The Mustang wrestlers have one home meet left this Thursday, March 11, Then the season-ending tournament at Klahowya on Saturday. If the snow goes away, it’s a nice Saturday drive to Silverdale and the mall is nearby for shopping fans. And even if it does snow, wrestling is an indoor sport. Check the McM Web-site for time of the tournament.

Next Thursday the Mustang girls play their last home basketball game, a good time to get a look at some future Pirates and see some exciting hoops.

Although only the first eight places receives trophies and are official, someone has calculated that our girls finished ninth, probably based on who beat who and who lost to who in the consolation bracket. That would make it the best finish ever for the Pirate girls.

Sophie Nespor fights a Seattle Christian player for a rebound.

Our boys went to Yakima as the defending state champions and lost only to the new champions. The Pirates probably were in the toughest bracket, opening against top-ranked Chelan. Every game the Pirates played could have been the championship game had the draw gone a different way and every team the Pirates faced took home a trophy.

Vashon came out of the toughest Tri-District in the state. The six teams from the Tri took home six of the eight trophies, first, second, third, fourth, sixth and eighth.

Both teams will be losing most of their starters to graduation, so next year will be a chance for some new players to step up. It should be an interesting season.

At least one of the basketball players turned out for spring sports yesterday, and several others are on spring rosters.

Matt Amick runs into a little opposition from Kings.

Vashon’s boys crushed Kings 65-46 this afternoon to take third place in the State 1A Basketball Tournament.

Cascade Christian, the team that stopped the Pirates from winning back-to-back championships, won its first state championship and first-ever state trophy with a 45-35 win over Meridian.

The Pirates quickly sorted things out and took a 13-10 lead in the first quarter, then added to that lead every period. The Knights didn’t help their own cause, getting into foul trouble in both halves, and putting Vashon into double bonus for much of the second and fourth quarters.

Matt Kerns looks past a Kings defender for the basket.

Vashon led 39-22 with two minutes left in the third quarter and less than a minute into the final period had extended the lead to 48-29. With 2:28 remaining in the game and a 22-point lead, 63-41, coach Andy Sears sent in all the reserves to get some State playing time.

Elias Weston puts up a shot.

Dan Lofland, 30, with an all-reserves lineup behind him, drives up the court as the clock winds down.

Vashon took the early lead and led after the first quarter, but Cascade came back to creep ahead by halftime. The Pirates chipped away at the lead and came within one point with about two minutes to go.

Missed field goals down the stretch proved to be the Pirates undoing.

Meridian beat Kings in the other semi-final. That game went down to the final seconds.

Quinn Holert drives up the court.

John Gage pulls down a rebound late in the final minute of the game.

The Pirates matched the Warriors for the first half, leading 10-6 after one quarter and trailing by just one point at the half. The Warriors star, Lexi Petersen, got hot in the third quarter and the Pirates’ top scorer, Kelly Costello, twisted her ankle and had to leave the game for a few minutes. The Pirates couldn’t come back.

The loss eliminated the Pirates.

Pirates reserves Marya Munsey, 15, and Jasmine Acosta, 20, along with Kelsey Abella and Kathryn Misel all got some State playing time.

Semi-finals tomorrow:

6 p.m. Kings v Meridian

8 p.m. Vashon v Cascade Christian

Tonight’s game was not settled until the final seconds. Through most of the second half it looked like “last basket wins.” Pirates and Knights exchanged baskets with neither getting more than 2 points ahead until Corey hit a three and a two to give the Pirates a 5-point lead with about three minutes left. Vashon pulled away with free throws but Bellevue Christian was in the game until the last two seconds.

Concentrating on free throws in the final minutes

Elias Weston

Quinn Holert

Vashon took the lead early and never gave it up, extending it to as much as 14 points at one point in the third quarter.

Kelly Costello led Vashon with 15 points, Kiki Means had 9 and Charlotte added 8.

Vashon plays Seattle Christian at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Vashon 66, Chelan 52

Thursday: Vashon v Bellevue Christian 9 a.m. Winner plays winner of Cascade Christian/Onalaska 8 p.m. Friday; losers play at 4 p.m. Friday.

Granger 45, Vashon 32

Tomorrow, Thursday March 4: Vashon v Toledo 10:30 a.m. Loser out, winner plays 11 a.m. March 5 v Cedar Park Christian/Seattle Christian winner.

The malady, known sometimes as the Green Flu or Pirate Fever, often causes high rates of absenteeism for up to four days at a time. Symptoms may include difficulty paying attention to assigned tasks and frequent visits to www.wiaa.com and other Web-sites associated with local high school sports.

Victims have been known to coat their faces and other exposed skin with salves and paints in garish green and gold colors, apparently in an attempt to relieve the discomfort of the fever. Wearing green and yellow clothing also seems to help.

Similar illnesses have been reported in smaller communities and school districts around the state, where other color combinations of salves and paints are believed to bring relief.

The only known cure seems to be to spend time in the SunDome in Yakima. The atmosphere inside the structure is said to contain properties that relieve the symptoms or change them to a desire to yell non-stop for up to 32 minutes at a time, but treatment may take up to four full days for the worst cases.

While there is no practical way to prevent the illness, authorities say that symptoms inevitably subside no later than Saturday night or Sunday morning and victims of the condition almost always return to work or school Monday morning.

All games are in the Yakima SunDome

March 3:

Vashon boys v Chelan 9 p.m.

Vashon girls v Granger 12:30 p.m.

All teams play Mar. 3 & 4 in the double-elimination tournament.

The celebration begins. Kiki Means, Elisa Wendt with ball she stole to seal the win, Charlotte Kehoe and Kelly Costello react at the final buzzer.

The Pirate girls are going to State. Vashon’s girls beat Cascade Christian today for the sixth and last seed to the 1A State Basketball Tournament.

The Pirates took the lead for good on Kiki Means’ two free throws to break a 40-40 tie with 11 seconds left. Vashon got the ball with 42 seconds left. As the 30-second shot clock wound down, Means tried to move into position for a clear shot. As the shot clock ticked down to one second Means tried to get the shot off and was fouled.

