In a non-league high school boys basketball rivalry between two Plateau squads, Enumclaw and White River played in Buckley last night, it was the Pierce County Hornets who prevailed, winning 67-58
This year’s White River High boys basketball team will be leaving its fate in the hands of a threesome of guards in senior sharpshooters Billy Kiel and Jason Tyler along with junior distributor Alex Sayler.
If all it took was having plenty of tall young men to be a successful basketball squad in the highly competitive South Puget Sound League 3A, Enumclaw would be set to jet straight to the state tournament.
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The White River High volleyball squad improved on last year’s performance to place fourth in the Class 2A state tournament contested at Evergreen State College during the Veteran’s Day weekend.
With memories of finishing eighth in the tournament in 2010, the predominantly senior White River crew started this year’s show by edging Archbishop Murphy High 15-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-15 and, in a nail-biting sudden death set, 15-9.
“White River was a really solid team against us,” Archbishop Murphy coach Jeff Curtis said, noting the difference between White River and his team was that the Hornets were flexible enough to make the necessary adjustments.
The Enumclaw High volleyball squad, which overcame considerable odds to earn a berth into the weekend’s state Class 3A tournament at St. Martin’s University and Timberline High in Lacey, got off to a rocky start and never fully recovered.
Against a highly favored Eastside Catholic squad Friday morning, Enumclaw was swept in three consecutive sets, making an early shuffle to the left side of the bracket. Once there, the Hornets couldn’t survive long enough to play any Saturday matches in the double elimination proceedings.
Enumclaw showed poise under fire as in the initial set against formidable Eastside Catholic, the score was tied at 22-22. At that point, Hornet setter Hannah Morris attempted to dig a rocket sent over the net by Eastside Catholic’s Kameron McLain and in the process strained a wrist ligament. With that, Morris was out of commission for the remainder of the tournament.
A determined Enumclaw High volleyball squad would not be denied during the West Central District tournament at Auburn Mountainview, capturing must-win contests on the way to a No. 6 berth into the state Class 3A tournament at St. Martin’s University in Lacey.
The Hornets’ test begins at 8 a.m. Friday against always-tough Eastside Catholic.
Enumclaw, at 16-7 overall, raised a few eyebrows during Friday’s district play when it stunned a favored Wilson squad. The Hornets won the initial set 25-19, lost 22-25, then claimed sets three and four 25-16 and 25-12.
Enumclaw was then brought down to earth by Prairie, which won 25-17, 26-24 and 25-22.
“In a way we were motivated by being bumped over to the left side of the bracket, because that loss to Prairie pitted us in the next day’s games against teams that we had already played and beaten in Bonney Lake, Kennedy Catholic and Peninsula,” coach Jackie Carel said. “So we were encouraged by where that loss to Prairie left us, if that makes sense.”
Sure enough, Enumclaw’s first opponent on the ensuing morning was Kennedy Catholic and the Hornets stung the 15-2 Lancers 25-13, 25-15 and 26-24.
It was then on to a critical match with Peninsula and Enumclaw cruised to victories in the initial tandem of sets 25-17, 25-11. But Peninsula played with heart in the third set to win 25-18. Enumclaw then summoned its last bit of energy to win the deciding fourth set 25-22 and punch its ticket to state.
The Hornets fell in the seeding match to Capital 25-19, 25-20 and 25-23.
The Hornets welcomed the return of senior hitter Haylee Mae Dennis, who had 63 kills and 35 digs throughout the five weekend matches. Katie Holland and Hannah Morris combined to register 130 assists; Molly Collyer had 24 kills and 12 service aces; Danielle Saltarelli recorded 10 services aces and 15 stuff blocks; and defensive specialist Olivia Bannerot booked 45 digs.
The White River High volleyball team redeemed itself from an abysmal showing in subdistricts, surging back during the Class 2A West Central District tournament at Franklin Pierce, winning necessary matches to clinch a berth in the state tournament for the second year in a row.
The dance begins for the Hornets at 9:45 a.m. Friday against Archbishop Murphy at Evergreen State College.
White River, which went 12-0 in league play, began its march through the district competition Friday afternoon by eliminating Fife 25-18, 25-18, 14-25 and 25-14.
“The girls played with a lot of energy and really hustled after each ball, so we were able to move on to the semifinals the next day after beating the Trojans,” coach Stryder Argo said.
Saturday, Argo held his Hornets played some of the most consistent volleyball he had seen all season, as they began the day by edging a tough North Kitsap contingent in an exciting match that went the distance.
