Kamiakin grad in the spotlight after surprise role in helping a NW team
Probably the best local sports story this past weekend has to be Zach Borisch, the Kamiakin High School graduate who was a surprise starter at quarterback this last Saturday for the University of Idaho’s football team in its game at Eastern Washington University.
Borisch is listed on the Vandals’ roster as a running back, and before that was on the defensive side of the ball. But Idaho coach Paul Petrino was looking to mix things up against EWU in their second meeting this spring.
Petrino’s first four quarterbacks weren’t able to play for unspecified reasons. So Petrino went with Borisch, changing his offensive scheme from pass-heavy to plenty of rushing plays.
Besides, Borisch was the star quarterback at Kamiakin in 2016 when he helped lead the Braves to the 3A state football title over O’Dea. So this move certainly wasn’t a total reach.
But it caught Eastern’s defense off guard, and Borisch took advantage of a great opportunity.
Borisch scored on touchdown runs of 4 and 13 yards, and tossed a TD pass of 25 yards.
He was just 5 of 11 passing for 74 yards, that one TD pass and two interceptions.
But what he did on the ground was outstanding, rushing 33 times for 205 yards for an average of 6.2 yards a carry.
It was the second most rushing yardage gained in a game by an Idaho quarterback ever.
Alas, the Eagles were able to outshoot the Vandals 38-31 for the victory.
But it was certainly Borisch who opened everyone’s eyes. His excitement being out there rubbed off on his teammates, who raised their level of play to match his.
The 6-foot, 205-pound, redshirt sophomore, who is a Medical Sciences major, isn’t sure if he’ll get the chance to play QB at Northern Arizona this Saturday. Petrino may go back to a more established starting QB, as NAU might be prepping its defense to stack the box.
“I have no clue what my position is going forward. I just hope to contribute in any way that I can. I love being here, love being a contributor, and I love being a Vandal, so whatever way I can help the team win,” Borisch said at a Wednesday news conference.
You can bet that Borisch will be contributing in some kind of fashion this coming Saturday.
Spring prep sports
In this condensed year of high school sports, spring events already have been going for two weeks, and here’s a quick primer on some of the Mid-Columbia Conference team sports:
MCC baseball: Chiawana and Richland are off to quick 3-1 starts to lead the MCC standings.
Each school plays about 14 games, and all count in the standings.
Here are the standings as of April 14: Chiawana 3-1, Richland 3-1, Kamiakin 4-2, Kennewick 3-2, Hanford 3-3, Hermiston 3-3, Walla Walla 2-2, Southridge 2-4, Pasco 0-5.
This week’s games
▪ April 16: Chiawana at Pasco (2), 4 p.m.; Hanford at Richland (2), 4 p.m.; Kennewick at Kamiakin (2), LaPierre Field, 2 p.m.; Walla Walla at Hermiston (2), 4 p.m.
▪ April 19: Richland at Walla Walla, 3 p.m.
MCC boys soccer: Kamiakin and Richland are off to 2-0 MCC starts, while Pasco is 1-0 in MCC play.
Here are the standings so far: Kamiakin 2-0 (4-1 overall), Richland 2-0 (5-0), Pasco 1-0 (3-1), Chiawana 1-1 (3-2), Hermiston 1-1 (2-3), Kennewick 1-1 (3-2), Walla Walla 0-1 (0-4), Hanford 0-2 (1-4), Southridge 0-2 (0-5).
Upcoming schedule
▪ April 16: Chiawana at Kennewick, 7 p.m.; Hermiston at Hanford, 7 p.m.; Southridge at Pasco, Edgar Brown Stadium, 7 p.m.; Walla Walla at Richland, 7 p.m.
▪ April 19: Hanford at Chiawana, 7 p.m.; Kennewick at Hermiston, 7 p.m.; Pasco at Walla Walla, 4 p.m.; Southridge at Kamiakin, 7 p.m.
MCC fastpitch softball: Walla Walla jumped out of the gate quickly, and the Blue Devils sit atop the standings in the early going with a 5-1 record.
Teams will play around 14 games, with some single games against opponents and twinbills against others.
Here are the standings so far through April 14: Walla Walla 5-1, Kamiakin 4-2, Hanford 3-2, Richland 3-2, Chiawana 2-2, Kennewick 3-3, Southridge 2-2, Hermiston 1-5, Pasco 0-4.
Upcoming games – Friday, April 16: Hermiston at Pasco (2), 4 p.m.; Hanford at Kamiakin (2), Lawrence Scott Park, 4 p.m.; Richland at Chiawana (2), 4 p.m.; Southridge at Kennewick (2), 4 p.m.
Notes
▪ Pasco High grad Megan Wilkinson scored a goal in the seventh minute — her third of the season — to give the College of Idaho women’s soccer team a 1-0 win over Carroll College on April 7. The victory clinched the East Division title for C of I, giving the Coyotes an automatic berth to the NAIA national tournament.
In a 2-1 win over MSU Billings on March 19, Wilkinson scored a goal in the 63rd minute to tie the contest at 1-1.
▪ On March 18, former Tri-City American Dylan Stanley, 37, scored two goals (one short handed) and two assists to lead Feldkirch over Rittenbach 7-2 to end the regular season of the Alps Hockey League.
Feldkirch then lost in the first round of the playoffs, 2 games to none, to Gherdeina.
Stanley, who played for the Ams from 2000-05, has played six seasons for Feldkirch in Austria. The right winger scored 14 goals and 42 assists in 36 games this season.
▪ Grays Harbor Community College’s baseball team is off to a 3-3 start this season. Why do I mention this, since the school is located in Hoquiam on the coast? Because the team has four players from the Tri-Cities.
In doubleheader splits with Pierce and Tacoma this past weekend, Hanford High grad Aidan McMurdo went 4-for-10 at the plater, while Chiawana grad Preston Vine was 4-for-12 for the Chokers.
Luke Stutesman (Hanford) went 5 innings, striking out 8, in Saturday’s 9-4 win over Pierce. He picked up the win.
On Sunday, Tyler Garcia (Hanford) scattered seven hits and struck out three while getting a complete game. But he lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to Tacoma.
▪ Sophomore Samantha Hui (Southridge), playing for the University of Wyoming women’s golf team, finished tied for 20th out of 92 golfers at the Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invitational at the Sunbrook Golf Course in St. George, Utah, on March 11-12.
Hui shot rounds of 78 and 75 for a 9-over-par 153.
This story was originally published April 15, 2021 at 2:11 PM.