She stepped to the free throw line and calmly sank her first shot. The Cougars called a time out but Means was not rattled. When the teams returned, she sank the second shot just as calmly as the first.

Cascade got the ball back and moved down the court but Elisa Wendt stole the ball with two seconds left and the Pirates had their ticket to the SunDome in Yakima.

It was anybody’s game until the Means’ free throws and Wendt’s steal. Vashon led at the end of each quarter, but the lead changed several times in the fourth quarter.

This was the fourth meeting of Pirates and Cougars. Each team won on its home court in the regular season. Vashon won the tie-breaker for seeding to playoffs on a neutral court.

State Tournament brackets should be posted on www.wiaa.com Sunday night or Monday. The tournament starts Wednesday, March 3.

Head coach Henry Porter, left, and assistant coaches Gary Means and Holly Zapel celebrate the win.

We did it! Coach Andy Sears at the final buzzer.

Vashon’s boys, at least, are going to State.

The Pirate boys basketball team beat Kings 54-46 in a game at Mountlake Terrace that finished just under three hours ago. Kings took the early lead but the Pirates came back to lead by seven at half time. Vashon stretched the lead to 10 at one point and Kings came within three late in the game.

I’ll try to get some photos and a little more info posted tomorrow before I leave for the girls last chance game. The girls play Cascade Christian at 3 p.m. tomorrow at Mountlake Terrace. Winner goes to State, loser turns in the uniforms and waits until next year.

Elias Weston makes it hard for Kings' Ryan Hoff to find a shot.

Saturday morning: I couldn’t find the game stats yet; see Wednesday’s Beachcomber for details.

Kings did a good job of shutting down John Gage in the first half. Gage got only limited playing time in the first half while the rest of the team showed Kings that one player is not the whole Pirate team. Vashon never trailed after taking the lead in the second quarter.

While Kings held Gage from the field, he was almost perfect, if not perfect, from the free throw line, and free throws by Gage and several others were critical in final two minutes.

Brackets for the 1A State Tournaments should be posted on www.wiaa.com by Monday.

Who's got the ball?

Lynden Christian was clearly the better team yesterday, no reflection on the way our girls played.

The Pirates have beaten Cascade Christian, tomorrow’s opponent, two out of three this season. Let’s hope the Pirate team that showed up at home and on a neutral court shows up tomorrow and not the one that played at Cascade Christian.

The game is at 3 p.m.

A big cheering section will be a big help. Our Pirate girls have not always had the support the boys have had. We need to be there to counter the Cougar fans who will follow their team.

Kelly Costello opened the second quarter with a steal and a layup for two points.

Vashon boys play Kings today, winner goes to State, loser has to play again tomorrow at 1 p.m. for the final State berth. Kings will be out avenge their two-point loss to the Pirates earlier this season.

I’ve seen the Kings trophy case. I don’t think they display anything less than second place at State in any sport.

Neither team today wants to be the lowest seed to State.

The Pirate boys will probably have a large and vocal Green Tide cheering section for today’s game. If you’re going, remember that northbound traffic on I-5 can get bad, so allow plenty of time. Today is Friday and rush hour starts earlier. The 2:20 p.m. ferry may get you there on time for the 4:30 game, but I recommend the 1:50. While I realize Islanders have an aversion to arriving anywhere early, it’s better than missing the first quarter sitting in traffic by Northgate.

Take Exit 181A/Lynnwood, turn right then get in the left lane. The entrance to Mountlake Terrace HS is on the left, less than a mile from the freeway exit and easy to miss the first time there.

Sam Chapman, in yellow, and J.P. Martinez of Warden battle for the 112-pound state title.

Senior Sam Chapman, 112 pounds, led the Pirate grapplers with his second state championship and third medal finish. Three more Pirates of the seven state qualifers earned medals this year. Though Vashon finished 12th as a team, the first time out of the top-10 in years, It was a good showing in what was a re-building year.

Both boys and girls basketball teams rebounded from playoff losses to be one win away from State.

The girls crushed Bush Tuesday evening at home and the boys beat Seattle Academy last night. Now both teams have two chances to win one game and pack for Yakima.

Alex Wegner, 20, guards Seattle Academy's Adrian Brandon, 23.

Vashon’s girls play Lynden Christian today at 4:30 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace High School. The boys take on Kings tomorrow at the same gym. I’ve seen two times listed for tomorrow’s boys’ game. Double check the start time so you don’t miss the tipoff.

Today’s and tomorrow’s winners go to state. Losers have to play again Saturday for the final State slots.

To get to Mountlake Terrace, go north on I-5. Take Exit 181A/Lynnwood. Go right then stay in the left lane. The school will be on the left less than a mile from the exit. Watch closely because it’s easy to miss the turn the first time you go there.

Matt Amick drives to the basket after stealing the ball.

Allow plenty of time for the drive to Mountlake Terrace. Traffic on I-5 in North Seattle and South Snohomish County can get bogged down any time of day and especially during rush hour, which is anytime after 2 p.m.

Also, parking at the school may be tight because of earlier playoff games.

John Gage rejects a shot by Seattle Academy's Adrian Brandon.

Because this a playoff game season passes and Nisqually League passes will not be accepted.

Pirate fans, at least, will probably be hard to find. Friday and Saturday is Mat Classic, the WIAA State Wrestling tournament, and Vashon’s large and knowlegable wrestling community will spend much of the two days at the Tacoma Dome cheering for the five Pirate boys and two girls representing Vashon High School. Several of the wrestlers have a legitimate chance to make it to the championship finals Saturday evening.

Basketball fans will most likely head to Orting Saturday afternoon to watch both boy and girl Pirates play for top seed to Tri-District. The girls play Seattle Christian and the boys take on Cascade Christian. Win or lose, both Vashon teams have assured themselves a trip to Tri-District, but both teams would like to grab the top seed.

So if the Island seems a little quieter Saturday, wait until the last ferry from Tacoma lands. It should be filled with cheering fans and tired but happy Pirates.

The boys started off with a 87-52 drubbing of the Eagles. It was senior night and a cameraman from KING5 was there taping a feature on Pirate senior John Gage. By the third quarter it was obvious that reserves would be playing most of the rest of the game, and by early in the fourth period the cameraman put his gear away.

