|
|
Colville, Washington |
Monday, January 5, 2009 |
|
|
|
|
Columbia gears up for another run |
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 September 2008 )
|
|
Just wanted to wish the Colville High Indians wrestling team
good luck on the season, and congratulate the team on a 6th place overall finish at
the best of the West tournament in Pasco last weekend. Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year from the USMC -Ryan W. |
|
|
|
|
