"Warriors battle injuries...Rochester regroups, looks for big plays and big season" -- August 31, 2006

BY CALEB BREAKEY
THE OLYMPIAN

ROCHESTER -- Two Rochester High School senior football players hobbled toward the royal blue regiment of Warriors who were lunging, one leg at a time, across midfield during pre-practice stretching drills last week.

Defensive back Justin Eastman and fullback Mike George -- both stocky, weighing about 175 pounds each and standing almost 5-foot-9 -- approached on crutches from a white truck parked several yards behind one of the field's goalposts.

The two injury-stricken players settled alongside the field, both favoring their right leg.

"Your foot getting tired yet, the one that you walk on?" George said, repositioning his left crutch.

Eastman just nodded his head with squinted eyes as George plopped down on the grass. "We should have drove the truck over here."

Eastman suffered a torn ACL that head coach Vince Tarsi said would likely steal the all-league player's season. George's doctor suspects either a hairline fracture or pulled ligaments in his ankle.

Still, senior lineman Nick Hinkle said the Warriors morale grows stronger even after injuries punched the team in the gut.

Hinkle and the Warriors' other seniors called a team leadership meeting the day Eastman went down. Half of the team's juniors joined the 11 seniors at the gathering, which happens only about three times each season.

Senior halfback Devon Willadsen said the team talked about staying focused because the upperclassmen's downbeat body language and actions seep into the Warriors' sophomores and freshmen, disrupting the team from one end to the other.

After that, the 6-4, 170-pound Hinkle closed the meeting with a reminder.

"We know our plays, we know our stuff," he said. "We can make the playoffs."

This season marks Tarsi's second year at the helm of Rochester's football program. Before him, the team had three coaches in three years, and the players struggled to keep pace with the changing offensive and defensive schemes.

Under Tarsi, the team and its playbook finally are stable for a second straight season. This is the first time the Warriors' seniors have been in one system for more than one year.

"It's hard to get tradition," senior halfback Tor Benson said. "We're starting to get it back now."

Even so, vacations and other absences shot one of the Warriors' summer goals -- lifting weights for 80 percent of the two-and-a-half months -- and set back the team's conditioning schedule. Tarsi countered that by implementing extra running before team practices, which Benson said is preparing the team to ignite, not fizzle, in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors' underclassmen outdid their junior and senior teammates, reaching the 80-percent plateau, but the team tripped short of Tarsi's expectations.

"We didn't get the results that we wanted, which was pretty disappointing," he said.

With only three players from last season having graduated, Tarsi said the Warriors remain young but have a heightened, more comfortable ceiling of experience. The team will start eight seniors in Friday's season-opening game at Aberdeen.

Hinkle remembers 2005 as a season of opportunity for him and the other juniors of that year.

"We were playing all the time. We know how to take a hit, we know how to give a hit, we know how to run a ball," he said. "You don't have to worry about people getting spooked out there. The little jitters of playing in a varsity game are gone."

The Warriors' offensive attack begins with the team's pair of halfbacks, Benson and Willadsen, whom Hinkle described as "dodgy guys who can move quick and catch a ball."

Running a spread-T, junior quarterback Jarin Ruiz fronts the two backs and has their trust when he fires the ball, Willadsen said.

The team's playbook includes plays that have the backs running downfield. During such routes, Ruiz routinely unleashes deep, accurate passes to the Warriors' receivers, Hinkle said. But the team's offense still expects to favor the ground slightly this season.

"We just take what the defense gives us," Tarsi said. "It's really a mix. We'll run first, but if the pass is there, we're going to take advantage of it."

The defensive line is inexperienced but not a weakness. A lack of depth -- forcing the team to swing starters between offense and defense during games -- could cripple the team by exhaustion, Tarsi said.

The loss of Eastman and George made matters worse, but the Warriors are coping with the injuries and still are having fun. As did junior linebacker Luke Steelhammer near the end of practice as Eastman trudged toward his truck and George picked himself up to go watch last
season's game film.

