Tri-Cities Water Follies are hydro racing’s lone hope after San Diego cancels event

Last week the HomeStreet Bank San Diego Bayfair’s board of governors voted to cancel the race that was set for September, due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

That leaves just the Water Follies’ HAPO Columbia Cup, right now, as the only race left on the 2020 H1 Unlimited schedule.

And that race is tentative, as the Water Follies board voted two weeks ago to delay the race, scheduled originally for July 24-26, to possibly late September or October.

Other races in Guntersville, Ala.; Madison, Ind.; and Seattle were canceled earlier this year.

Whether the Tri-Cities race happens or not, it will depend on what phase Benton and Franklin counties are in under the state’s re-opening program.

Currently, the region is in Phase 1, and it will need to be in Phase 4.

Water Follies event director Kathy Powell is putting together a streamlined list of items to possibly run a race. The board will vote July 6 at its next meeting on whether to proceed on holding an event.

Carr picks up big win

Pasco’s JR Carr — while busy being a farmer, as well as a co-owner of the old Tri-Cities Fever indoor football team with his wife Teri for a decade — has really never given up on his love for drag racing.

In fact, Carr was in South Carolina last weekend, and he won the Extreme Pro Stock division at the Professional Drag Racing Association (PDRA) Carolina Showdown at Darlington Dragway.

Carr was also the division’s top qualifier, so that and the victory were his firsts in the PDRA.

He has been a long-time drag racer in the International Hod Rod Association.

More signings

• Walla Walla Community College announced last week that three of its sophomore softball players are moving on to four-year schools to continue their academics as well as their softball careers.

Rylee Gentner and Khiala Rollins will be playing for Whitworth University next spring, while Rhyanne Oates is headed south to play at Eastern Oregon University.

• The men’s and women’s soccer teams from WWCC also have some players moving on to four-year schools.

For the women, there are two Hanford High grads. Estafania Cossio and Blake Danna will be moving together to play at Bushnell University in Oregon. That is the old Northwest Christian University.

WWCC teammate Taylen Wohl will be headed to Eastern Oregon University.

On the men’s side, Sunnyside High grad Eduardo Ramirez will be playing this fall at St. Martin’s University in Lacey.

Teammate Jose Peralta, who prepped at Riverside High in Boardman, Ore., is headed to Corban University; and teammate Ian Reynoso will continue on to Northwest University in Kirkland.

• Richland High senior Landon Webb has committed to playing baseball next spring for Columbia Basin College.

Prep football notes

• Richland High senior-to-be Ben Fewel, who had the top wide receiver statistics last season in the Mid-Columbia Conference as a junior, continues to get more offers.

Ivy League school Columbia University has offered Fewel a football scholarship most recently, adding to the ones offered by Air Force, Army, Bucknell, Cornell and Georgetown.

He will receive more.

Fewel was also listed at No. 9 of the top 266 athletes nationwide on a list compiled by UConn alum Jayson Williams, who bills himself as a high school football expert national recruiter.

Fewel, who is now getting offers, was ranked fifth out of the top 100 Under Recruited Northwest Football Players of 2021, a list put together by Northwest Spotlight Athletes.

Joining Fewel in the top 51 spots is Chiawana wide receiver Kobe Young, who could go either way in football or basketball (he already has a basketball offer from Idaho State University); Royal quarterback Caleb Christensen at No. 37, and Royal wide receiver Cooper Christensen at No. 51.

Caleb Christensen just announced this past week that Whittier College has offered him a scholarship to play football.

• Speaking of standout wide receivers, Pasco High’s Des Licon received his first offer recently, from Eastern Washington University.

Licon was the only athlete last fall to be named first-team All-Mid-Columbia Conference at three different positions: defensive back, wide receiver and returner.

He was also named Special Teams Player of the Year.

He definitely should be getting more offers this offseason.

Notes

• Nikole Thomas just finished her freshman season of high school basketball at Kamiakin in February.

She was the second-leading scorer for the Braves, averaging 11.8 points per game.

She also has been attending some camps around the country, and she’s caught the eye of the Washington State University coaching staff, which has offered her a basketball scholarship already.

• Saw a death notice that former long-time Hanford High School tennis coach Jim Wilson passed away earlier this month.

Jim was a beloved coach at Hanford, and his athletes loved playing for him. He was always great to the Herald sports staff, making sure his teams’ (he coached both boys and girls) results got to us on a timely basis.

He will be missed.

Top Grant County female athletes

Scorebook Live Washington came out with its top female athletes list from Grant County, with 2011 Moses Lake High grad Jordan Loera leading the way.

Loera was a standout basketball player who had a strong career at the University of Oregon.

Also on the list was 1991 Ephrata High graduate Heidi (Moritz) Saville, who was a multi-sport standout for the Tigers. She went on to have an outstanding volleyball career at the University of Puget Sound.

Making the honorable mention list was Jennifer (Bannon) Carpenter, who graduated from Moses Lake High and then went on to the compete in women’s track and field at Washington State University. She was an outstanding 400 meters runner.

Carly Noyes, who was a teammate of Loera’s at Moses Lake, also made honorable mention. She played women’s basketball at WSU and is still playing professionally in Europe..