|
|
Colville, Washington |
Monday, September 8, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
Local Sports
|
Wednesday, 03 September 2008 |
Colville will get a stern early test
at Sandpoint on Friday night
BY CHRIS COWBROUGH
S-E Sports Editor
Colville High head football coach Randy Cornwell is the first to concede that he isn’t quite sure what to expect as his Indians make final prepa¬rations for the 2008 season and Friday night’s date in north Idaho against the Sandpoint Bulldogs.
Game time is 7 p.m. against SHS (0-1).
Sandpoint is coming off a 30-26 loss in Coeur d’ Alene last Friday night to Lake City.
In that game, both teams made enough first game mis¬takes to fill four quarter’s worth of video.
LC built a comfortable 23-6 lead in the first half against Class 4A Sandpoint. But the Bulldogs took advan¬tage of a couple of Timber¬wolves’ turnovers deep in their own territory to get back in it.
“We’ll get a tough test from Sandpoint,” figured Cornwell, who isn’t quite sure what to expect from his team on Friday night.
“What we do know is that we are young, small and pretty much untested. There are only five starters return¬ing (from a 9-4 team).”
Question marks
Sixteen letter-winners re¬turn to one of the most inex¬perienced teams Cornwell has been around in his 12 years at the helm at CHS.
“With the exception of that first year here, there is more mystery surrounding this season than any I can remember,” Cornwell said re¬cently. “We have a lot of question marks.”
With Colville’s emergence as one of the Great Northern League football elite, what hasn’t changed is the level of commitment, focus and re¬solve. A tradition of football excellence has been pains¬takingly built and nurtured in recent seasons.
“The last couple of groups we have had through here have been very passionate about football,” Cornwell said.
Cornwell and his veteran staff hopes that continues with a relatively green group this fall.
“I think that these kids are doing a good job of con¬trolling what they have con¬trol over,” the coach said. “We are focused, intense and are working hard.
“These kids expect to do well. I like the idea that our kids expect to be good…they work and play like that.”
This certainly isn’t one of the most imposing physical teams that Cornwell has coached. As far as overall team speed is concerned, this could be one of his quickest outfits, however.
“We don’t have any burn¬ers, but I think we have the ability to play pretty fast,” Cornwell said. “Collectively, we have speed…speed in the line, in the backs and in our receivers.
A solid system
“We are really small on de¬fense, but we have good team speed there and the kids will fly to the ball.”
What that veteran coach¬ing staff has done to ease the transition and level off the learning curve a bit is put a proven system in place.
“I think that we have good systems in place…the kids know the system and can just go out and play,” Corn¬well explained. “That’s a credit to Carp (defensive coach Bill Carpenter) and guys like Bass (coach Tom Bassett) and the kids.”
NEW LOOK
Offensively, the Indians will still line up in their Wing-T sets, but look for Colville to run more out of the shotgun with 6-3, 185-pound junior Jade Dorman at the controls. Dorman is coming off knee surgery (in¬jured ACL in last November’s overtime playoff loss to Oth¬ello) and will get his first start on Friday.
“We’ll do that to take ad¬vantage of a smaller, quicker line…we want to get kids in space and spread defenses out a little,” Cornwell said.
Without that bulk up front, this group won’t pound away inside like recent CHS editions have.
“We’ll be a little more fi¬nesse,” Cornwell said.
Execution on both sides of the ball has been a point of emphasis in pre-season drills.
“We know that our block¬ing and tackling will have to be as sharp as they can be,” Cornwell said.
AT A GLANCE
Backing up Dorman are sophomores Sawyer Bardwell, a 6-3, 175-pounder, and jun¬ior Cody Thew, a 5-10, 160-pounder.
At wingback will be return¬ing starter Kjell Perry, a hard-running 5-9, 165-pound senior. Joining Perry there will be 5-11, 185-pound junior Brock Dotts and 5-10, 160-pound senior Tristan Fox. Also vying for playing time will be 6-foot, 185-pound junior Andrew Walsh.
