Saturday's CBBN district championship between Kamiakin and Richland certainly won't be the first time the two teams have met to decide a district title.
This will be the 11th time since 1991 that the Bombers and Braves have played in the district championship. Of Kamiakin coach Chris Erikson's 10 district titles, seven have come against Richland -- the last in 2000.
"The thing that impresses me is, I'm looking at the district playoffs, and we have 17 appearances in 24 years," Erikson said. "We're a program that consistently rises to the playoffs, a team that developed a winning tradition."
It has been five years since the teams have faced each other for a championship, but the rivalry has certainly not been lost on either coach.
Erikson won her 321st game Tuesday, 2-1 over Pasco, to give Kamiakin (13-2) its 10th straight win. Sara Elfering is in her first season as Bombers coach, but the former Richland player made an impressive debut at 14-1.
But the records won't mean much at 1 p.m. at Bomber Field.
"I don't know if there's a typical Chris Erikson or Kamiakin team. They're always well-prepared," Elfering said. "There are no big names as far as individuals. Just two great, complete teams playing each other."
There will be three other CBBN 4A district matchups Saturday, all loser-out contests: Moses Lake at Eisenhower (3 p.m.), Wenatchee at Southridge (1 p.m.) and Chiawana at Pasco (1 p.m.).
Other Saturday action: In the 3A regional tournament, Shadle Park travels to Hanford at noon, and North Central takes on East Valley in Spokane at 1 p.m.
The CWAC districts feature Othello and Prosser hosting at 1 p.m. the winners of two play-in matchups contested today.
Finally, the SCAC district tournament will feature three games in Royal City: Naches Valley vs. Wahluke at 11 a.m., Kiona-Benton vs. Royal at 1 p.m. -- both of them winner-to-state matches -- and then the district championship of Connell vs. Highland at 3 p.m.
Similar stories:
Moses Lake soccer makes history with win
Moses Lake soccer makes history with win
RICHLAND — You have to dig a while into the Big Nine record books before you find the last time the Richland girls soccer team lost a district championship match.
For the record, it was 1996 when the Kamiakin Braves handed the Bombers a 3-0 loss at Hanford High School. That was 15 years ago.
You'll be digging even longer if you're looking for Moses Lake's last district title. That's because it's never happened.
Kamiakin falls 2-1 in shootout
Kamiakin falls 2-1 in shootout
KENNEWICK -- A week ago, the Kamiakin girls soccer team positioned itself for a regional championship by beating Mt. Spokane 2-1 in a shootout up in Spokane.
The Wildcats didn't forget.
They went one better on Tuesday, in fact, ending the Braves' season on Kamiakin's home turf in a 2-1 shootout victory.
Johnson named All-Area Soccer MVP
Johnson named All-Area Soccer MVP
If there's one regret Southridge forward Heather Johnson has regarding the Suns 2011 girls soccer season, it isn't be the one you might think.
Johnson, a senior who will attend Gonzaga next fall on a soccer scholarship, was the driving force for a Southridge team that went undefeated through the first 18 games of the season before taking a surprising first-round loss at the Class 3A state tournament.
Instead of lamenting one loss on a cold November night at Southridge High School, Johnson reflected with a tinge of sadness that she will no longer be playing soccer with such a special group.
Southridge soccer improves to 18-0
Southridge soccer improves to 18-0
KENNEWICK -- Both teams were already locked into the 3A state tournament when Kamiakin and Southridge met Saturday for the regional title at Southridge High School.
Even though both teams had little to lose, however, both sides played like their playoff lives depended on it.
In the end, the Suns pulled out a 3-1 shootout win after a 1-1 tie in regulation, giving Southridge its first regional championship. It was a typical Suns-Braves battle, meaning nothing came easy for either team.
State-qualifying swim times heating up
State-qualifying swim times heating up
Looking at the times of Mid-Columbia swimmers less than a week into the season, one might think the girls state championships in Federal Way were just around the corner, not two months away.
At Saturday's Eastern Washington Jamboree in Prosser, Hailey Rankin of the host Mustangs swam the 100-yard butterfly in a state-qualifying time of 1 minute, 2.32 seconds.
That night, more state qualifiers rolled in at the Richland Twilight Jamboree. Hanford senior Melissa Merrill qualified on her own in the 50 freestyle, then helped the Falcons achieve state-qualifying times in the 400 free and 200 medley relays.
Print
Email Story
