head coach Mark Wiese since 2007.
In addition to working at Puyallup, Poil coached under Bobo Brayton at Washington State University in 1990-1991. He also coached at Yakima Valley Community college (1991-1992) and played at WSU (1988-1989).

Three local football players will be signing a letter-of-intent today.
Kent-Meridian quarterback David Jones will be heading to Portland State University.
Kentridge running back Cameron McKernan will be heading to the University of Idaho.
And Kentwood’s Jason Boyce, a wide receiver, will be heading to Eastern Washington University, which is where older brother Aaron starred for several years.

Other signings today include: Kiana Kraft (Kentwood girls soccer/Seattle University); Reiney Meyers (Kentwood girls soccer/Edmonds Community College); Rodney Greiling (Kentwood boys soccer/Florida International University); Kathryn Clayton (Kentridge girls soccer/Boise State).

As more come through, I will post them right here.