"You look like cute little twins (with) your crutches," Steelhammer said.

COACH: Vince Tarsi (second year with Warriors, 12th overall)
LAST YEAR: 2-3, fifth in league
RETURNING STARTERS: Nine offense, six defense
OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE SETS: Spread-T/3-3
KEY RETURNERS: Nick Hinkle, OL-DL, 6-4, 170, sr.; Devon Willadsen, RB-FS, 6-3, 175, sr.; Tor Benson, RB-LB, 6-0, 175, sr.; Jarin Ruiz, QB, 6-0, 157, jr.
STRENGTH: Skill positions
WEAKNESS: Depth. Injuries to Justin Eastman and Mike George have thinned an already small squad of 44 players.
NOTABLE: The team has a "Warrior Counsel," comprised of three seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. The goal of the counsel is to build leadership in the football program and school at every level.
COACH'S OUTLOOK: "Playing together, working together. We always talk about finishing strong," Tarsi said. "No matter what the outcome is, if we're up three or four touchdowns or down three or four touchdowns, you're always going to see the same demeanor. We talk about playing with quiet confidence -- respecting the opponent, respecting each other."

Schedule
Date Opponent Time
Sept. 1 at Aberdeen 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 8 Woodland 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 Ilwaco 7 p.m.
Sept. 22 at LaCenter 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 White Salmon 7 p.m.
Oct. 6 at Castle Rock 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 Kalama 7 p.m.
Oct. 20 at Stevenson 7 p.m.
Oct. 27 Toledo 7 p.m.

"Hawks show off skills" -- August 28, 2006

BY CALEB BREAKEY
THE OLYMPIAN

Two skill positions. Two brothers. Two last names. One is compared to a legendary NFL running back, the other is known as "crazy legs."

Dontavious Fleming and Chris Jackson are their names. Jackson, a senior wide receiver, earned his nickname shortly after trying out for the Hawks for the first time in 2005. Upon hearing it -- "Look at those crazy legs!" -- Jackson just smiled.

"They say my feet move faster than my body," he said. "It looks weird because when I cut, my feet go over my other foot."

Fleming, a sophomore wingback, is touted as the second coming of Hawks' former all-league standout Allan Bennett. Earlier this season Hawks head coach Steve Schultz went to the University of Washington with Fleming, who caught the eyes of Tyrone Willingham, the Huskies head coach. Willingham introduced himself to Fleming after watching him practice.

Hawks players also praise Fleming's ability on the football field.

"You know how Barry Sanders is? Stop, go, quick," said senior lineman Charles Richardson. "He's like that. He's really elusive."

Paired with the Hawks' talent at quarterback and tight end, River Ridge envisions the brothers leading an athletic offensive attack that may surprise other teams this season.

"Those two guys are special guys, and they'll be lined up right next to each other," Schultz said. "There's something about a couple of brothers playing together out there. It kind of makes me excited."

Leadership and unison form the basis of the Hawks revamped team. Quarterback Joey DeLuca held a barbecue for the Hawks two weeks ago, something uncommon last season. The gathering helped players get to know each other and start a bond.

DeLuca displays his leadership in several ways.

One of the Hawks conditioning drills calls for a player from each class to volunteer to run a sprint in 13 seconds or fewer. Shultz hollered for volunteers last week and, after a brief silence, DeLuca -- one of the team's slower players -- raised his hand and ran for the seniors.

The Hawks' 2005 seniors were off by themselves, a clique that made it hard for each thread of the Hawks to piece together, Richardson said. But that's changed.

"This year it's not like we have sophomores, juniors and seniors," Richardson said. "We have one class."

DeLuca, aside from his leadership on and off the field, directs the Hawks' high-powered offense that includes Jackson, Fleming and sophomore tight end Ross Creamer, whom teammates say has monster leaping ability and good hands.

Players will play on both sides of the ball this season, but won't start both ways. This flexibility allows the team to scrimmage and better themselves because talent spreads the entire field. Fleming noted last Tuesday's practice as an example.