Gage scored 19 points and put on a good show, with several huge blocked shots on the defensive end of the court.

Alex Wegner led the Pirates with 21 and Matt Kerns had 16 as Vashon put on a three-point clinic in the first half.

Christian Paige led the visitors with 21, the only Eagle to hit double figures.

Jesse Hazzard drives for the hoop as the Pirate reserves played most of the fourth quarter.

The Pirate girls’ game was almost a laugher. Once they found the range, the Vashon girls out-scored the visitors 20-2 in the first quarter and 20-1 in the second quarter. The final score was 56-8.

Three Pirates, Kelly Costello with 18 points, and Cat Amick and Elisa Wendt with 8 each, individually equalled or surpassed the entire Eagles team.

As with the boys, reserves played most of the second half. Coach Henry Porter put the four senior starters back in the fourth quarter for a short time so they could receive an ovation from the fans.

Marya Munsey carries the ball past Life Christian's Rachel Goodman.

Vashon’s girls continued the momentum last night, Feb. 17, with a tie-breaker win over Cascade Christian, 55-26, giving the Pirates second place in the Nisqually League.

Costello led the Pirates with 21 points.

The win takes the Pirates to a Saturday game with league champion Seattle Christian for first and second seeding to the Tri-District Tournament.

The Vashon boys play Cascade Christian on Saturday, also for first or second seed to Tri-District. The Pirates and Cougars tied for the league championship.

Saturday’s games are at Orting; boys at 5 p.m., girls at 7 p.m.

Madeline Wolczko took third place at 119 pounds and Iris Spring fourth at 125 at the girls all-division Regional Tournament at Emerald Ridge earlier today. The top six girls in each weight class qualified for state.

Word from the boys 1A Regional at Bellevue Christian is that Sam Chapman, Dom Stemer, Elliot Ellingsen, Geran Webb and Vince Jovanovich qualified for state. The top three boys advanced to state.

Both Spring and Wolczko earned byes in the first round by virtue of their first-place finishes at last week’s sub-regional.

Wolczko assured her place at state with a pin of Kentridge’s Taylor in her first match. Wolczko lost in overtime to Cassidy Meyers of Kentwood, dropping her into the consolation round. A 6-4 overtime decision over Federal Way’s Maria Manzueta put Wolczko into the final for third and fourth place, once again to meet Lee.

But Lee, having a first-round match and dropping to the consolation round earlier, had already wrestled her maximum allowed five bouts for the day and Wolczko was declared the third-place winner by default.

Madeline Wolczko, right, has Taylor Lee all tied up in their quarter-final match.

Spring Took a 14-2 major decision Marissa O’Neil of Rogers in her quarterfinal to qualify for state then lost 10-5 to Jennifer Anderson of host school Emerald Ridge in the semi-final.

Spring’s consolation semi-final was a rematch with the girl she beat for the sub-regional title last Saturday, Patricia Costello, North Mason. The result was the same, with Spring winning a 11-1 major decision.

The third-fourth-place final saw Spring and O’Neil matched up again. Spring was ahead 11-0 with less than a minute to go when O’Neil turned her on her back for a pin.

Iris Spring works over Jennifer Meyers in the semi-final match.

The wrestlers are scheduled to practice at the Tacoma Dome on Thursday, then begin State competition Friday, with finals Saturday afternoon.

Even before the Colts have had time to review the game films, we already know they are even going to make it to the Super Bowl next year? And the Saints are only 9-1 to repeat, behind a San Diego team that didn’t even get there this year?

Well, people who get paid a lot more than I do know these things. I hope they get paid enough that they can afford to lose bets backing up their knowledge.

Personally, I would rather see the games played and find out who wins when the final whistle sounds. That is the way I grew up watching sports.

Even when I used to forecast the season’s results for Pirate teams, I would always include a disclaimer, that the predictions were for fun only and any use of them for other than entertainment was at the user’s risk. Even so, one coach told his players not to talk to me after I predicted that the team would win two games. After the season, I had to apologize for my inaccuracy. The team won only one game.

Maybe I’ll put my money on the Seahawks to win Super Bowl XLV. I haven’t found an “expert” to back me, but the odds should be long enough that if a miracle should happen I could afford to laugh all the way to the bank.

Last night the Mustangs won five of six matches on the mat by pin, but had to forfeit the majority of weights to a Mountain View (Bremerton) squad that brought about 60 grapplers to the Island.

Zhenya Bergman, McM, got the actual wrestling started with a pin of Michael Brown in the 117-pound match.

McMurray's Zhenya Bergman concentrates near the end of his match with Michael Brown of Mountain View.

Ian Mattingly followed with a pin of Jeremy Gonzales in the 137-pound match and Preston Morris did the same for Paul Castille at 164.

Ian Mattingly turns Jeremy Gonzales in the 137-pound match.

Shane Armstrong made quick work of Keith Fife, putting the Mountain View wrestler on his back in 15 seconds.

The heavyweight match looked almost like a comic mismatch. Mustang Joey DeFabio was nearly a foot shorter than his Mountain View opponent, Ralph Lawrence. But DeFabio didn’t seemed fazed.

The wrestlers shook hands, the referee blew the whistle, and Lawrence was looking at the rafters in the McMurray gym. Only 12 seconds had elapsed by the time the referee signalled that DeFabio had won by a pin.

Afterward one of the Mustang coaches said that Defabio had done “exactly what he was told.”

Preston Morris, back, works Paul Castille into position for a pin in the 164-pound match.

Has any high school wrestling program in recent memory been as dominant as Orting this year? The Cardinals walked away with yesterday’s 1A sub-regional boys tournament at Vashon, scoring 419.5 points almost 2 1/2 times second-place Vashon’s 168.

Orting had 17 wrestlers in the finals and won 10 individual championships. Five of the finals featured two Cardinals and only two of the 14 weight classes did not include at least one Orting wrestler.

Each competing school could enter two wrestlers in each weight class.

It’s hard to compete against that kind of power and talent, but the Pirates sent four to the finals, two in the weights where Orting didn’t reach the finals, and captured two firsts and two seconds.

