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Friday, Apr. 18, 2008

Pasco Invite picks

By Rene Ferran, Herald staff writer

Maybe Coach Rothenberger remembers the drill.

When I attended Jesuit High back in the mid- to late-’80s (gosh, has it been that long?), every year for the state track meet in Eugene, we would stay at the downtown Hilton Hotel on Thursday night and have dinner at a great Italian restaurant whose name now escapes me.

Then Friday morning, we would get up early to have breakfast, and several of us would buy the Register-Guard newspaper and dive into its predictions for how the track gurus there had doped the meet out.

We, of course, looked for all the Jesuit names we could find, and if one of our brethren (no girls allowed in those days; JHS didn’t go co-ed until a couple of years after I graduated) didn’t receive the recognition he deserved, we booed and hissed over our scrambled eggs and pancakes.

Don’t know if the Crusaders still follow those state meet rituals these days, but I still remember how I enjoyed parsing those picks. It’s why, every year, I print out the lane and flight assignments from John Crawford’s website for the Pasco Invite and the state championships, and make my picks and pans for the meets.

And believe me, after the meets are over, I look over my handiwork and boo myself sometimes.

These picks, by the way, are based on entries as of Wednesday morning. Any last-minute changes, don’t blame me ...

Boys

100

Favorite Kinsley Ojukwu, soph., Union. Contenders Cade Wandling, sr., Prosser; Colton Dunn, jr., Hockinson; Zach Keene, sr.., Cedar Park Christian; Jeremy Rick, jr., Bellingham. Keep an eye on Marco Martinez, sr., Toppenish. Ojukwu is the state leader in the event (10.88).

200

Favorite Nycole Griffin, soph., Benson (Portland). Contenders Ojukwu; Wandling; Dunn; Case Parker, sr., East Valley (Spokane). Keep an eye on Brad Wall, sr., Evergreen (Vancouver). Griffin is the Oregon state leader in the event (21.8h).

400

Favorite Parker Contenders Wall; Dunn; Jarod Hodge, jr., Pullman; Isaiah Jones, sr., Benson. Keep an eye on Cori Nickerson, jr., Kamiakin. Another sleeper in this race could be Prosser’s Cody Bruns, who’ll be making his 2008 debut after placing fifth in the event at 2A state in ’07.

800

Favorite Tim Kessler, sr., Jesuit (Portland). Contenders Jasen Brown, sr., Brewster; Cody VanDeBrake, sr., Eisenhower; Matt Cronrath, sr., Odessa; Brad Whitley, jr., Central Valley. Keep an eye on Peter Gilbert, jr., Pasco. None of the state’s best are trekking over from the westside.

1600

Favorite Ryan Prentice, sr., Mount Rainier. Contenders Brian Manning, sr., Jesuit; John Coyle, sr., Lake City; Leon Dean, jr., North Central; Andy Kimpel, jr., North Central. Keep an eye on Peter Maag, jr., Jesuit. State 3A cross country champion Prentice took second in the Invite 3,200 a year ago.

3200

Favorite Joey Bywater, sr., Lake Stevens. Contenders Yon Yilma, sr., Edmonds-Woodway; Kelly Lynch, sr., Mead; Andrew Gonzales, jr., Southridge; Kyle VanSanter, sr., Lake Stevens. Keep an eye on Jayson Taylor, sr., Central Valley. Gonzales has had a breakout season to date, but two-time 4A state champion Bywater will be tough to beat.

110H

Favorite Sean Harris, sr., Kent-Meridian. Contenders Brandon Walker, sr., Shadle Park; Nick Cassleman, jr., Pullman; David Butler, sr., North Central; Rashaun Johnson, soph., Foster. Keep an eye on Greg Barnes, jr., Central Valley. Harris only one of state’s top 10 this year (FAT marks only) attending Invite.

300H

Favorite Cassleman Contenders Walker; Justin Wiese, sr., Skyview; Logan Darling, sr., Bellingham; Nick Roark, jr., North Central. Keep an eye on Ryan Young, sr., East Valley (Yakima). Another thin crop -- Cassleman and Wiese only top-10s in field.

4x100

Favorite Benson. Contenders Kentlake; Lewis & Clark; Prosser; North Central. Keep an eye on Rainier Beach. Techmen traditionally have one of best sprint corps in Oregon.

4x400

Favorite Benson. Contenders Lake Stevens; Jesuit; Kamiakin; Central Valley. Keep an eye on Richland. Benson the Oregon state leader in the event.

Distance medley

Favorite Lake Stevens. Contenders Eisenhower; Central Valley; North Central; Mead. Keep an eye on Southridge. Bywater gives Lake Stevens an edge on the final leg.

