Inside Page: Late coach Olson leaves legacy at Richland High School
With the optimism of the new football season upon us, I was sad to learn that longtime coach Ken Olson passed away Wednesday.
Olson was a longtime football assistant at Richland High School, and he built the Bombers’ softball program into a powerhouse in the 1980s and 1990s.
Two of Olson’s sons followed in his footsteps as football coaches. Greg is the offensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders, and Marc is a teacher and assistant at Richland High.
“Ken was as much responsible for the Bomber football culture changing around here as Coach (J.D.) Covington,” Richland football coach Mike Neidhold said. “Ken was a great coach and even better person.”
Services are pending.
NFL COMES TO KENNEWICK
Looking for something free to do this weekend?
The NFL Network is coming to the Toyota Center with its Tailgate Tour. It’s from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
There will be NFL agility courses for kids to run through, games, food and prizes.
COLLEGE TENNIS
Columbia-Burbank graduate Darren Haworth resigned as the Eastern Washington University men’s coach after seven years. He compiled an 81-78 record, including a 35-25 mark in Big Sky dual matches. Eastern qualified for the Big Sky championship in four of his seven seasons, winning the tournament in 2008 and advancing to the NCAA championship.
GOLF
Here’s a recap of what some of our area golfers were up to over the past month:
-- At the Washington State Men’s Amateur Championship on Aug. 7, Richland’s Cole Lorenzo tied for second at Wine Valley Golf Club at 3-under-par 210, one stroke behind champion Tyler Salsbury of Enumclaw. Walla Walla’s Tyler Daniels tied for sixth at even par. Lorenzo, who spent the past two seasons at Community Colleges of Spokane, is attending Utah State.
-- At the Washington Junior Golf Association’s state tournament in Spokane, Pasco’s Jalayne Martinez placed sixth in the girls 16-17 division at plus-12; Nick Yamauchi tied for third in boys 14-15 at plus-6; and Kennewick’s Therese Warner was fourth in girls 12-13 at plus-34.
-- At Tri-City Country Club’s Best-Ball Invitational on Aug. 10, Jared Haff and Jeremy Simanton of Canyon Lakes were the top gross placers for 36 holes at 122. TCCC’s Jesse and Allison Kadinger won the net for 36 holes at 110.
-- At the Meadow Springs Country Club Couples Classic on Aug. 10, Mike and Robin Sturgeon were tops in gross division with a 75. In net, David and Karen Hansen tied Amy and Stan Owings for first at 62.
-- At Walla Walla’s All-City Championship on Aug. 10, Mike Ciez easily retained his title, finishing the two rounds at 9-under 135. Runner-up Ryan Baumgart finished at even-par 144.
-- Jason Aichele beat Clint Ables 4 and 3 to take the title at the Central Washington Chapter of the PGA match play event. Paul Cobleigh beat TCCC’s Chris Isaacson 2 and 1 to win the Senior Match Play Bracket title.
-- In the CWC PGA Pro-Am on Aug. 11 at Veterans Memorial in Walla Walla, Brady Sharp of Walla Walla Country Club was the top pro with a 65. Barry Wofford of Veterans was the top amateur in the Stableford format, scoring 41 points.
COLLEGE UPDATE
Here’s a quick update on some of our area athletes as the college sports season kicked off in late August:
Cross country
Junior Erin Hegarty (Hanford) finished 20th overall last Friday in the Bear Twilight Invitational for host Baylor. Hegarty was the sixth Baylor runner to finish, covering the 4-kilometer course in 14 minutes, 50.9 seconds. The Bears took the team title.
Football
Eastern Oregon opened the season Aug. 23 with a 45-27 road victory over Menlo College in California. Quarterback Zach Bartlow (Waitsburg-Prescott) passed for 391 yards and four touchdowns. He also scored a TD. Linebacker Kris Welch (River View) had three tackles and an interception, while defensive end Dalton Morgan (Kiona-Benton) had two tackles, including a sack.
Eastern Washington beat Sam Houston State 56-35 on Aug. 23 in Cheney. Aaron Neary (Hanford) started on the Eagles’ offensive line, and Miquiyah Zamora (Chiawana) led the defense at linebacker with 11 tackles.
Austin Graves (Southridge) had four tackles, including a sack, but Idaho State lost 56-14 at Utah in its season opener Aug. 28.
Women’s soccer
Heather Johnson (Southridge) didn’t score, but she had four shots on goal as Gonzaga beat Cal State Bakersfield 2-1 in overtime Aug. 22.
Volleyball
This story was originally published September 4, 2014 at 11:04 PM with the headline "Inside Page: Late coach Olson leaves legacy at Richland High School."