At fullback will be Dustin Divis, a 5-10, 175-pound sen¬ior; sophomore Blake Sjordal, a 5-10, 170-pounder, and 5-6, 150-pound senior John Fowler.
“We have some strong, quick kids there,” Cornwell said.
In Perry, the Indians have a player who Cornwell says possesses some speed and “runs with rage.” The raging one will also run back punts and kickoffs and be an im¬portant receiver out of the backfield.
The receiving corps is led by senior P.J. Sager (5-7, 150). One of the fastest players on the team, Sager has a knack for the ball and a set of good hands.
In junior Austin Pete (6-foot, 155), Cornwell has a player “who is probably our most competitive kid…he just loves to compete and he’ll make plays for us.”
Jared Fisher, a 5-11, 175-pound junior, and Paul Swan¬son, a 5-10, 165-pound sen¬ior, will also be part of the rotation.
The Indians strengthened the tight end position con¬siderably last week when fullback Casey Cox (5-10, 210 pound junior) was moved out of the backfield.
Also vying for playing time at tight end are 6-foot, 220-pound junior Kramer Carpenter and 5-11, 175-pound junior Cody Wagner.
Up front, there is some quality, but the Indians are thin in numbers. Staying healthy will be a key for this unit.
Beefed up
At center will be junior Ian Nelson, a 6-4, 205-pounder. Nelson has put on 25 pounds of muscle in the off-season “and is physically much stronger this year,” Cornwell said.
At guards will be returning veteran Jesse Luiten, a 6-foot, 195-pound senior and Myles Zerba, a 5-7, 200-pounder who was a valuable back-up last season.
At the tackle positions will be 6-1, 220-pound junior all-conference pick Cruz Thompson and 5-10, 195-pound junior Jordan Ander¬son.
Providing depth will be 5-10, 200-pound junior Joey Medlin and 6-foot, 190-pound Dylan Timmons.
“We aren’t very big there, but we have some kids who can run,” Cornwell said. “We really only have eight linemen, so we are razor thin there. We’re about one in¬jury away there from being a much different team than we expect to be.”
On defense, it’s pretty much the same faces.
Cox, an all-conference cali¬ber linebacker, will an¬chor the middle of what should be a quick-pursuing outfit. Outside will be Dotts, Cody Wagner, Sjordal and Fowler.
In the secondary, Sager an¬chors what should be a solid group. The senior has always had a nose for the ball and will get his share of in¬terceptions. Perry is also an aggressive safety.
At the corners will be Fox, Pete and Swanson.
Backing them up will be Walsh, Bardwell, Cody Thew and Zach Hull, a 5-8, 145-pound sophomore.
Up front—the faces are the same. Carpenter and ei¬ther Anderson or Luiten will be at ends. Thompson and Zerba will rotate with Medlin and Timmons inside.
Anderson returns as the Indians place-kicker. He has added punting to his respon¬sibilities this fall.
The coaching staff, one of the strengths of the CHS football program, consists of Cornwell, Carpenter, Bassett, Mike Jutila, Bob Gumm, John Foulkes and Brad Mad¬dox.
SCHEDULE
Sept. 5—At Sandpoint, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12—At Lakeland, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19—Chewelah at CHS, 7
Sept. 26—At Pullman, 7 p.m.
Oct. 3—At Medical Lake, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10—Cheney at CHS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 17—At West Valley, 7 p.m.
Oct. 24—Clarkston at CHS, 7
Oct. 31—At Riverside, 7 p.m.
Nov. 6—Deer Park at CHS, 7 p.m.
|
|
|
Wednesday, 03 September 2008 |
First year KFHS head coach Curtis Corvino
is no stranger around these parts
BY CHRIS COWBROUGH
S-E Sports Editor
If Kettle Falls High enter¬tains any thoughts of bat¬tling what’s left of the North¬east A League elite this fall, senior quarterback Shelby Hite and a rugged and expe¬rienced offen¬sive line are go¬ing to have to produce.