Sam Chapman, 112 pounds, decisioned Dillon Stiles, Orting, 8-0. Geran Webb, 215, pinned Gregory Seylor, Cascade Christian, in 27 seconds.

At 140 Brady Maris, Orting, scored a 13-1 major decision over Pirate Dominik Stemer; and at 160 Port Townsend’s Brett Johnson pinned Vashon’s Elliot Ellingsen.

Vashon’s two girl grapplers couldn’t have done better at the 3A/2A/1A sub-regional at Eatonville.

Madeline Wolczko, 119, entered as the number-two seed and defeated Electra Duclos, Steilacoom, for the championship with a 13-2 major decision.

Iris Spring, top seed at 125, took her championship with a 8-2 decision over North Mason’s Patricia Costello.

The two-girl Pirate team took fourth place in the three-division tournament.

Next Saturday the wrestlers try to qualify for State. The boys compete in the Regional Tournament at Bellevue Christian and the girls at Emerald Ridge.

While the high-schoolers approach the climax of their season, the middle-schoolers are just starting. After practicing since Jan. 19, the McMurray Mustangs host Mountain View tomorrow, Monday, Feb. 8. The meet starts at 3:45 p.m.

The Mustangs have four home meets this season. After March 11 wrestling aficionados will have to wait until late fall for more wrestling on the Island.

JV: Auburn Adventist 37, Vashon 23

Auburn Adventist Academy is a 1A-size private school that plays an independent schedule. The Falcons do not belong to a league or participate in post-season play but are competitive with most 1A girls’ teams.

Last night our Pirate girls took control of the game quickly, opening up a 23-6 first quarter lead. That 17-point margin proved to be the winning difference. After the Pirates opened up a 53-28 gap at the end of the third period, coach Henry Porter sent in the reserves to finish the game.

One of the biggest cheers of the night came when 5-2 sophomore Marya Munsey, who usually gets very limited varsity playing time, sank a basket late in the fourth quarter. The Vashon bench came to their feet and the sparse crowd erupted.

Elisa Wendt led the Pirates with 15 points. Chrissy Swope had 12 and Charlotte Kehoe had 10.

Elizabeth Downs led the visitors with 27.

Auburn Adventist   6   7  15  14   42

Vashon                   23  12 18   6    59

Pressure from Kiki Means causes this shot by Auburn Adventist's Kat Eun to go awry.

Vashon’s JV held their own against the Falcons for the early going but fell behind and couldn’t catch up after the swing players left at the end of the third quarter to prepare for the varsity game.

Jazmine Acosta, right, steals a Falcon pass after teammate Avalon Koenig causes Sarah Pierce, 54, to rush her throw.

The Pirates have two more regular-season games: Tuesday, Feb. 9 at Charles Wright, and Tuesday, Feb. 16 at home with Life Christian.

Pirate senior players and cheer leaders and their parents will be honored between games on Feb. 16.

The Pirate girls still can’t get past Seattle Christian’s strong team. Tomorrow (Thursday) the girls host Auburn Adventist in a non-league game. This one was changed from early in the season and is the last non-counting game this season.

JV plays at 5:30 p.m. and the varsity at 7 p.m. This is the last chance to see the JV girls play in the same gym as the varsity.

In case you’re still looking at an old schedule, note that the Life Christian games are changed to Feb. 16 at Life Christian. The change was made to accomodate Life Christian’s playoff schedule. They are a 2B team and their playoffs start a week earlier than our 1A playoffs.

Reserve Saturday for the boys wrestling sub-regional tournament in the Pirate gym. Check the school Web site or the sports hotline for starting time. Our two Pirate girl wrestlers will be at Eatonville for their sub-regional.

And wrestling fans should find time to get to McMurray on Monday for the first Mustang meet starting at 3:45 p.m. The Mustangs also host on Feb. 26, March 2 and March 11.

Mustang girls basketball is home on Feb. 11 and 22 and March 4, 8 and 18.

Ferry reminder: WSF says the Hiyu will be on the south end run for the rest of this week, so if you’re going to Charles Wright for the basketball games on Friday, plan accordingly.

Matt Amick gets off a shot early in the game.

The Pirates we know and love are back. After the slow starts at Cascade Christian, our Vashon teams both came out running in last night’s home games against Orting. The boys won 56-35 and the girls followed with a 63-28 rout of the Cardinals.

The Pirate boys took their time and established their game, pulling ahead to a 13-11 lead in the first quarter and leading 26-21 at the half. John Gage tallied the first eight points for Vashon with three field goals and two free throws resulting from fouls on two of those shots.

Quinn Holert puts up a last-second shot as the first half ends.

The Pirates opened the third quarter with a 14-point run before the Cardinals could find the hoop.

John Gage shoots for two and is fouled in the process.

Gage tallied 31 points before Coach Andy Sears sat the starters and finished the game with reserves.

Orting    11  10   5   9    35

Vashon 13  13  17  13   56

The Pirate girls wait to take the floor for warmups.

Vashon’s girls took care of business quickly. The Pirates put up 10 points before the Cardinals scored and led 14-5 after the first eight minutes.

A 15-2 second quarter put Vashon up 29-7 at the half, giving the Pirates one more point than they allowed the visitors for the whole game.

Chrissy Swope guards an Orting player in the third quarter.

The home team led 52-16 after three quarters. The fourth quarter was a chance for the reserves to show their stuff.

Orting      5    2    9   12    28

Vashon  14  15  23  11     63

Cat Amick pressures an Orting player late in the game.

As expected, the  number-one-ranked wrestling team in the state defeated Vashon last night. But with five returning state champions, four from the visitors and one from the Pirates, fans were treated to some outstanding wrestling between 13 JV and 13 varsity matches.

The varsity matches took very little time, 10 of them ended in first round pins, nine in less than a minute. Pirate Elliot Elllingsen, 160, needed almost two full rounds to pin Arthur Fretter.

Elliot Ellingsen, in green, works toward a pin of Arthur Fretter.

Cardinal Dylan Styles went the distance to defeat Madeline Wolczko 10-1.