"Our defense was just scratching us for the first 45 minutes," he said. "But the last 20 minutes the offense picked it up and got a couple touchdowns -- a couple big runs, a couple big passes."

The Hawks lost four games in the fourth quarter last season, but Fleming said the team's new rotation scheme will generate more freshness when the Hawks strut onto the field in the final 12 minutes, as they will Sept. 1 against the Timberline Blazers.

Creamer said the Hawks had more mental lapses than physical lapses in pressure situations last season.

"They would think that they had the game won," he said. "You can't ever think that in a sport because you give the opponent an opportunity to strike back at you."

Richardson, entering his fourth season with the Hawks, leads the team's most experienced front, the defensive line. But the team is in awe of the fact that he's back just three months after rupturing his spleen into six pieces during a jamboree June 10.

Schultz thought Richardson's season was over.

"The nurses in the ER were amazed he was even standing," he said. "I thought the kid was done. You just don't get back on the horse that quick."

Richardson, who squats more than 450 pounds, did whatever doctors allowed him in the weight room this summer and is back playing full contact, marked with an 8-inch scar.

Some people call Richardson a glutton for punishment, but Schultz calls it dedication -- the factor he said would carry the Hawks.

"Anyone who asks me what we're looking like, I tell them that we're young and inexperienced," he said. "And I tell them also that our goal is to finish top two in league. Just because we're young doesn't take away the expectation to win on the field."

COACH: Steve Schultz (5th year with Hawks, 9th overall)
LAST YEAR: 4-5, fifth in league
RETURNING STARTERS: Zero offense, two defense
OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE SETS: Spread/3-3
KEY RETURNERS: Tyler Cummings, OL-DL, 6-4, 260, sr.; Charles Richardson, DL-RB, 5-10, 190, sr.; Joey DeLuca, QB, 6-0, 220, sr.; Jon Skorna, LB-TE, 5-11, 175, sr.
STRENGTHS: Team chemistry, desire to win
WEAKNESSES: Inexperience
NOTABLE: The Hawks freshman team had an 8-1 record last season. This year a handful of sophomores are suiting up for varsity.
COACH'S OUTLOOK: "You're going to see a team that gets better from the beginning of the year to the end of the year," Schultz said. "We're platooning, which means we have guys playing only on one side of the ball. Instead of splitting three practices in half each week, and going half offense and half defense, they're going three practices full-time offense or full-time defense. We have a lot of balance across the board, so we can play a lot of kids."

"Swanson has rough start...Ex-Saint shoots 75 on first day of sectional tourney" -- Aug. 8, 2006

By Caleb Breakey
The Olympian

TUMWATER - Steady, soft wind blew through trees and their branches, spotting the fairway with dancing shadows at the Tumwater Valley Municipal Golf Course on Monday.

Close by, Kris Swanson readied a putt on the green of the ninth hole in the annual PGA Pacific Northwest Section Assistant Professional Championship.

He ruffled his white, collared shirt as he inched close to the golf ball, taking three practice strokes. His hands gripped the club parallel to his dressy black pants while family and friends watched in silence, mimicking his statue-like stillness.

Swanson, a 2000 Capital High School graduate, slightly reared back his golf club and putted the ball across the green, sinking it for a bogey. Claps broke the silence as Swanson bent down, picked up the ball, raised his eyebrows and released a deep breath.

The former Saint Martin's No. 2 golfer of four years wiped his face with a white towel and gave hugs to his family before trekking to the course's tenth hole. Swanson, who was supported by his mom, aunt and godparents, knows the Tumwater golf course well.

"This is my home course; I should know it better than anybody," he said. "I have my family out here - I want to play well for them. Some days you have it and some days you don't."

Swanson - plagued mostly by missed putts - found himself somewhere between his good and bad days. He finished his round with a score of 3-over-par 75.

Mark Garand, Swanson's godfather, said part of Swanson's problem was the tempo of play. The two other golfers in his flight, Frank Crimp of Ellensburg and Zach Cabe of Kayak Point, golfed at a slower pace.