The athletic Hite is a 5-10, 160-pounder with quick feet and a strong arm. Last season, with All-State and All-North¬east A tailback Lu¬cas Fox the focal point of a predictable KFHS offense, Hite certainly wasn’t the fo¬cal point in the Bulldogs’ at¬tack.
That’s changed this year. Hite, who will operate behind a big, veteran line, is one of the most gifted athletes in the NEA this fall.
First year KFHS head coach Curtis Corvino, who took over the program from Don Fox, knows that Hite will be a key component in an offense that has relied heavily on the run¬ning game in past seasons.
Strong arm and quick feet
“Shelby’s speed and his arm strength are weapons that we will use this fall,” figured Corvino, who worked as a KFHS assistant coach under Fox last fall. “He’s great on the roll and can roll right and has enough arm strength to throw that back¬side post.”
Look for Kettle to run a lot of play action and sprint out with Hite at the controls. “That definitely plays to his strength,” added Corvino, a 1996 KFHS graduate. “He has been a starter since midway through his sopho¬more season and he’ll be a key player for us. We’re ex¬cited about what he can do.”
Last season, the Bulldogs dropped their final four games of the season and fin¬ished 5-5. Hite was knocked out in the NEA finale against Chewelah.
A healthy and effective Hite will be a key to any suc¬cess the Bulldogs experience on the field this fall. Ditto for a solid stable of offensive linemen.
The Bulldogs will trot out the most experienced, and maybe the biggest, offensive line in the league.
The beef starts with 6-1, 250-pound senior center Doug Tebow. Tebow will be flanked by senor guards Justin Car¬stens, a 5-11, 200-pounder; David Burns, a 5-9, 200-pounder, and tackles Geoffrey Rose, a 6-1, 230-pounder and massive Bill Rowe, a 6-4, 305-pound sen¬ior.
“We’re pretty excited about that group,” Corvino said. “Four of our eight linemen were starters last year. They’re big, a year older, stronger and more ex¬perienced.”
Learning curve
Corvino said that early prac¬tice sessions have con¬centrated on blocking as¬sign¬ments “vs. different fronts.”
The coach admitted that “there is a little bit of a learning curve there, but a lot of the kids are starting to pick it up.”
Coaching the offensive line is veteran coach Mike Pratt. New to the scene is former KFHS assistant, Dave Tupek.
Corvino actually played when Tupek was on former KFHS head coach Nevin Oden’s staff back in the mid-90’s.
“Dave and my relationship actually goes back quite a few years,” Corvino admit¬ted. “I remember back then that Dave made a real posi¬tive impression on me. I re¬alize how much knowledge he has and how much he can share as a coach. We’re happy to have him as part of the staff.
“Dave coaches with a lot of enthusiasm and doesn’t have any trouble getting his point across.”
Pratt will also coach the de¬fensive line.
Another veteran KFHS coach who returns is Don Fox’s son, Shane. He’ll be coaching the linebackers and running backs.
“It’s nice to have those two guys back (Pratt and Fox),” Corvino said. “It gives us some continuity.”
Volunteer assistants
Also part of the program are former KFHS quarterback Greg Mace and Shelby Hite’s brother, Andrew (KFHS 2006). Both are college stu¬dents who are serving as vol¬unteer coaches until they re¬turn to school.
“Greg has one year left at Eastern (EWU) and he’ll be here until mid-September,” Corvino said. “He wants to be a coach and he is doing a really good job. Andrew is also helping with the younger kids and is working with our defen¬sive backs.”
Another volunteer assis¬tant is 2007 KFHS grad Cody McBride.
Familiar face Mick Mont¬gom¬ery is also helping with the program this fall.
RUNNING BACKS
Looking good in pre-sea¬son camp so far are returning run¬ning backs Jake Ellison and Trevor Zyskowski. Elli¬son, a quick 5-11, 170-pound senior, moves over to tail¬back from fullback. Zyskowski, a low-slung load at 5-8, 202-pounds, will play fullback.