The most exciting match featured 171-pounders Tucker Lazare of Vashon and Orting’s Keegan Norris. Trailing 10-8 as the clock ticked down, Lazare put Norris on his back. The referee signaled a pin as the buzzer sounded, but the timekeeper ruled the clock had expired before the pin. Tucker was awarded a near fall for three points and an 11-10 victory.

Geran Webb’s 20-second pin of Cardinal Josh Teu Teu was only the second fastest pin of the night. Drew Templeman pinned Pirate John Michael Monroe in 11 seconds in the varsity opener at 125 pounds.

Graeme Britz is on the way to a 52-second pin of Jake Owen in the 130-pound match.

Other Pirate winners were Graeme Britz at 130 pounds and Sam Chapman at 112.

Sam Chapman, 112, gives Orting's Austin Dodson a close-up look at the Vashon wrestling mat.

Although team scores are not kept for JV matches, Pirate wrestlers dominated the 13 JV matches.

Varsity: Orting 46, Vashon 27

113: double ff; 112: Chapman (V) p Dodson; 119: Styles (O) d Wolczko 10-1; 125: Templeman (O) p Monroe; 130: Britz (V) p Owen; 135: Mann (O) p Stemer; 140: Maris (O) p Thomas; 145: Shattuck (O) p Steneker; 152: Veltri (O) p Mandl; 160: Elllingsen (V) p Fretter; 171: Lazare (V) d Norris 11-10; 189: Meeks (O) p Easton; 215: Webb (V) p Teu Teu; 275: Barnes (O) p Jovanovich.

The games were similar in that Cascade Christian jumped to an early lead and built a big enough margin that Vashon fell just short of catching up. Neither Vashon boys nor girls ever had a lead.

Kelly Costello runs into traffic.

The Cougar girls led 13-3 after one quarter and made that lead hold up the rest of the game. Vashon out-scored the Cougars in the second third quarters and cut the margin to three points for most of the fourth period.

Then some very strange foul calls had five Pirates fouled out, four in the final minute and a half, and a sixth player ejected, leaving Vashon with only four players on the floor for the final whistle. The resulting free throws allowed the Cougars to increase the final margin from three to nine, 45-36.

Kiki Means tries to keep control of the ball while tangled up with a Cougar player

The Pirate boys spotted the Cougars a 33-15 half time margin before playing the hosts even in the third period. Early in the fourth period the margin reached 20 points before Vashon closed it to four with less than two minutes remaining.

The Cougars were almost perfect with free throws as the Pirates fouled to try to get the ball back, resulting in a final score of Cascade Christian 60, Vashon 45.

Quinn Holert guards a Cascade Christian player.

Friday the Pirates host Orting. Boys play at 5:30 p.m., girls at 7 p.m.

Senior Graeme Britz, 130 pounds, pinned Cougar David Thompson in the third round. Tucker Lazare, 189, pinned Nick Willhoite in the first round and Geran Webb, 215, made short work of Nick Willhoite, putting him on his back in only 39 seconds.

Tucker Lazare, in green, works over Nick Willhoite on the way to a pin.

Going in to the final match at 119 pounds, Vashon led 33-27. If Cascade’s Daniel Suggs could pin Sam Chapman the team score would be tied and the Cougars would on the tie-breaker. All Chapman had to do was avoid being pinned for the Pirates to win.

But “Slam” was not content to do the minimum. The only point he allowed Suggs was an escape when Chapman opted for both wrestlers standing on a re-start. Meanwhile the Pirate senior ran off 17 points for a technical fall and five team points.

The wrestlers have one more home match, next Thursday, Jan. 28, against top-ranked Orting.

Pirate Anthony Sawyer pins his Cougar opponent in an exciting JV match.

The Pirate girls ran off 19 unanswered points from near the end of the first quarter to near the end of the second quarter and led 29-12 at halftime.

Sophie Nespor knocks the ball away from a Charles Wright player in a display of Vashon's tight defense.

The boys led 47-13 at the half. With a 30-point lead in the second period, coach Andy Sears began playing the reserves. The fourth quarter was almost all Pirate reserves.

The Pirates play Chimacum at home Friday, starting the second half of the season. The boys play first at 5:30 p.m. followed by the girls at 7 p.m.

I’m only listing the home games here. If you can travel with the teams, check the high school Web site for time and location of away games.

Basketball is home tomorrow, Jan. 20, Jan. 22 and Jan. 29. Get there early if you want a seat for the boys game. In fact, plan to watch both games, the girls are ranked top-10 in the News Tribune rankings and I think they could be a sleeper team at state.

Wear green and gold and join the Green Tide, if you can find a seat.

Wrestling is home the next two Thursdays, Jan. 21 and 28. From recent results it looks like the coaches are doing their usual good job of preparing the squad to peak for the post-season. Vashon hosts the sub-regional tournament on Saturday, Feb. 6.

And don’t forget the Mustangs. McMurray wrestling and girls basketball starts Feb. 8.

The Pirates were even with the Sentinels, 6-6, in the second quarter and outscored them 10-7 in the fourth quarter, but Steilacoom’s 21-5 third period sealed the Pirates’ fate.

Ben Reoux gets off a pass in the first quarter.

Daniel Ridgeway, 45, fights for a defensive rebound.

Nick Fox-Edele, 4, puts up a shot in the fourth quarter

Vashon's John Gage and Steilacoom's Kelvin Penn reach for the tip-off to start the game.

Tonight’s Vashon/Steilacoom boys basketball game lived up to the classic rivalry between the two schools.

Vashon, ranked #1 in the state in 1A, and Steilacoom, ranked 8th in 2A, played a game reminiscent of the days when both were in the same division and, for several years in a row, fought it out for the last slot to State, alternating years winning.

Alex Wegner puts up a shot in the second quarter.

The Pirates pulled out a 47-44 win in the final 48 seconds after trailing the whole game. Matt Amick hit a buzzer shot at the end of the third quarter and the Pirates came back on the floor for the final period fired up.

Vashon slowly closed the gap and, with 48 seconds and change showing on the game clock, John Gage sank a layup to give the home team a 45-44 lead. The defense shut the Sentinels down, forcing them to foul to try to regain possession.

