"Turnovers hurt Pioneers in loss" -- Sep. 24, 2005

CALEB BREAKEY FOR THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

NOOKSACK - Nooksack Valley struggled to finish drives Friday night, and it cost the Pioneers in a 31-15 non-league loss to Vancouver College.

"We haven't been turning the ball over this year," Nooksack coach Robb Myhre said. "But this time we turned it over three times at the 20-yard line - that killed us."

Junior running back Nathan Gelwicks paced Nooksack (1-3) with 116 total yards, but the Fighting Irish duo of 5-foot-5 senior running backs Oscar Tapia and Joemar Espinosa, was too much to handle for the Nooksack defense.

Tapia totaled 168 yards in the game and Espinosa, who ran the ball most of the second half, finished with 64 for Vanouver College (3-1).

Myhre said the Irish running backs' quickness and ability to change directions was hard to counter.

"Both of those guys have the same style," he said. "They got lost back there, and away they went."

Nooksack quarterback Chris Mitchell passed for 47 yards, and Chris O'Day, who finished the game behind center, ran for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Pioneer running back Joe Budge rushed for 53 yards and scored Nooksack's only points in the first half with a 5-yard touchdown run.

Nooksack Valley plays host to Meridian next Friday.

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Well, here it is -- my first reporting assignment. The topic isn't thrilling, but I was excited just to be called by the Harald...instead of me calling them. And I'll be honest about the experience -- it was a lot of pressure! But at the same time, it was a lot of fun. Just like everything, it gets easier as you find a groove. The only thing I’m disappointed about is, well, you’ve probably noticed…….the byline! =) The new editor didn’t know that I go by C. Jennings, but that’s fine -- to God be the glory for every written word! =)

"Orca soccer building unity, success" -- Aug. 31, 2005

C. JENNINGS BREAKEY FOR THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

As Whatcom Community College soccer coach Brian Iblings watched his players grind through fitness testing earlier this season, he liked what he saw.

"That's when I knew we had something special here," Iblings, 24, said. "That's the challenge: to get this group of guys from all over the world and all over the state to come together and gel."

"I don't see one superstar on our team," he said. "What I see is a group of 22, hardnosed individuals."

The Orcas (1-1) will play at 4 p.m. today at Wenatchee.

In its first season, WCC has 11 Whatcom County high school graduates on its roster, including Northwest League standouts Kalen Hemlock of Ferndale and Gianni Tsoulouhas of Squalicum.

"The guys that we've selected definitely exhibit the qualities that we want to have Whatcom perceived as throughout the region," Iblings said. "Man for man, each guy on the squad wants to put the team first."

The team has worked to build trust. Tsoulouhas said the team has many get-togethers.
"Even though we've only been together for a (few weeks)," Tsoulouhas said, "it's like we're family."

Everyone's working toward the next level, 2004 Lynden grad Joe Grogan said.
"With the guys we've got," he said, "you can only expect the best."

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This article was cut by almost 250 words, so it gets a little choppy towards the end. Getting published in the Herald, I'm finding, is harder than many papers -- they have very limited space. But it's a good lesson to learn, and I'll remember to condense much more in the future.