High jump

Favorite Jason Feser, sr., Kamiakin. Contenders AJ Maracich, soph., Mead; Matt Pfeiffer, sr., Ellensburg; Amin Tufa, sr., Roosevelt; Cody McCargar, sr., Richland. Keep an eye on Stephen Swanson, sr., Southridge. This is a total stab in the dark. McCargar is still coming back from injury, and Tufa has struggled this year.

Pole vault

Favorite Jake Baertlein, sr., Jesuit. Contenders Wes Ferrell, sr., Ellensburg; Roy McElmurry, sr., Shorecrest; Jason Marks, sr., Interlake; Levi Hill, sr., Eisenhower; Carter Nell, sr., Eastmont. Keep an eye on Keith Webber, jr., Mead. Deep field of competitors -- no studs, but a lot of 14-footers.

Long jump

Favorite Ryan Bowen, sr., Lewiston. Contenders Robert Cramer, sr., Camas; Kevin Reddington, jr., Union; Bo Schuetzle, jr., Shadle Park; Brett Blanshan, jr., Selah. Keep an eye on James Monk, jr., Evergreen (Vancouver). Bowen is the Idaho state leader in the event (22-5 1/4).

Triple jump

Favorite Ojukwu. Contenders Cramer; William Davis, sr., Central Valley; Andre Moore, sr., Kent-Meridian; Evander Cobbs, jr., Central Valley. Keep an eye on Jonathon Miller, sr., Richland. Miller hasn’t done much yet this year, but I got a feeling ...

Shot put

Favorite Andrey Levkiv, jr., Hazen. Contenders Tad Harman, sr., Moses Lake; Alameda Taamu, sr., Rainier Beach; Glen Hiett, sr., Skyview; Cody Hays, sr., Lewiston. Keep an eye on Ian Schneidmiller, sr., Mount Spokane. Levkiv’s state-leading 57-1 this year is more than 3 feet better than anyone else in the field.

Discus

Favorite Hays. Contenders Harmon; Griffon Jones, sr., Cheney; Drew Ege, sr., Willapa Valley; Marek Domanski, sr., Shorecrest. Keep an eye on Tony Stevens, sr., East Valley (Spokane). Again, no eye-popping standouts in the field, but a solid group of contenders.

Javelin

Favorite Joe Zimmerman, jr., Lewis & Clark. Contenders David Musson, sr., Colville; Dylan Burnett-Lewis, jr., Lynnwood; Justin Graff, jr., Mead; Wesley Nolen, sr., University. Keep an eye on Spencer Hadley, sr., Connell. Zimmerman is the state leader (195-6) and rates a slight edge over Musson, who has gone 211-10 in his career.

Girls

100

Favorite Charnay Combs, jr., Rainier Beach. Contenders Whitney Leavitt, jr., Kiona-Benton; Shelby Maurer, soph., Cheney; Kelsey Lin, soph., Ferris; Brianna Okoro, sr., Bellarmine. Keep an eye on Morgan Clem, sr., Eastmont. Clem edged Combs by one-hundredth of a second to win the 3A state title here last May. But Clem is still coming back from a leg injury.

200

Favorite Kayla Smith, jr., Benson. Contenders Leavitt; Jordan Carlson, sr., Shadle Park; Sarah Hartwell, fr., Bellarmine; Eleanor Siler, sr., Lewis & Clark. Keep an eye on Amber Finley, sr., Tacoma Baptist. Smith is the Oregon state leader in the event (24.8h).

400

Favorite Siler. Contenders Finley; Kelly Jacka, jr., Bellarmine; Brianne Brown, sr., Shadle Park; Dyneeca Adams, sr., Rainer Beach. Keep an eye on Alexa Banaugh, soph., Mead. Siler, Brown and Jacka finished 2-3-4 at state in 4As last year. Adams won the Invite title in ’07.

800

Favorite Lisa Olander, jr., West Valley (Yakima). Contenders Nicole Cochran, sr., Bellarmine; Becca Friday, jr., Bellingham; Natosha Buruse, sr., Ridgefield; Megan Dart, jr., Hanford. Keep an eye on Karissa Carlson, sr., Pateros. This might be the premier race of the day. Cochran and Friday are 1-2 in the state this year, and Olander is the two-time 3A state champion in the 1,600.

1600

Favorite Andrea Nelson, soph., Shadle Park. Contenders Kayla Evans, sr., Bellarmine; Noelle VanRysselberghe, jr., Jesuit; Taylor Bolibol, jr., Woodinville; Chelsea Burns, sr., Holy Names. Keep an eye on Shannon Porter, jr., Hockinson. Nelson will be fresh for this race, so I’ll give her a slight edge over another really good field.