"If they speed up then his game will smooth out," Garand said midway through the event. "It's a mental thing. It's been real herky-jerky."

Still, Swanson smiled throughout the day, which Garand said is a must - "otherwise it's going to eat you up."

Crimp, who finished the day tied with Swanson, said being clocked might have thrown off his flight's tempo, such as Swanson's putts.

"He rushes himself because he's a quick player," Crimp said. "He's a good putter because he hits his putts solid, but he's got a lot of pace to them, and it cost him a couple of times. I don't think anybody likes to be put on the clock."

Adrian Burtner of Columbia Edgewater finished the day with a 6-under 66, one stroke ahead of Ryan Benzel of Seattle.

Burtner, who won the E-Z-GO Pro Assistants Championship in March, had six birdies and an eagle en route to his first-day lead. Today's shotgun tee-off is at 7:30 a.m.

The top two qualifiers advance to the PGA Assistant Professional Championship Oct. 26-29 at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Swanson, who said he would be practicing putts early Tuesday, erased his first-day results in a hurry. With family close by, he walked toward the golf course's parking lot.

"I'm going to go get a cold beer right now with my mom and my aunt," he said. "Once I leave the golf course, it's over with. I can't dwell on it. You just have to let it go, come back tomorrow and perform better."

"Saints will open season vs. Huskies" -- Aug. 4, 2006

By Caleb Breakey
The Olympian

The Saint Martin's University basketball team will face the Washington Huskies for the first time Nov. 3 in an exhibition game at Bank of America Arena in Seattle.

Bob Grisham, Saint Martin's athletics director, said the Saints would benefit from the Huskies' tough competition and the big crowd at what will be the opening game for both teams.

Saints head basketball coach Keith Cooper agrees.

"It give our kids a great experience, how they stack up against the guys who got recruited ahead of them," Cooper said. "It helps a lot more to play good teams, to see what you need to work on."
The Huskies host two games against Final Four teams this season, UCLA and LSU. Nineteen of the Huskies' 30 regular-season games will be played at Bank of America Arena, where they posted a 17-2 record in 2006.

The Saints, who played against Division I schools Montana State and Montana last season, will face Oregon State University on Nov. 5 in their second game this season.

The Huskies most likely will be the Saints' toughest competition this year, but Cooper wishes otherwise.

"I hope not," he said. "Because if we play somebody better, then we've gone a hell of a long way in the district tournament."

Grisham said games against the Huskies and other Division I teams leave lower-division players wondering what could have been.

"Kids have that underlining thought," he said. " 'I could have been a Division I guy.' "

While Cooper said his team is competitive, he added that the Saints are intelligent and realistic with their goals. Above all, the game against the Huskies gives the Saints Division I experience and future comfort when they play high-caliber teams.

"The talent that they play against is something they can come back to," Cooper said. "We've played against Spencer Hawes, we've played against Jon Brockman.

"There shouldn't be any way we lose that night. We're going to win by having the opportunity to play a good team, play in a good atmosphere and see what the big time is all about. The fact that we may lose on the scoreboard may be the only loss that we have all night."

"Let the Games continue" -- Aug. 1, 2006

By Caleb Breakey
The Olympian

The Washington State Senior Games wrapped up Sunday, with the exception of a few events taking place next weekend. But news from the head of the Games may give seniors a reason to keep the celebration going.

Jack Kiley, president of the Puget Sound Senior Games, which presents the state's senior games, summed up the weekend - "A success."

What's more is Washington is on the verge of bringing in the first senior world winter games, which would attract a minimum of 6,000 athletes from across the globe, said Washington State Senior Games President Perry Dolan.

The games would feature 3-on-3 basketball, pickle ball, swimming, cross country, snowboarding and others.

"We have countries just chomping at the bits to get information," Dolan said. "When are you going to have it? Where is it going to be? What are the venues?"