“Jake reads well and hits the hole hard,” his coach said. “Trevor is a tough kid who was more of a defensive standout for us last season.”
Both players will also start at linebacker.
At the receiver positions are several returning letter win¬ners. Among them: 5-8, 170-pound senior Kolton McInelly; 5-8, 155-pound senior Justin Eddings; 6-0, 165-pound Justin McComb; 6-0, 175-pound Trevor Rob¬erts and 6-1, 170-pound jun¬ior Jack Redding.
THE DEFENSE
As is always the case at Ket¬tle Falls, most of the of¬fensive starters will also be penciled in for defensive as¬signments.
Cody Bake, a 5-8, 165-pound senior, is in the mix at linebacker, along with Ellison and Zyskowski.
Hite will be penciled in at a cornerback spot.
Corvino thinks the defense will be solid.
“We’ve got experience there and some kids who can fly around,” he said.
Place-kicking duties fall on the shoulders of Redding. McComb is the punter.
Corvino hopes that with all the attention focused there, special teams wind up being a team strength.
“That has been a real point of emphasis,” Corvino said.
OUTLOOK
New coach—new wrinkles. With Hite at the controls, look for KFHS to open things up this fall.
“What I like about this group is that I think we can distribute the ball around to different people,” Corvino said. “I think that will be pretty big for us.”
THE OPENER
Kettle will be playing “up” early this season. Riverside of the Class 2A Great North¬ern League will visit Kettle Falls on Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m.
The Rams are well coached and like to spread the field and throw the ball around.
DIFFERENT LOOK
With Colfax moving down to Class B-11 and joining the Northeast 2B for football and the Bi-County League for eve¬rything else this fall, the look of the Northeast A has changed.
No longer will NEA teams play league teams on a home and home basis every season.
“It’s the first time in a long time that we will play each league team only once,” Corvino noted.
About the new coach…
Corvino, a 2001 EWU gradu¬ate, was a fullback and middle linebacker during his playing days at Kettle Falls.
He coached at Stanfield (five miles south of Hermis¬ton, OR) for five years before heading back home to Kettle Falls.
Stanfield is an Oregon Class 2A (like B-11 in Wash¬ington) with 150 students (40 percent Hispanic) and a penchant for the other futbol (soccer).
Football success at Stan¬field as been fleeting.
“Two years before I got there, they had to cancel their season because there weren’t enough players,” Corvino re¬called. “And the year before I got there, Stan¬field was playing a junior varsity schedule.”
But the young head coach was able to make some in¬roads at Stanfield, leading them to a playoff berth in the old Blue Mountain Con¬ference.
“It was a good experi¬ence,” he said, noting that “I kind of got thrown right into the mix there.”
The pre-eminent league power was—and still is—Heppner (unbeaten in league play for nine straight sea¬sons).
SCHEDULE
Sept. 5—Riverside at Kettle, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12—KFHS at Bonners Ferry, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19—Deer Park at KFHS, 7 p.m.
Sept. 26—Newport at KFHS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 3—Lakeside at KFHS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10—KFHS at Freeman, 7 p.m.
Oct. 17—KFHS at Newport, 7 p.m.
Oct. 24—KFHS at Chewelah, 7 p.m.
Nov. 7—Crossover with CBL
|
|
|
Wednesday, 03 September 2008 |
Lions figure they have
something to prove this fall
BY CHRIS COWBROUGH
S-E Sports Editor
There is a tradition of foot¬ball success at Columbia High (Hunters). Under head coach Chuck Wyborney, entering his 17th year as head coach at CHS (104-57 record), the Lions have won five Northeast B-8 champi¬onships.
The history of success cer¬tainly predates Wyborney, an alumna of Columbia who played for the Lions. Just ask former Columbia Superintendent and coach Roy Graffis about that. The “Old Bulldog” has come out of Seven Bays retirement this fall to coach the CHS girl’s bas¬ketball team.