Alex Wegner hit two of four free throws for the final margin.

I just found the score on the Pirate team Web site; no stats yet.

Our Pirate boys out-scored their opponents by a cumulative score of 123-73, a pretty impressive performance.

I haven’t found the girls’ score from today’s game yet.

In the first day of the Sundome Shootout yesterday the Pirate boys crushed Cashmere 67-41. Two Vashon players, John Gage with 27 points and Alex Wegner with 14, equaled the entire Cashmere team. The win extends the Pirates’ Sundome win streak to five games, starting with last season’s state championship run.

Vashon’s boys play Colville at 3 p.m. today. Colville lost yesterday to Naches Valley 51-40.

The Pirate girls, almost invincible elsewhere, can’t seem to get going in the Sundome. Yesterday they were 48-28 victims of Granger.

While our girls have made several trips to State in the Sundome, they have yet to win a game.

Today’s game is 1:30 p.m. v LaSalle, 34-32 losers to Burbank yesterday.

Todd Beamer won the Rock Tournament  on Monday with four wrestlers earning individual championships. I was unable to attend and don’t know how Vashon’s grapplers placed.

While it may be a down year for the Pirate team several individual wrestlers are making their marks on the mat. See this week’s Beachcomber for Marian Easton’s report on the Tri-State Tournament.

The Pirate wrestlers are at Lake Stevens today. Next home meet is Jan. 21 v Cascade Christian.

Boys basketball hosts Steilacoom Saturday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. Boys and girls travel to Orting Jan. 5 and host Seattle Christian Jan. 8.

Last Saturday the Rockbusters hosted their only home competition of the season and Islanders got a look at some future Pirates.

Rockbuster Seamus Spring works over his Eatonville opponent in an exhibition match Saturday.

Then last night the Pirates hosted Steilacoom in a dual that was typical of most Vashon/Steilacoom events, intense and not decided until the last match, when the Sentinels pulled out a 42-40 team win. Vashon won seven matches on the mat to Steilacoom’s six, but a forfeit at 103 pounds game the visitors the two-point final edge.

Several of Vashon’s varsity wrestlers also wrestled JV or exhibition matches before the varsity competition began.

Vashon's Iris Spring, 125 pounds, scores a near fall on Steilacoom's Elle Billman, 130 pounds, at the end of the second round. Spring pinned Billman early in the third round of the JV match.

The shortest match of the night was at 285 pounds. Geran Webb, wrestling up from 215, pinned Sentinel Jack Newhouse in 27 seconds. Pirate Aaron Bomber came back to pin Electra Duclos with just one-half second left on the clock in the 119-pound match.

Sjors Steneker, wrestling up from 145, is just seconds from pinning Steilacoom's Zach Flynn in the 152-pound match.

The Pirates’ next home action is the Monday after Christmas, Dec. 28, when Vashon hosts the prestigious Rock Tournament. Some of the best small-school wrestlers in the state will be on the Rock and the finals are often previews of state championship action. Action starts about 9 a.m. and continues all day as wrestlers compete to take home genuine Vashon Island rocks, the unique trophies for this annual competition.

The Pirates’ other home meets are Jan. 21 against Cascade Christian and Jan. 28 when Orting comes to the Island.

Abby Dolmseth, in white, runs into a little opposition as she tries get off a shot.

With the boys ranked number one and defending state champions and the girls top ten, both Vashon basketball teams are wearing targets big enough to qualify for corporate sponsorship by a well-known retail chain. Maybe there would be enough money to fix the nagging problems with the scoreboard controls and the shot clocks.

The Vashon girls looked a bit tired in the first half, after three games in three days last week, but still dominated the visiting Trojans, leading 23-17 at the break. Fife made it a game in the third quarter before the Pirates shut them down, holding Fife to only 7 points in the final period.

Kelly Costello scored 20 for the home team and Charlotte Kehoe had her best game so far this season with 12 points.

A surprisingly scrappy Fife boys team stayed with the Pirate boys for the first half before Vashon took over for a 58-43 victory.

The 2A Trojans didn’t seem to be over awed to be playing the defending 1A state champions. the lead changed hands several times in the first half with Vashon ahead 27-25 at the break. The Pirates started fast in the second half but the Trojans came back before Vashon took control for good, out scoring the visitors 17-11 for the third quarter.

Vashon held Fife to just 7 points in the final period, while the Pirates made 14.

John Gage had a couple of superb dunks on the way to 24 points. Alex Wegner, with 13 points, showed that he too can dunk. Corey Holert had 11 points.

Boys basketball: Vashon 70, Port Townsend 32

Vashon                  12  13  20  25

Port Townsend    11    7    7     7

Girls basketball: Vashon 57, Port Townsend 23

Vashon                  10  13  21  13

Port Townsend    10    2    1  10

The Bulldogs scored the first points, but the Pirates had a 13-10 lead by the end of the first quarter then wore down the visitors through the second and third periods.

Vashon shut down the Bulldogs completely in the final quarter while scoring 17 points of their own to win 52-25. Kelly Costello, Chrissy Swope and Elisa Wendt all scored in double figures and Swope pretty much owned the boards. Rebound figures weren’t available until after the coaches review the film, but Swope must have been well into double figures.

The Pirate JV had a big comeback in the second half but ended 1 point short of the Bulldog JV. With only six Pirate players available and the visitors having 12, Vashon dropped behind early and never had a lead.

The closest the Vashon JV came was a 30-30 tie when Jazmine Acosta sank a three-pointer with 1:35 left in the game. In the last minute and a half the Bulldogs got one free throw to win 31-30.

Alyson Laing, 30, and Jazmine Acosta, 4, fight for a loose ball in the JV game.

Kiki Means, in white, is fouled by West Seattle's Katelyn Elder, right, late in the fourth quarter. Means' two free throws put the game out of the Wildcats' reach.

The Pirate varsity never trailed after the first few minutes, but the Wildcats tied it at 45 with about three minutes left. Kelly Costello,Chrissy Swope and Elisa Wendt all scored in double figures. Kiki Means made her 5 points count with some key free throws in the final minutes.

The Pirate JV took control in the first quarter and never trailed after that.