Dolan said the Games' board is working with a group and certain communities, but wouldn't release names until a press conference in January 2007. The Games' preliminaries would be in 2008, and the Games would start in 2009 and continue every year thereafter.

Such an event generates a considerable money flow. Dolan said his generation - the late 60s - spends more money than other generations, and that 40,000 people about his age would come.

"Dollar-wise, it will probably bring that community, after all expenses... for two weeks, anywhere from $15 to $35 million dollars that they can't get from taxing people," Dolan said.

While the location of games is undisclosed, Dolan said it will be close to snow, ruling out the Olympia area.

Dolan also said big cities usually won't hold this sort of event.

"You couldn't put these games in Seattle," he said. "Large cities are not conducive to world-type class, large Olympic-type things. They have to be in the outskirts where you get support from the local community."

Dolan said the board is launching a new Web site - washingtonstateseniorgames.com - sometime next month.

In order to have the games, the state needs to hold five nationally recognized senior games, Dolan said. Washington currently has such events in Seattle, Bremerton, Port Angeles and Olympia. Next year, Games will also be held in Kirkland.

Dolan said the board is also eyeing the Tri-Cities, Wenatchee, Yakima and Spokane as possible Senior Games' locations.

"Rainiers' Clement adjusts...Catcher learning to handle slump" -- Aug. 2, 2006

BY CALEB BREAKEY
THE OLYMPIAN

Seattle Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi labeled him "untouchable" at the trade deadline. Others labeled him underachieving.

Catcher Jeff Clement, third overall selection in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, is the topic at hand.

After excelling at Double-A San Antonio, the Mariners promoted Clement to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, where he was hitting .236 with seven extra base hits in 123 at-bats through Tuesday.

Critics expect more from the 22-year-old backstop, but Rainiers hitting coach Terry Pollreisz said high expectations leads to frustration. Even so, Clement, who bears thick eyebrows and a brawny chin, said he isn't rattled by people's offensive or defensive projections.

"I don't pay too much attention to what's said and read because that's not going to help me perform out there," he said. "What's going to help me perform is getting here early and getting that work in and learning from the games. If I'm reading the papers and listening to what everyone is saying, then I'll never play up to my capabilities."

This spring an MLB.com reporter asked Mariners manager Mike Hargrove what he thought of Clement as the catcher took batting practice.

"Give me an easy chair and a glass of tea and I can watch him swing the bat all day long," Hargrove responded.

Pollreisz noted that the 6-foot-2, 215 pound Clement reached the minor league's highest level in just his second year of professional baseball. He added that young players tend to try too hard, which produces a streaky player.

"He's like any other player," Pollreisz said. "He's a young professional hitter and he's going to have his ups and downs."

Clement, who shares time behind the plate with Rob Johnson, said learning from both successes and failures is key for him because stressing over mistakes can mentally disrupt players.

Whether he goes hitless in four at-bats or gets a game-winning hit, Clement needs to focus on the things that will make him a better player the next day, Rainiers manager Dave Brundage said.

The Tacoma skipper said he didn't expect Clement to bat .350 upon his Triple-A arrival, and that management is pushing and challenging the Iowa native by putting him at this level.

Defense, not offence, should be Clement's No. 1 concern this season, Brundage said - blocking balls, throwing to second, framing pitches and calling a good game.

"The bat is going to come," he said. "There's a lot on his plate."

Clement, who batted .288 with 2 home runs, six doubles and a triple in 15 games before being promoted to the Rainiers, said his offensive struggles aren't mechanical.

Facing Pacific Coast League veteran pitchers in his second year has him miss-hitting pitches more than ever, Clement said.

"There's nothing I can do about those past at-bats except learn from them," he said. "That's what I've been doing the past month."

Clement downplayed the fact that he's a first-round pick with higher expectations. He said only players affect themselves, not management's or fan's expectations.

"The only things that get in your head are the things that you put in your head," he said.
"Obviously, they expect a lot of me, and I expect a lot of myself. It's a great spot to be in."