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.

“Like a lot of select teams here in the Puget Sound area, there’s a real need for kids to have quality coaching,” said Michael McCrite, coach of the 14U team. “The difference between this club and others is that the team here has 57 years of combined coaching experience.”

The team isn’t limited geographically, and includes players from Newcastle, Bellevue, Mercer Island, Marysville, Renton and other towns in the Puget Sound area, and there are open spots for the club’s 13U team.

McCrite said the team is also looking for more coaches to help with the team.

Jake Stein, 14, and Sam Harrington, 13, Newcastle residents who have played baseball together since they were fourth-graders, said the team was a great place to improve their skills.

“I’ve always worked hard at baseball and I thought this team would be a place to take it up a notch,” Stein said. “I wanted a team that did conditioning in the off-season and training pretty much year round.”

Both players said they have their sights on high school, college and professional baseball.

“You have to have a great attitude to be here,” Harrington said. “This is not a team to just come and mess around on.”

The team practices and trains 11 months out of the year, taking only August off to hold tryouts, McCrite said.

Each team practices twice a week at The Old Ballyard in Bellevue during the winter, and many of the players take part in an infield camp and private lessons at Rijo Athletics in Woodinville.

McCrite said while the team plays in the Sandy Koufax division in the Washington State Select Baseball League beginning in April, the team organizes pickup games and other scrimmages to test and maintain their skills year round.

“The idea behind it is to provide a professional quality coaching staff to produce kids that will not only make their high school teams, but to contribute to their high school team and beyond,” he said.

The team also competes in local and travel tournaments from March to August. The Warriors will travel to their first tournament in Tempe, Ariz., in March, Michael Stein, a founding organizer of the club, said.

“Our long-range intent was, and is, to provide a bridge to enable middle school boys to advance to a high-level high school baseball program while instilling in our players an appreciation of the importance of their educations and community service,” he said. “Although we aren’t promising it, we certainly hope and expect that some of our kids will earn college scholarships and play baseball in college.”

Get involved Learn more about the team at its website — www.bellevue- warriorsbaseball.com — emailing bellevuewarriorsbaseball@hotmail.com or calling Michael Stein at 223-7000.

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.

While Liberty senior center Aspen Winegar, who is averaging 13.9 points per game, only came up with four points against the Islanders, she contributed eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks on the night.

“Having that depth makes for a nice dynamic on the team because people can play all game and get some time in,” he said. “If someone isn’t doing that well that night, then there’s someone else already ready to come in.”

Leifer said as the team looks to wrapping up the regular season and begins to prepare for playoffs, the team must shore up its rebounding skills to deny other teams at second — and third — chance shots.

Turnovers remain a stumbling block for the team as well, he said.

“After taking that break because of the weather, I think we need to just need to get everybody back in shape,” Leifer said. “We need to cut those turnovers down and get more aggressive with our rebounding. Those are the two big things we’ll need to focus on.”

Mercer Island’s Julia Blumenstein and Ari Moscatel led the Islanders with 16 and 10 points, respectively.

Christina Lords: 392-6434, ext. 239, or newcastle@isspress.com.

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 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.

“In all my years of coaching, I’ve never once seen a person, male or female, have such intense concentration at such a young age,” said Penny Yantis, Skeen’s high school dive coach.

Yantis trains the dive teams for the four Bellevue High Schools, as well as Mercer Island. Penny trained Skeen for four years, but had also seen her as a 9-year old, teaching herself to dive.

“What sets Maraea apart from her peers is a natural affinity for diving, as well as the focus and athleticism,” Yantis said.

Skeen did have her challenges. The biggest hurdle she faced as a high school athlete was an inconsistent approach.

“The lead up to the actual jump makes or breaks the dive,” Yantis said. “If the walk, the jump, the arms and the body movement isn’t synchronized, the entire dive will be affected.”

Always the underdog

Economics were also a challenge.

“I was a penny pincher,” said Terry, Skeen’s mother. “With five kids, the first child never even had a new pair of shoes. By the time Maraea developed into swimming, we couldn’t invest in her the way we would have liked.”

While other elite divers at the high school level trained daily at private clubs, Skeen attended only once a week.

“Driving to Federal Way and managing the house was a juggle,” Terry said.

She was also dubious her daughter’s passion would yield long-term results.

“I wasn’t thinking about college tuition or a scholarship,” she admitted.

Although three of the four children had gone on to attend Brigham Young University, none had been eligible for a scholarship. Skeen’s older sister had briefly practiced with the dive team, but ultimately decided grades came first.

That didn’t deter Maraea. Every day after attending the Running Start college preparatory program at then-Bellevue Community College, she trained with the dive team. Her placements were usually in the top 10, but rarely in the top three.

When Skeen arrived at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, all of that changed.

Skeen was suddenly beating the young women who had placed above her in previous years. She attributes this to the training and coaching staff at UNLV. Yantis said she believes it was something more.