Alyson Laing, 30, is pressured by two West Seattle players in the JV game.

With six freshmen and two sophomores on the roster, the JV Pirates should ensure that Vashon’s winning tradition continues for a few more years at least.

The Tacoma News Tribune has Vashon’s girls ranked seventh on the state and the boys ranked first.

The boys justified that ranking with a 66-23 rout at Seattle Academy Wednesday. True, Seattle Academy was playing without their best player, but one player doesn’t make a 43-point difference on a five-man team.

The JV boys won 51-16.

The Pirate girls host North Mason tonight, JV at 5:30 p.m., varsity at 7 p.m.

Boys and girls travel to Port Townsend tomorrow.

I got an e-mail from Bruce Cyra about Islanders who ran the Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon last weekend. Congratulations to those runners and any others who made the race.

Where’s your name in the results Bruce? Can you still beat Aidan?

“Many Islanders traveled to Seattle in the early morning hours this past Sunday to run in either the Marathon or Half Marathon, joining thousands of others on the hilly courses.
“Among the Islanders finishing the Half Marathon were Kevin Ross (1:30:08), Aidan Cyra (1:35:55), Savannah Krug (1:47:19), Ramsey Walker (1:44:26), Liam Rockwell (1:44:30), Kevin Kim-Murphy (1:50:30) and Eric Walker (2:00:30),
Among the Islanders finishing the Marathon were Mimi Walker (4:24:29), Laura Johnson and Kyla Trujillo (both 5:54:05).

“(I know there were others, but you cannot search the finisher database by location at this time)”

Bruce Cyra.

Half-marathoners Liam Rockwell, left, and Aidan Cyra fist-bump after Cyra finished an impressive sixth 16 year-old in the race setting a personal best of 1:35:55. – Bruce Cyra photo.

Now it’s time to get ready for the Club Northwest Super Jock’N'Jill Winter Grand Prix, a series of six 2-mile or 3K races, starting this Saturday, Dec. 5. I’m starting training as soon as I get home, or at least tomorrow. I’ll be at Magnuson Park bright and early Saturday. Any other Islanders?

See www.clubnorthwest.org for details.

Bush 3, Connell 1 for third and fourth.

Congratulations to all the finalists.

The top three teams finished the same way they did in the Emerald City League. That league is all private schools. Six private schools and 10 public schools made it to state. Connell was the only public school to survive to the semi-finals.

I saw a few minutes of both boys and girls basketball practice at VHS yesterday. The girls were just finishing and looked tired but happy. The boys came out and got right to work. They look like they are ready now to defend their state title tomorrow, but I’m sure coach Andy Sears has lots of preparation planned.

Didn’t get to wrestling practice but saw saw a few very tired wrestlers heading out.

Joining the girls basketball team this year is exchange student Elisa Wendt from Freiburg, Germany. Vashon must have made a good impression on the Wendt family because Elisa’s brother also was an exchange student here. Elisa’s host dad just happens to be coach Henry Porter.

Exchange student Elisa Wendt and assistant coach Gary Means chat after girls basketball practice.

We’re off to Colorado to meet our new grandson next week. Mom played rugby, Dad played and coaches football and Grandpa favors running and soccer, so the kid will have a choice, along with kayaking and all the other outdoor stuff that is big there.

The fall Pirate teams are done and signups for basketball and wrestling are this week.

Pirate football lost to Nooksack Valley yesterday in a play-in game to State, ending the fall sports season. The Pirates made their mark in the Nisqually League with football and girls soccer making it to the final game before being eliminated. Volleyball, in a rebuilding year, was in the running for the playoffs right up to the final league game. Boys tennis sent a few players through to the spring session.

And cross country sent two runners to State, where both Savannah Krug and Tylor Heit acquitted themselves well.

I just saw the line score for yesterday’s football game. While the final score looks lopsided, take away the third quarter and the Pirates were one point better than the Pioneers.

Basketball and wrestling practice starts Monday. First wrestling meet is Dec. 1, first home match is Dec. 16.

Both basketball teams have jamborees Nov. 28. The girls host my alma mater, West Seattle, Dec. 3. Boys first home game is Dec. 9.

McMurray girls soccer and boys basketball have been practicing for competition starting next week. Check the school Web site for schedules.

The Pirates fought back from a two-goal deficit with a Teal Sigler corner kick in the 69th minute, but Seattle Christian held on for the 2-1 win, ending the Pirates’ season in the Tri-District playoff game at Kings High School.

During the regular season the Warriors had twice beaten the Pirates by three-goal margins and the two teams were playing for the sixth and final seed to State. Vashon had won two playoff games in shootouts and before this game the Warrior coaches said they didn’t want to get into a shootout.

Seattle Christian got a goal from Jordan Fremmerlid in the 13th minute, with the assist going to Terrika Weaver. Weaver scored unassisted in the 56th minute.

Vashon came back and had numerous chances but couldn’t finish until Sigler sent a corner kick high to the near post. The Warrior goalkeeper got her hands on the ball but couldn’t hang on and the Pirates were within one goal.

Sigler, Cat Amick and Lena deGuzman all pounded shots in the final 10 minutes but the Warriors held. Katie Chale led the Pirate defense in a valiant effort, holding Weaver, the Warriors top scorer to only one goal.

While the Pirates’ season is over the Warriors open the State Tournament with a game at Kings on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Cat Amick beats Seattle Christian defender Kimberly Howard to unload a shot on goal in Saturday's game.

Overlake defeated Vashon 4-0 in a rain-soaked game at Kings HS that started almost an hour late and was suspended for a half hour while thunder storms passed through.

Rules require the pitch to be cleared for thirty minutes following lightning, so when a storm struck while the teams were warming up the kickoff was delayed, resulting in the 5 p.m. game starting just before 6 p.m.

Courtney Gateman, coach Paul Beytebiere and Katie Chale share a light moment while waiting for the lightning to pass.

Shortly after Allison Risa scored the Owls’ first goal more lightning forced a half hour suspension about midway in the first half.

Risa scored three times in the second half, and the Owls advanced to State.

