Select baseball club has Newcastle roots
February 3, 2012
By Michael Stein Members of the Bellevue Warriors speak with coach Carson Cook during a game played in a March 2010 tournament in Gilbert, Ariz.
Bellevue Warriors coach Michael McCrite tells his baseball players one thing to always remember: How they train and perform at the high school level is the first job interview they’ll have to play in college or beyond.
And they’re not even in high school yet.
The Warriors, a select club with a 13 and under and 14 and under team, was organized by several parents from Newcastle in August 2009, so children in the area would have a program in place that offered a higher level of competition than was available in the area’s Pony League.
Liberty girls topple Mercer Island for 59-50 win
February 3, 2012
As Liberty High School Patriots girls basketball coach Randy Leifer looks to wrap up the regular season, he’s sure this year’s past and future success hinges on how deep his bench is.
As the Patriots took on conference opponent Mercer Island the evening of Jan. 25, all but two players on the roster scored for the team.
“I think we really have a lot of depth on our team, and we shot the ball well tonight,” Leifer said after the 59-50 victory over the Islanders. “We didn’t rebound as well as we should have been, though, and we’ll work on that.”
Starting junior forward Delane Agnew had a team-high 14 points for Liberty — eight of those dropped the first quarter to give Liberty a big push up front — in the contest.
By Greg Farrar Delane Agnew, Liberty High School junior forward, lofts two of her 14 points against Mercer Island over sophomore guard Ari Moscatel during the third quarter.
Starting sophomore guard Sierra Carlson contributed 12 points and four rebounds, while senior guard Stephanie Yea knocked down two three-point shots in the first half and ended the game with eight total points.
The score was 29-14 at the half.
Highlanders go dipping
February 3, 2012
By Scott Coburn
Members of the Hazen High School swim team celebrate the new year by participating in the Jan. 1 Polar Bear Dip at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park on Lake Washington Boulevard in Renton.
Diving to the top
February 3, 2012
Newport Hills resident Maraea Skeen is among the elite athetes in the Western Region
Diving has become one of the most popular spectator sports at the Olympics. It combines the unique attributes of gymnastics, dancing, grace and athleticism.
But for 20-year-old Newport Hills resident Maraea Skeen, diving also offers something else.
Contributed Maraea Skeen pulls off a final twist before hitting the water at the Mountain West Conference Championships in 2011.
“It’s a thrill,” she said, describing jumping from 20 feet above the water into a cold pool.
Skeen’s zeal for diving has lifted her from the ranks of elite high school athletes to a top competitor in the Western Region.
Liberty overcomes sluggish start to beat Hazen, 54-48
January 6, 2012
Both teams look to improve in conference play
Ben Wessel, Liberty High School senior post, fouls Hazen High School junior center Cody Moorhead on the putback from a rebound during the first quarter of the Dec. 22 game. By Greg Farrar
As the Hazen High School boys team opened play against Liberty on Dec. 22, Hazen coach Ryan Thompson liked the pace his team was setting.
Led by senior guard starter Alex Olson’s eight points in the first quarter, the Highlanders were up 17-8 after the first quarter of the game.
Liberty girls grab decisive 66-39 win over Hazen
January 6, 2012
Hazen senior Airashay Rogers contributes 19 points
As the Liberty High School girls basketball team squared off against Hazen High School, they knew they had a lot riding on their shoulders.
After beating out Sumner and Newport, as well as conference foes Sammamish, Bellevue, Juanita and Mercer Island, they remained undefeated.
The Patriots kept that streak alive on their home court with a decisive 66-39 victory over the Highlanders on Dec. 22.
Adele Payant (left), Liberty High School sophomore center, and Hazen High School sophomore forward Gabby Brower chase after a rebound late during the third quarter Dec. 22. By Greg Farrar
“We’ve been able to finish games off when they’re close, and we’ve had some close ones,” Liberty coach Randy Leifer said. “We shoot the ball well, and we’ve got three returning starters this year that give us an inside presence.”
The Patriots entered the game strong, scoring 23 points in the first quarter, and held the Highlanders to just 10 points in the first half.
Humble and respected, Liberty’s Josh Gordon is a quiet success
January 6, 2012
Deep-seated sports passion has family ties for football, track star
Josh Gordon, a standout athlete in track and football, Eagle Scout, honor student and brother, identified himself as a competitor at a young age.
Gordon and his father were attending a University of Washington football game and Josh pointed to the field.
Josh Gordon
“Someday, I’m going to make a touchdown there,” Josh told his father.
Now 17 and attending his final year at Liberty High School, Gordon is working hard to make good on that promise. He’s the leading receiver for King County in 3A football, and if football doesn’t work out, Gordon will look to track and field. As a junior, he won first place at state in the long jump and 1,600 relay, adding to the second-place medal he earned as a sophomore.
One would think his success might change his personality, or make him susceptible to the culture of boastful talking.
Not Gordon.
Liberty hires new baseball coach
January 6, 2012
John Martin has been hired to take the helm as Liberty High School’s new baseball coach.
Martin was a pitching coach at Liberty for several seasons and was on the staff when Liberty won the 3A state title in 2003.
Among his prized pitchers that season was future Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, of the San Francisco Giants.
Martin has spent the past several years as an assistant coach at Auburn Mountainview High School. He has also coached summer select baseball teams.
Martin replaces Steve Darnell, who directed Liberty to a 6-8 record last season, when the Patriots were knocked out in the first round of the KingCo Conference 3A tournament.
Hazen earns first state playoff berth since 1993
December 1, 2011
Highlanders beat Franklin, 36-15, before falling to Capital, 47-0
Eric Jacobs, Hazen High School senior running back, shakes off Trevon Harris, of Franklin, during the fourth quarter on a 30-yard touchdown run, his third of the game. By Greg Farrar
1993. That was the last time the Hazen High School Highlanders earned a spot in the state football playoff run.
Hazen basketball standout signs to play with Huskies
December 1, 2011
Airashay Rogers, the star senior point guard for the Hazen Highlanders girls basketball team, will be the first student athlete in two years to graduate from the school and go on to play a Division I sport in college.
Rogers signed a letter of intent Nov. 21 to play basketball for the University of Washington — the first high school recruit to be brought into the new helm of first-year coach Kevin McGuff.
Rogers, who will study business and marketing at the school, said she’s still focused on a successful season with Highlanders basketball.
Hazen High School senior point guard Airashay Rogers signs a letter of intent to play for the University of Washington. By Christina Lords
“It’s not going to be anything easy,” she said. “I still have to focus on my high school season before I try to go past it. I still want to make sure I have the same connection with my team as before. Nothing has changed, I’m just moving on next year.”
Rogers averaged 26 points per game, 2.4 assists, two blocks, 9.4 rebounds and 6.5 steals per game for the Highlanders last season.