“When Maraea was doing a little club diving, she was competing with kids who were working out year round and working at the elite club level,” Yantis said. “At college, they are all training about the same, and Maraea was no longer at a disadvantage. That’s where her hard work and athleticism pays off. Now, she has the opportunity to be equal.”

From underdog to the top

The statistics prove Yantis’ point. Skeen was the 2010-11 Mountain West Conference Scholar-athlete award. She’d received the top academic award for three semesters of the year. She was also the 2010-2011, spring academic All-Mountain West athlete. Her finishes are always in the top three, and in many cases she is No. 1.

“I think it surprised my coach a little,” Skeen said.

She has broken a number of diving records at UNLV, and as a sophomore was named captain of the dive team.

Skeen was recently home for a short break before she begins her master’s program at UNLV. With two years of eligibility left, UNLV has given her a full athletic scholarship, which pays for all tuition, room and board plus a stipend.

“It’s more than I ever imagined,” her mother said.

Skeen herself said she is a little surprised that she has achieved so much with her sports and academics. And she’s not done yet.

“I still have two years left to compete,” she said.

Sarah Gerdes is a freelance writer. Comment at www.newcastle-news.com.

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.

But Liberty rallied back for a 54-48 home victory over the Highlanders, scoring 21 points in the second quarter — including nine points from junior point guard and co-captain Tynan Gilmore.

“I talked to them about playing more with their feet and doing what we do with Liberty basketball,” Liberty coach Joe Fithian said. “We’ve had a couple of games where we’ve just kind of gone into a funk. We haven’t been playing real fast, which is what you could see in the first quarter.”

The surge put the Patriots back into the game, trailing by just two points, 32-30, at the half.

Gilmore would go on to contribute 17 total points for Liberty.

“Tynan is a solid leader for this team,” he said. “When you seen him, he never gets rattled.”

Liberty junior post Matt Campbell, who tacked on 11 points for the night, has been a major contribution to the team as well, Fithian said.

“When we play hard, when we run fast, we’re a good team,” he said. “When we don’t, we’re mediocre.”

This season, Liberty has come away with just one conference win over Juanita on Dec. 9. The Patriots hope to improve on a 1-3 KingCo 3A conference record and a 5-4 record overall.

“I’m happy where we are … what I preach to my guys is do what we do,” he said. “I think we’re on our way. You saw tonight that we put in three out of four quarters of doing what we do, and it translates to a win.”

Liberty’s other wins on the season include a 44-36 victory against Mariner on Nov. 30, a 60-53 win over Black Hills on Dec. 17 and a 53-44 win over Highline Dec. 21.

Hazen senior guard Frankie Johnson and senior forward Dawit Kasa scored 14 and 12 points for the Highlanders in the contest, respectively.

Kasa is averaging 14 points, 2.2 steals and 7.6 rebounds per game.

The Highlanders have split their Seamount Conference contests 2-2, beating Lindbergh, 66-55, on Dec. 7 and beating Highline, 62-37, on Dec. 14.

Hazen’s overall record stands at 4-5, beating Mariner, 59-53, on Dec. 2 and beating Puyallup, 48-45, on Dec. 10 in nonconference play.

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.

“We’ve got a nice mix between our four seniors and our young players,” he said. “We’ve just got to keep improving every game.”

Liberty’s Sierra Carlson, a sophomore guard, came out hot in the first half of the game, knocking down 14 points before halftime. She would end the game with a season-best of 24 points.

She’s averaging 9.1 points, 2.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Liberty senior center and co-captain Aspen Winegar, averaging 14.4 points, 2.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds per contest, contributed 10 points in the Hazen match up.

“We’re really young, but I think we’re really deep,” Leifer said. “It helps that we have a lot of people that can play.”

After riding high the first seven games of the season, the Patriots would go on to lose its next nonconference game against Jackson High School, 51-35, on Dec. 28, bringing their overall record to 7-1. The team remains 4-0 in KingCo 3A conference play.

The Highlanders, who have had a sluggish start to the season, have a 3-4 overall record and are 2-2 in conference play.

Hazen won its first game against Ingraham on Nov. 29, but dropped its next two contests against Lindbergh and Kennedy Catholic on Dec. 7 and Dec. 9, respectively. It then nabbed two wins — against Evergreen on Dec. 14 and against Lakeside Dec. 21.

Airashay Rogers, a senior guard who has signed on to join the University of Washington Husky womens team next year, kept the Highlanders alive by contributing 19 of Hazen’s 39 total points against the Patriots.

She boasts averages this season that include 21 points, four assists, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 steals per game.

Hazen junior guard Cecillee Fernandez scored six points against the Patriots, while junior forward Anastasia Pallis contributed five points.

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.

“Josh is the most humble kid you will meet,” said Mike Smith, the boys coach for track and field at Liberty. “He wants to be on the relay, not just individual sports, and if someone needs help, he’s the first one to jump in, taking time out of his own practice.”