Vashon gets another chance to advance to State at 1 p.m. tomorrow when they play Seattle Christian.The SC/Bush game was just starting, an hour later than scheduled, as the Vashon bus left the field. Bush won 4-1.

Tomorrow’s game is also at Kings. The loser is eliminated and the winner gets the sixth seed to State. First round State games are next Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 10 and 11.

Pirate football is in State by virtue of a coin toss but plays the winner of Orting/Port Townsend tomorrow in a mini-playoff – six-minute quarters – for second or third seeding. The action is at Franklin Pierce in Tacoma.

Anna Jones harasses a Meridian player Wednesday.

Girls soccer can grab the fifth seed to State with a win today over Overlake. The loser gets a chance for the sixth and final seed tomorrow, playing the loser of Seattle Christian/Bush. Vashon/Overlake is 5 p.m. at Kings HS in North Seattle. SC/Bush is 7 p.m. at Kings. Winner is fourth seed.

The Pirates want to get it done today and rest tomorrow. The Pirate fans have been the loudest and biggest contingent at the recent road playoff games and have been a big boost to the Pirate girls.

Alex Wall moves the ball upfield in the Meridian game Wednesday.

Teal Sigler, right, beats the Meridian goalkeeper for the Pirates third goal Wednesday.

Three playoff games, three wins, and the Vashon girls are one win away from the State Tournament. Vashon traveled all the way to Mount Vernon tonight to beat Meridian 4-0. Teal Sigler and Carlyle Scott scored off corner kicks in the fifth and seventh minutes. Sigler scored on a breakaway in the 75th minute then fed the ball to Cat Amick for a 79th minute goal.

The Pirates play Overlake, 1-0 winners over Charles Wright tonight, on Friday at Kings High School in North Seattle. The winner of that game qualifies for State and plays again Saturday for fourth or fifth seed to State. The loser plays on Saturday for sixth seed to State.

Meridian and Charles Wright were eliminated from the playoffs in tonight’s games.

Football; Vashon v Cascade Christian @ Franklin Pierce HS, 7:15 p.m.

Girls soccer: Vashon v Meridian at Mount Vernon HS, 7 p.m.

Vashon Island should be deserted that evening.

The occasion was the Westside Classic Cross Country Meet, the qualifier for the State Meet next Saturday, Nov. 7, on Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

Savannah Krug kicks for the finish in 11th place.

Krug and Heit both followed the same basic strategy, surge for the lead pack at the start and don’t back off.

Krug was 12th crossing the 2,500 meter mark and moved up to 11th before the finish.

Heit passed 2,500 in 15th and stayed there to the finish.

Tylor Heit, 699, approaches the midway point of the race in 15th place.

The final score in the Vashon - Cedar Park Christian football game last Friday.

The Pirates took care of business last Friday, defeating Cedar Park Christian 59-6. Now comes the biggest game in recent Vashon football history.

On Wednesday the Pirates, 5-1 in Nisqually League, take on the Cougars of Cascade Christian, 6-0. The winner is the number one seed to State playoffs. If Vashon wins Cascade is number two. If the Cougars win the Pirates will likely be tied for second with Orting and Port Townsend, necessitating a mini-playoff for second and third seeds.

Quinn Holert reaches for the goal line on the way to one of his four touchdowns.

The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Sunset Chevrolet Stadium in Sumner, the Cougars’ usual home field, but could be moved to another stadium due to scheduling conflicts the final week of the regular season.

Games with playoff implications are often moved up to allow time for tie-breaker mini-playoffs before the full playoffs begin.

On Friday the Pirates got off to a slow start against the sixth-place Eagles. Vashon finally got a field goal from Nick Fox-Edele as the first quarter ended, then the flood gates opened.

Quinn Holert got four touchdowns, Nathan Betz had two and third-string quarterback Dan Lofland ran for two TDs in the fourth quarter. Fox-Edele kicked all eight extra points.

Pirate fans have a choice on Wednesday: follow the girls soccer team to their Tri-District playoff game or follow the football team to Cascade Christian. Check the VHS Web site for the locations of the games.

Nick Fox-Edele, 4, was perfect on Friday, kicking a field goal and eight extra points. Kyle York is the holder.

Olivia Andrus, 21, tangles with a Charles Wright player.

WARNING: People with a pre-existing heart condition or stress issues should consult a health care professional before watching Vashon Pirate girls soccer playoff games.

The Pirates have played two playoff games and won both 2-1 via the shootout.

On Saturday the Pirates went to neutral Orting Stadium to meet the Charles Wright Tarriers for the third time this season, the second time this week. The Tarriers won the first 4-2 in overtime. The Pirates won the second 4-0 on senior night, with the Tarriers missing some of their starters to the flu.

Saturday’s game was not only for bragging rights, very important in this intense rivalry, but for seeding to the Tri-District Tournament.

The Tarriers drew first blood when Valerie Rutan  beat Pirate keeper Sophie Nespor in the 10th minute.

Teal Sigler, a premier teammate of Tarrier keeper Natalie Powell, beat Powell after taking a feed from Carlyle Scott, making the score 1-1 at the end of the first half.

The tie held through the second half, thanks to Nespor’s save of a Tarrier penalty kick, and through two 5-minute sudden-death overtime periods, sending the game to the shootout.

In the shootout both teams converted their first three kicks. Vashon made kick number four while the Tarrier kicker missed.

Powell saved the Pirates’ fifth kick, leaving Vashon a 4-3 lead and Charles Wright with one more chance. The kick was on frame toward the top to Nespor’s right.

Nespor made a leap, getting both hands on the ball and knocking it away from the goal and the Pirates had won their second consecutive shootout.

Vashon the number three seed to Tri-District, plays the District 1 number two seed Wednesday at a District 1 site. The opponent has not been posted as of this writing.

Charles Wright plays Overlake at a District 2 site. If both Pirates and Tarriers win Wednesday, they meet again on Friday with the winner getting a state berth and the loser having to win on Saturday for the last state slot.

Wednesday’s games are loser out.

Vashon's starting defensive line kept Charles Wright frustrated for most of the game. From left, in green, are Anna Jones, Brooke Pringle, Kaija Reinelt and Katie Chale.