This Tri-Cities coach earned his 400th career victory. He’s closing in on a record
Earl Streufert has his Richland boys basketball team off to another fast start in the Mid-Columbia Conference.
The Bombers are 5-0 in MCC play, and 7-2 overall.
In fact, Streufert always seems to get his team off to a great start, then usually sustain that level of play.
On Saturday night, Richland beat Southridge 88-52. That gave Streufert is 400th Richland boys victory. And he’s closing in on Art Dawald, the Bombers’ all-time leader with 404 victories.
Dawald’s Richland record is 404-154.
Now in his 24th season, Streufert sits at 400-178, and he has a conference record of 293-104.
The Bombers play at Kamiakin on Tuesday night in a big MCC showdown.
College football
Former Prosser High standout Kirby Moore was the offensive coordinator for the Fresno State University football team this past season, and the Bulldogs finished the season by defeating Washington State University 29-6 in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl on Dec. 17.
Now Moore has a new job: Offensive coordinator for the Missouri Tigers of the Southeastern Conference.
Moore, who spent the past six seasons as an assistant at Fresno State, has a rich football family history.
His father, Tom Moore, is the legendary former head coach at Prosser High School.
Kirby’s older brother, Kellen, has been the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys for the past few seasons.
▪ Christian Penny (Chiawana) finished his college football career at Central Washington University by being named to the first team of the Lone Star Conference all-conference team.
Penny was a first-team defensive lineman, collecting 24 tackles (5 for loss), 2 quarterback sacks, one pass breakup, and 3 hurries, for the 6-4 Wildcats.
▪ Logan Candanoza (Prosser) was No. 2 on the George Fox University football team in rushing this past season.
Candanoza carried the football 62 times for 250 yards, averaging 4.0 yards a carry. GFU went 8-2 this past season.
College basketball
The Columbia Basin College women’s basketball team has started out 1-1 in NWAC East Region play, losing to North Idaho but then winning at Blue Mountain.
The Hawks will continue its road trip with a 5:30 p.m. game at Wenatchee Valley on Wednesday, Jan. 11.
CBC’s first East Region home game is set for Monday, Jan. 16, at 2 p.m. against Yakima Valley.
Here are the East Region standings through the first two rounds of East Region play:
1 (tie), Walla Walla 2-0 East/12-2 overall; North Idaho 2-0/8-5; 3 (tie), CBC 1-1/8-3; Big Bend 1-1/7-7; YVC 1-1/4-8; Spokane 1-1/1-8; 7 (tie), Wenatchee Valley 0-1/3-9; Treasure Valley 0-1/2-10; 9. Blue Mountain 0-2/2-8.
▪ CBC’s men’s basketball team is off to a slow 0-2 start in East Region play, dropping games at North Idaho and Blue Mountain.
Those are the Hawks’ first two losses this season.
They’ll play on the road again Wednesday at Wenatchee Valley (7:30 p.m. tipoff), before playing its East Region home opener on Monday, Jan. 16, against Yakima Valley at 4 p.m.
Here are the East Region men’s standings after two rounds of play: 1 (tie), North Idaho 2-0 East/14-0 overall; Spokane 2-0/12-2; 3 (tie) Walla Walla 1-1/12-3; Blue Mountain 1-1/8-5; YVC 1-1/4-7; Big Bend 1-1/3-8; 7 (tie), Treasure Valley 0-1/4-9; Wenatchee Valley 0-1/4-9; 9. CBC 0-2/10-2.
Prep wrestling
The Mid-Columbia region had three individual champions last Saturday at the Kelso Invitational girls wrestling tournament.
It was a large tournament, with some weight classifications having 48 contestants entered.
Chiawana senior Alanna Haney continues her great run this season, as she won the 140-pound title with a 12-0 major decision over April Edwards of Century High in Oregon.
Meanwhile, a pair of Royal teammates earned championships.
Alondra Morales took the 145-pound crown, pinning Yelm’s Camryn Erickson is 3 minutes, 42 seconds.
And Emma Villa of Royal pinned Richland’s Erin Kramer in 2:44 to take the 170-pound title. Kramer placed second in the prestigious tournament.
Other area wrestlers who fared well included Chiawana’s Alexia Fabian placing second at 105 pounds, while Pasco’s Justice Sanchez also finished second at 120.
Lindsey Perkins of Hermiston placed third at 235, while Sunnyside’s Adelinn Valencia did the same at 105.
Fourth-place finishers: Sunnyside’s Delilah Chavez (145), Jada Hernandez of Warden (115) and Pasco’s Elisa Sanchez (105).
Royal’s Lauren Jenks finished fifth at 130, Hermiston’s Desirae Juarez was seventh at 130, and Richland’s Kyndra Casias finished eighth at 140.
▪ Richland swept Hanford in wrestling this past week to earn the annual Battle of the Bone title over crosstown rival Hanford on Thursday.
The Bombers boys beat the Falcons 48-31; while the Richland girls stopped Hanford 48-27.
▪ Hermiston’s Ben Larson and Jaxson Gribskov each finished third at the Rollie Lane tournament in Idaho this past weekend.
Larson, a junior, is now 18-6 at 160 pounds.
Gribskov, a senior, is 17-6 at 182.