It’s a trait that has won him the respect and admiration of his teammates on both fields of play, said Steve Valach, Liberty football coach.

“When we were down 21 and four in with Juanita, we had seconds on the clock. Josh caught the ball and ran it back for the game-winning touchdown,” Valach said

No jumping up and down. No grandstanding.

“He didn’t say a word,” Valach said.

One of the crowd

Gordon’s drive is self-motivated, according to Valach and his parents, though some of his athletic prowess is inherited. His father has been an athlete his entire life, and his mother was a three-time state champion in swimming events who still holds several school records.

“I used to tease my mom that I was going to get more medals than her,” Gordon said, recounting how often he watched her old swimming videos to see how she handled herself.

Her quiet, determined demeanor and grace under pressure influenced him as he progressed in his sports.

That’s the type of leadership others in the community have come to expect from the young man who spent his summer drumming up school supplies for the Seattle Children’s Home. He placed posters around the community, collaborated with his football team and the owners of a swimming pool in Seattle to collect supplies. By the end of summer, he’d met his goal of providing enough supplies for every student, as well as raising about $500.

“Here’s a kid that gets up at five every morning, goes to his seminary before school, gets his Eagle Scout and never says a word of any of it,” Smith said. “He just does it.”

That type of demeanor has endeared him to other players, Smith said, “who look up to Josh and follow his example.”

Gordon deflects the praise, putting it back on his parents and his mentors at school.

“One of the best things coach Valach taught me is that high school football lasts three years, but the lessons we learn in football can be used for life. That’s real world,” Gordon said. “Sometimes, no matter how hard you train or practice, sometimes it’s just not going to be enough.”

His parents and coaches don’t complain about him lacking motivation. They worry he’s not enjoying the moment because he’s so focused on “doing it all.”

“I call him my border collie,” Smith said. “He’s always herding. The hardest thing for him to do is sit still and be patient. When the practice is over and everyone is gone, Josh is still on the field, wanting to do more and learn more. I have to tell him to go home.”

Gordon hasn’t let his focus on athletics detract from academics or service work in the community. He holds a 3.5 grade point average and recently submitted the forms for his Eagle Scout award. This balanced scorecard has made Gordon a viable candidate for scholarships. He is being recruited by several universities, including the University of Washington and Brigham Young University.

For now, Gordon’s plans are modest.

“Keep training,” he said. “Keep studying.”

Sarah Gerdes, who wrote this article, is a freelance writer.

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.

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.

That was the number players echoed after their 36-15 win over the Franklin Quakers on Nov. 15 on the cold turf of Seattle’s Memorial Field, placing them in the state championship hunt for the first time in 18 years.

That was the Highlanders’ motivation to defeat the Quakers, after Franklin had sent Hazen home in the same do-or-die situation last year.

And although Hazen went on to lose Nov. 12 to Capital in a 47-0 shutout that put the team out of the playoffs, coach Drew Oliver said the progress made during the season will leave a lasting impression on the program.

“These players believed in themselves,” he said. “If we’re playing our own game, they know they can go out there and compete against any team.”

The Highlanders boasted 392 rushing yards and three interceptions against the Quakers.

Hazen senior running back Eric Jacobs had 115 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while sophomore wide receiver J.D. Peterson and senior running back Daymontray Brown added a touchdown of their own, respectively, in the contest.

Brown, who racked up 195 rushing yards in the Franklin game, said the team was full of renewed passion throughout the season and during the game against the Quakers. He said he hopes the team’s momentum can carry forward in upcoming seasons.

“Even though I won’t be here, and some of our other players won’t be here next year, we feel this is the start of something new at Hazen,” he said. “We’ve been putting so much hard work into this, that we think this is something the next players that come along can take and use in the future.”

Last year’s season-ending game against Franklin ousted the Highlanders from the state playoffs. Hazen’s season abruptly ended in the first round of the playoffs during Oliver’s inaugural year as coach in 2009 as well.

“I love that we’re back here at the same place and that we got to exercise some demons,” Oliver said. “These guys have guts, and they played with such heart. I’m proud of what they’ve been able to do here.”

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.

“She bought into the system,” Hazen coach Jeff Bernhardt said. “She plays hard. She’s a team leader but I’m proud because it shows a little validation into what we’re doing.”

Attending the UW will benefit Rogers academically as well as athletically, said Ed Crow, Hazen’s assistant principal and athletic director.

“We take pride in kids getting into an environment that’s really competitive,” he said. “Going to a Pac-12 school means a lot. It means we have athletes that are going to go compete at the highest level.”

Bernhardt said Rogers would be a valuable addition to the university’s lineup.

“There aren’t many around that can match her,” he said. “She’s powerful, but yet graceful. She’s not out of control. The speed and the power that she plays with … there’s not anyone around that has that.”