The Hornets fell behind, losing the first two sets 25-13 and 25-17. But with its back to the wall White River got its act intact, winning the next three, including a 15-10 triumph in the do-or-die sudden death set.
Against the Rams, Dannie Stroud and Jailyn VanSickle teamed up for 30 kills and 40 digs and Haley Valalla was welcomed back with a dozen kills versus both Fife and North Kitsap. Cassidy Kunst notched 42 assists and 10 digs against the Rams.
White River easily prevailed over Port Angeles in Saturday’s championship as the Hornets swept the Roughriders 25-22, 25-17 and 25-16 to advance as the No. 1 seed out of the West Central District.
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Buckley is inviting citizens concerned about the potential closure of the city jail, as part of a cost-cutting alternative for balancing the 2012 budget, to attend a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
When a volleyball squad clinches the South Puget Sound League 2A crown with a 12-0 record, as White River did, that distinction is sometimes adorned with certain privileges, like playing poorly during Saturday’s 2A subdistrict event at Franklin Pierce and still advancing to the West Central District tournament.
The district tourney also will be in the Franklin Pierce gymnasium.
The Hornets lost subdistrict matches to Port Angeles and Interlake, yet had the No. 4 seed bestowed upon them going into this Friday’s engagement against Fife at the district tourney. The match begins at 7 p.m.
“We simply made way to many errors and our passing was a bit off all day, which really threw the rest of our offense out of sync,” White River coach Stryder Argo said following the subdistrict debacle.
Against Port Angeles, White River lost the first set 17-25, won the second 25-23, then dropped two more. During the course of the third and fourth sets against the Roughriders, WRHS committed a total of 25 errors in the 25-19 and 25-18 setbacks.
“It is just hard to beat good teams when you are giving them half of their points,” Argo said.
In the ensuing match with Interlake, the only club to hand White River a defeat this season (in a nonleague encounter in early October), it was more of the same.
Jailyn VanSickle recorded a combined 26 kills in the pair of matches and Dannie Stroud contributed 18 kills in the effort.
Enumclaw High entered the subdistrict volleyball festival at Auburn Mountainview as the No. 3 seed from the SPSL 3A with a 7-3 mark.
After making a statement at subdistricts by prevailing in three of its four matches, EHS gleaned the third seed into Friday’s West Central District show, also being staged at Auburn Mountainview.
Using the momentum from its final regular season match, a 3-0 win at Bonney Lake, EHS hit the ground running at subdistricts. The Hornets’ first victim was Highline. EHS won in straight sets 25-13, 25-14, 25-9.
Next up was Auburn Mountainview, which Enumclaw. EHS managed at least one set, falling 25-16, 25-7, 14-25, 25-8.
After being sent to the loser’s bracket, Enumclaw encountered the same Bonney Lake contingent it throttled four days earlier.
The ensuing confrontation went the cliff-hanging distance with EHS taking the match by winning 15-9 in the finale.
Enumclaw faced Kennedy Catholic of the Seamount League in its fourth and final match of the afternoon. The Hornets didn’t waste any time dispatching the Lancers 25-18, 25-13 and 25-14.
HayleeMae Dennis had 26 kills during Saturday’s four matches, as well as 32 digs and six service aces. Olivia Bannerot recorded 43 digs, Danielle Saltarelli booked 11 stuff blocks, Molly Colyer notched 20 kills and setters Hannah Morris and Katie Holland combined for 80 assists.
“We were exhausted after playing 12 sets earlier in the day, but were also super-confident coming into that match with the Lancers,” coach Jackie Carel said.
Enumclaw mixes it up with Wilson in its 3:30 p.m.
The Enumclaw High football team’s 2011 campaign came to an end when the Hornets visited the Peninsula Seahawks Thursday evening and suffered a 48-6 loss.
Enumclaw finished its season 1-7 and was 0-5 in South Puget Sound League 3A play.
Enumclaw raised a few eyebrows early, when quarterback Tyler Carlson hooked up with Zack Mason on a 10-yard touchdown strike.
Slowly but surely the reality of the mismatch began to unfold, as EHS discovered Peninsula was precisely the smash-mouth bully all had expected.
Enumclaw’s defense was shoved all over the field by a hefty Peninsula line and stout Peninsula senior ball carrier Danny Welstad ran for touchdowns treks of 16, 39, 47 and 60 yards.
Welstad, who finished the regular season as the leading ground gainer in the SPSL 3A with more than 2,500 rushing yards, toted the pigskin 24 times for 215 yards.
