Monday, Jun. 01, 2009

Richland coach in rare company with fourth state title

By Kevin Anthony, Herald staff writer

SEATTLE -- The words needed to be said aloud, and even then it took a while to sink in.

Three titles in five years.

Richland's 4-3 win over Puyallup for the 4A championship Saturday night at Safeco Field not only made the Bombers the first 4A or 3A baseball team to win three titles in five years, it also made coach Ben Jacobs ponder cosmic concepts like destiny and happenstance.

At the end of his 21st season as head coach, Jacobs was having trouble getting his mind around the fact that he has won four state titles, more than all but two coaches -- DeSales' Kim Cox (10), Ephrata's Dave Johnson (8) -- in the history of the state.

"Blessed," he said. "Most guys in this game dream about it. I have a lot of buddies out there who have coached longer than I have, and they have none and I'm sitting on four.

"Makes for good bar talk when we go out. Guess I'm buying."

Throughout the weekend, Jacobs referenced longtime colleague and friend Dean Hoff, who won nearly 500 games in 31 years at Kennewick, but didn't win a state title until he was an assistant coach for the Bombers in 1999.

Jacobs also recounted a day six years ago when he almost retired from coaching altogether.

He had his 30 years of teaching in and was looking to change course. After telling a buddy he was through, he hopped in his truck with his son, Brett, and headed for home.

"You're not quitting, are you Dad?" Brett asked. "You're not hanging around to coach me?"

As the father relayed the story Saturday with his son sitting next to him, the emotions took over.

The player had his own emotions to deal with, playing the last game in a long career with his father as his coach.

"Before the game, I was thinking about it," Brett said. "I was getting a little wet in the eyes. It hasn't set in, but what a way to go out. My last year with my dad, and we're state champs."

Ben Jacobs said he won't make a decision on returning for next season until he's had a few weeks.

LEGACY, ANYONE?: At 24-2, the Bombers finish up with their 11th straight 20-win season. They were the first team to qualify for three straight semifinals in the 4A ranks since Federal Way, which is the only team to play in three consecutive state championship games, winning the title in 2001 and finishing as runner-up in '02 and '03.

Winning a third title in five years, Richland separated itself from a pack that had won back-to-back titles or two in three years.

Redmond (1991, '93), Juanita (1985, '87) and Newport (1976, '78) all won two 4A titles in three years. In the 3As, Lindbergh (1994-95) and Clarkston (1974-75) won back-to-back, and two other teams -- including Hanford in 1985 and '87 -- scored two in three years.

Issaquah's three 3A titles in eight years from 2000-07 are second behind Richland among the larger schools.

Among the other classes, Sehome ('07-08) is the only team to repeat in the young 2A class, which was created in 1998 and trails the histories of the other classes by 2 1/2 decades. The Ephrata teams of the 1980s dominated the 1A title scene, winning three straight from 1981-83 and six in nine years.

But the king of championship baseball in Washington is unquestionably DeSales. The little Walla Walla school has dominated the B (now 2B) ranks so overwhelmingly that the Irish have not one, but two seven-season championship streaks.

They claimed the big trophy from 1992-98, took a year off, then got seven more from 2000-06. After missing out in '07, they got back on the winning track last season, and this year were a bad-hop single away from building on another streak.

That makes 15 titles in 17 years. Throw in the one they won in 1989, and the Irish have won 16 in 21 seasons.

Think of it like this -- if a team started a string to match that this season, the kids of those players might be the ones to finish it.

Speaking of legacy, don't be so sure the Bombers' run will end after this season. Despite graduating nine seniors, they may well be in the chase for an unprecedented fourth straight trip to Safeco next season.

Richland's JV team went 18-2 this season, the same record as the freshmen.

Next year, it will be Chris Cecil, Zach Rapacz and Mike Dunford leading the charge.

In all, Richland brought eight sophomores and juniors, five of whom saw playing time: Cecil started in right like he has all spring and more than held his own at the plate and in the field; Rapacz was the designated hitter and had one of the team's three hits in the title game; Dunford played third in the semifinals; and Hayden Hilty and Syd Hall have been the team's courtesy runners all season.

"It was amazing," Cecil said of the entire weekend. "I'll never forget it."

Oh, and of those nine seniors, five have signed to play with four-year schools: Jacobs with Washington State, Cody Shepherd with Washington, Jamison Rowe with Nevada, Eric Yardley with Seattle and Josh Rapacz with George Fox. Also, Kyle Stumetz figures to walk-on at Gonzaga.

SAFECO EFFECT: Senior second baseman Daniel Jacobs, Ben Jacobs' nephew, was one of the few seniors who made the trip with the team to Safeco last season but didn't see any field time.

"I was nervous," he said. "It's an incredible ballpark."

His nerves showed a bit in his first at-bat Friday, a pop-up to short in the first inning. But when he came up again in the third with two out and a runner at third, the butterflies were quiet.

"Anyone else would have gone up there and got the job done, and that's what I did," Jacobs said of his single to right that got the Bombers their first run of the weekend.

Actually, Jacobs had a little extra reason to play tight. Since he'll be working all summer to earn money for college, he won't have a chance to play American Legion ball. So these were perhaps the last organized games he will ever play.

"It's in my head," he said. "But I wouldn't go out any other way."