While we’re talking about legendary coaches, Wyborney came up with another good hire when high school Hall of Fame coach Gene Smith came out of retirement to coach junior high football in the Columbia district this fall.
If Wyborney’s stable of play¬ers need a little perspective about football and its success at Hunters, a couple of coaches with long resumes aren’t far away.
“It’s great to have coaches like Gene and Roy in the dis¬trict,” Wyborney said. “They have a lot of knowledge.”
PROSPECTS
Wyborney, whose teams fin¬ished second in the state to those juggernauts at Lacrosse-Washtucna in 2004-’05, may not have a Tacoma Dome-cali¬bre team in camp this fall, but he figures the Lions can make some inroads and get to the playoffs again.
Strength of this outfit is a veteran line—Steven Denison, a 5-10, 195 pound senior All-League guard and linebacker; Michael Sipes, a 6-foot, 190 pound junior guard and nose guard; Trevor Anderson, a 6-2, 195 pound sophomore cen¬ter/defensive end; Donnie Men¬doza, a 5-10, 160 pound junior end/cornerback, and Eli Bear, a 6-foot, 175 pound junior end/linebacker.
“We have some very solid and experienced linemen,” Wy¬borney said. “It’s the strength of the team.”
Green in backfield
The biggest question mark for Columbia is in the backfield, where the Lions have featured some quick, effective tailbacks in recent seasons. But gone are the St. John boys—Miles and Martin—to graduation.
“It’s a green backfield and a seasoned line,” figures Wybor¬ney, who returns four starters off last season’s fourth place team that finished 6-4. “A lot of our success will depend on how well our backs are able to pick it up.”
The starting quarterback fig¬ures to be 5-10, 160 pound senior Jay Curd. He has been on the mend from a knee injury and as of this writing, hadn’t been cleared by his doctor to play.
Curd may miss the season opener on Friday at Pateros.
Andrew Dick, a 5-10, 115 pound junior is the back-up at quarterback and has been get¬ting the snaps in pre-season camp.
“He’s a smart kid who has done a great job so far,” his coach said. “I have no worries with him at quarterback.”
Running in the backfield will be 5-8, 155 pound junior Paul Larrew. He was a standout as an eighth-grade running back, but cut a tendon in a foot and missed a season of football. Larrew carried 27 times for 182 yards last year as the back-up to Martin St. John.
Won’t be eligible for Pateros opener on Friday
Another key player for CHS this fall will be 6-foot, 175 pound junior full¬back/cornerback Marcos Morado. He’s another player who won’t be available against Pateros (not enough practices), but could be a key component this fall for Columbia.
Morado was a back-up run¬ning back for State 2A cham¬pion Prosser last fall.
Another player who will see plenty of action this fall include Chris Carlson, a quick 5-5, 140 pounder.
OUTLOOK
This is a team without any appreciable burners, but one with a lot of solid football play¬ers who can run.
“I think our overall team speed is very good,” figured Wyborney, who will be assisted again by Tom Berg. “I think we can really do some flying around on defense.”
Wyborney thinks Columbia has the potential to “be a little stronger than we were last sea¬son…I think this is an out¬standing group of young men.”
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Columbia didn’t finish the season on a strong note and would like to make amends this fall. But the backfield is going to have to jell and a couple of injured players need to return to the fold.
“We definitely expect to be competitive again and our goal is to always make the playoffs,” Wyborney said.
In the toughest B-8 league in the state, Wyborney figures that Almira/Coulee-Hartline has the edge, followed by Odessa, Cusick, Wilbur-Creston and Pateros.
Pateros will be a tough opener for short-handed Co¬lumbia on Friday. Mike Hall returns all but two starters off last fall’s team.
The Lions were able to beat the Billy Goats easily last fall, but that was last fall.
“The Pateros game will tell us a lot about where we are,” Wyborney said.
Game time Friday at Pateros is 7 p.m.