3200

Favorite Adrienne McGuirk, sr., Jesuit. Contenders Nelson; Porter; Sandra Martinez, jr., Davis; Devin McMahon, soph., Redmond. Keep an eye on Marisa Vander Malle, soph., Pasco. McGuirk, the Oregon state leader in the 3,000, will be fresh, while Nelson, Porter, Evans and Burns (at least for now) will have run the mile. That’ll be the difference.

100H

Favorite Galia Deitz, sr., Richland. Contenders Shaquana Logan, jr., Bellarmine; Melanie Vertrees, jr., Kent-Meridian; Chelsea Bourque, soph., Southridge; Kelly McNamee, sr., Ferris. Keep an eye on Martha Sanford, soph., Richland. This is another outstanding field. There are probably another half-dozen hurdlers I could have listed.

300H

Favorite Logan. Contenders Deitz; Sanford; Madeline Fuchs, jr., University; Olivia Johnston, sr., Kamiakin. Keep an eye on Bourque. Logan, a Lincoln transfer, is No. 15 on the state’s all-time list, having gone 43.30 last year.

4x100

Favorite Bellarmine. Contenders Benson; Southridge; Richland; Eastmont. Keep an eye on Rainier Beach. Personally, I think Beach is sandbagging with its entered time.

4x400

Favorite Shadle Park. Contenders Gonzaga Prep; Central Kitsap; Richland; Bellarmine. Keep an eye on Mount Spokane. Shadle has the state’s top time this year (4:01.9).

Distance medley

Favorite Jesuit. Contenders Richland; Columbia River; West Valley (Yakima); Mount Spokane. Keep an eye on Pasco. Jesuit has won six straight Oregon big-school state cross country titles.

High jump

Favorite McNamee. Contenders Vertrees; Melissa Mauro, sr., West Valley (Spokane); Jessica Clements, sr., Richland; Kayla Standish, sr., Ellensburg. Keep an eye on Taymussa Miller, jr., Hanford. Miller won over a McNamee-less field a year ago.

Pole vault

Favorite Jessica Christian, jr., Richland. Contenders Nichole Shaw, sr., Jesuit; Shanie Bushman, sr., Walla Walla; Tasha Clark, soph., Mead; Michayla Mueller, sr., Ferris. Keep an eye on Morgan Dunning, sr., East Valley (Spokane). Christian became the 16th Washington vaulter to clear 12 feet a couple weeks ago.

Long jump

Favorite Kayla Smith, jr., Benson. Contenders Courtney Kirkwood, sr., Othello; Chelsea Putnam, sr., Eastmont; Brittany Kennedy, sr., Lewis & Clark; Erin Smith, sr., Chewelah. Keep an eye on Kira Lewis, jr., West Valley (Yakima). Smith was Oregon 6A state runner-up a year ago and heads a deep field of contenders.

Triple jump

Favorite Katie Davis, sr., Ferris. Contenders Elise Jepsen, jr., Kamiakin; Rebecca Johnstone, sr., Chewelah; Ali Grauert, soph., Jesuit; Amanda Alvarez, jr., Columbia River. Keep an eye on Katharine Lotze, jr., Kiona-Benton. None of the state’s top eight jumpers in ’08 are in the field.

Shot put

Favorite Anna Albrecht, sr., Pullman. Contenders Devin Graff, jr., Central Valley; Madi Miller, jr., Eastmont; Leah Grassl, sr., Lake Stevens; Ashley Kenney, sr., West Valley (Spokane). Keep an eye on Anna Adamko, fr., Columbia River. Albrecht (career-best 44-0) will be taking aim at the Pasco Invite record of 46-4 set almost two decades ago by LC’s Dory Reeves.

Discus

Favorite Kenney. Contenders Albrecht; Laree Weaver, sr., Lewis & Clark; Ana Zapien, jr., Prosser; Carolina Siofele, jr., Union. Keep an eye on Morgan Keys, sr., Bellingham. Really, this should be a two-person race -- Kenney and Albrecht are almost 20 feet better than the next closest competitors.

Javelin

Favorite Kirkwood. Contenders Adamko; Melissa Parsons, sr., Onalaska; Lindsey Snyder, sr., Mount Spokane; Sara Nichols, sr., Shadle Park. Keep an eye on Richelle Stewart, sr., Kamiakin. Kirkwood has yet to bust one loose this year as her portfolio diversifies in anticipation of her becoming a heptathlete at WSU.

Til next time ...