The Pacific Middle School eighth-grade boys basketball team capped an unbeaten season by winning the Greater St. Helens Middle School League tournament March 2 at Union High School.
In victories over Frontier and Liberty, the Vikings won by an average margin of 22.5 points, holding their opponents to 37 points per game. Pacific won all 12 of its games this season, twice scoring narrow league wins over Skyridge.
Players for the Vikings were: Antoine Archer, Austin Lewis, Avery Anderson, Brandon Poe-Uptmor, Cameron Cranston, Dontrez Ponds, Elon Freeman, Kai Gamble, Logan Ricks, Phillip Rosca, Sheaven Rhoads and Trevor Swartz.
“Before the season started, I knew this group of boys had some basketball talent. I questioned their ability to physically work hard and persevere,” Pacific coach Scott Dynes said.
Dynes said he opened the season with two practices a day and placed an emphasis on fitness. The players wore green wrist bands with the words “Work hard” to remind them of their commitment to give their best in the classroom and on the basketball court.
“It was that work ethic that served as the catalyst to play intense defense and a contagious attitude of working together,” Dynes said.
This was the second year in a row Pacific went unbeaten in the eighth-grade league. The 2012 Vikings were 10-0. Pacific has won 10 league titles since the school opened in 1983.
The Greater St. Helens Middle School League includes the middle schools in the Evergreen, Camas and Washougal districts.
Fort Vancouver Rundraws hundreds of racers
For the fourth consecutive year, Eric Dolezal of Vancouver won the 6-kilometer race during the March 3 Fred Meyer Fort Vancouver Run.
The event, which started and finished at the Fred Meyer Grand Central shopping center, drew more than 700 participants. It featured three distances for runners and walkers — 15 kilometers (9.3 miles), 10 kilometers, and 6 kilometers. There also were two short races for children.
Dolezal, 30, won the shortest and most popular run by more than two minutes. His winning time was 19 minutes and 13 seconds, leading a field of 297 finishers. Katrina Mueller, 21, of Vancouver finished second overall in 21:33 to claim the women’s 6K victory.
A portion of the money raised will be donated to the Fort Vancouver National Trust. Race organizer Brian Davis said he didn’t yet know how much was raised.
In the 15-kilometer race, Daniel Prahl of Portland won with a time of 51:46, 27 seconds ahead of Vancouver resident Johnson Lee. Lori Buratto of Spokane Valley was the women’s 15K champion with a time of 1:01:18. Kathy Mann of Camas finished second among women in 1:07:07.
A total of 210 runners, 128 of them women, finished the 15-kilometer run.
Alex Williams of Vancouver won the 10-kilometer race. Williams, 26, needed 40:15 to run the 6.2 miles, winning by 65 seconds. Sara Skrlin of Portland was the women’s 10K winner (44:45).
King’s Way wins lacrosse opener
Jack Beall and Clayton Frank each scored five goals on Saturday, helping the King’s Way Christian boys lacrosse team open its 2013 season with a 16-11 win at Curtis High School.
Even Ramirez scored three goals, Brian Pridemore scored twice, and Greg Klein once for the Kights. King’s Way goalie Conrad Littlefield made four saves.
For the first time this season, King’s Way is not the only high school lacrosse team in Clark County. Camas and Union have teams in the second division of the Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association. Camas is for athletes who attend Camas High School. Union’s team is for players from any of the Evergreen Public Schools high schools.
Camas plays its first match at 7 p.m. Friday at Doc Harris Stadium against Selah. Union then plays Selah at 2 p.m. Saturday at Pacific Middle School.
King’s Way, which plays in the state’s top division, now draws players from King’s Way, Columbia River, Battle Ground, Prairie, Hudson’s Bay, Skyview, La Center, Fort Vancouver and Hockinson. Beall attends Camas but is in his fourth season so will finish his career with the King’s Way team.
King’s Way visits Lakeside at 2 p.m. Saturday.
This is the 35th season of high school lacrosse in Washington. According to organizers, about 4,000 players from about 200 high schools statewide will play lacrosse this spring.
Girls lacrosse teamopens season Tuesday
The Evergreen Lacrosse Club, which last spring made its first appearance in the Washington Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association playoffs, opens its 2013 schedule Tuesday with a nonleague game at Clackamas (Ore.) High School.
The team draws players from the four Evergreen Public Schools high schools and had almost 70 players turn out this season. Evergreen has two junior varsity teams plus the varsity squad. The Black Cats lost only four players from last year’s team, which qualified for state in its first season of top-tier competition.
Evergreen opens its league schedule with a match against Kennedy at 2 p.m. March 16 at McKenzie Stadium.
B.G teams win to open high school rugby season
The Battle Ground Bulls scored 27 second-half points Saturday and opened the Oregon Youth Rugby high school season with a 37-12 win over host Canby. Jake Sachen scored three tries for Battle Ground and was named the Bulls’ man of the match, and Trevor Ingram added four tries.
Also in the top division, Oregon City edged the Prairie Wolf Pack 18-17 Saturday at Laurin Middle School. Prairie rallied from an 18-7 deficit but came up one point short. The Wolf Pack will host West Linn at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Laurin Middle School.
Results from the Clark County team’s season opener against Westside Alliance in the second division of Oregon Youth Rugby were not reported. Clark County is scheduled to play in Newberg at 11 a.m. March 16.
The Battle Ground Lady-Pack defeated Reynolds 81-0 in their season opener Saturday. Scoring tries for Battle Ground were Katherine Smith, Mixtly Simon, Niccole Wall, Elaina Galaviz, Brittany Hastings, and Sky Ring. Ashlynn Saban kicked conversions.
Battle Ground hosts Canby at 10 a.m. Saturday at Laurin Middle School.
Sign-ups open for 60-and-older softball
The Vancouver Metro Senior Softball Association — for players 60 and older — is accepting applications for the 2013 summer season.
The season runs for 16 weeks from May through August. This is a recreational league, organized so that each team can be competitive and still have fun. The doubleheaders start at 6 p.m. weekdays on the Clark College softball field.
Register online by going to the Vancouver Metro Softball Association page at www.leaguelineup.com, or contact John Aarhus at 360-574-3017 or by sending email to jtaarhus@comcast.net.
COMMUNITY SPORTS NEWS is published each Tuesday. Submit items by sending e-mail to paul.danzer@columbian.com or by calling 360-735-4521.