CHS will open the home sea¬son on Friday, Sept. 12 against pre-season Northeast favorite, ACH. Game time is 3 p.m.
|
|
|
Wednesday, 03 September 2008 |
Dominion Meadows tourney draws
couples from around the region
BY CHRIS COWBROUGH
S-E Sports Editor
The 41st annual September Couples Tournament has grown to be the largest two-day golf event that Dominion Meadows Golf Course hosts each golf season.
That likely won’t change in 2008 either. Organizers report strong interest and entry into the tourney, which features 36 holes of golf on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20-21. Formats include nine holes of Best Ball, Chapman, Modified Alternate shot and a Scramble.
There will be a Shotgun start on both days.
Entry fee is $175 per couple ($150 for Dominion Meadows Golf Club pass holders). The entry includes half price prac¬tice round on Friday and an hors d’ oeuvres social at 5 p.m. On Saturday, a Continental breakfast will be available be¬fore golf.
Yes, if you like to eat—and maybe even sing a little--this is the place to be. Also planned for Saturday is a Horse Race, lunch, dinner and the ever popular Karaoke.
On Sunday, there will be an¬other Continental breakfast, lunch and a seafood buffet fol¬lowing golf.
Major sponsors of this year’s event are Columbia Ce¬dar, Miller Lite/Odom Corp., and The Swinging Doors.
Get those entry fees in now. Maximum number of teams is 80. There will also be a flight for senior teams and Calloway.
Over the past two seasons, the tournament has been a complete sellout.
Check the DM website for an entry form and mail entries to Eloise Running, 1171 N. Main, Colville, WA, 99114. For more information, call the DM pro shop (509) 684-5508 or (509) 684-2667.
|
|
|
Wednesday, 03 September 2008 |
Major rebuilding job along the
western shores of Lake Roosevelt
BY CHRIS COWBROUGH
S-E Sports Editor
Football just doesn’t seem to hold the attraction it once did at Inchelium High.
The once proud program on the Colville Indian Reservation with the championship pedigree has fallen on hard times in re¬cent seasons. Last season’s once win campaign exemplifies just where the program has landed.
But head coach Brian Myers is a glass is half full kind of guy. The door hasn’t been completely shut—it’s still ajar as far has he’s concerned.
“It’s got to get better,” Myers said between workouts recently. “We’ve still got some eligibility issues, but I think we’ll be bet¬ter.”
In last fall’s 1-8 campaign, the Hornets were only able to beat Wellpinit’s junior varsity.
There are no early cupcakes for IHS early either. Inchelium travels to Northeast pre-season favorite Almira/Coulee-Hartline for their season opener on Fri¬day. Game time is 7 p.m.
Eligibility issues
Myers said that four of his team’s 15-man roster will be in¬eligible for the first two games.
“We’ll probably play the first two games with eight kids,” he acknowledged. “You can start a game with eight…they don’t tell you how many how have to fin¬ish with.”
Key players on a team with only two seniors are quarter¬back Tony Joe Louie, a 6-1, 145-pounder. He’s a returning starter.
Two key components are four-year starter Austin Seymour, a 5-10, 165-pound guard and fellow senior, 5-11, 198-pound fullback/middle linebacker Tyrone Swan.
Other key players are Mike Smith, a 191-pound junior tight end/defensive end, and Chad Rosenbaum, a 6-1 ½, 203-pound sophomore center.
PROJECTIONS
Small numbers, compounded by ineligible players, continues to be a major problem at Inche¬lium. It’s tough to play eight-man football with eight players.
“We should be a lot better off after the second game when we get everybody back,” Myers said.
Myers says he likes the tal¬ent pool at Cusick. There is a new coach in the program and some solid talent. ACH and Odessa always field good num¬bers and will be in the mix. Don’t count out well-coached Columbia either.
After opening at ACH and Odessa, Inchelium will return home for their first game on Fri¬day, Sept. 19 against Wilbur-Creston. Game time is 3:15 p.m.
|
|
| |
|
|
